According to Patricia Monaghan, Creiddylad is associated with a Goddess I worked with last year, Cordelia. “Creiddylad, Welsh Goddess of Flowers and Love, is celebrated at this time. (Her name is pronounced cree-THIL-ahd) She is the eternal May Queen, always seeking peace and stability. She remains eternally constant in the face of all change. She is the promise of love, golden glowing moon-flowing love, enduring through all hardship and despair. Creiddylad also shows us the necessity of self-love. Only by truly loving ourselves can we love another.” ~ Judith Shaw
May Day/Beltane (Calan Mai to the ancient Celts) is almost here and our hearts turn to thoughts of love, flowers and the bounty of our Mother Earth. Both Beltane and Halloween/Samhain (Calan Gaeaf) were liminal or threshold days, considered to be outside of normal time. These sacred, mystic days were more important than the solstices in the Celtic world view.
Creiddylad, Welsh Goddess of Flowers and Love, is celebrated at this time. (Her name is pronounced cree-THIL-ahd) She is the eternal May Queen, always seeking peace and stability. She remains eternally constant in the face of all change. She is the promise of love, golden glowing moon-flowing love, enduring through all hardship and despair. Creiddylad also shows us the necessity of self-love. Only by truly loving ourselves can we love another.
Creiddylad is mentioned only briefly in The Mabinogion but her symbolism reveals that she is surely an ancient and…
“Arianrhod’s themes are the arts, magic, manifestation and rebirth. Her symbol is a silver wheel (spinning tools i.e. shuttle, yarn). In Welsh tradition, this is the Goddess of the ‘silver wheel’ upon which magic is braided and bound together into a tapestry of manifestation. Stories tell us that Arianrhod abides in a star where souls wait for rebirth (the wheel here becomes the wheel of life, death, and rebirth).
Known as Catherine of the Wheel, Saint Catherine of Alexandria oversees spinsters (literally and figuratively). Like Arianrhod, she is a patroness for lace makers and seamstresses. In keeping with this theme, today is an excellent time to try your hand at making a special pouch for housing some of your magical tools or trinkets. Begin with two rectangles of natural-fiber cloth one inch larger than the item you wish to house within. Put the right sides together and stitch three edges, leaving a three-quarters of an inch opening at the top for a drawstring or finished edge. Turn the pouch right side out. Repeat the Goddess’s name to bind Arianrhod’s power in each stitch. Fold over the top hem twice so it won’t unravel, and stitch that with silver thread for the Goddess’s protection.
If time doesn’t allow for this, a favored beverage to inspire this Goddess’s blessings is ale or cider with an apple slice or caraway bread and tea. Pour a little of this out as a libation, then drink it fully to awaken and energize Arianrhod’s magical potential within you.”
(Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”.)
“Arianrhod” by ~lucreziac
Arianrhod (ah-ree-AHN-rhohd) is “the Goddess of the ‘silver wheel’ [and] was a Welsh sorceress, who, surrounded by women attendants, lived on the isolated coastal island of Caer Arianrhod. Beautiful and pale of complexion, Arianrhod was the most powerful of the mythic children of the mother Goddess Dôn.
It was said that She lived a wanton life, mating with mermen on the beach near Her castle and casting Her magic inside its walls. She tried to pretend virginity, but a trial by the magician Math revealed that She had conceived two children whom She had not carried to term: in leaping over a wizard’s staff, Arianrhod magically gave birth to the twins Dylan-son-of-Wave and Llew Llaw Gyffes. Dylan slithered away and disappeared. Arianrhod’s bother, the poet Gwydion, recognized the fetus as his own child, born of his unexpressed love for his sister.
Gwydion took the fetus and hid it in a magical chest until it was ready to breathe. Arianrhod, furious at this invasion of Her privacy, denied the child a name or the right to bear arms – two prerogatives of a Welsh mother – but Gwydion tricked Arianrhod into granting them. Eventually the Goddess overreached Herself, creating more magic than She could contain; Her island split apart, and She and Her maidservants drowned.
