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Tag: Na Morrigna

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Crow Folks: A Resting Place

This month when I did my Dark Moon ritual (a few days ago, sorry for the delay posting), I began my journey at the cottage where I usually meet Bé Chuille and Dinand, and I spoke to them first, and then took the path out back which, in a meandering way, leads me to the place I normally meet Na Morrigna around their cauldron. I had a feeling, as I walked up, that we’d be doing prophetic poetry again this month, and sure enough, as I lowered my eyes to look in the cauldron, what I found was a small stick with ogham carved on it. Three feda: hÚath, Uir, and Tinne. My kennings for those three are, respectively: “Humanity’s Hedge”, “Unending Cycles”, and “Tested Resolve”.* I was told that we’d be working on poetic forms with specific numbers of syllables this time. Three lines of three syllables, followed by two lines of five syllables for each ogham fid, and then an ending couplet with three syllables on the first line and seven on the second.

Here is what I ended up with, when They were satisfied with my work:

hÚath

Held at bay,
At thorn-point:
Disaster.

It will not come if
it is not summoned.

Uir

Cycle turns.
Remember:
Prepare, breathe.

Not a finish line,
just a resting place.

Tinne

Hardened blade
Thorn-sharp edge
Clean and smooth

Forged in melting fire;
plunged in ice water.

Together:

Moon Cycle:
Time to reflect and to plan.

* I developed these kennings as part of the Ogham Intensive through the Irish Pagan School a few years ago.

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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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Healing the Morrigan’s Crows: A Recorded Ritual

So, the other day, I did a healing ritual the Morrigna had me develop originally for the Morrigan’s Call Retreat 2020, which was going to be my first year heading up there… until Covid happened and it ended up being online instead. Still, nervous as I was, the ritual did work in an online format, and now I’ve done it twice more since then. I was asked by someone who couldn’t make this last one if I would record it, and while I opted not to record the entire Zoom session, I did do a stand alone recording of just the ritual and journey, and have now edited that and uploaded it as an unlisted Youtube video, which I’ve embedded below. The lighting isn’t great, and the quality isn’t great, and the titles are very basic, but it EXISTS, and if this works out well for folks, I’ll be doing more like it in the future.

This workshop has two main parts.  In the first part, I normally 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.  I did not record that part; that information (as well as the entire ritual and journey script) is available in a shared PDF document I’ll put a download button for, below. In the video, I refer to this as the “packet”.

In the second part, which I did record. I lead a short healing ritual focused on cleansing away all wounds that prevent the Crows from doing their sacred work, so that we can return to the battlefield, renewed and ready. This includes invocations of deities of healing, a chant to help create focus, self-anointing or -asperging with blessed water, and then a journey to travel to the Well of Slaine. To follow along at home, you’ll need a few things on hand before you start:

  1. Vessel to be the Well, full of water

  2. Small dish to hold the salt

  3. Small dish to hold the 9 pre-mixed healing herbs

  4. Bottle to pour out offerings from

  5. Vessel to pour offerings into

  6. Stirring implement

For the herbs, I generally use nine that I have on hand and most of which I have grown myself, selected intuitively for the need I sense at the time, but the idea is mostly that whichever nine you pick will align themselves with the 365 that Dian Cecht and his children strew in the water, and allow for a resonance. Choose based on what your specific healing concern is, or based on whether you want to drink the water after rather than just anointing, or based on what you’ve got in your spice cabinet. It should work just fine!



Get the Packet
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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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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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Ribbons as Ritual Adornments

Most of the Pagans I know are fond of ritual adornments: robes, jewelry, makeup, even the occasional veil. I have my share of devotional and enchanted jewelry, to be sure, and I own couple of items of clothing that pretty much only get worn to Pagan gatherings, SCA events, and the Renaissance Faire. But I don’t see many other people wearing ribbons, which is a shame because they’re such a versatile item! Since my hair is long enough to put up or put half up, which is my usual preferred style, I usually wear my ribbons in my hair. I have, however, worn them both around my neck and around my wrist in the past, and I find they work just as well in that manner. I usually buy silk ribbons with edging, about a yard long. They are easy to find on Etsy dyed in almost every color and color combination you could possibly want! I own about a dozen, most of which have a ritual or devotional purpose, and the picture below shows three of the ones I use most often.

