Empathy, Compassion and Forgiveness: The Wisdom of Branwen

From the mists of Welsh mythology Celtic Goddess Branwen provides important wisdom for our modern world. Themes of the destructiveness caused by viewing those different from us with distrust and fear are found in her story. Vengeance is revealed as a downward spiral of pain and suffering. She illustrates the healing role empathy and compassion for those different from us and forgiveness for those who have wronged us can play in a world gone mad with war.

Branwen was the sister of the giant, King Bran of the Isle of the Mighty. She was loved by her people for her gentleness, compassion and beauty. In the tradition of the Old Tribes of the British Isles, the son of the sister of the current king would become the new king upon the death of the old one. Thus Branwen is the embodiment of Sovereignty. She is the Center from which all life emerges. She rules over both the spirit of and the physical manifestation of the Land. Her vision is long, seeing the whole, the greater scheme of things.

Branwen is most likely a proto-Celtic Goddess, whose name means “White Raven.” Her story, as told in the Welsh compilation of stories, The Mabinogian, began with love. 

The Irish King Matholuch came to call and a new course was set for both the Island of the Mighty and Ireland. He had come seeking marriage with Branwen. Never before had a woman of the old tribes left her people to marry a foreigner. And foreigners were often feared. 

Matholuch was given permission to land. Branwen was called for. A feast was prepared and the two fell in love. Though Branwen dreaded the thought of leaving her people, she was in the grip of first love. But Matholuch, though also in the heat of first love, never lost sight of the fact that Branwen was the gateway into the world of kings to come. In his mind their son would rule both Ireland and the British Isles thus extending the power of his own legacy. 

An agreement was reached and the marriage took place. The marriage feast lasted for many days. Night after night Branwen and Matholuch shared the fire of their growing love.

But trouble was brewing as one of Branwen’s four brothers, Eynissyen had been away during this time. He, a hot-headed troublemaker, became angry to not have had a voice in the decision. In his anger he sought a way to harm the Irish and violently maimed their beloved horses.

Evnissyen’s act of terror caused an uproar and threatened war between the two peoples. Bran and his brothers knew that the only true atonement in the eyes of the Irish would be the death of Evnissyen in retribution for the Irish loss. But this they could not do as it violated the very essence of the way of the Old Tribes — ways that sought resolution to conflict without blood vengeance.  

So instead, Bran offered Matholuch a face-price — a monetary reparation such as had never been offered before. An agreement was reached. But seeing that Matholuch was still uneasy, Bran offered yet another boone — the cauldron of rebirth. Any warrior killed could be thrown into this cauldron and would emerge to fight again. Bran warned Matholuch that a wise king would not use this cauldron as these unearthly beings can do nothing but fight and cause total destruction. Unfortunately Matholuch was not a wise man. 

And so Branwen sailed to Ireland with her man and they were happy for a few years. The people were dazzled by her beauty and charm. Their son, Gwern, was born. Matholuch felt sure his plan for his son to become king of both lands was well underway.

Up to this point, news of the maiming of the Irish horses had not reached the ears of the Irish people as the High Druid had forbidden the warriors to speak of the incident. But the High Druid died when Gwern was a baby and men’s tongues loosened with news of the insult. The Irish were furious at not getting blood vengeance. Ultimately they demanded that the King put Branwen aside and punish her for her brother’s sin — the wrong committed by a foreigner.  And he, coward that he was, acquiesced to their demands, sending her to work in the hot kitchen.

For three years Branwen was alone, without a friend in the world. She endured shame and daily beatings. Finally one day she found a wounded baby starling. Approaching the starling with concern, an idea hatched in her mind and hope was reborn. She nursed the starling back to health and slowly taught it how to deliver a message to her brother, King Bran. 

Finally the time arrived for the starling to fly. Branwen released her friend into the air who flew away across the sea to the Island of the Mighty. 

It was a long and terrifying journey but finally the starling reached its destination. It found Bran and spoke the words Branwen had taught it.  

Horrified at the news, Bran amassed the men of Wales and set out across the water to free Branwen. 

