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Tag: journey work

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Freyja’s Falcon Flights: To Idunna’s Apple Grove

It’s the waxing half moon again, and so I’ve gone to Freyja and been shown another journey path to share with you all. And as before, this is based on my experience, and I’m offering it to the community in case it’s helpful or resonates with some of you. If you’re used to doing journeys from a script, great! Otherwise feel free to have some one read it to you, or record yourself reading it. Edit the intro and expand the outro if you need to, but please leave the middle intact, and don’t share the recording without telling them where to find my original post!

I recommend lighting devotional candles and/or making small offerings (perhaps a libation) before you begin, for both Freyja and Idunna. Prepare yourself however you normally would, yo do work at an altar. For my part, that usually means wearing one of my devotional hair ribbons and perhaps donning magical jewelry, and acquiring something to go over my head while I journey.

Falcon Flight: To Idunna’s Apple Grove

Begin in stillness, and quiet, and darkness. Find your center, and align yourself with earth and sky. As you stare at the darkness behind your eyes, feel and see as mist swirls up from the ground, obscuring everything around you. After a moment, it begins to part, leaving you standing in a flowery meadow.

When you arrive in the meadow, take a moment to observe around you, turning until you see a path. At the entrance to the path are two shrubs, and as you move on that direction, you see trees as well. Shrubs give way to trees and undergrowth on either side of the path, getting taller and denser as you move onward, until they join overhead into an arch, forming a tunnel of trees that slopes downward, getting denser and darker.

Eventually, you notice that the path has become flat, and then it begins to rise. Now the trees are thinning again, branches giving way to brightness, and as the trees again give way to shrubs, you see a gate in front of a wide plain and beyond it, the great world tree. If you have any guides or guardians you wish to accompany you, ones who can join you in flight, call to them now, before you step through the gate and make your way towards the tree.

As you approach the World Tree, circle around it clockwise, until you see an opening beneath one of the great roots. Duck under this root and enter the tunnel beneath. There is hard dirt packed beneath your feet, and the entire tunnel seems to have been hewn from that same clay-rich dirt and sandstone. Not as many feet come this way — the floor is still rough in places, so watch your step as you continue forward. There are torches set into sconces in the rough hewn walls, and their light looks like fire but you feel no heat as we continue past, and you smell no smoke or pitch.

The tunnel curves gently and then begins to rise in a gradual incline, ending in a doorway, two huge stones on either side and capped with a third. Touch one gently as you step out into the fresh air — these are worn by the elements and smooth to the touch. If you look back to the entrance, you will notice that on this side, the tunnel leads into what looks like a large burial mound, standing alone in a large clearing, though the forest is slowly encroaching from all sides.

Smell the air — the pine sap scent is strong, and your nose can tell there is moving water somewhere nearby, even if your ears cannot yet hear it. Now you should continue, following a clear trail deeper into the forest. Your footfalls are muffled by pine needles, and the air seems still. The scent and after a while the sound of water is to your left as you walk, and after a short time, you arrive at a fork, with three paths to choose from.

One path curves to the left, and you can just make out a bridge over a creek in the distance. The one to the right seems to vanish into the trees. Continue down the middle path, which leads straight ahead. After a while, the trees seem to thin a bit, and the underbrush grows less tangled. There is a little smoke in the sky, above the rise of the hill, as though it comes from a hearth-fire, and you follow the path towards it.

As the path reaches the edge of the forest, and the pine needles give way to a large open field, your eyes are drawn to the great hall. It is large, and you know at once to whom it belongs. This is Freyja’s Hall, Sessrumnir, and you are in Folkvangr. Approach the door, and when the guard calls out his challenge, announce yourself and your purpose. He will stand aside and let you in.

Inside, you see no one but Freyja. Approach her, and give her the offering you brought for her. She will give you a golden cloak in return, a smaller version of her great cloak, and she will lead you outside. Experience the thrill of being transformed into a bird!