“Is she real?” by BlondieMel
Some scholars read the legend as the record of a change from mother right to father rule, claiming that the heavenly Arianrhod was a matriarchal moon Goddess whose particular place in heaven was in the constellation called Corona Borealis. The argument has much in its favor, particularly the archetypal relation of Arianrhod to Her sister moon Goddesses on the continent, who like Artemis lived in orgiastic maidenhood surrounded entirely by women. Other scholars, unconvinced that the Celts were matriarchal at any time, see Arianrhod simply as an epic heroine” (Monaghan, p. 53).
Upon reading Her story, my initial reaction was “Damn…that’s pretty cruel and spiteful.” But as Claire Hamilton in her piece entitled “Arianrhod – Bad Mother or Mythic Goddess?” points out, “If Arianrhod really is the great mother of the Sacred King child, then why does She seem so vindictive? What are these so-called curses about? Why does She seem to be denying Her son his rights? And why is She so powerful that Gwydion has to work so hard to outwit Her? In addressing these questions, we should first bear in mind the strong possibility that by the time Her tale was written down by the Welsh monks, they had spotted Her pagan power and decided to deliberately slander Her name.”
“Arianrhod” by Alois Noette
Hamilton sums up her entry by stating, “I believe that Arianrhod can be seen not as a furious and vindictive woman, but as a powerful and wise matriarch. A mother who truly understood the needs of her son, and the sacred requirements of Her maternal role, and who was not afraid to use Her Crone power to secure them. And for these reasons, I believe that the wonderful Goddess Arianrhod, the beautiful woman whose feet rest on the crescent moon, and whose head is ringed with stars, is a hugely important figure in Welsh myth, and a deeply inspirational model for all mothers today.”
“Arianrhod is said to be able to shapeshift into a large Owl, and through the great Owl-eyes, sees even into the darkness of the human subconscious and soul. The Owl symbolizes death and renewal, wisdom, moon magick, and initiations. She is said to move with strength and purpose through the night, Her wings of comfort and healing spread to give solace to those who seek Her.” [1]
Below is a list of associations that I put together from a few different sources that I could find:
ASSOCIATIONS:
Pantheon:Celtic (Welsh) Elements: Water, air Associated Planet: Moon Colors: Blue, purple, grey, silver, white Symbols: Triple Goddess, wheels, spinning tools, the silver wheel, the zodiac, nets, the full moon, Corona Borealis, Oar Wheel (a special boat that carries dead warriors to Emania, or the Moon Land) Areas of Influence: Reincarnation, fertility, female power, sovereignty, fate, beauty, past life memories, difficulties Sacred Animals: Owls, wolves Suitable Offerings: Silver coins, wheat, candles (green and white). Gems/Metals: Silver Sacred Tree: Birch
“Rhiannon’s themes are movement, communication, rest, ghosts, fertility and leadership. Her symbols are the color white, horses and the moon. This Celtic horse Goddess rides into our festival calendar today on a white mare bearing fertility, leadership, and a means to get things moving where they may have stagnated. Some historians believe the swiftness of Her steed (which is white, a lunar color) alludes to a lunar Goddess. In stories, Rhiannon commands singing birds that can wake spirits or grant sleep to mortals.
In Britain, people would come to Berkshire hillside today to partake in the White Horse Festival in which they scour the white horse that adorns the grasses here. This ancient galloping steed is created from pale clay, and this ritual kept it, and Rhiannon’s memory, vibrant. So, if you have any images of horses (magazines, statuary, paintings) around, dust them off and put them in a place of honor today.
Since this was a festival for horses, you might consider tending to your own ‘horse’, be it a car or a bicycle!
Give it a tune-up or oil change, then take a ride! As you go, visualize yourself on the back of Rhiannon’s horse moving swiftly toward attending productivity or improved authority wherever you need it. Alternatively, wear something silver or white so that Rhiannon’s lunar energies can begin filtering into your day through the color’s vibrations.”
(Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”.)
This is pretty much a repeat of the entry I did on Rigantona back June 28.
“Rhiannon” by Caroline Gully-Lir
The great Goddess Rhiannon is a potent symbol of fertility, yet She is also an Otherworld and death Goddess, a bringer of dreams, and a moon deity who is symbolized by a white horse. Her father was Heveydd the Old, and She was married to both Pwyll and Manan. The story of Her marriage to Pwyll, and the subsequent accusation of the murder of Her child, is well documented and most people are familiar with Rhiannon from this tale. [Click here to read Her tale].