Upon their arrival, and due to Branwen’s urgings for a peaceful settlement, Branwen’s release was negotiated. The face-price for peace was that Branwen’s son, Gwern would be the Irish High King and the building of a house large enough to house King Bran, a giant among men. 

But once again Evnissyen, the hot-headed brother, intervened with catastrophic results. During a celebration of the peace, Evnissyen threw Gwern into the fire, killing him before anyone could react.

War broke out between the two peoples that destroyed them both. At the end of that day many lay dead but worse was yet to come. The Irish, hot with blood lust and vengeance, made the fateful decision to use the cauldron of rebirth to obtain demon warriors. Terrible battles raged and it seemed that all was lost. 

Evnissyen finally accepted responsibility for all that had arisen. He sacrificed himself by going into the cauldron alive and breaking it apart from within. Toxic fumes engulfed all and by morning everyone was dead, save those sheltered in the Irish Halls of Tara and the newly constructed House of Bran. 

Bran sent word to the Irish that they would leave the island on the morrow to what peace and reconstruction could be had. Treachery and vengeance once more reared its ugly head as the remaining Irish warriors ambushed the remaining Welsh, ultimately delivering a death blow to Bran with a poisonous spear.  Bran, not wishing to endure a lingering death asked his brother to cut off his head and carry it back to Wales. 

Branwen could endure the pain no longer. She died of a broken heart at the disastrous results of her call for rescue. Only seven men returned to the Isle of the Mighty, accompanied by the magical, talking head of Bran.

The story of Branwen, Goddess of Love and Beauty is truly one of sorrow. But love infuses her story from beginning to end. Through love she seeks to unite the two lands and its peoples. With empathy and compassion, she forgives and continues to seek peace even after her years of suffering and the murder of her son. Yet these qualities do not include excusing the offender — Branwen finally shut Matholuch out of her heart forever. 

Branwen is a beacon, lighting the way for us all through dark feelings of hatred and vengeance. She leads us to a bright land with hearts full of empathy, compassion, love and forgiveness. 

Though the places and peoples involved have changed since those long ago days in the British Isles, the same problems persist. The time is well over-due to end the cycles of retribution — a system of justice that could ultimately destroy the whole world. With empathy, compassion and forgiveness we can find a path to restorative justice.

Judith’s Celtic Goddess Oracle Deck is available. Click here.

Transforming a War Goddess into a Spiritual Warrior — Andraste, Celtic Goddess

The drums of war continue sounding across the globe. While I am safe and sound in my privileged American life, I feel the pain and suffering. Machine guns are fired; bombs are dropped; and children, women and men suffer horrific injuries and death. How can we still be immersed in this energy of death and destruction in the 21st century? How can human consciousness still be so filled with fear?

Perhaps it’s baked into our genes. Most all of us today are descendants of a warrior tribe who either wiped out or conquered and assimilated with an indigenous population. Though the artifacts of ancient pre-history offer a possibility that we once lived together in harmony, worshipping the Mother Goddess and Earth — history, defined as having a written record of events, is definitely one long litany of cruelty and atrocities, of male dominance and aggression, of violence and war.    

Mythology can be a helpful lens through which to view the march of history. The goddesses and gods are archetypes, illustrating the many facets of human experience for us. They light the path of connection between all Earth’s creatures and Earth herself, helping us understand ourselves and our place in this beautiful, yet often difficult, world of duality.  

A Companion For the Journey, oil on canvas inspired by the Neolithic Bird/Snake Goddess figures.

As the world changed and the domain of Mother Goddess turned to a world filled with violent conquest, ancient Celtic sovereignty and fertility goddesses added another aspect to their influence – becoming War Goddesses who struck fear in their enemy’s hearts as they fought to defend their territory.

As a woman who believes in peace, I approach the warrior aspect of the goddess with trepidation. How does one reconcile acts of violence carried out in the name of a war goddess, with a love of peace? What wisdom does a war goddess have for us today?

Very little is know about the Celtic War Goddess, Andraste, but it is very likely she is a later, Brittonic variation of the Celtic War Goddess, The Morrigan. – an ancient goddess who originated in the mists of pre-history. Like The Morrigan, she was also a Sovereignty and Fertility Goddess.

