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Category: Celtic Polytheism

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Crow Folks: Protect Yourselves

Last month, I was given a series of tarot cards for the upcoming months, and for this moon cycle that is beginning, I was given the Nine of Wands. I pulled that card out of my deck, and then went to go see Na Morrigna, taking my usual path, and finding them gathered as usual around their cauldron. I threw the tarot card into the cauldron, then, and it bubbled and then stilled, and the imagery came apart and was reflected across the surface, showing me another triad they wished me to write. I crafted it slowly, seeking their input and approval on my word choice, and when we were both satisfied, I had what appears below.

Three Means of Protection:

A Strengthened Body,
A Disciplined Mind,
A Defensible Home.

Left to Right: My Morrigna candle, the Nine of Wands from the Archeon Tarot Deck, and an offering of Hardywood Raspberry Stout

I have a couple personal thoughts about these types of protection, which I hope ya’ll don’t mind me sharing. For the first one, a strengthened body, my understanding is that this is very much an “as much as you are able” instruction. Not everyone will be able to be “strong” as we sometimes conceive of it, but I think most of us could stand to be stronger. The second one sort of surprised me – why a mental aspect, to protection? But as I think about it more, it does make a lot of sense: a disciplined and organized mind is going to help you notice sooner when things are “off”, and it will help you strategize more quickly if and when a problem comes up. The interesting thing about the third one was Their emphasis on defensIBLE, not “defended”. We need to plan ahead, and lay in protections, not just rely on our ability to fight off an attack. A village with a wall around it is more defensible than one with no wall; it will take fewer people to defend. Kind of a “smarter, not harder” vibe, and I think that’s in keeping with a lot of the other advice I’ve gotten from Na Morrigna over the years. I have some thoughts on home wards that I’ve been percolating for a while, and I think instead of expanding on those here, I’ll leave them for the next blog, which I’ll aim to get out on Wednesday evening, so look for it then or on Thursday!

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Crow Folks: Pursue Elation

On my way to visit Na Morrigna this month, I stopped by Bé Chuille’s place (as I often do), and before she let me walk down the forest path that leads from there to where I usually meet Na Morrigna, she tossed a bucket of cold water over my head, drenching me. But also, effectively removing some of the cloud of malaise and anxiety I’ve been fighting through lately, between the heat and the state of the world, as well as some more personal situations. And then she pointed to my ankles, and I saw ticks and mosquitos feasting on my blood. “You’ve forgotten to cover your feet again.” she said, in a tone of resignation. “You can keep those off if your shields don’t cover your feet. You can’t balance your energies with the earth if your shields don’t go down to your feet.” She’s right, of course. My shields don’t just keep things out, they keep me balanced, they keep things flowing properly — some of the layers are like membranes, taking in what I have a deficiency of, and keeping out what I already have enough of. But they can’t function properly if the bottoms are ragged. In my recent struggles, I had once again let the bottoms get ragged. It’s been a perennial problem in my life ⁠— some people have difficulties with shielding their back or their head, and I have trouble with my feet. So, that’s my personal piece of advice to ya’ll this Dark Moon: if there’s a part of your shields or wards where they seem to wear out faster, go check in on that, and repair or rebuild as necessary. For myself, I removed the bugs and repaired my shields, and once I had Bé Chuille’s approval, she sent me out the door, down the forest path to her foster-daughters, the three Morrigans, the Daughters of Ernmas.