“Rhiannon” by Susan Seddon Boulet
Patricia Monaghan comments: “What can one expect of a Goddess of death? Her son disappeared, and the queen was found with blood on Her mouth and cheeks. Accused of murder, She was sentenced to serve as Pwyll’s gatekeeper, bearing visitors to the door on Her back; thus She was symbolically transformed into a horse. All ended happily when Her son was found; Rhiannon had been falsely accused by maids who, terrified at finding the babe absent, had smeared puppy blood on the queen’s face.
Behind this legend is doubtless another, more primitive one in which the death queen actually was guilty of infanticide. This beautiful queen of the night would then, it seems, be identical to the Germanic Mora, the nightmare, the horse-shaped Goddess of terror. But night brings good dreams as well as bad, so Rhiannon was said to be the beautiful Goddess of joy and oblivion, a Goddess of Elysium as well as the queen of hell” (p. 266 – 267).
“Rhiannon” by Helena Nelson-Reed
“In Her guise as a death Goddess, Rhiannon could sing sweetly enough to lure all those in hearing to their deaths, and therefore She may be related to Germanic stories of lake and river faeries who sing seductively to lure sailors and fishermen to their doom. Her white horse images also link Her to Epona, and many scholars feel they are one and the same, or at least are derived from the same archetypal roots.
In today’s magick and ritual, Rhiannon can be called upon to aid you in overcoming enemies, exercising patience, working magick, moon rituals, and enhancing dream work.” [2]
“Call upon Rhiannon to bless rites of fertility, sex magick, prosperity and dream work. Work with Her to enhance divination skills, overcome enemies, develop patience, and to gain self confidence. She is most definitely a Fae that every woman can relate to on some level. Her perserverance and will is an example of what we as women are, have been, and will continue to be for millennia to come. Solid, unwavering beauty and strength, like Mother Earth below our feet.” [3]
ASSOCIATIONS:
General: Moon, horses, horseshoe, songbirds, gates, the wind, and the number 7.
Animals:Horse, badger, frog, dogs (especially puppies), canaries and other songbirds,hummingbirds, and dragons.
Plants: Narcissus and daffodils, leeks, pansies, forsythia, cedar and pine trees [evergreens], bayberry, sage and rosemary,[jasmine, any white flower]
Perfumes/Scents: Sandalwood, neroli, bergamot, lavender, narcissus, and geranium.
Gems and Metals: Gold, silver, cat’s eye, moonstone, crystal, quartz, ruby, red garnet, bloodstone, turquoise, and amethyst.
Colors: Dark green, maroon, gold, silver, rich brown, white, black, charcoal grey, and ruby red. [4]
Great Goddess, help me remember that times of sorrow are opportunities for the greatest growth. Rhiannon, I affirm that I have the courage to overcome my doubts and fears.
And here’s a great 13 minute video on Goddess Rhiannon, The Great Queen
“Olwen’s themes are the arts, creativity, excellence and the sun. Her symbols are late-blooming flowers, red and gold items and rings. A Welsh sun Goddess whose name means ‘golden wheel’, Olwen overcame thirteen obstacles to obtain Her true love (symbolic of thirteen lunar months) and She teaches us similar tenacity in obtaining our goals. Art portrays this Goddess as having a red-gold collar, golden rings and sun-colored hair that shines with pre-autumn splendor on today’s celebrations.
Announced thireen months in advance, the celebration of Eisteddfod preserves Welsh music and literature amid the dramatic backdrop of sacred stone circles. The Eisteddfod dates back to Druid times; it was originally an event that evaluated those wishing to obtain bardic status. Follow these hopeful bards’ example and wear something green today to indicate your desire to grow beneath Olwen’s warm light. Or, don something red or gold to generate the Goddess’s energy for excellence in any task.
You can make an Olwen creativity charm out of thireen different flower petals. It is best to collect thirteen different ones, but any thirteen will do along with a red- or gold-colored cloth. Fold the cloth over the petals inward three times for body, mind and spirit saying with each fold,
‘Insight begin, bless me, Olwen.’
Carry this with you, releasing one petal whenever you want a little extra inspiration.”
(Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”.)
