The wheel turns...

Cailleach bheur....

It isnt her time of year on this side of the planet, yet, but the Cailleach Bheur is a winter being who will be in her element in the northern hemisphere.She comes to the fore as the days shorten and the sun sits low in the sky. This Irish and Scottish goddess will be carrying her staff with which to call in the frosts and snow, whilst keeping a watchfull eye over the wild animals. Perhaps its the 36 degree heat, she whispered in my ear and led my fingers today, whilst I researched her trail through tales told of megaliths and cairns built from stones fallen from her apron, tempests caused by the washing of her plaid. For me she is the wise untamed crone that asks us to stop, turn within, slow down and tend our metaphorical hearth fires.

Brigid...

 

To my understanding, when springs tendrils and shoots arrive Cailleach morphs into Brigid, a maiden aspect. Some say Cailleach lays down her staff and turns to stone as the years wheel turns to spring, others that she fights Brigid for domination of the seasons, still others that the one becomes the other. Im sticking with the latter for now, or the stone theory, and its helping my connection to Brigid, to see her as a rebirthing of Cailleach.
There's some varying of opinion as to exactly which parts of the year bears each goddess mark but it makes sense for me that Cailleach rules from Lughnasadh (Autumn) to Imbolg (Spring), and Brigid the other half of the year, appearing as the plants and lambs are getting happy. Gradually, I'm learning Brigid carries the muse like qualities of spring energy, inspiration for poets, smithys and crafters, she's sometimes depicted with flames of inspiration, exuding from her hands.

heart meanderings

Meandered along the beach this moring looking for heart shaped stones. Which got me wondering about the symbology of the heart, which a friend suggested actually bears a closer resemblance to a lower down organ in the chicks of the species..Which is interesting to bear in  mind when reading the following..
Ab was the Egyptian word for heart-soul, most important of the seven souls bestowed by the seven birth godesses (Hathors). The 'ab' was the soul weighed in the balances of Maat after death, to see how it stood up to weighing with her Feather of Truth. The ab was the central blood-soul emanating from the blood essence of the mother which lead to the saying that a pregnant woman carries her child 'under her heart' and why a mother called her child 'hearts blood'.
Significantly, the meaning of the Egyptian word for the mother given heart was reversed in Hebrew where 'ab' was redefined as 'father'.
The Egyptian heiroglyphic for ab was a dancing figure referring to the mystic dance of life going on in the body-the heartbeat. The same mystic symbol in India was the Dance of Shiva, who was supposed to dwell at the beating heart of the cosmos within the world body of Kali.Shiva went through periodic deaths until resurrected by his mother as did Osiris in Egypt.
Early Christian Gnosticsequated Jesus to the dancing god within.
Although the Christian church outlawed ecclesiatical dancing early on, the theme of the God within the dancing heart was not forgotten and was translated into the Sacred Heart symbol.
So you can see the spiritual valuing of the heart that underpins its use as such a strong emblem, although these days its more likeli to be referred to on a valentines day card or in a deck of cards than in practices of sacrifice, death and rebirth.

Info taken from the wonderfull "Womans Book of Myths and Secrets" by Barabara  G.Walker.

Cailleach bheur....

Caileach bheur is a blue faced Celtic Crone godess usually associated with winter. It was said if she was seen gathering much wood we were in for a long cold winter. She is also associated with wolves, deer and looking after wild animals.  Each spring tales speak of her either turning to stone until it is her time again, or becoming  a young spring like maiden. After a european winter in crone form id be wanting some spring energy too, all that cold and joints.

To me she she sits by an oracular fire, tending it through the dark of the years turning wheel. Prone to having a wolf in for a bowl of her everbrewing stew when the hunt is low. 

damn to do lists....