The Morrigan, gouache on paper by Judith Shaw

Andraste’s name means “the invincible one” or “she who has not fallen.” Ravens were sacred to Andraste as well as The Morrigan. She was the patron goddess of Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni tribe in 1st century Britain. Her name was invoked before battles to ensure courage and victory.  She was a goddess of prophecy whose omens predicted the victor in battle – another similarity to The Morrigan.

Andraste, gouache on paper, by Judith Shaw

Boudicca, whose name means “victory,” led a revolt against Roman rule in 60CE. Her name suggests an association with the Welsh goddess, Boudiga, whose name also means “victory.” It is possible that Boudicca was not her given name but a religious title given to her in the early days of the rebellion. That would make Boudicca an earthly manifestation of Andraste in the eyes of her followers. That could account for her ability to unite the constantly warring Celtic tribes against the Romans.

It is reported that Boudicca released a hare before her great victory as a means of divination. The outcome of the battle could be read by the direction in which the hare ran. Victory for the Celts was predicted, most certainly lending great courage to those taking part.

Andraste’s  stories are lost to us today. We mainly know of her through Roman accounts of Boudicca’s sacking of London and other Roman held cities. According to Roman historian Tacitus, Boudicca’s army was extraordinarily savage, especially in retaliation against Roman women who were rounded up, murdered and mutilated in a grove sacred to Andraste.  

Having been publicly flogged and her two daughters raped by the Romans (the ultimate insult to fertility and the goddess), was it Andraste who urged Boudicca on to such savagery and blood vengeance. Or was the brutality the Romans inflicted on the Celtic tribes of Britain in general and her tribe, her daughters and herself in particular, what caused Boudicca to respond in such a way?

Boudicca’s victory was short-lived. When the Roman provincial governor Paulinus returned from a military campaign in Wales, the Romans gained the upper hand, completely defeating the Celtic tribes. It is believed that Boudicca and her daughters killed themselves rather than be captured. 

And so how do we today gain from the wisdom of a goddess like Andraste?

Might it be that we create the goddesses and gods in our own image — reflections of our own state of consciousness?

The only thing we know for sure about Andraste is that she was worshipped in sacred groves — places that give access to the spiritual realm. Considering the level of destruction humans are capable of today, perhaps we should see our War Goddesses as Spiritual Warriors. As Spiritual Warriors such goddesses can guide us in finding peaceful solutions to our disagreements and conflicts. We must evolve or perish it seems.

Light and dark, good and evil, spirit and matter, male and female — all examples of the duality found on Earth.  Andraste, She Who Has Not Fallen, helps navigate these dualities. She guides you through the chaos of transformation to personal empowerment. She lends you courage and strength during times of struggle. She helps you to right injustices and find your true purpose in life.

It is up to each of us to find a way forward that avoids the pitfalls of violence and war. 

Judith’s Celtic Goddess Oracle deck is available on her website shop. Click here.

Imbolc and Brigid: A Time of Renewal

The wheel of the year continues turning and once again we find ourselves at the transition point from winter’s deep sleep to the first awakenings of spring. It is marked by an ancient Celtic festival called Imbolc, also known as Imbolg or Brigid’s day. It is believed to have been celebrated long before the Celts arrived in Ireland and Scotland, probably as far back as Neolithic times.

Our ancient ancestors all around the world celebrated the changing seasons with rituals, feasts and magic. They constructed huge megalithic structures to help track heavenly movements. In this way they could predict the dates of solstices and equinoxes. Today our modern tech-oriented world has computers to track the tilt of our planet and the exact date these astronomical events will take place. 

Imbolc was originally a movable sacred day determined by astronomical phenomenon. It is the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox occurring in the beginning of February. In 2024 the astronomically determined date for that mid-point is February 3. But today Imbolc is celebrated on a fixed date in the Gregorian Calendar — Feb 2nd. It celebrates the first stirrings of spring and the promise of fertile abundance to come. It is a sacred time of renewal and awakening.

Brigid and Imbolc
At the heart of this celebration lies one of the most important, powerful, and loved of all the Celtic Goddesses —  the Goddess Brigid. On this day The Cailleach, Winter Queen, relinquishes her hold on the land to the Goddess Brigid, whose name means “Exalted One,” “Bright One, or “Powerful One.” 