Three ribbons, folded loosely, laid out on top of a woven cloth. One is dyed in shades of blue/green/magenta. One is ombre beige-brown-black. One is dyed shades of grey.

A selection of my personal ribbons.

The top one, in shades of blue, green, and magenta, is the hair ribbon I usually use for divinatory work. It is a key part of my personal ritual to align my headspace with the practice of intuitive divination, and when I’m rushing that’s sometimes the only thing I do. I find that the act of tying it in my hair or around my wrist has become an effective mental trigger for changing my focus and sliding into trance. Even in my hair, the slight weight and movement of the strands as I move my head is noticeable, and helps me maintain focus. On my wrist its presence is even more palpable as I shuffle and draw cards or cast objects. I don’t always use the ribbon every time I do divination, though. If I’m away from home and am just pulling a few cards on the fly I don’t usually have it with me, but if I’m doing a reading for a client I always take the moment to pull it out and tie it in. It’s as important a piece of my personal preparation as grounding and centering, and when I’m feeling a little under the weather or preoccupied, it helps me to set those aside, and open instead to the work that needs to be done.

The other two ribbons, one in shades of beige, brown, and black and the other in shades of grey, are both devotional adornments. The tricolor one in the middle of the photo above is one I use for rituals to Hela, and to work with the Dead. For me, the colors evoke bones and the dark earth of graves and caves. Like the one I use for divination, this one helps shift my focus, and helps me align myself with the chthonic energies. I use it to help me shift into the oracular headspace associated with the spae tradition I’ve been trained in. While I also place a veil over myself when I am acting as seer, that act moves me through the gates of Helheim. The ribbon primarily helps me begin the journey down, and clarifies messages when the Dead come to me, though it likely helps with clarity in Helheim as well.

The ribbon in shades of grey is a devotional piece for Na Morrigna, and I use it each dark moon in my oracular rituals, but also whenever I am doing Their Work, or attending rituals in Their Honor. It helps me connect with the trio of Goddesses who came to me and named themselves in the plural: Na Morrigna as a collective, not An Morrigan in the singular. I’ve identified them elsewhere as the three daughters of Ernmas — Morrigan/Anu, Babd, and Macha — and so I wear the ribbon as well when doing work for them or attending rituals to them individually, as well.

Others have discussed Pagan veiling practices much better than I could hope to summarize, but I do want to mention ribbons in connection with that, briefly. For those who cannot veil completely, I’ve seen the idea of hair jewelry or other accessories used in place of a scarf, and I think a devotional hair ribbon (for those who can tie it into their hair) would be a great alternative. They’re very easy to style into hair, and they don’t have a religious connotation in US mainstream culture, thus allowing their usage by people whose practices and/or beliefs are sub-rosa*, without posing the threat of being found out.

I have other ribbons I use for healing work, for certain types of spellcasting, and to wear when I honor other entities, and I keep them all in a little accessory bag with my ritual jewelry. In the past I have just taken the whole bag with when I’ve gone to pagan events. Most of the ribbons are multicolored, like the ones in the picture above, and I’ve gotten them from several places but my favorite source is probably Jamn Glass on Etsy, because of the sheer range of hand dyed colors they offer. Or you could buy white ones and dye them yourself!

*Note: I tend to prefer using “sub-rosa” to “broom closet” terminology for a couple of reasons, one of which being that it’s such a lovely phrase! For me, “under the roses” evokes images of lush gardens protecting hushed conversation and midnight meetings from prying eyes, which has a similar aura of mystery and secrecy to my own experiences being a teen with a covert polytheistic magical practice in a staunchly Catholic household.

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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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