As a falcon, follow your Lady, circling ever higher until your sharp eyes spot a cottage and a circle of trees. As Freyja in her falcon form banks sharply to begin her descent, follow closely and land in a low branch in a tree across from the front door of the cottage. Leap down when Freyja instructs you to, and marvel as you land on your normal feet again. Follow her into Idunna’s cottage, and when you are inside, give Idunna the offering you have brought for her. In return, she will hand you an apple and may instruct you to peel or slice it. Do as she says, and then offer it for her inspection. Listen as she explains your omen.

When she gets up, follow her and Freyja outside. Notice how the air feels and smells – you’ve been led to a small ring of apple trees, which bear flowers, leaves, and fruit at all stages of growth. Listen as Idunna sings to the trees: “Apples, apples, grow on my trees… Apple blossoms, feed my bees…”

Only she can tell the types of apples apart – some for the gods that they never wither, some for the elves to use to heal, others for humans to change their luck. If you have a question for Idunna, ask it now, and listen carefully for the answer.

Thank her when she is finished speaking, and then turn to Freyja. If you have any questions for Freyja, ask them now, and listen carefully for the answer.

When she is finished talking, she will change both of you back to falcons for the flight back to Folkvangr. Delight in the sensations of it! Earlier you flew to arrive swiftly – now, fly for the joy of it! When you are ready to change back to your human shape, land on the roof of Sesrumnir, and wait for your Lady to make the change. Then you can slide down, and land on the soft grass.

When you are finished with your time in that other place, go back the way you came: through the forest, to the mound, through the mound-tunnel and out from under the root, across the plain, and back to the gate, through the tunnel of trees, and back to the meadow. Then the mist will swirl up again, and take you back to your body.

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Freyja’s Falcon Flights: To Make A Choice

I think I only did one of these last year, in September near the Autumnal Equinox, after getting the nudge from Freyja. I had thought that I would do them at the waxing quarter before the solstice and the waning moon after, from the Vernal Equinox through the Autumnal, but Bé Chuille stepped forward and asked for larger monthly workings, so I’m now doing those every waning quarter and I’ll be doing all the Falcon Flights on the waxing quarter. That’s honestly a little easier to keep track of, anyways!

So, just as a reminder, these Falcon Flights are journey paths Freyja guides me through that I am then supposed to share with those in my community. If you’re here reading this and it resonates, great! You’re part of that community. You don’t have to be a devotee or Freyja already (though you do need to be open to at least a small working relationship) and you don’t have to identify as Heathen and you don’t have to live nearby.

On the other hand, if these don’t work for you or aren’t your jam or just don’t resonate even if you are Heathen or a Freyja devotee, that’s fine too – I’m not the pagan pope! You don’t have to be part of this particular community. We’re all part of many overlapping communities and I don’t expect this blog series to resonate for everyone who likes my blog for other reasons. This series is based on my own experiences and UPG and I don’t expect everyone to agree with me or have the same viewpoints. Just scroll on, or skip reading the week of the waxing quarter. No worries.

Just: no Nazis, bigotry will not be tolerated, and bad faith arguments will get you blocked. We support Declaration 127 and Queer Liberation and Decolonization around here, and with the current state of American Heathenry, I find it best to state all of that shit up front.

And now, with no further ado, here is the script for this month’s Falcon Flight. Before you begin, prepare an offering for Freyja.

Falcon Flight: To Make a Choice

Begin in stillness, and quiet, and darkness. Find your center, and align yourself with earth and sky. As you stare at the darkness behind your eyes, feel and see as mist swirls up from the ground, obscuring everything around you. After a moment, it begins to part, leaving you standing in a flowery meadow.

When you arrive in the meadow, take a moment to observe around you, turning until you see a path. At the entrance to the path are two shrubs, and as you move on that direction, you see trees as well. Shrubs give way to trees and undergrowth on either side of the path, getting taller and denser as you move onward, until they join overhead into an arch, forming a tunnel of trees that slopes downward, getting denser and darker.