As a Sun Goddess, born at the exact moment of dawn, she bears the gifts of knowledge, inspiration, and the life force and healing energy of the sun. On Imbolc, she spreads her green cloak across the land, releasing it from the Cailleach’s icy grip of snow and ice. Unlike The Cailleach, whose main concern is the land itself, Brigid is concerned with both human welfare and the land’s health. Reigning over the light half of the year, Brigid shepherds three aspects of life, all united by fire – inspiration, the forge, and the hearth. 

She stokes the Fires of Inspiration as a poet and a muse. She rules over poetry, learning, divination, occult knowledge, and prophecy.

She stokes the Fires of the Forge as the patron goddess of all smithcrafts. She may even date back to the beginnings of fired pottery.

She stokes the Fires of the Hearth as a healing goddess. She reigns over medicine, spiritual healing, fertility, midwifery, inner healing and vital energy. In this aspect she is also associated with water. She rules over sacred wells and springs where the womb of Mother Earth opens to the light of day. 

Imbolc, Brigid’s Day, is celebrated with bonfires, blazing hearths, lit candles and feasts. It is a time to celebrate and reconnect with Mother Earth — a time for the ritual burning off of the old — a time to  nourish the new..

Scholars debate over the origins of the word “Imbolc.” though most agree it comes from the Old Irish “i mbolg,” meaning “in the belly.” At Imbolc the ewes first come into milk as their lambs are being born, the first flowers appear and the days begin to lengthen noticeably. Naturally lambs are sacred to Brigid.

Serpents are also sacred to Brigid. In Sottish folklore, Brigid’s serpent would emerge from its winter hibernation on Imbolc. If it remained outside and active then winter would end soon. If it returned to its burrow then winter would last another month or more.  This belief is verified in the Carmina Gadelica. which illustrates our ancestor’s reverence for nature and their understanding of our place in the natural world.

“On Bride’s morn,
The serpent will come out of the hole.
I will not harm the serpent,
Nor will the serpent harm me.”

Celebrating Imbolc Today

Many of the traditional ways to celebrate Imbolc centered around the traditionally “feminine” aspects of life, domesticity, and fertility. House were cleaned, supplies were inventoried, traditional Imbolc food was prepared and crafting was enjoyed by all.

Here are a few ways you can celebrate Imbolc and honor Brigid:

Bonfires were always part of a community’s celebration in the past. To symbolize Brigid’s Fires of Inspiration, light a fire in your backyard firepit and gather with friends to share poems and stories. 

Light candles — an age-old custom at Imbolc to welcome the return of the sun and its warmth and light.

Make a Brigid’s Cross, symbolizing the sun and the cyclical circle of life. Traditionally made from rushes or straw they bring protection and blessings to the home.

Make a Bridey Doll symbolizing Brigid. Also known as a ‘Brideog,’ it is another way to invite Brigid’s blessings.

Share a feast with friends and family. A Bannock Cake is a traditional dish prepared at this time. Be sure to leave a piece for Brigid on your altar or windowsill, inviting her into your life.

Enjoy nature. This is a great time for a walk in which you thoughtfully observe the early signs of spring.

As we celebrate the return of warmth and light let us hold Brigid close in our hearts. Allow Brigid’s fires to ignite the flames of creative expression. Allow Brigid’s fires to stoke the flames of our own creative forges while maintaining creative discipline. And let us tend the fires of our hearths, which provide warmth, sustenance, connection and healing. 

Brigid’s emergence on Imbolc reminds us of the eternal cycles of nature, the promise of spring and the interconnectedness of all life. May Brigid inspire, protect, and heal you all while enriching your Imbolc celebrations.

Purchase Judith’s Celtic Goddess Oracle here.

St Patrick Drives the Serpent Goddess, Corra, from Ireland

Corra, Great Serpent Goddess of Ireland and Scotland whose name is almost forgotten today, called forth the serpents of life, death, and rebirth to twine the magic of eternity around the lives of our ancestors. Even though snakes never inhabited Irish land, both the serpent and the dragon were ancient symbols of life, fertility, wisdom, and immortality for the Celts.