I knew as I approached that it was going to be time for poetry again, this month, but I didn’t feel ready. I had drawn a few tarot cards, requesting touch points for this conversation, because I knew I was close to the physical limits of my body. My schedule allows for a few days to pass between the dark moon and the posting of the message, but I knew I was looking at days with less energy as we went into the weekend, not more. Using tarot cards as conversational touch points helps keep me focused when my body desperately wants more sleep instead, and it gives me an idea of what questions to ask. Sometimes when I go see Na Morrigna they have a clear message, and the conversation becomes one of turning the imagery and phrases into sentences that make sense as a paragraph. Other times, it’s a more meandering conversation, and then they tell me to summarize it. In either case, as I leave deep trance to sit at my computer in a lighter trance (which allows me to type), I can feel them reading over my shoulder, and I sense their approval or disapproval as I choose a word or a phrase, trying to find ones that taste the same as the images I was given. Lately, that process has been involving Irish language dictionaries more and more, as I try to get a sense of what the Irish word might be for a concept, if I’m struggling to find the English one, and then I choose one of the common translations for the Irish word, seeking context the way I often did when I was in college, writing essays in French analyzing historical novels. I expect I’ll eventually be asked to learn the Irish language, but at the moment I think They and I both know there is too much else on my plate to learn more than a few phrases.

All that to say — the cards I pulled as touchstones this month were the Five of Cups (reversed), the Seven of Wands, and the Herald (page) of Wands, reversed, all from the Archeon Tarot Deck, which is the one I normally use for Na Morrigna. Three cards for three parts of a message from three goddesses. I wrote down a few keywords in my notes before going to the journey, but that process is more for my conscious brain to remember which cards they were, than to decipher the message. Instead, when I saw Na Morrigna around the Cauldron, I asked something to the effect of: “For the first part of your message, the Five of Cups reversed, what message do you wish me to convey?” I was shown and reminded of the Supreme Court rulings and other recent happenings, and how myself and basically everyone I know has had feelings of anxiety, grief, and overwhelm about those, and how that’s been spilling into other aspects of our lives. Those feelings, I know, are part of the meaning of that card when upright, but they clarified that as a reversal, what they are asking us is this: Put your grief aside. That phrase was very very clear. Put your grief aside, for now. There is work to be done. And that is the Seven of Wands: courage, determination, strength. Most of the Crows, they said, have gotten back to their feet. Our warriors are not so easily defeated. But that, too, seemed to be in the past, so I asked for clarification — why is the Herald reversed, then? Is that not the present? No, no, I was told, and they were amused. The reversal is a delay — the farther future. You only drew three cards — which cards are between the Seven and the Herald? I was not expecting that, and hesitated, and they showed me the Eight, Nine, and Ten. Tapping the Eight, they said: this is the now, the month that is beginning. And this is the focus of your message for this month, and the topic for your poetry. I looked at it, and though I recognized the card I did not feel like I could see it clearly, so I asked if I might pop out and find the physical card and then ask more, and they agreed.

The Eight of Wands is the card in the above photo, between the candle I use for them (to the left) and an offering of red wine (to the right). I believe that it is clear from the imagery that this is a card of Bliss. So, I went back to speak with Na Morrigna again. Bliss? I asked. Joy? Are we echoing the recent message from Loki? They smiled — yes, but also no. It is an important message, but they wanted me to use different words: Lúcháir, and Elation. They wanted a triad from me, and so last night I spent a long time looking at triads and receiving imagery, and searching and choosing and changing my mind about words until I was satisfied — and so were they. (At least, with this one. For now. I am still early in my training and I am very aware of how much further I have to go.)

Three Pursuits of Elation:

Leaping into a new passion project;
Soaring into a new opportunity;
Falling into a new love.

Happy Lughnasadh to all, and I’ll see you here next dark moon, on or around August 27th!

