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Category: Celtic Polytheism

Crow Calls: Another Year of Messages

I renew my work for Na Morrigna each Lughnasadh, an auspicious time for making contracts. This year I asked what my work would be in the coming season, and if I should still bring messages back for my fellow devotees.

I stood at the cauldron with them, our hands clasped in a circle of four: myself, Anu, Badb, and Macha. As I felt our magic rise, I watched the cauldron, and what had been still clear water became a bubbling black fluid, like melted tar, but without that foul smell. The bubbles got larger and the roiling more vigorous, and then a large black crow burst from the cauldron, looking for a moment like it was made of tar, but then dripping the last of the fluid from its wings, it soared away with glistening feathers. More came bursting out, and as I locked eyes with Badb, I understood these to be new devotees, new warriors, new recruits to our cause, growing their wings and learning to fly with the rest of the flock.

One came out clutching a leg close to its chest, and I dropped Anu and Macha’s hands, instinctively putting my arm towards the wounded creature. It landed, and I splinted and healed the leg, and then gently unfolded one of its wings to heal the torn muscles there, as well. Magically healed, the bird launched into the sky, gouging me with its claws in the process, but the same magic healing I’d used on the bird I now used on my own arm, and watched the skin knit back together, leaving no blemish. I returned to my place in the circle, holding hands, and I understood that healing my fellow crows was again my calling, though that may not be a smooth and easy road, and I may need to heal myself as much as I heal others.

As I looked into the cauldron once more, I saw powerful magic, battle sorcery, wielded by the Crows, and Na Morrigna, flashing through the air. And below I saw myself, once again holding a banner, to help those in the air orient themselves to the ground beneath. A waymarker, a grounding rod, a light in the dark: this is my role, as messenger.

I asked if there was a specific message they had for me to bring back this time, and I was told that we must all do the work of learning to balance and regulate our emotions, and must not rely on our relationships to provide that balance; we need to find it in ourselves.

After a year and a half of a very changed world, I find myself struggling more with stressors than I used to. Shadow work is needful during difficult times, and a return to the basics of grounding, centering, and shielding, can create a bubble within which we can catch our breath.

A Funerary Prayer to Lugh

Lugh Samildánach, God with Many Talents,
One of your devotees has ended [his/her/their] earthly cycle.
Borrow again that swift-sailing boat, the coracle Wave-Sweeper,
From your foster-father Manannán Mac Lir.

Bear [name] away in the boat, over the sea to the West,
Where [he/she/they] might rest a while.
Look over [him/her/them], Lugh Lámfada, Warrior of the Long Arm,
And see that no harm comes to [him/her/them] on [his/her/their] journey.

Take our blessings and love with you, 
Across the sea in that swift boat,
To sustain [him/her/them] until [he is / she is / they are] wrapped in the loving arms
Of [his/her/their] Ancestors and Beloved Dead.

This we would ask of you, Lugh, foster-son of Tailtiu,
In whose honor you dedicated the funeral games of Lughnasadh.
We honor [name] now as you honored her,
And we celebrate [his/her/their] memory.

by me, Alexandra Nic Bhe Chuille, 2021

I wrote this prayer for the funeral of a friend-of-a-friend who was a devotee of Lugh. I spoke to Lugh as I wrote it, and then changed words and phrases until we were both satisfied. There aren’t a lot of funerary prayers available online for either Irish Polytheists specifically, or for Pagans generally, and I thought I would share this one for Lughnasadh. Please feel free to use it, with proper attribution.ibution.

Crow Folks: The Season of Harvest Begins

This Dark Moon, I was instructed to return to the more poetic form, and deliver the message for our preparation for Lughnasadh in that manner. A few of these lines owe inspiration in part to Morgan Daimler’s translation of the Cath Maige Tuired, as I cannot read it in the original Irish, but the English translation rang in my head as I communed with Na Morrigna, and drank inspiration from their cauldron.

The season of harvesting begins
Beginning of a transition
A death that sustains life.

Courage falters,
Fear rises,
Insecurity holds us down.

Remember your power:
Power from strength,
Strength from conviction.

Why do you do this work?
Not hard, we say.
You are called to it.

Answering volley with volley,
Shielding those without shields,
Pursuing to strike with bloody destruction,

Many fields of battle:
Stand firm in yours,
Your squadron surrounds you.

Standing shoulder to shoulder,
No wedge between you,
Focused, taut, ready.

The season of death begins,
A time of community-sustaining harvest,
A transition back into a passionate life of service.

Hopefully that message with resonate with some of you! As for me, I’ll be using this to make plans for Lughnasadh, and to confirm another year in service to Na Morrigna.

Crow Folks: Send Out Ripples

This month’s Dark Moon, when I journeyed to see Na Morrigna, another of my allies came along, one of the Fair Folk who often takes the shape of a white horse, and as we five stood around the great cauldron, she bent forward so that her white hair fell into the water of the cauldron, and it filled with visions that she had seen, both Otherworldly wars and human carnage, in a sort of dreadful symmetry. I began to feel overwhelmed by it all, when the Three Morrigna spoke to me as if in one voice. This is the wisdom they would have me share:

The Cauldron of the World is too large for you to control, though you can create small ripples. Focus instead on the Cauldron of your heart. That is small enough for you to work changes within. When you have wrought change in yourself, send ripples out into your sphere of influence. Focus not on sorcery but on mundane workings, this summer.