The primal connection of goddess to serpent to Earth was alive all across the ancient world. Corra, Great Serpent Goddess, was most likely there before the Milesians arrived. She was probably there before the Tuatha de Danaan arrived.

Corra embodies Earth and yet she can also transform into a crane, further symbolizing the transformation of body to spirit on our journey through the great circle of life. 

Divinatory Meaning
Rebirth, transformation, immortality, healing. Corra calls you to accept the ever-changing, transformative nature of life as you move through its cycles from birth to death to rebirth.

Her Story
Corra’s ancient stories are lost to us today, save for one, a story in which St. Patrick kills her and drives the snakes from Ireland. Since there were no snakes in Ireland, this story is most certainly a mythopoetic one which illustrates how Christianity drove out the Old Religion, the Druids, and the worship of Corra.

In the story, St. Patrick chases Corra all across Ireland to the final battle at Lough Derg. Lough Derg, with several island in the lake, was an important religious site for the Old Religion. A prehistoric mound is visible on Station Island where today a Christian basilica and popular retreat sanctuary are prominent. The more northerly island, Saints Island, was the most important site of pilgrimage for the early Christians. It was a Purgatory Center and housed the original priory of the lake.

In one version of the story, when Corra faced down St. Patrick at Lough Derg she swallowed him whole. As Mircea Eliade noted in Rites and Symbols of Initiation, being swallowed by the snake can be seen as a return to the womb and “a complete regeneration of the initiate through his gestation and birth by the Great Mother.”

But St. Patrick was not an initiate seeking rebirth through the Mother’s womb. No, he was intent on stamping out the influence of the Serpent Goddess and her promise of regeneration and unity – concepts directly opposed by the new Christian church’s doctrine of duality, sin, and salvation through Christ.

St. Patrick passed two days and two nights within Corra’s body, eventually cutting his way out and killing her in the process. The water of the lake turned red with her blood and her body turned to stone. These stones were seen jutting out of the lake near to Saints Island and became part of the penitent experience of Purgatory.

The cave of the purgatory reflects yet another pagan association with the story. It  corresponds to the long-practiced Old European tradition of incubation or temple sleep. A far cry from purgatory, where the dead go to suffer for their sins before being allowed into heaven, sacred caves were used by initiates to enter the Otherworld, meet their ancestors, and gain knowledge and wisdom to bring back to a renewed life. Generally, serpents were associated with these caves and with the initiation experience. The cave of St Patrick’s Purgatory might well have been a dream cave used in pagan initiation ceremonies. It might have been a cave where worshipers of the Old Religion went to meet the Great Serpent Goddess, Corra, thus gaining wisdom and deep knowledge of the never-ending cycle of life.

Corra reminds you to honor your place as a child of the Goddess and to rejoice in the beauty of the ever-changing physical life on Earth.

To view or purchase a deck of Judith’s Celtic Goddess Oracle cards visit her website

Here’s another story about St Patrick and the harm he created for practitioners of the Old Faith –  by storyteller, Ali Isaac – click here.

Reindeer Spirit Animal

Well it’s that time of year again when we remember reindeer.  Even in southern climes where reindeer never go you’ll find them adorning roofs and buildings –   the inhabitants hoping for the arrival of winter gifts delivered by reindeer, Santa and sled.

Reindeer have been important to humans since our early days as hunter-gatherers. Found in cave paintings throughout Europe and Asia, reindeer are depicted as soaring through the air, perhaps acting as intermediaries between the human world and the spirit world.

Symbolic Meanings

Journey, Confidence, Stability, Guidance, Endurance, Adaptability, Sensitivity, Abundance, Fertility, Light, Life, Rebirth of the Sun, Soul Journey

Read more about Reindeer – their history, lives and symbolic meanings on my recent post on the Feminism and Religion blog.

Gratitude – A Daily Practice

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” A.A. Milne

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the United States  and we all we turn our thoughts to thankfulness and gratitude. Though gratitude and thankfulness can be synonymous, positive psychologists contend that gratitude expresses a deeper appreciation than thankfulness and produces longer lasting positive results.

Harvard Medical School defines gratitude this way – “a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives … As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals – whether to other people, nature, or a higher power”

With gratitude we not only acknowledge the goodness in our lives but also recognize that some of the sources of this goodness lie outside the self.