Eventually, you notice that the path has become flat, and then it begins to rise. Now the trees are thinning again, branches giving way to brightness, and as the trees again give way to shrubs, you see a gate in front of a wide plain and beyond it, the great world tree. If you have any guides or guardians you wish to accompany you, ones who can join you in flight, call to them now, before you step through the gate and make your way towards the tree.

As you approach the World Tree, circle around it clockwise, until you see an opening beneath one of the great roots. Duck under this root and enter the tunnel beneath. There is hard dirt packed beneath your feet, and the entire tunnel seems to have been hewn from that same clay-rich dirt and sandstone. Not as many feet come this way — the floor is still rough in places, so watch your step as you continue forward. There are torches set into sconces in the rough hewn walls, and their light looks like fire but you feel no heat as we continue past, and you smell no smoke or pitch.

The tunnel curves gently and then begins to rise in a gradual incline, ending in a doorway, two huge stones on either side and capped with a third. Touch one gently as you step out into the fresh air — these are worn by the elements and smooth to the touch. If you look back to the entrance, you will notice that on this side, the tunnel leads into what looks like a large burial mound, standing alone in a large clearing, though the forest is slowly encroaching from all sides.

Smell the air — the pine sap scent is strong, and your nose can tell there is moving water somewhere nearby, even if your ears cannot yet hear it. Now you should continue, following a clear trail deeper into the forest. Your footfalls are muffled by pine needles, and the air seems still. The scent and after a while the sound of water is to your left as you walk, and after a short time, you arrive at a fork, with three paths to choose from.

One path curves to the left, and you can just make out a bridge over a creek in the distance. The one to the right seems to vanish into the trees. Continue down the middle path, which leads straight ahead. After a while, the trees seem to thin a bit, and the underbrush grows less tangled. There is a little smoke in the sky, above the rise of the hill, as though it comes from a hearth-fire, and you follow the path towards it.

As the path reaches the edge of the forest, and the pine needles give way to a large open field, your eyes are drawn to the great hall. It is large, and you know at once to whom it belongs. This is Freyja’s Hall, Sessrumnir, and you are in Folkvangr. Approach the door, and when the guard calls out his challenge, announce yourself and your purpose, and hand him the offering you brought for his Lady. He will give you a cloak in return. Put it on, and step inside.

Inside, the hall is dark, and folks wearing cloaks talk in hushed tones and whispers, gathered in small groups. If you would talk to Freyja today, approach the dais and speak.

When you are finished, move towards the closed door, opposite the one you came in. A cleric is there, to let you know when it is your turn. When they motion to you, move forward, and pull your cloak over your face so that it falls to your chin, obscuring your vision of everything except yourself and the floor. Open the door, and enter the room. Someone else is in here, but you can only see their dark robe and their two hands, outstretched. In each palm is an object. Choose one, and take it. If you speak to the person, they will answer, but you must make the choice before you can leave this room.

When you have chosen an object, you will be allowed to continue on. A door will open or a portal will appear – you may remove your hood and call to your guides to join you before you step through. What you find on the other side will be important, and personal, based on the object you chose.

…

When you are finished with your time in that other place, a trail of amber stones will begin to glow, illuminating a path back to Folkvangr and the path that will lead you back to the World Tree. You may stop at the hall along your way, if you wish. When you are ready to depart, go back the way you came: through the forest, to the mound, through the mound-tunnel and out from under the root, across the plain, and back to the gate, through the tunnel of trees, and back to the meadow. Then the mist will swirl up again, and take you back to your body.