I have been told to skip June to focus on my own work, and to return with another message or poem at the dark moon in July, in preparation for the Lughnasadh harvest.

Crow Folks: You Fight to Protect What You Value

This time, when I went to see Na Morrigna, they were gathered already around the cauldron and waiting for me. When I arrived, and handed over the bottle of wine, they poured it into the cauldron, stirred it clockwise, and then all three of them transformed into crows, and dove into the the shimmering water. I was pulled along with them, face first, and emerged through that watery portal to a vantage point on a cliff, above what appeared to be a large camp, with tents and people milling about. I was told to compose a poem describing what I saw, and to convey their message to my fellow devotees.

On a ridge above a war-camp
Stand the Morrignae and I
People stirring below

Awakening from slumber
Tending the wounded
Preparing to fight

Fairy Wars rage
Over Land, Sea, and Sky;
Humans also struggle
Against invisible enemies.

Do not give up the fight;
Your battles are not yet won.
The War lingers.

We fly as scald-crows over the camp
To the scene of yester-eve’s battle
To cleanse the dead who lie still.

Find joy in the calm moments
To fortify yourself for continued struggle.
You fight to protect what you value.
You fight to protect those you love.

I got the sense that the “invisible enemies” we are fighting against are both physical things that are too small to see (like the covid virus), but also abstract things like injustice, so you should read that with both meanings.

Also, I clearly saw the crows we became when flying over the camp, black and grey, and I also heard them say what sounded to me like “skald crow”, but I didn’t write that at first, because what does a Norse poet have to do with a hooded crow? Though apparently I’d misspelled it – “scald” crow is apparently another name for the hooded crows I saw, and that was a strange little moment for me. “Yester-eve” was almost “yesterday evening”, but I was told that was not smooth enough, and that this poem needed to be pared down to the sharpness of just the few most necessary words.

Crow Folks: Reconnect

This dark moon, when I went to visit Na Morrigna at my usual place, the cottage near the river, they were outside, seated around a cauldron, with a fire built beneath it, but not lit. As I approached, they stood. One of them lit the fire as I opened the bottle of wine I had brought, and I poured it into the liquid that was already within. As the fire rose I saw things in the liquid and in smoke, and they spoke to me, and I was told to condense the experience into a poem, a rosc. Here is what I wrote:

Liquid seethes,
Emotions roil;
A too-hot fire.

A spoon stirs.
Stirred liquid settles,
Simmers softly.

The stirring is best shared
With those closest to you,
One at a time.

Two can stir a large cauldron
better than one can alone,
But a crowd will cause it to spill over.

The time of distance is not over,
But isolation should end:
Reconnect.

I believe we’re being called to re-center meaningful relationships, to reach out to those we miss, but haven’t had many quality interactions with in the past year. Called to do something more than write a few words on a social media post. A lot of us are dealing with Zoom burn out, I know – but this is a call to reprioritize, and figure out which people you can really share your struggles with, whose understanding and compassion will help you feel more at ease, and who you can help in the same ways.

Crow Folks: A Divination

Imbolc is usually the end of my run of Dark Moon rituals to Na Morrigna, but this year, as with last, I’ve been asked to continue. This month the journey did not leave me with succinct quotes or a rough poem, but rather I was called to draw a few cards and then discuss the themes therein. I tend to use the Archeon Tarot deck for “Morrigna Stuff”, and lately I’ve been incorporating ogham in as well, so here’s what I drew:

The Ace of Pentacles, The Two of Pentacles (reversed), The Eight of Cups (reversed), and then nGetal.

For most of us, the beginning of a new secular calendar year brings with it a lot of reflection and change, as we lay out plans for the rest of the year, hopefully improving things that didn’t work out well in the last one. This year, there’s still a lot of uncertainty regarding the pandemic, and for those of us in the US, the political changeover associated with the new President and the outcomes of recent elections. We are gathering up what we can of our lives, though, and we’ve taken the first few steps on our journey through the new year. Many of us are bringing more unresolved issues than usual into the new year, and while January is somewhat liminal, February often brings harsh realities into focus, as we truly settle in. New problems will arrive soon (if they haven’t already) and will begin to exacerbate old problems we’ve carried over from last year, leaving us feeling like we’re juggling too many things, and in many cases, struggling with burn-out. Organization and mini self care breaks will help some, but ultimately it looks like this moon will be one of struggle as we decide how many difficulties we can actually juggle, and what me might need to let fall. One of the things we must prioritize is our own health: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Many old wounds, never quite totally healed, have been reopened in the past year, and these need true healing, although it is likely the process will be exhausting and painful. Boundaries may need to be drawn sharply; things that drain us but provide no value should be excised from our lives like a scalpel removing a tumor. The last year was hard – this one will be harder still if we lose our footing.