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Crow Folks: Arise to Battle

Well. I almost made it to Lughnasadh this year, before I was called back to serve, before I was given work to do and words to share. But in the words of Irene Glasse: “Very well, war.” We are enmeshed in a cultural war here in the United States, and I think most of my readership is aware of that, but it ebbs and it flows — tides rise and they fall. But this past week, something many USians have been fearing has come to pass: the roll back of human rights for those people who happen to be able to get pregnant. This is seen as a victory by many whom I would consider enemies in this cultural war. Meanwhile, those I consider allies have begun buttressing mutual aid networks, mobilizing voters, and the like, but as witches and magic workers of all kinds, we also have an obligation to use our subtle talents, our magic, our energy weaving, to help support the values and rights we hold dear. Some of us have already begun planning joint workings on the Dark Moon tomorrow night, and it is in preparation for one such working that I went to go see Na Morrigna, both to confirm that I was hearing the call to active duty correctly (spoilers: I was), and to ask what to do and how to do it to both participate in and support the working I am preparing for. (And that’s also why this blog is coming before the Dark Moon, instead of my usual, which is to do the ritual on or slightly after the Dark Moon.) I won’t directly share information about that working, both because I’m not leading/organizing it, and because this is relatively public. I find that banework is usually best done quietly, and I also don’t think we should underestimate our opponents in this work: Evangelical Xtians are capable of a lot of what I’d call magic and witchcraft, baneful and otherwise. I imagine they’d take offence at my characterizing their work in that manner, but 1) good, be offended, and 2) I call it like I see it. I know people who’ve gotten hit by shit I could only term baneful, thrown by these types, and it’s not wimpy. (This is why protections are also very important if you’re going to engage in this kind of work, especially in a public manner.)

I’m not really going to tell you what exactly I’m planning to do, but I’ll briefly sketch you an outline of my goals, so skip this paragraph if you want to go straight to the message from Na Morrigna. Still here? Okay, so generally I’m first going to increase my general protections and wards, on myself, “my” people (family, and any practitioners I have sort of mutual protection agreements with), and also things like my car, and my spouse’s office. Then I plan to call in allies: my Deities, my Ancestors, my allies among the Fair Folk, and a few other allies whose specific help I will ask for in the working, including the spirits of several plants: Horsenettle, Dewberry, and Mint. The actual working will be done by the group jointly I believe, but I’ll follow up with a little additional work, playing to my own personal strengths, following the group working. It’s important to work from a place of empowerment, and it’s important to pick your targets carefully, but honestly there are a lot of practitioners out there who can explain the how and what of that better than I could do justice to the topic here, so go look and read and learn.

I spoke to Na Morrigna about my ideas for workings, and they helped me craft and refine my own plans, so those who have some experience in such workings may find it useful to discuss your plans with Them as well. But I also asked for a message for everyone, and this is what I received:

Crow Folks, you are feeling overwhelmed right now, exhausted, vulnerable, full of doubts and fears. But deep within you is a flame that will not be daunted; you have courage and determination enough yet to take action. Moving forward will require coordinated action, application of skills, and an unwavering focus on change. Look to your gods for strength, look to our priests for direction; our wisdom and guidance will show you the way forward. This is not going to be a fast and easy path; this is a war of many battles, over long years. Do what you can when you can; rest when you must. As voices together can hold a note longer than any one human’s lungs, so too will you be able to fight longer and more effectively together. The work will be ongoing, and you may not see the end of it, but do not despair, and do not turn away.

Arise, Crows, to battle…

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Review of Pagan Portals Brigid

A book standing on a shrine shelf, surrounded by jar candles and an offering cup. The book is a paperback volume of "Pagan Portals - Brigid" by Morgan Daimler, with an photo on the cover of a woman with red hair working in a forge.

The book, resting on my shrine to the Tuatha Dé, next to the pink candle dedicated to Brigid, which sits atop my blessed cloth.

Pagan Portals — Brigid: Meeting the Celtic Goddess of Poetry, Forge, and Healing Well

by Morgan Daimler, published in 2016 by Moon Books

ISBN: 978-1-78535-320-8

I’ve owned this book basically since it came out, but so far had only used it as a sort of reference, so with my new intention this year of reading and reviewing one book for each of the 8 holidays in the neopagan wheel of the year, I decided to start by reading this one all the way through.