“Giving Thanks”, gouache on paper

Taking time everyday to express gratitude can benefit us all in many ways. Many studies have found that people who consciously count their blessings tend to be happier and less depressed. It has also been shown to improve physical health. Practicing gratitude enhances our ability to feel empathy, reduces aggressive behavior, and allows us to appreciate other’s success without envy.  In addition gratitude enhances our resilience when faced with difficult situations.

We know how easy it is to fall into negative thought patterns so how can one cultivate gratitude?  A couple of  suggestions include noticing your every day life from a point of gratitude and vowing not to complain, criticize or gossip for a week. And for those who like arts and craftsy kind of aides to their practice here’s a good article.

This post was originally published as part of my recent newsletter. Sign up for my newsletter and receive info about forgotten women artists, my thoughts on mythology and art, notice of sales of my work and much more.  There’s a sign-up form on my Facebook page (on the left – scroll down).

“This a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.” Maya Angelou

A break from bad news – Pig/Sow Animal Spirit Guide

This month has delivered punch after punch to those who dream of a world in which all women and men can live together in peace.  My work as an artist has generally been about presenting images which show a world of love and beauty. In these times that intent can seem lacking. But then I remember that energy is part of the equation here on Earth.  So in the spirit of remembering and honoring the beauty and joy of life,  I offer my newest Animal Spirit Guide painting for your inspiration today.

Pigs, who were called boars in the wild, were the first animals to be domesticated. Pig domestication occurred about 9,000 – 10,000 years ago in two places – central China and Neolithic Anatolia in modern day southwestern Turkey.

Around 7,000 years ago when the Anatolians moved into Europe with their domestic animals and plants, they interacted with the indigenous Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and facilitated an interbreeding of their domestic pig and the local wild boar. The European swine descends from this interbreeding.

The mythical and cultural associations assigned to Pig in all its forms is very contradictory – sacred and beneficial to some, demonic and unclean to others. For our purposes here, we will concentrate on the positive associations.

Pig is associated with fertility, regeneration, death, inspiration, magic, knowledge, good luck, prosperity, transformation, Earth.

The female pig is a sow and has a slightly different connotation from the male pig, a boar. Sow is associated with the Goddess and Mother Earth in many cultures around the world.

The ancients believed that Pig, grounded in Earth, favors us with fertility, life and abundance. A multitude of artifacts from all across western Europe show Pig in strong association with the Great Goddess.

Read more about the symbolic meaning of Pig and see more images from around the world on my recent post at FAR.

Goddess Oracle Cards – Coming Soon

There are only 2.5 days left in my crowdfunding campaign which raises the needed funds to produce my deck of Celtic Goddess Oracle cards. It is currently 105% funded! I’m sending a HUGE THANK  YOU out to everyone who has contributed and/or shared.

Here are a few cards from the deck.

Aine, Sun Goddess, indicates certainty of purpose, illumination, fertility, abundance, healing – Aine calls you to claim your own power and to experience true joy. She offers aide with love, fertility, health, and prosperity.

Boann, Goddess of Knowledge and Creativity, clears negativity and mental debris allowing space for spiritual insight and divine inspiration. She calls you to take time for your own creative expression.

The Cailleach, Dark Nature Goddess, calls you to embrace the quiet darkness and the oneness of being; to release the old and allow space for new light to emerge.

The campaign ends at midnight on October 19.  I’m asking for your help to push this project even further into the world.

If I reach $3000 ($1000 over my goal) I’ll be able to double production numbers and offer every backer a free gift (one of my greeting cards, signed personally) with their chosen perk. It’s a stretch with only 2.5 days left, but with your help I know it’s possible. A big huge THANK YOU to all. Pre-order your deck here

Andee: the non-gods of Ireland

Here’s an interesting blog post on yet more confusing elements found in Celtic mythology.

We Are Star Stuff

In the Irish myths a mysterious phrase crops up: the gods and the non-gods (or un-gods). We all know what a god is, but what is an non-god?

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Were There Women Poets in Ancient Ireland?

Source: Were There Women Poets in Ancient Ireland?