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Crow Folks: Continue Defending

This month, as I went to journey to Na Morrigna for the Dark Moon, I took my usual path, but instead of taking me to the usual cauldron outside a small house, the path swung left and continued until it emerged out of the forest, and led to a broad road. Beside this road, a horse stood waiting for me, and I swung on as I heard riders approaching from my left. I saw Macha, on a red mare, riding at the front, and her two sisters flanking her, one on either side. I joined the company of riders, and we rode together on further, across a plain and then up a large hill to a fort with impressively tall walls. We were hailed, and then let inside, festooned with ribbons and silk flowers on our way, through the winding streets to a large hill on the far side of the fort. Everywhere there were decorations, and I knew instinctively they had been made both in preparation for our coming and in preparation for the festival. As we dismounted and got our horses settled into the stables, we each made our own way into the large hall. Inside, there was food to eat, mead to drink, and much talking and laughing and even some gambling. As the night went on, however, the merriment gave way to more serious conversations and strategizing, preparation for the coming season. Always we must look onward, keep preparing for the next season, the next battle, but there is still time for celebration.

My vision then shifted forward in time, and I saw the warriors I had ridden in with defending the fort from the walls, making repairs, and keeping a watchful eye out across the plain, which was laid out before us on all sides, as the fort was on a lone hill. Another shift – and now a large force had been spotted coming towards the fort, and our warriors were preparing to go and meet the challenge, the most energetic and fierce preparing to engage in battle outside the walls, while others planned to shoot arrows and offer other support from behind the walls. “Two things are needed,” I was told, “to defend a fort soundly: blood-frenzied warriors, and stout walls.” This then, is the lesson I was meant to impart to my community, the advice for the coming months when I will not be journeying to meet Na Morrigna at the Dark Moon: we must continue to defend our walls.

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Crow Folks: We’ve Reached the Herald of Wands

A few months back, as part of my monthly ritual to Na Morrigna to seek a message for the coming moon cycle, I was guided to use tarot to connect, and since then we’ve been following the Suit of Wands, from the Seven to the Herald, the card that showed up in the original reading reversed. At this latest Dark Moon, we’ve now arrived at the Herald of Wands, finally upright, and thus bringing us some much-needed relief! Upright, the Herald speaks of good news, optimism, and satisfaction. It’s time for the last harvest, and we’ve done well for ourselves. I could personally use a little rest and relaxation! And it’s always nice to hear that our efforts have been successful. Being as this month is election month here in the US, and Election Day falls on the next full moon, I’m tentatively optimistic about that, as well. (But you can bet I did another round of politically-focused magic this dark moon!) Time will tell. (But please – vote!)

This month when I went to journey to Na Morrigna, I found myself led not to the place I usually go to see the three sisters, but to Ráth Cruachan, a place I have only seen photographs of, and ruins at that. But it was unmistakably clear to me, in the way things sometimes are in journeys. The fort itself was standing, not a ruin, but I did not go inside the walls. Instead, I was drawn to a small cauldron hanging over a firepit in front of the walls, somewhat to the left of the gate. There, I found just one sister, whom I addressed as Morrigu, and with her was An Dagda, which was also somewhat unexpected. No poetry they asked of me this month, and no great news, just a request for my household Samhain celebration: when we feast, let it be meat that we cook outside over flame, and let one piece fall onto the coals and stay there, as an offering to Them.

So instead, I leave you with this piece of Old Irish poetry, translated by Morgan Daimler (and found in their book “Tales of the Tuatha De Dannan”). The full poem is about foods fit for each festival, and here is the stanza for Samhain:

Meat, beer, nuts, tripe,
They are suitable food for Samhain,
Bonfire on a hill with a company,
Buttermilk, a roll of new butter.

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Freyja’s Falcon Flights

My apple spice haunted house cake!

In my home practice, the Autumnal Equinox is a celebration of Freyr and Freyja, although that celebration often dovetails with both the Pleiades acronychal rising and Rosh Hashanah. Generally, I try to make something that has both apples and honey, drawing on the common themes. This year I made an apple spice cake in a spooky bundt pan, but with no honey due to the allergies of a household member. (Then I went back and made a honey-filled fairy cake, hold the spice, as you saw in the previous post, and there will be raw apples dipped in honey for tomorrow.) That was the main focus of my celebration: just food shared with my household, our household spirits, our ancestors, and the two deities of the occasion.

