Cailleach The Goddess of Life and Death

Written by Judi Singleton


Cailleach [COY-lck or CALL-y'ach] Author: Judi Singleton Cailleach [COY-lck or CALL-y'ach] Author: Judi Singleton Subject: A Light inrepparttar Window Published: March 14th 2004

Cailleach was an ugly, crone and hag. She hadrepparttar 130706 teeth ofrepparttar 130707 wild bear and tusks like a boar The meaning ofrepparttar 130708 word "cailleach", is old woman or veiled one. She only has one eye. see beyondrepparttar 130709 duality of things to Sherepparttar 130710 oneness of life. She is a weather Goddess controllingrepparttar 130711 winds,repparttar 130712 Winter cold. She isrepparttar 130713 winter Goddess. . Cailleach is a dark Goddess. She represents winter and a going within. She kills all that s no longer needed, But she holds inrepparttar 130714 frozen earthrepparttar 130715 seeds of a new beginning. For all things are born in darkness into light. Cailleach is about transformation in some stories just before Spring appears she washes in a stream and becomes young again. Cailleach to be repparttar 130716 'other' face ofrepparttar 130717 Goddess Brighid. In this legend, onrepparttar 130718 eve of Latha Fheill Bride,repparttar 130719 Cailleach goes torepparttar 130720 Well of Youth. There atrepparttar 130721 Well she drinks ofrepparttar 130722 water and emerges asrepparttar 130723 youthful fair Brighid, whose touch turnsrepparttar 130724 grass to green once more. In Scottish folklore, An Cailleach is born old and ugly and grows younger asrepparttar 130725 year turns to Spring and Summer Cailleach teaches us that there is a time to let go and let die even our most cherished. We must look atrepparttar 130726 things we are most attached to and let them go. Cailleach prunes that which is no longer beneficial to each of us. Ultimately, we must let go of all.

Every culture has an underworld, dark, hag goddess, whose primary fnction is to facilitate transformation from one state of being torepparttar 130727 next. We are inrepparttar 130728 time of letting go and making room forrepparttar 130729 new. Wee cannot create that which we want without room in our lives to do that. So we must let go ofrepparttar 130730 old to have room forrepparttar 130731 new. Goddess I am experiencing a time of transformation help me to know what to let go of and how to be reborn. gleaned from: Celtic Goddesses: Warriors,Virgins and Mothers Miranda Aldhouse Green Clan ofrepparttar 130732 Goddess: Celtic Wisdom & Ritual for Women By C. C. Brondwin The Red-Haired Girl fromrepparttar 130733 Bog: Celtic Spirituality &repparttar 130734 Goddess in Ireland By Patricia Monaghan The Celtic Goddess: Great Queen or Demon Witch? By Claire French

Sheela-na-gig

Written by Judi Singleton


Goddess ofrepparttar early Irish and British Celts, and Mother of all Life. Sheela-na-gig displays her vulva to symbolise Birth,repparttar 130704 Origins of Life,repparttar 130705 Gateway torepparttar 130706 Womb ofrepparttar 130707 Goddess, from whom all come, and to whom all return.

She is inspired byrepparttar 130708 numerous Sheela-na-gig plaques dottingrepparttar 130709 early Irish and British churches and shrines, vibrant reminders of a proud celtic mother goddess. Sheela-Na-Gig The Goddess Displaying Her Parts. This Celtic archetype ofrepparttar 130710 Great Mother appeared in folk and church art by at least 1080 AD, but undoubtedly is of much earlier origin. She may be identical withrepparttar 130711 war goddess Morrigan, consort torepparttar 130712 Dagda. One of her images is found nearrepparttar 130713 ancient goddess shrine of Avebury, where she symbolized fertility; displaying her sexual parts was believed to ward off evil. Carvings of Sheela-na-Gigs may have accompaniedrepparttar 130714 seasonal harvest custom of weaving corn dollies which dates from North European antiquity.

Sheela Na Gig's are quasi-erotic stone carvings of a goddess figure , usually found on Norman churches but possibly of celtic origin. They consist of an old woman squating and pulling apart her vuvla a fairly strange thing to find on a church Ill think you'll agree when you considerrepparttar 130715 puritanical attitudes of many christians. The carvings are very old and often do not seem to be part ofrepparttar 130716 church but have been taken from a previous older building (seerepparttar 130717 weathering on repparttar 130718 Church Stretton Sheela as compared torepparttar 130719 surrounding masonry). This may have a connection with fact that many churches are built on previous pagan sites (for instance Kilpeck) and may have been incorporated intorepparttar 130720 building from repparttar 130721 previous pagan shrine. Many ofrepparttar 130722 carvings are badly weathered and it is difficult to determine features. This would also seem to indicate an older origin thanrepparttar 130723 host church.

They were placed on churches, castles and other important buildings ofrepparttar 130724 medieval period and, until quite recently in some instances, they acted as dedicatory or protective symbols promoting good luck and fertility.

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