“Danu of the Celts” by Dean Morrissey
Patricia Monaghan has this to say about Olwen: “The Welsh sun Goddess’ name may mean ‘leaving white footprints’ or ‘golden wheel’. She was the opposite of the ‘silver-wheeled’ moon Goddess Arianrhod. Olwen [pronounced O-loon] was mentioned in early Arthurian legend as a princess who, attired in many rings and a collar of red gold, married a man named Culhwch [pron. kil-hooch], despite the knowledge that this marriage would kill Her father.
The father, [Ysbaddaden] whose name translates as the ‘giant hawthorn tree,’ tried to prevent the consummation of Her love for Culhwch by placing thirteen obstacles – possibly the thirteen lunar months of the solar year – in Her path, but Olwen survived the tests by providing the thirteen necessary dowries.
That Olwen was specifically the summer sun seems clear from descriptions Her: She had streaming yellow hair, anemone fingers, and rosy cheeks; from every footstep trefoil sprang up. The ‘white lady of the day,’ She was called, the flower-bringing ‘golden wheel’ of summer” (p. 238 – 239).
“Cerridwen’s themes are fertility, creativity, harvest, inspiration, knowledge and luck. Her symbols are the cauldron, pigs and grain. The Welsh mother Goddess, Cerridwin also embodies all lunar attributes and the energy of the harvest, specifically grains. In Celtic mythology, Cerriwin owned a cauldron of inexhaustible elixir that endowed creativity and knowledge. At the halfway point of the year, Her inspiration comes along as motivation to ‘keep on keepin’ on.’ Her symbol is a pig, an animal that often represents good fortune and riches, including spiritual enrichment.
Since most folks don’t have a cauldron sitting around, get creative! Use a special cup, bowl or vase set in a special spot to represent Cerridwin’s creativity being welcome in your home. Fill the receptacle with any grain-based product (like breakfast cereal) as an offering. Whisper your desire to the grain each time you see it or walk by. At the end of the day, pour the entire bowl outside for the animals. They will bear your wishes back to the Goddess.
For meat eaters, today is definitely a time to consider having bacon for breakfast, a ham sandwich for lunch or pork roast for dinner to internalize Cerridwin’s positive aspects. Vegetarians? Fill up your piggy bank with odd change you find around your house and apply the funds to something productive to inspire Cerridwin’s blessing.”
(Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”.)
Thalia Took tells us that “Cerridwen [pronounced (KARE-id-ooín or KARE-id-win)](‘White Sow’, or ‘White Crafty One’) is the Welsh grain and sow-Goddess, keeper of the cauldron of inspiration and Goddess of transformation. Her son Afagddu was so horribly ugly She set to making a brew of wisdom for him, to give him a quality that could perhaps overcome his ugliness. Every day for a year and a day She added herbs at the precise astrological times, but on the day it was ready the three magical drops fell instead on the servant boy, Gwion Bach, who was set to watch the fire. Instantly becoming a great magician, the boy fled from Her wrath, and as She pursued him they each changed shape–a hound following a rabbit, an otter chasing a salmon, a hawk flying after a sparrow–until finally the boy changed to a kernel of wheat, settling into a pile of grain on a threshing-floor. Cerridwen, becoming a black hen, found him out and swallowed him down.
Nine months later She gave birth to Taliesin, who would be the greatest of all bards.
“Shapeshifter” by Lisa Hunt
Called ‘the White Lady of Inspiration and Death’, Cerridwen’s ritual pursuit of Gwion Bach symbolizes the changing seasons. Her cauldron contains awen, meaning the divine spirit, or poetic or prophetic inspiration. Her link as the Mother of Poetry is seen in Her reborn son Taliesin, and in the Welsh word that makes up part of Her name, cerdd, which also means poetry.
Cerridwen signifies inspiration from an unexpected corner. Plans may go awry; projects may change. Do not be too quick to hold a project to its course–instead let it take its shape as it will.
“Rigantona’s themes are sports, excellence, magic, fertility, movement and travel. Her symbols are horses, the moon, white items and birds. A Roman/Italic form of Rhiannon, this Goddess travels the earth on a swift white horse, a lunar symbol, sweeping us up to travel along and get everything in our lives moving! Stories portray Rigantona in the company of powerful magical birds and She also represents fertility.