A few days previous, I did a journey to check in with Freyr and Freyja, to see what they wanted for their holiday, and that’s when I got the go-ahead to make the apple spice cake. I also asked about something that had been flitting in my head for a few weeks, which I was pretty sure had come from her. I’d had an inkling that she wanted something monthly from me, going forward — that she was finally ready to step up (or rather that I was finally ready for her to step up) and become more central to my practice. I had the term “Falcon Flights” rattling around in my head, as a sort of analogue to “Crow Calls”, but until I went to journey to her I didn’t know what that meant. I had sort of guessed that it was meant to be something oracular, in keeping with my Dark Moon rituals to Na Morrigna, and my previous Bright Moon rituals to the Eyes of Ra, but, nope. She wants me to write and share journey prompts. “Falcon Flights”, indeed.

This month is a little late, but for next year I’ll be doing these from equinox to equinox, on the waxing half moon before the solstice and the waning half moon after the solstice, so this will be the only one until next March, and they will only overlap with the Morrigna Dark Moons in August and potentially September (depending on the moon cycle). This year that waning half was the 17th, before the equinox, but I didn’t journey to see her and Freyr until after that (whoops!).

The Dark Wood Tarot

I also asked her what tarot deck she wanted to go with the runes (similar to how the Morrigna have a preferred tarot deck that I use alongside ogham), and she picked…. none of the ones I already had. We settled on the Dark Wood Tarot, by Abigail Larson and Sasha Graham, published by Llewellyn Books, and that got here yesterday, at which point I clarified a couple of things about this new endeavor via divination, and then… I got enormously sidetracked by my Way Opening celebration. After that, I just didn’t have the energy to do another journey (to test the prompt) and then write up a blog, so I apologized and begged off and here I am on Saturday night, writing it up now, instead.

Note: This journey prompt is based on cosmology used by my Seidr Guild, which was adapted from Hrafnar’s cosmology as written down in Diana Paxson’s book The Way of the Oracle. If you have your own method of getting to Freyja or Folkvangr, feel free to use that, instead! And I hope I don’t need to say it, but I’m only providing a prompt; you do this journey at your own risk. Try to do it safely, and practice good spiritual hygiene! This doesn’t have much of a lead-in or return, as it’s meant for a more advanced audience, so do whatever your usual routine is for trance and journey work: cleanse, shield, ground, center, etc. You could write out a longer script and then even record it, maybe, if you work better from an audio file than a written prompt. Make it work for you, and your practice! I’m just the messenger, not the keeper of orthopraxy.

Falcon Flight to Himingbjorg

(Prepare an offering for Freyja, and one for Heimdall, before beginning.)

Begin in stillness, and quiet, and darkness. Find your center, and align yourself with earth and sky. As you stare at the darkness behind your eyes, feel and see as mist swirls up from the ground, obscuring everything around you. After a moment, it begins to part, leaving you standing in a flowery meadow.

When you arrive in the meadow, take a moment to observe around you, turning until you see a path. At the entrance to the path are two shrubs, and as you move on that direction, you see trees as well. Shrubs give way to trees and undergrowth on either side of the path, getting taller and denser as you move onward, until they join overhead into an arch, forming a tunnel of trees that slopes downward, getting denser and darker.

Eventually, you notice that the path has become flat, and then it begins to rise. Now the trees are thinning again, branches giving way to brightness, and as the trees again give way to shrubs, you see a gate in front of a wide plain and beyond it, the great world tree. If you have any guides or guardians you wish to accompany you, ones who can join you in flight, call to them now, before you step through the gate and make your way towards the tree.

