The Goddess of Sovereignty
|
If you spend enough time walking in sacred sites, you start to realize there are many mysteries. Over time I began to encounter the Goddess of Sovereignty, and she has many forms. She appears in Arthurian legend as the foul hag or Ragnell, the loathy lady, who helps Gawain, a knight of the round table. In order to rule as king, he must marry Ragnell who smells bad, has warts and crooked teeth. But Gawain is wise and the great knight does his duty. After the
wedding Ragnell offers her husband a choice-- she can either be beautiful during the daylight hours and an ugly old woman at night, or she can be a beautiful maiden at night and a hag during the daylight hours. Gawain is a true Celt, so he considers the situation. He knows that she is both kind and wise. After considering both options, he realizes that Ragnell is the one who must make the choice. Ragnell laughs, and from that moment on
she decides to be a beautiful woman during both day and night. The lesson is that all women want to make their own decisions, and the men that honor them might benefit in lovely and unexpected ways!
For more stories about the Goddess of Sovereignty, follow this link to Legends of the Grail: Stories of Celtic Goddesses and turn to the last story about the ancient Cailleach...
http://ayncatessullivan.com/legends-of-the-grail/
This is me emerging from a cairn in Ireland. I was blissed out and danced for a while on the rainy hillside. I had the very real impression that the Otherworlds are indeed real! These mythological sites are pre-Celtic, some predate the Egyptian Pyramids. There are scholars who argue that it was the Celts who took their wisdom to Egypt, the Middle East and even to India. Certainly the mystery schools
exchanged ideas, pupils and teachers. The ancient Greeks called these Celtic people the Hyperboreans, and they were believed to have magical powers. We can find a glimmer of these wise beings in the magician Merlin and the Ladies of the Lake. It is easiest to call these wise and magical people the Druids. From all of my research, it is clear that the Druids were the spiritual teachers of Ireland and the British Isles. Their training could last for twenty years and they were
powerful. The Romans knew that the only way to conquer Britain was to destroy the spiritual center, and so the magic went underground - literally. There are thin places all over the world where the magic still resides. When we are separated from nature we become weak and confused. When we are divided within ourselves, we can be controlled - even enslaved. It's time to throw off beliefs that have shackled us. When we return to these sacred sites we have the opportunity to
find our roots again. When we connect to our lineage we are empowered by our inner allies. In sacred sites, deep healing begins to take place in our bodies, minds and souls. We often need wise teachers to help us remember, to grieve what was lost, and then to assist us in gathering the inner gifts and resources that are rightfully ours. We have to kiss our inner ugliness so that we can become beautiful and whole. Religious traditions can hold us for a while, but at a certain point they
limit us. When the time is right, we need to turn away from the authority figures. Once we drop the outer teachers, we can learn to rely on the wisdom that comes from within. It is a subtle movement, a Grail Quest toward Inner Truth. Once we find our connection to the Great Intelligence, we are on the road to freedom. A whole person cannot be dominated. Freedom is found within and once that blissful nectar is tasted, we are on the journey to the greatest adventure known to
humankind. We become a living Grail. An awake and conscious being is a gift to the sentient world.
For more stories about the Ladies of the Lake, go to Heroines of Avalon & Other Tales p.147, and then read the stories of Elaine and the first Grail Champion, Dindraine.
http://ayncatessullivan.com/heroines-of-avalon/
|
|
|
The book I am currently writing is about kings and heroes. It is helping me understand my husband, John Patrick Sullivan, in the lineage of the great Munster Kings of Ireland. Today he asked why politicians, religious leaders or doctors thought they had the right to dominate women? I love that the whole dirty illuminati domination and control plot is foreign to him! One of my favorite tales comes from a
Roman source that reports that a Celtic man is a ferocious warrior; but if his wife shows up then pack up and go home, because they cannot be defeated. If you doubt this read the story of Queen Boudicca! So let's not divide men and women, but learn to respectfully dance together. Everyone gets fulfilled when we honor each other's choices!
To find out how women empower men, read the story of Scottish Goddess Scatach who taught one of Ireland's greatest heroes - Cuchulain.
|
|
|
|
|