In Italy, people attend the Palio Festival, a horse race that started in the 13th century and has continued ever since as a time to show physical skill and cunning. It’s a perfect place for Rigantona to shine. Any type of physical activity that you excel in will please Rigantona today and encourage Her motivational energy in your efforts. Get out and take a brisk walk, swim, rollerblade. As you move, visualize yourself atop a white horse, the Goddess’s symbol, approaching an image of a specific goal. All the energy you expend during this activity generates magic for attainment.
If birds fly into your life today, pay attention to the type of bird and its movements, because birds are Rigantona’s messengers. Birds flying to the right are good omens, those moving to the left act as a warning of danger and those flying overhead indicate productivity in whatever you try today. If any of these birds drops a feather, keep it as a gift from the Goddess.”
(Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”.)
Rhiannon (from the Mabinogion) by Alan Lee
Rigatona (pronounced REE at-on-a) meaning “Great Queen” is thought to be from where the Welsh Goddess Rhiannon’s original name derived. “Continuation of the name would indicate the existence of a Brythnoic Goddess known as Rīgantona, though no trace of Her (save for the name of Rhiannon) has been left to us. Whether this Rīgantona was an independent deity or represented an aspect of Epona (who is occasionally referred to in the plural and may be a triple-Goddess) may not be known for certain though the surviving tales of Rhiannon would suggest the later interpretation. Thus there may once have been an insular Brythonic deity known as Rīgantona Epona.
Rhiannon’s name is directly cognate with the Irish goddess Mórrígan (which also menans ‘Great Queen’). In terms of attributes, however, Rhiannon is most closely similar to an sapect of the triple-Goddes, Mórrígan known as Macha; a Goddess of war, horses and kingship.” [1]
Rhiannon is a potent symbol of fertility, yet She is also an Otherworld and death Goddess, a bringer of dreams, and a moon deity who is symbolized by a white horse. Her father was Heveydd the Old, and She was married to both Pwyll and Manan. The story of Her marriage to Pwyll, and the subsequent accusation of the murder of Her child, is well documented and most people are familiar with Rhiannon from this tale. [Click here to read Her tale].
“Rhiannon” by Susan Seddon Boulet
Patricia Monaghan comments: “What can one expect of a Goddess of death? Her son disappeared, and the queen was found with blood on Her mouth and cheeks. Accused of murder, She was sentenced to serve as Pwyll’s gatekeeper, bearing visitors to the door on Her back; thus She was symbolically transformed into a horse. All ended happily when Her son was found; Rhiannon had been falsely accused by maids who, terrified at finding the babe absent, had smeared puppy blood on the queen’s face.
Behind this legend is doubtless another, more primitive one in which the death queen actually was guilty of infanticide. This beautiful queen of the night would then, it seems, be identical to the Germanic Mora, the nightmare, the horse-shaped Goddess of terror. But night brings good dreams as well as bad, so Rhiannon was said to be the beautiful Goddess of joy and oblivion, a Goddess of Elysium as well as the queen of hell” (p. 266 – 267).
“Rhiannon” by Jan Hess
“In Her guise as a death Goddess, Rhiannon could sing sweetly enough to lure all those in hearing to their deaths, and therefore She may be related to Germanic stories of lake and river faeries who sing seductively to lure sailors and fishermen to their doom. Her white horse images also link Her to Epona, and many scholars feel they are one and the same, or at least are derived from the same archetypal roots.
In today’s magick and ritual, Rhiannon can be called upon to aid you in overcoming enemies, exercising patience, working magick, moon rituals, and enhancing dream work.” [2]
“Call upon Rhiannon to bless rites of fertility, sex magick, prosperity and dream work. Work with Her to enhance divination skills, overcome enemies, develop patience, and to gain self confidence. She is most definitely a Fae that every woman can relate to on some level. Her perserverance and will is an example of what we as women are, have been, and will continue to be for millennia to come. Solid, unwavering beauty and strength, like Mother Earth below our feet.” [3]
ASSOCIATIONS (Rhiannon):
General: Moon, horses, horseshoe, songbirds, gates, the wind, and the number 7.
Animals:Horse, badger, frog, dogs (especially puppies), canaries and other songbirds, hummingbirds, and dragons.
Plants: Narcissus and daffodils, leeks, pansies, forsythia, cedar and pine trees [evergreens], bayberry, sage and rosemary,[jasmine, any white flower]
Perfumes/Scents: Sandalwood, neroli, bergamot, lavender, narcissus, and geranium.