As you approach the World Tree, circle around it clockwise, until you see an opening beneath one of the great roots. Duck under this root and enter the tunnel beneath. There is hard dirt packed beneath your feet, and the entire tunnel seems to have been hewn from that same clay-rich dirt and sandstone. Not as many feet come this way — the floor is still rough in places, so watch your step as you continue forward. There are torches set into sconces in the rough hewn walls, and their light looks like fire but you feel no heat as we continue past, and you smell no smoke or pitch.

The tunnel curves gently and then begins to rise in a gradual incline, ending in a doorway, two huge stones on either side and capped with a third. Touch one gently as you step out into the fresh air — these are worn by the elements and smooth to the touch. If you look back to the entrance, you will notice that on this side, the tunnel leads into what looks like a large burial mound, standing alone in a large clearing, though the forest is slowly encroaching from all sides.

Smell the air — the pine sap scent is strong, and your nose can tell there is moving water somewhere nearby, even if your ears cannot yet hear it. Now you should continue, following a clear trail deeper into the forest. Your footfalls are muffled by pine needles, and the air seems still. The scent and after a while the sound of water is to your left as you walk, and after a short time, you arrive at a fork, with three paths to choose from.

One path curves to the left, and you can just make out a bridge over a creek in the distance. The one to the right seems to vanish into the trees. Continue down the middle path, which leads straight ahead. After a while, the trees seem to thin a bit, and the underbrush grows less tangled. There is a little smoke in the sky, above the rise of the hill, as though it comes from a hearth-fire, and you follow the path towards it.

As the path reaches the edge of the forest, and the pine needles give way to a large open field, your eyes are drawn to the great hall. It is large, and you know at once to whom it belongs. This is Freyja’s Hall, Sessrumnir, and you are in Folkvangr. Go and find the Lady of this place, and give her the offering you brought.

When she has accepted your offering, ask for the lend of her falcon cloak, that you might fly on to your next destination with her blessing. Place it on your shoulders, and hold still as she waves her staff over your head, completing your transformation.

Take off into the sky then, and fly! Fly for the sheer joy of it, swoop and roll. Higher and higher — but do not forget your ultimate destination. You seek the Bifrost, that you might follow it to Himingbjorg, Heimdall’s cloud-castle.

When you arrive at Himingbjorg, alight on the wall — Heimdall will help you regain your own shape.

Thank him, and then give him the offering you brought.

Once he has accepted it, you may ask one question and one question only, and he will show you what he can see from up here, and give you your answer.

When you are well answered, ask him to help you transform once more, and then return to Freyja, waiting for you on the ground.

After she returns you to your own form, give her back the cloak and thank her. If there is anything else you wish to say to her, do it now.

When you are ready to depart, go back the way you came: through the forest, to the mound, through the mound-tunnel and out from under the root, across the plain, and back to the gate, through the tunnel of trees, and back to the meadow. Then the mist will swirl up again, and take you back to your body.

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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.

 

Open post

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.

Hedgewitch: How I Describe My Magical Craft

I mentioned in a previous post that I tend to refer to my magical practice as hedgewitchery, and myself as a hedgewitch, but I thought it would be useful to go into that in more depth in this new blog post.

So, what do I mean when I call myself a hedgewitch? What is it I do ?

This: I practice folk magic to balm and bane, I divine for omens, I truck with spirits, I cross the hedge to walk the worlds, and I dabble in herbs.

FOLK MAGIC

A lot of my magical practice draws on folklore and folk magic traditions, and incorporates the materials I have around me in a way that some might call traditional witchcraft. I use pieces I’ve learned from family and friends, or invented myself, with what bits and bobs I had on hand or could easily acquire: paper or yarn, candle or salt, herb or stone. I read about other witches’ practices, I talk to my peers, and we inspire each other to use materials or magical technologies in ways that solve the problems in front of us. Most of it is highly personal and highly intuitive, often with guidance from spirits. I have a couple of pretty tools (a brass bell, a copper mug, a pillar of quartz, an engraved wooden spoon) but most everything also has a very practical purpose. I love the look of a fancy wand as much as the next magpie, but I’ve never really used ceremonial tools with any regularity, and I rarely do magic in a manner that requires an altar set just-so. In fact, many of my most “complicated” workings are done almost entirely in trance.

