This past Memorial Day Weekend, Scott and I joined a group of friends from the Fellowship Beyond The Star to a witchy camping retreat near Ottawa, Canada, called the Witches’ Sabbat at Raven’s Knoll. I’m still processing my experiences, so that will come in another blog soon, but I wanted to post the journey prompts I wrote for the workshop I led at Witches’ Sabbat.
My workshop, titled “Queen under Mound, Queen under Wave” was an introduction to Fand, an Irish Fairy Queen and Sea Goddess. The first part of my workshop focused on her appearances in myth as well as modern associations and shared gnosis about her. The second part included two pathworkings, one to visit her as Queen of a sí mound, and the other to visit her in the depths of the ocean. I wrote both of these for the workshop, and I’d like to share them both with my readers here! Each takes about 10 minutes. You can try recording yourself reading them with the indicated pauses and playing it back.*
Queen Under Mound
Breathe yourselves into stillness, children of earth. Breathe deep. Breathe in relaxation… and breathe out the worries and cares of the world. Breathe until you reach that space between, the space that lets us walk between the worlds. We will all go together. Feel as mists steam up from the ground and surround us here. Pay attention to notice the shift – we are leaving Raven’s Knoll, and coming into another place. When you are ready, open your inner eyes and see the dirt road beneath your feet. On either side grow hedges of hawthorn, and there are a few blooms on them still, despite the lateness of the season. Continue forward to the crossroads where I stand, and behind me, to one side of the dirt road, a table piled with offerings. There are things to drink and eat, instruments for playing music, flowers, shells, and more. Find the gift you are meant to give, and bring it with you as we continue forward. Walk farther along the dirt road until you see to your right what looks like an opening in the hawthorn hedge. Examine it more closely, and notice how the thorns seem to give way as you approach. Press forward, and feel them part gently around you as you pass through. When you have come all the way through, you will find yourself in a meadow with a low mound, and beyond it, a forest. Stop for a moment to observe everything around you. [5 count beat] What do you see? [3] Hear? [3] Smell? [5] Then continue towards the mound. As you approach it you notice a strange shimmer in one area – head towards that, and do not be surprised when you pass through it as easily as through a projected image. Inside, you find yourself in a great hall, with big oaken beams. To your right there are a great many feasting tables, and directly in front of you is a brick circle that contains within it a great fire, the smoke rising up into the heights of the chamber, much taller than the mound somehow, and out through a hole in the roof. To your left there is a raised platform, and on it are two great thrones. Fand sits in one. Is the other occupied? Take a moment to observe the room. [5] What do you see? [3] Smell? [3] Hear? [5] When you are ready, approach Fand, and give her the gift you brought. At this time you may ask her the question: “How do I balance all the roles I must play?” Listen closely for her reply. [PAUSE FOR FIVE MINUTES.] When you have finished, thank her for your time, and leave the way you came. [10] Out the doorway… to the meadow, [3] across the meadow… to the hedge, [3] through the hedge… to the road, [3] and down the road… back to the swirling mists… and into your body. [3] Welcome Home.
Queen Under Wave
Breathe yourselves into stillness, children of earth. Breathe deep. Breathe in relaxation… and breathe out the worries and cares of the world. Breathe until you reach that space between, the space that lets us walk between the worlds. We will all go together. Feel as mists steam up from the ground and surround us again, as we move into that other place. When you are ready, open your inner eyes and again see the dirt road beneath your feet, hedged by blooming hawthorn. Continue forward to the crossroads where I stand by the table piled with offerings. Find the gift you are meant to give, and bring it with you as we continue forward. Walk farther along the dirt road until you see to your left what looks like another opening in the hawthorn hedge. Once again, press forward and feel them part gently around you as you pass through. When you have come all the way through, you will find yourself at the top of a low sea cliff, on a track that leads down to a little beach. Go down the track carefully, and wade into the water. The water is chilly and yet you do not seem to feel the cold. You instinctively know you must swim from here, and even if you don’t know how, or are not wearing the appropriate clothing, you have perfect confidence that you will succeed. So plunge in, and begin swimming out to sea, as small waves rise and fall around you. A short way out, a sea creature that is known to you swims up from the depths and greets you. It is here to show you the way to the castle in the depths. It squirts water into your face, and then dives. You dive with it, trying to follow closely, and when you can no longer stand the pressure in your lungs and ears, you are filled with sudden knowledge – and you take a breath. You have been given the ability to breathe underwater, and this makes your journey much easier. You join the sea creature in diving down into the blackness, where light barely penetrates, where only by small bioluminescent animals guide your course. You come to what appears to be the entrance to a cave, and the interior seems to be made of glowing stone, so that you can see again in the dim light. As you pass through the doorway, the impression of being underwater fades, and you now walk along the floor of another great hall, this one all of glowing stone. This one, too, has a raised platform. Stop for a moment to observe. [5] What do you see? [3] Hear? [3] Smell? [3] Taste? [3] Who is on the platform? [5] Do you recognize Fand, in her aspect as Queen Under Wave? When you are ready, approach Fand, and give her the gift you brought. At this time you may ask her the question: “What hides in my own depths?” Listen closely for her reply. [PAUSE FOR FIVE MINUTES.] When you have finished, thank her for your time, [5] and leave the way you came. [5] Back to the door, [3] back swimming with your sea creature guide up to the light, [3] back swimming to the beach, [3] back up to the cliff, [3] back through the hedge… to the road, [3] and down the road… back to the swirling mists and into your body. [3] Welcome Home.
* I don’t mind these being shared for personal work or even small group work as long as it’s shared directly from this page and I’m given credit, but please don’t use these to create your own workshop, and it’s definitely not okay to use this anywhere where you’re getting paid or even compensated monetarily for your time. When in doubt, email to ask. Thanks!