Gems and Metals: Gold, silver, cat’s eye, moonstone, crystal, quartz, ruby, red garnet, bloodstone, turquoise, and amethyst.
Colors: Dark green, maroon, gold, silver, rich brown, white, black, charcoal grey, and ruby red. [4]
Great Goddess, help me remember that times of sorrow are opportunities for the greatest growth. Rhiannon, I affirm that I have the courage to overcome my doubts and fears.
And here’s a great 13 minute video on Goddess Rhiannon, The Great Queen
“Cordelia’s themes are blessings, prayer, beauty, fairies and wishes. Her symbols are flowers and water. A British nature Goddess, Cordelia is part of every spring and summer flower that blossoms. This is the beauty She brings into our lives today, along with all the positive energies of spring. Traditionally, Cordelia does not appear until May, when the earth is fertile enough to sustain Her glory. Art sometimes depicts Her as being a citizen of fairy realms, and perhaps a flower princess.
Well-dressing festivals go back to animistic times, when people believed sacred wells held beneficent indwelling spirits. To appease these powers, people decked the wells with Cordelia’s symbols: garlands of spring flowers. They then asked for the gods’, goddesses’ or spirits’ favor. So, if you have any type of fountain or well fountain nearby, today is the day for wishing! Take a small offering (coins if a a fountain; a flower if a natural water source) and toss it in while whispering your desire.
To draw attention of Cordelia and Her companions, the fey, into your life, take a dollhouse chair and glue any or all of the following items to it:
Thyme, straw, primrose, oak leaves, ash leaves and hawthorn berries or leaves. Leave this on a sunny windowsill (preferably one with a plant on it) to encourage fairy guests, who will bring all manner of spring frolic into your home.”
(Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”.)
“Cordelia” by Wendy Andrew
“Cordelia is the beautiful Goddess of spring and summer flowers, and of flower fairies. Shakespeare portrayed Cordelia as the daughter of King Lear in his play of the same name. However, She’s actually the daughter of the sea god, Lir, so She was born a sea Goddess.
Cordelia is celebrated on May 1 during Beltane, an ancient celebration marking the beginning of summer, when the weather is warm enough to allow ranchers to let cattle out of their pens and into the fields.
Cordelia helps with celebration, courage, gardening and flowers, joy, life changes and stress management.
The stones associated with Cordelia are carnelian and citrine.” [1]
Upon further research, I found that Cordelia was connected with the Welsh Goddess Creiddylad. According to Patricia Monaghan, “We know the ancient Welsh Goddess [Creiddylad] as Cordelia, daughter of King Lear in Shakespeare’s play; She was originally a sea queen, daughter of the sea god, Lyr. Geoffrey of Monmouth claimed that Cordelia, the human form of the Goddess, ruled the land after her father died [see Cordelia of Britain]. Shakespeare of course, killed her off alongwith Lear. By then, the real legend of Creiddylad and Lyr was probably lost” (p. 92).
On a personal note, coming into contact with Cordelia could not have come at a better time. I’ve been going through a little bit of a low right now, revisiting some old personal issues that I thought I had come to terms with. I spend a lot of time in the house, in my little computer room (my cave as I like call it) working on a few online college courses while trying to keep my home and family taken care of. Cordelia’s message is one that rings true and speaks directly to me, especially now: “Being cooped up in doors is not the way to live your life in this beautiful world. Go outside and experience what is out there. It will revive your spirit and soul, and perhaps retrieve your faith in the planets existence. Pay attention to the flowers that are budding, the birds singing and allow the wind to blow through your hair” (From Doreen Virtue’s Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards). I’ve been doing that, little by little. I managed to get outside a few days ago and get my Goddess statue out, set up my fountain, plant some flowers with my children and hang some hanging baskets up. I like it – its a work in progress…makes me think of a healing little sanctuary (except the house we’re currently living in is located right up on a fairly busy intrastate).
Hummingbirds…I’ve found myself thinking about hummingbirds a lot for some reason lately. I found a plant at the store a few days ago – a pink and white Aquilegia for 50% off and it was the last one. I read that it was supposed to attract hummingbirds. “Perfect!” I thought. (Note to self – also on the list to pick up are a few hummingbird feeders.)