BALM AND BANE

Healing and hexing are two sides of the same coin, in my view. I can heal with darkness, I can curse with light, and in fact I have an upcoming workshop for the NoVA Pagan Moot on exactly that. I am trained in several modalities of energetic or spiritual healing, and I combine them intuitively for those who seek my services. But just as poison in the right dosage can be medicine, a medicine in the wrong dosage is often a poison. Non-consensual or inexpertly targeted healing can cause harm, and sometimes a binding or a banishing can twist someone’s fate so that they’re heading in a more positive direction. Magic is complicated, consent matters, and every effective spell has consequences, intended or not. I try to do more good than harm, but if I’m between a rock and a hard place I will use every tool in my arsenal. I see a lot of people who have a very all-or-nothing mindset around banework, and I don’t think that’s nearly as helpful as having actual discussions about ethics and harm reduction, and us each figuring out our own personal boundaries.

DIVINATION

I am an eternal student of divination: I keep learning new forms, and I keep going deeper with the forms I am already proficient with. I practice several types of cartomancy, I read ogham staves and rune stones, I take omens taken in the wild from the flight of birds, and I sometimes even turn to modern technological omens like shufflemancy and the rolling of d20s. Not everything works well for me: I’ve never quite gotten the hang of pendulums or spirit boards, for instance. But I am proficient enough in many forms that I have enough confidence in my skill to offer these services for money, and the reviews I get back are extremely positive. I use my tools to divine the future, the past, the present—to illuminate anything that is shrouded, to look around corners, to answer what-ifs as best I can, knowing as I do that things are always in flux. I use these tools to speak with and to get messages from spirits of many kinds, both for myself, and on the behalf of others.

SPIRITWORK

I have deep relationships with two pantheons of Deities: the Tuatha Dé and the Vanir. I am also deeply entwined with the Álfar and with the Daoine Uaisle, through the Fairy Queen I serve. I maintain relationships with my local Good Neighbors, Nature Spirits, and Land Wights where I live, where I visit and practice, and where I travel. I honor my Beloved Dead, and those Ancestors (of blood or of path) who appear to guide and to help me. There are spirits in my household; they are my allies and my companions, my guides and my guardians. I also maintain cordial relationships and open lines of communication with many of the Deities and other tutelary spirits of my human-incarnate friends and associates. Most of my magical work involves these many types of spirits; I do workings with them, for them, because of them, on their behalf, or at their request.

HEDGECROSSING

Hedge-crossing, hedge-riding, journeying, pathworking, world-walking: whatever you may call it, I use these to refer to the act of travelling in spirit to the Otherworlds. This is a type of trancework, and the one I use most often. I slip between this world and an Other to see spirits more clearly, to converse with them, or to take a look at the landscape and flows of energy. I travel to visit spirits I know; I travel to seek those I have not yet encountered. I go seeking answers for myself and for others, and I bring answers back in words or images, scents or feelings. Sometimes I wander the worlds for the sheer joy of it, the ecstasy of spirit-flight. From time to time I go walking in my dreams, but most of my wanderings are waking visions.

HERBALISM

This is the one area that I most wish to have additional education in. I am familiar with some herbal remedies for common things like colds, scrapes, and bruises; I know remedies for menstrual cramps. I have deeper education in a couple of chronic conditions I am personally dealing with, including migraines, but I would like to take an actual certification programme at some point. For magical uses, I work with herbs and resins a bit more intuitively, mixing flavors and intentions into food, blending oils for scent and resonance. I speak with the plants themselves, and learn what they would teach me. When I need to ground deeply and my usual way is not enough, I go walk the land or else I spend time in my own garden. The cycles of plant growth, of harvest, of weather, of the moon, bring me back into the present, back into balance with the cycles of my own life.