Despite the somber tone of the conversation and reading, however, I felt nothing but warmth and encouragement from Na Morrigna Themselves. They are here to help us, and we are here to help each other, as we go through this month – and this year – together.

Crow Folks: Battle is Here

This month, as is my custom, I journeyed to speak to Na Morrigna on the dark moon. Last month they gave me questions, but this month we have returned to the oracular poetry they’ve been inspiring me to write on their behalf. Here is the poem:

Battle is here.
Slaughter is here.
Blood spatters;
The Morrigna dance above spears.

A steady eye, a steady arm:
These are the traits of the best warriors.

Magic flies like arrows.
Magic shields like armour.
Slice through your enemy’s magic;
Pierce your enemy’s armour.

Protect those you fight for;
Destroy those you fight against.

Battle is a dance long and winding;
War is a path lengthy and strenuous.
Rest and tend to the wounded after each encounter.
Find time for rest and sustenance as you go to war.

Crows fly in undulating waves,
Black birds in a murmuration.
Find your place in the swarm.
Find the proper time for your flight.

I will definitely be doing a working this weekend or coming week, and I’ll choose the time carefully. But a friend of mine recently posted some really wise advice on Facebook that I’ll paraphrase here:

If you’re going to do political magic or battle sorcery, your first step should be to cleanse yourself and your space if you haven’t recently, and to re-up your personal shields and wards. I’ve spoken about this before on the blog, though not recently, but: Xtians may not consider what they do to be magic, and they would probably doubly deny any accusation of banework, but that doesn’t stop the effects from being very, very real. We magic workers have allies, and so have they – and not all of theirs are who you might expect. So go into this work knowing that you have opponents who, if possibly not as conscious of what they are doing, are still largely effective. Much of my work has been to undo theirs, and while I do tend to find their work not always as precise as most of the witches I work beside, they do not lack for power. Do not underestimate their abilities.

Call on your closest allies as you do this work: the Morrigna, but also any other deities to whom you are devoted, any guides or guardians who might be able to aid you, and any Ancestors you work with, particularly if they fought against the Confederacy or the Nazis in their lifetime.

It may be difficult to build a new relationship quickly enough to do this work with anyone new, however, and be on guard against deceitful spirits, anyone claiming to be who they are not. Discernment will be key, and trusted long-term allies will be the most help.

After doing the work, be prepared to do a bit of aftercare. Ground, center, take care of any bodily needs, and check your shields and wards again. Make sure you have a plan for upkeep. Land spirits, if you are on friendly terms with them, can give assistance with warding spaces like your home and place of work. Don’t neglect shields on yourself and your car if you have one, and make sure that you are shielded against attack through your dreams and while you sleep.

If you do still find yourself being targeted or experiencing backlash, ask someone you trust for assistance, or reach out to myself or another healer for help. We Crows work better as a flock, moving as one, supporting each other in community.

Crow Folks: Questions to Answer

This time, when I went to visit Na Morrigna, I was told not to write poetry, but rather convey a series of questions. Questions for us all to answer, and to answer as fully as possible – to contemplate and journal about and really engage with deeply. Here they are.

What do you live for?
What would you be willing to die for?
What do you stand for?

How can you continue your magical education so that you continue to develop your magical skills?
How can you continue to develop your leadership skills so that they are not outpaced by your ambition?
How can you learn to take criticism and use it to help you grow?

How can you commit to keeping with the struggle when the victories you have achieved so far are not enough?
How can you prevent yourself from getting discouraged by small, mixed-bag results?
How can you stay engaged in the struggle despite large looming obstacles?

Nine questions, likely with difficult and complicated answers. I’m going to journal about them, and I suggest you do the same, if you don’t have ready answers.

The next Dark Moon is 1/13/2020.

Crow Folks: Keep Circling

I’m a few days overdue, but here is the belated poem, fruit of my most recent Dark Moon trip to see Na Morrigna:

A cart rushing,
Without knowing its direction;
It jolts, tipping.
Wolves run through the forest,
Paws touching earth gently,
Clear direction and purpose.
Purpose before going;
Direction before rushing:
Balance in movement.
Harmonious actions,
Togetherness in purpose,
Groups* moving towards balance.
Moving towards peace,
Peace without conflict,
Peace below skies.**
Through skies, clouds move slowly,
Turning though seasons,
Gradual changes.
Wind keeps blowing;
Rain keeps falling;
Ravens still circle.

The imagery here is that of regrouping, of making plans and being certain of goals before rushing headlong back into battle. The larger goal will take a longer journey; this is a marathon, not a 50 meter dash, and we’ll be meeting these challenges with lots of different groups of people. Teamwork is going to be important, and a certain amount of compromise, at least among those who are working in good faith towards common goals.

Notes:
*I think the Irish word here is buiden, which is a band of people, or like a military troop of people, but the context isn’t specifically military here and They didn’t mean just Their own people or I would have used “squadron” again. It means like, groups of activists from different organizations and callings, working together towards common goals, and taking on each other’s fights so we’re all in step together.
** This is, of course, an intentional reference to the Peace Prophecy, translated at the link here by Morgan Daimler.

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