Yesterday morning, I dreamed of a ruby-throated hummingbird visiting me as I sat lamenting and staring out the window into a dark starry night sky. I meant to research it when I woke up, but as usual, I got distracted by Facebook. It just so happened that when I was reading down through the feeds, I came across a post describing the hummingbird and it’s totem meaning. WOW! Thank you Universe! The meaning of the hummingbird as a totem animal that I read can be found by clicking here. Very profound – speaking directly to my psyche and soul.
And now, for the really cool part (or really cool for me anyways). Last night, I was out in my new little “shrine”, making an offering of beer. No sooner had I finished pouring my offering, that a ruby-throated hummingbird flew up to the Aquilegia beside my Goddess statue where I had just poured my offering! How freakin’ awesome is that?!
So this summer, it looks like I will be working with Cordelia, flowers and hummingbirds…Last summer, it was Brighid and a pigeon that came to visit me EVERYDAY. After I noticed it coming by everyday out of the blue just sitting on my front porch, I started leaving offerings of birdseed that I’m sure it really appreciated 😉
My little familiar back in Alaska, July 2011
It seems that I have an affinity for birds as messengers and totems. In dreams, my life totem was revealed to be a hawk, my spirit totem a raven, and the cockatoo as an unknown totem. I’ve had contact with owls, seagulls, and swans as messenger totems (through dreams and in the physical world). What is it with birds I wonder? Maybe someday I’ll figure it out. All I know is that it is time now to meditate and heal with Cordelia, flowers and hummingbirds…
Sources:
Monaghan, Patricia. The New Book of Goddesses and Heroines, “Creiddylad”.
Nicole, Shantel. Angelic Connections with Shantel Nicole, “Goddess Cordelia“.
“Fuwch Gyfeilioru’s themes are creativity, communication, arts, learning and knowledge. Her symbols are cows and milk. Fuwch Gyfeilioru is the Welsh Goddess of knowledge, inspiration, wisdom and happiness. Appearing sometimes as an elfin cow, She has an endless supply of magical milk that refreshes ailing dispositions with joy and creativity.
The Hay on Wye is a Welsh festival of words and language, specifically in the form of plays, music, debate, poetry and creative written and verbal forms that certainly honor Fuwch Gyfeilioru in spirit. In keeping with the theme, take out your magic diary today. Place one hand on the cover, asking this Goddess’s insight, then read it over. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by our awareness of metaphysical matters and your growth in the last few months. Drink a glass of milk, consume milk by-products or include beef as part of a meal to physically accept Fuwch Gyfeilioru’s powers into yourself. Focus intently on your goals as you eat or drink and don’t forget to thank the Goddess for Her gift by way of a mealtime prayer.
To motivate a litte extra creativity, make a milk shake (any flavor, but add a pinch of cinnamon for energy and nutmeg for luck). The blender “whips up” Fuwch Gyfeilioru’s energy in the shake as you incant,
“Creativity I claim, by my will and in the Goddess’s name!”
Drink expectantly.”
(Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”.)
“The Cow Jumped Over the Moon” by Phyllis Saroff
So for today’s Goddess, the only information I could find on Her comes from Her Cyclopedia. It states that , Fuwch-Gyfeilioru is a pure white Cosmic Elfin Cow; She Who produces endless streams of milk; She Who has the power to heal, to make fools wise and everyone in the world happy.” [1] Apparently, She is similar to the Norse Goddess, Audhumla, the primeval cow or the first auroch who played a large part in Norse creation myths.
Sources:
Her Cyclopedia, “Fuwch-Gyfeilioru“. (Which appears to be a dead link now 😦 )
Suggested Links:
Leviton, Richard. Encyclopedia of Earth Myths, “White Cow“.
Mallory, James. Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, “Cow” (p. 137).
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NEVER confuse HATE speech with free speech - HATE SPEECH KILLS!
Stop Bullying
StopBullying.gov provides information from various government agencies on how kids, teens, young adults, parents, educators and others in the community can prevent or stop bullying. If you or someone you know is being bullied, get help.
A personal journal to share my artistic works, to write about Norse shamanism and traditional paganism, European History, Archaeology, Runes, Working with the Gods and my personal experiences in Norse shamanic practices.