I own quite a few Pagan Portals books at this point, and most of them are by Morgan Daimler — I really find value both in the format and in the general quality of Daimler’s research and writings. I have a certain fondness for Brigid, as she was the first Pagan Deity I really had contact with, before I even realized who she was. When I was a child I used to try to pray to the Saints the way my Irish-American Catholic father expected me to, and although oddly I didn’t hear much about St. Brigid until later, I often found comfort in a presence that I first thought was Mary but came to understand was someone else, without knowing who exactly she was. I came to associate her with a rose quartz necklace I owned, and when I later began to explore Paganism, though I stopped trying to reach out to who I thought was a Saint, I still used the piece of jewelry for protection and healing because it had become imbued with her power. One more fast forward to my second ever big public ritual as an adult, on Imbolc, and while lightly trancing I saw a Goddess I assumed was Brigid, and when she came over she identified herself as the same entity I’d been praying to all those years ago. It was a big shift for me, seeing those threads all come together. Brigid the Saint, Brigid the Goddess — or a trio of Goddesses? I think it depends a little on your viewpoint, but for me they all seem to come from the same well — or perhaps the same forge.

Daimler’s first chapter, “Meeting Brigid”, introduces us not only to the trio of Sister-Goddesses, daughters of the Dagda, but also to the three Brigids from the Ulster Cycle, with whom I was much less familiar. The three sisters, Brigid of the Healing Well, Brigid of the Forge, and Brigid of the Poets, are probably the best known trio to modern Pagans, and Daimler stresses the importance of these being sisters, not the Triple Goddess of Graves’s imagination in the form of maiden, mother, and crone. The other trio, however, are all related to a semi-historical figure from the Ulster cycle, Senchan, a judge and poet of Ulster during the kingship of Conchobar Mac Nessa: Brig Brigiu (Brigid the Hospitaller) is his mother, Brig Brethach (Brigid of the Judgements) is his wife, and Brig Ambue (Brigid of the Cowless) is his daughter. I found the section on Brig Brigiu especially interesting, as there are several similarities to the Fairy Queen I serve, whom I call Starflower: her realm is an independent place of healing and respite, and I may need to do more research about the term “brigiu” and the general context of these hostels! Daimler also notes that Brigid “does have an unusually broad range of abilities and expertise which at least indicates that she held a significant and prominent place historically.” The second chapter discusses a few more Brigids: other Celtic Goddesses in the UK and on the continent, and, yes, the Saint!

Daimler’s third chapter was the sort of excellent summary mixed with direct quotations and some original translations that I have come to expect in their work, and it’s really worth buying the book for this section alone, in my opinion. It provides a really good foundation for understanding the general appearances of Brigid in the lore, and combined with the bibliography in the back, is an excellent road map for getting started doing your own research! (Since this is one of Daimler’s earlier books, however, some of their own more recent translation volumes aren’t mentioned in the back of this one, and I really do encourage people to check those out, too.)

The fourth chapter provides some really good ideas for celebrating Imbolc, Brigid’s main holiday (which is basically concurrent with the Feast Day of St. Bride), and this is one of the sections I’d referenced frequently before. The first half of the fifth chapter discusses modern myths and practices, what we might call Shared Gnosis (as opposed to Unverified Personal Gnosis, or UPG). Reading it all the way through, though, I was struck by how much of Brigid’s lore really does revolve around livestock healing and protection as well, though, and I think I know who to petition the next time one of my rabbits has a health issue!* The second half of the chapter has a guided meditation script, and a personal anecdote from Morgan Daimler. I did the journey the other day for the first time, and I thought I’d share a little bit of my experience, below. Chapter six I also referenced a fair amount before: it contains a lot of useful prayers and spoken charms. Some are original, some are translated, others are reworkings of Christian prayers to the Saint.

In general I highly recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in getting to know Brigid. The series of books are meant to be short introductions to a topic, so it would also be useful to anyone interested in Irish or Celtic Paganism generally, or as part of a reference library for a Pagan group of some sort.

* This isn’t really relevant to the book review, but because I just know someone is going to ask: yes, I have two bunnies. One is small and white, one is large and orangey-brown, and the small one has periodic issues with GI stasis, likely due to dwarfism genetics.

 

The second journey I ever did to Brigid (as far as I can remember) was a guided meditation to a farm where I met not one Brigid, and not three Brigids, but four. The Healer at the Well, the Smith in the Forge, and the Poet in the House. This time, on this meditation, I met seven.

