I read a blog the other day about the Morrigan and not proselytizing which I agree with, and there’s really no need to re-hash here. But I mention it because a line in that blog stuck out to me: “spirituality is not a one size fits all concept.”
Category Archives: By Land Sea and Sky
Are the Irish Gods, Gods?
Every cultural type of paganism has its own unique little issues, things that go around within that particular community. Usually these are not things based in facts, but are a kind of urban legend, a statement made at a some point that was then repeated and taken as fact and slowly takes on a life of its own until it gains a kind of truth of its own, no matter how disconnected it may be from the actual root culture, historic fact, or myth. In Heathenry you see this with the idea people constantly repeat that only those who die in battle go to Valhalla* or that Valhalla is a universal goal, a kind of heaven, while Hel is a terrible place to be avoided. In Celtic paganism, or I should say Irish paganism specifically, what I see going around fairly often is the assertion that the Irish Gods were not, in fact, Gods at all.
Excerpt from "Celebrating Imbolc with the Family" in Air n-Aithesc volume 1 issue 1
Of the four Irish fire festivals Imbolc is the most family oriented, although it does also have wider community aspects. Celebrating Imbolc as a modern Irish polytheist, or indeed any Celtic polytheist drawn to this holiday, is an opportunity to involve the entire family, especially children, in the traditions. While we don’t have any surviving information about the ancient ways that this day was celebrated we do have a plethora of native traditions to draw on, with the role of saint Brigit and the pagan Goddess Brighid often blurred and easily shifted fully into paganism. With some slight alteration all of these traditions can be celebrated by any pagan family to honor Imbolc and the holiday’s main deity, Brighid.
A Bit More Translation
“Fo-ceird Cú Chuluinn bedg ina charpat feissin íarum. Naicc ní i nneoch íarum in mnaí nach in carpat nach in n-ech nach in fer nach in mbuin ocus co n-faco-sium íarum ba hén-si dub forsin chroíb ina farrud.”
A Prayer to an Cailleach During Storms
[Out of respect to the author, no snippet will be provided. Please click through to the original post to view the uncut prayer.]
The Morrigan and Plans for 2015
I’m sure many of you would rather see more translation here, and don’t worry I’ll get some more done soon. I’m working on a new manuscript at the moment which is taking up some time, but hopefully next week I’ll get to some of the other fun untranslated bits of the Cath Maige Tuired…
Verifying Practical UPG
So a common question in relation to upg* is how to know if the gnosis you get is good or not. A basic rule of thumb is to take the information you get and double check it, whether that’s checking it against mythology or other types of fact checking.
Translating – The Morrigan’s Prophecy part 2
Today I want to take a look at the second half of the Morrigan’s prophecy after the battle of Moytirra, which Gray does offer a translation for, but with significant sections excluded:Boí-si íarum oc taircetul deridh an betha ann beus ocus oc tairngire cech uilc nobíad ann, ocus cech teadma ocus gach díglau; conid ann rocachain an laíd-se sís:
an Slua Sí
Whenever the subject of the fairies comes up it is best to remember that they are not the twee little things of pop culture. Even among the diverse groups of fairies though some deserve more caution and respect than others. One group that was particularly feared is the slua sí, the fairy host.
Book giveaway for new novel "Into the Twilight"
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Into the Twilight
by Morgan Daimler
Giveaway ends January 28, 2015.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.