A New Wave of Crows

As I have on several previous Dark Moons, I have asked for and received a message from the Morrigna, and this time I was given and answer with three instructions.  It is not as completely channeled this time as it has been on previous occasions, so the next few paragraphs are more in my own voice, with Theirs in my ear.  As such, I have left it unformatted.

Crow Folks, those of you who have been fighting and doing the work, I know that many of you are close to burn-out.  I am on the edge of it, too.  So it’s time to rest, recuperate, recharge.  Enjoy this moment of relative peace, and do something that will please your soul.  Something creative, something that will make you feel relaxed and renewed.  We are not going to rest on our laurels, for the work is not yet done, but the compassion that burns fiercely within us must be tended, lest the flame die out.  So do your tending.  For my part, I’m participating in NaNoWriMo again this year, and I’ve also made plans to go to a Korean bathhouse with friends.  I’m going to get a massage, and try to do a few more chapters in an anxiety workbook.  Self care and shadow work aren’t always easy, but they are always necessary, so find the time and heal yourself.  That is your first instruction.

Your second instruction starts with something like a notification: a new wave of Crows is coming.  Some of us started on this path one, two, or even twenty years ago, but more will be joining us this winter.  Find them.  Reach out to others around you who are already traveling this path.  Create a net of branches, so that the new Crows will have somewhere to land.  Look for the lost ones, the solitary, the stragglers.  Welcome them into your groups; offer them friendship.  Some of them will prefer to learn on their own for a while, supported by the net.  That is fine; let them do as they will.  Others will have questions, and will want guidance.

This is your third instruction: guide them.  Share everything you know, everything you’ve learned, every experience.  Share the good and the bad, for they must choose this path with their eyes fully open, with deep knowing in their hearts.  Be as patient as you can: they are learning, they are transforming, they are beginning to sprout wings.  And in the spring, we will all fly together.

I know I still owe many of you cards.  I am getting to them, slowly but surely.  Anyone who has not asked for their next six cards, please email me.  Anyone new to the path is welcome to start with the nine card spread, adjusted for the change in time of year.  This is also a good time to remind you all that the other part of my work is healing.  I’m trained in distance energy healing methodologies, and am available to you free of charge as an “on-site medic”, so to speak, if your need for healing is related to the work you’re doing for the Morrigna (ie, if it could be a line-of-duty injury, or if it is preventing you from doing your best work).  If you’re not sure, I am more than happy to ask on your behalf.  I can do these over text chat media, as time and energy allows.

Also, some of you already got this in the newsletter, but here is the journey prompt from the class I taught at Hallowed Homecoming:

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 the campground, 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 trees, and many have already begun to lose their autumn-bright leaves. 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, weapons of war, representations of your battles and efforts, and more. Find the gift you are meant to give, and bring it with you as we continue forward. [Count to 10.]  Walk farther along the dirt road, until you begin to smell roasting food, and woodsmoke, and begin to hear the crackling of a fire, and voices talking quietly.  A gap in the trees shows you a narrow track that runs uphill, towards the things you hear and smell. Follow it, and as you crest the hill, the trees thin to an open plain.  You can see the fire, now – it is a large cooking fire, and over the fire hangs a giant steaming cauldron, while food roasts on the coals at the edges. Three figures surround the cauldron, and they turn to you as you approach.  Give them the gift you have brought, and ask the question you carry in your heart. [WAIT for 5-10 minutes].  When you have finished, thank them for their time, and leave the way you came. [10 secs] Back across the plain… to the hill, [3] down the hill… to the road, [3] and along the road… back to the swirling mists… and into your body. [3] Welcome Home.

Take care of yourselves, everyone.

Queen Under Mound, Queen Under Wave

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!

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