Upon entering the farmhouse this time, I found myself in the presence of a woman who seemed younger than myself, standing and sway-bopping slightly as she nursed an infant. Brigid Ambue, she said to call her, Brigid the Cowless, and explained that the child was an orphan, and that no one in the world had less than an orphan less than a moon cycle old. She sent me into the kitchen, where I met a woman old enough to be my grandmother. The older woman was standing by a stove that was a bit old fashioned but still clearly a modern gas range, stirring a pot of porridge. Brigid Brethach, she called herself: Brigid the Judge. We spoke for a while, and then a woman almost as old as my mother entered, and introduced herself as Brigid Brigiu, Brigid the Hospitaller. She then took me out the back door, and we went around to visit the three I had expected. Brigid the Healer was at the well, and looked much the same as I remembered. So did Brigid the Smith, at the forge. Instead of in the house, this time Brigid the Poet was in a small shack, like a shepherd’s hut, past a field and towards the treeline, and she emerged to greet us as we came near. Satisfied, Brigid the Hospitaller then left me, and I began to make my own way back towards the house. On my way I met the one I first called Brigid the Tiny, who later revealed to me that she was the Saint, much younger than the others here and therefore in the guise of a girl of about nine. As in that earlier journey, she had me do a few farm chores before I left, and then saw me out the gate in the fence she closed behind me as I went. With each meeting I had given the Brigid a small vial of something pertaining to her craft, except the little Saint – she wished for nothing but a bit of companionship and help with her chores.

 

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Upcoming Online Ritual: Healing the Morrigan’s Crows

Online Ritual:

Healing

the Morrigan’s Crows

February 5th, 2022 at 3:00pm EST

On Zoom: Tickets available here!

 

I’d like to explain the ritual a bit, but to do that, let’s start at the beginning, before I ran this ritual the first time…

Two years ago, I sent an application to present a workshop and short ritual at what I then thought was going to be a multi-day retreat in Orange, Connecticut. My application was accepted… and then, well. The Pandemic Happened. After some back and forth, it was decided to proceed with the event, but online, and I was asked if I could adapt my ritual to be used online. I wasn’t sure, but I was willing to try, and I’m happy to say that it went really well! People had great experiences, and it was actually easier than I thought it would be to reach them, even through a screen. Now, two years later, with probably a dozen more online rituals in my rear view mirror, I think it’s time to bring this one back, on my own.

Part of my work for Na Morrigna is to offer healing to other followers and devotees (the “Crows”), and leaving it up to that follower or devotee if they’d like to reimburse me directly for my time, or if they’d prefer to get Na Morrigna involved in the exchange as well, with the Crow giving offerings to Them, and Them gifting me with the sort of assistance we previously agreed upon. A combination of the two is also fine, and really it’s up to each person’s individual situation, so this ritual has two ticket options: free, or pay-what-you-want. I’m not particular which you choose, so just choose what’s best for you! My agreement with Na Morrigna is a good gig, and I’m happy however it plays out.

However there is one requrement: in order to attend this ritual you should already have a relationship with the Morrigan, or with one of the other goddesses sometimes referred to as one of Na Morrigna, the plural (ie, Macha, Anu, Badb, Nemain). You do not need to be an oathed devotee, and you don’t need much experience, but the ritual format presupposes an existing relationship. This is not a good ritual for a first meeting with the Morrigan. Besides that, as long as you’re somewhat familiar with guided meditations and with basic spiritual hygiene for before and after rituals and other workings (grounding, centering, shielding yourself, warding a space, cleansing yourself/a space), you should be good!

At the beginning of the event, I’ll briefly discuss a few examples of battlefield healing from Irish mythology (including the use of the Well of Sláine in the Cath Maige Tuired, and the exchange of healing between Cuchulainn and the Morrigan in the Ulster Cycle), and talk about how that informs my own spiritual healing practice, as a healer called to serve the Morrigan and her community of Crows. This will give us a little time to settle in, and let stragglers show up a few minutes late. Don’t be too late, though — once I’ve given the instructions for the second part and everyone is ready with their supplies at hand, I won’t be letting anyone else in, because I’ll be starting the ritual.

The healing ritual is focused on cleansing away all wounds that prevent the Crows from doing the sacred work of Na Morrigna, so that they can return to their battlefields, renewed and ready. This includes invocations of four deities of healing (Dian Cecht and his children Miach, Airmed, and Ochtriullach), a parallel working with water and herbs which concludes with self-asperging or anointing with the blessed water, and a short guided meditation to see Na Morrigna at the Well of Sláine.

The confirmation email from the ticket page has these instructions as well, but you’ll need a few supplies on hand for the ritual:

  1. A vessel to be the Well, at least half full of water  (Filtered water or spring water is best, but basically any drinkable water will do.)

  2. A small amount of salt, in its own container (I use Irish sea salt when I can find it, but again, basically any salt will do.*)

  3. A small dish to hold the pre-mixed herbs (I’ll be using the following nine healing herbs: mugwort, lemon balm, rosemary, feverfew, yarrow, lavender, bay, hawthorn, and clary sage. If you have access to these or to any nine healing herbs you know well, wonderful!  If not, any three kitchen herbs will do, as we’ll  be using sympathetic magic to tie your bowls to mine and then to the Well of Slaine.)

  4. A beverage of your choice to be offerings, in a container easy to pour out of

  5. A vessel to pour offerings into

  6. A stirring implement

* Note to US residents: Most of the sea salt labeled “Celtic” in stores is from France. Most of the direct salt companies in Ireland have prohibitively expensive shipping, but I ordered some from Salts of the 7 Seas. We’ll see if it shows up fast enough! If anyone has a better lead on Irish sea salt, please let me know!

Image above is of two hands and wrists in greenish water strewn with leaves, provided by Squarespace via unsplash.

I hope you’ll join me! Click here for Tickets!

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A Personal Lesson from Na Morrigna

I had a difficult December and most of January so far. Not as an excuse, just as context for this post. I struggled a lot with everything that I needed and wanted to get done, and I did not accomplish everything on my list.

At the beginning of this month, at the Dark Moon, I tried to rally myself, tried to steal time and still my inner turmoil enough to put it aside and do the journey and ritual I try to do every month at the Dark Moon. But instead, I heard: Stop. Rest.

Was it my own desires talking, or my intuition, or Na Morrigna? I couldn’t say for sure, but I did rest. I let days pass, I tried to get other things done. But it tugged at the back of my mind. The anxiety remained until today, on the Full Moon, I finally did a journey. I lit Their candle, and laid on the floor in my ritual room, a shawl covering my face and head, and I went to see Them in my usual way.

When I entered the clearing, They stood around the cauldron, and reached out to take my hands and bring me into their circle. I tried to make an apology, but they just smiled at me kindly. They knew how hard I had struggled, and we all knew there was room in my contract for times like this. I had failed, yes, but I had not violated anything. Mistakes and failure, They told me, are important parts of the human experience, places to plant the seeds of new growth.

I had not been expecting such gentle compassion. I knew I was not in violation, but I had expected disapproval, impatience for getting to work. But instead, as I began to cry, They encouraged me to weep into the cauldron, and to shriek my rage and overwhelm into the waters within. That was my offering today — an emotional outpouring I’d been trying to keep in check.

I asked for words to share with others, the message I had failed to come to retrieve two weeks ago, but They told me not to worry. They gently laughed and said there were no messages only I could bring, nothing that They could not get to Their followers in other ways. My work is useful to Them, but I am not the only one doing this work. They have many pathways for the same omens, and the best thing for me to do now would be to share this experience with others. Although I had known that before — had glimpsed in the cauldron the extensive connected lines of their network of messages and omens — it still felt in that moment like illumination. Space had been left to mitigate failures. As someone who lives in a society where lean staffing and 60 hour work weeks and barely any paid vacation is the norm, I felt profound relief. I had not before realized how much of that attitude of near-constant productivity I had been bringing to my work with Na Morrigna, though in retrospect it seems much more obvious. I was reminded, also, that although my writings benefit the community, I am essentially a Deity-Facing cleric, not a pastoral one who tends a human community. Others do that and do it well and I don’t need to feel pushed to give more in service than what has been asked of me.

What was asked of me was this:

  1. On the Dark Moon, when I am able, I am to share a message or other writing that comes from Them

  2. If any of the followers of any of Na Morrigna come to me for healing or divination, subject to my availability, I am to offer my services free of charge, the balance of exchange shifting to include Them, such that I am compensated by Them, and They are compensated by the follower directly. (Although if the followers wish, they may still compensate me directly instead, by money or barter.)

Hopefully this has been enlightening to someone besides me; the lesson I thought I knew has sunk in a little deeper for me, now, and I’m grateful for the reminder. See you next Dark Moon.

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Crow Folks: Rest, to Prepare for the Coming Year

I went to see Na Morrigna this month after the solar eclipse. I didn’t expect too much to be going on near me, as the eclipse was only visible in the southern hemisphere, but it worked out that way due to some events in my personal life. That made me wonder a little, especially once I heard reports of others experiencing another high tide, similar to the one I wrote about last month. But when I went to see Them, around Their cauldron, I poured in the cherry mead I’d brought, and they handed me a cup, made of a gleaming golden metal. I grasped the two handles, and filled the cup from the cauldron at Their urging, and then drank deeply. Here is the message They gave me to share with my community:

You have increased your emotional maturity and your wisdom in this past season. You have been pouring out your cup to fill others’. This is good and just work, but it requires balance. You stand on the point of a spear, and your fatigue grows. Any misstep in your spear-dance might mean injury, illness. Choose rest, or your fatigue will become exhaustion, and you will be mired in burnout, withdrawing from all you have accomplished. Choose rest, so that you may feel renewed as the new secular year dawns at the next dark moon. Renewed, and abundant in energy, focus, and mental clarity.

The next dark moon is January 2nd, so I’ll see you all in the new year!

Post image is a stock photo provided by squarespace, in black and white, of black birds in the uppermost branches of trees, with a grey sky above.

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Crow Folks: Samhain Reflections

There are a number of different timing methods for Samhain in the pagan sphere, but most neopagans agree that it’s somewhere around the turn of October/November in the Northern hemisphere, and it’s inarguably the whole month of November in the modern Irish language (and November-Eve is then Oíche Shamhna). For me, Samhain Season, the time when the Otherworlds are closer to our world, feels like a tide. The tide reaches its peak between October 31st and November 7th, but builds up for most of October and lingers for most of November, with twin small peaks on the dark moons of those two months. I also associate Samhain Season with the first frost, which in my immediate area is usually that same period, from October 30th to November 7th. This year my child was unfortunately ill for most of that time, so our Halloween and Samhain plans were adjusted and made smaller. Still, the night I felt most drawn to do my usual Ancestors divination after my child went to sleep ended up being the night of the first hard frost, which I took as a good omen and a blessing. And tonight, the 7th, is the first time my mind has been clear enough to commune with Na Morigna since the dark moon a few days ago, which also feels like a small affirmation, an acknowledgement of my human frailty, of the difficulty of being a disabled parent caring for a sick child.

I was not sure what to expect from Na Morrigna, for both Samhain and the Dark Moon, but when I approached them I saw the sky reflected in their large cauldron, and I came back from there with three questions:

Which resources are you abundant in, and which do you need more of, to continue our work together?

Where is your magic not working, and what mundane actions can you take to supplement it?

What illusions are holding you back, and what secret fears need to be laid bare and conquered?

They are questions meant for deep reflection, and I can hardly think of a better way to begin this dark half of the year. I’ll be journaling my answers, and if the questions speak to you, I suggest you do the same.

Post image is a stock photo provided by squarespace, in black and white, of black birds in the uppermost branches of trees, with a grey sky above.

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Crow Folks: Samhain Approaches

This time for the Dark Moon, when I journeyed to see Na Morrigna, I was sent to do a little bit of personal work first, and then when I returned I poured a flagon of brandy into their cauldron, and they stirred it in with wands and used those to convey the themes for their message – which I was then instructed to turn into a free form poem. So with Their help and inspiration, I wrote the following:

Lughnasadh passed; Samhain approaches.
A new moon, a new-coming year,
and an end to waiting.

A few weeks to prepare;
Plans to revisit,
Goals to reassess.

Your choice of paths to take.
What role will you fill?
What path draws you toward it?

Flame burned around you;
Now you stand fire-hardened,
Ready for new work.

A time for you to renew
Both your convictions and your dedications
As the year turns from light to dark.

A turbulent seasons begins:
Wind tearing at trees,
Palisades mended with new earthen supports.

Paths diverge: deep or shallow?
Deep and deeper still,
Into the heart of the Work.

This is the calling:
An end to superficial engagement,
And into the bone-fire of transformation.

The old to be burnt away,
Clearing way for new growth,
Growth from your own shadowy depths.

As my personal Samhain observation and celebrations continue through the first week of November, the next Dark Moon (November 4th) will likely be a Samhain message. If you don’t have plans I recommend at least doing a small solitary ritual, perhaps just to learn more about what they wish you to do in this coming year (Samhain to Samhain) by doing a journey, or a bit of candlelight divination.

If you aren’t sure what to do, I always welcome emails, and if you’re on Facebook I highly recommend the group “The Morrigan’s Cave”, run by the Irish Pagan School. It’s a spectacular resource, and is full of very knowledgeable practitioners!

Crow Calls: an Ogham Divination

This moon’s message comes a bit late thanks to Hurricane Ida and the migraine she caused, and I was instructed to do a less intense version of my ritual, and to draw ogham instead of channeling poetry. The message itself does somewhat explain why I was given lighter duty: rest is important for all healing.

I pulled three ogham feda*: Tinne, Beithe, and Nin. In the personal lists I’ve been developing, the kennings for these three are Tested Resolve, Beginning Healing, and Knotted Weaving.

Three birch discs, pyrographed with ogham (Tinne, Beithe, and Nin, from left to right), sitting on a brown knit bag, on top of a silver tablecloth.

Three birch discs, pyrographed with ogham (Tinne, Beithe, and Nin, from left to right), sitting on a brown knit bag, on top of a silver tablecloth.

Tinne is here to represent the near-past, and in that context I understand it to be the completion of a trial by fire. We’ve been dealing with things we weren’t sure we could handle – and yet we did handle them, if perhaps not as well as we might have liked. Still, that cycle is now behind us, and we need to focus on our current and future cycles.

Beithe is here to represent the developing present, the thing we should be working on right now. This is the fid* that really explains my instruction to rest: we should be focusing on healing. Having completed one cycle, we need to rest and rejuvenate to face whatever comes next. Beithe is a fid of healing, but also of beginnings, in my understanding. We need to start the next cycle as favorably as we can, to aim for positive outcomes.

Nin is here to represent the near-future, and in this context I understand it as a fid of communal goals, and of working together as a community. A symbol I associate with this fid is the hand-tied fishnet. It takes more than one pair of hands to make one in any reasonable length of time, and more than one pair of hands to both cast it into the water, and to pull it back in. Nin speaks to me of weaving, both literal fibercraft and metaphorical joinings. As we look to the future and our own healing, we need to both support and be supported by those in our communities. We are a community of Crows, but we belong to other communities, too: spiritual, and geographical, familial and professional. All and any strong community ties matter, and those webs will look different for each of us. As you work on self care, make sure to also put aside some time for community care, as well. Learn how to be a shelter for others, and learn where you can go to find sanctuary of your own.

Hopefully that gives you insight into your current situations, and with any luck I’ll be back with more poetry next month. The next Dark Moon is October 6th.

*: Fid and Feda are the singular and plural, respectively, of the Irish word for each individual ogham letter, meaning also tree, wood (or something wooden, like a walking stick or wand). See it here in the eDIL.

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