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Comment by Mystic Wolf on February 5, 2020 at 2:53pm

All I see around where I live are crows. Never seen any ravens... yet.

Comment by Arachnifauna on February 4, 2020 at 5:33pm

love the pic Elspeth...I seen # ravens on saturday...I felt so blessed..I rarely ever see them or hear them at my home.

Oh Ghillie Dhu...do you follow Morrigan?

She actually came to me years ago when I needed help...I don't even follow a specific path either..so I was quite honored by her presence at that time.

The Morrigan by Alex Stone

Comment by Ghillie Dhu on February 4, 2020 at 3:22pm

The Morrigan (also known as the Morrigu) was the shape-shifting Celtic Goddess of War, Fate and Death. She also presided over rivers, lakes and fresh water, in addition to being the patroness of revenge, night, magic, prophecy, priestesses and witches.

Her name is interpreted in various forms..."Great Queen," "Phantom Queen" or "Queen of Demons." She was said to hover over battlefields in the form of a raven or hooded crow and frequently foretold or influenced the outcome of the fray. The Morrigan was often depicted as a triune goddess whose other aspects were manifested in the Goddess Badb (meaning "Vulture" or "Venomous") and the Goddess Nemain (meaning "Frenzy" or "Fury"). The Morrigan was one of the Tuatha De Danaan ("People of the Goddess Danu") and she aided in the defeat of the Firbolgs at the First Battle of Magh Tuireadh and the Fomorii at the Second Battle of Mag Tured.

The Celts believed that, as they engaged in warfare, the Morrigan flew shrieking overhead in the form of a raven or carrion crow, summoning a host of slain soldiers to a macabre spectral bane. When the battle had ended, the warriors would leave the field until dawn in order that the Morrigan could claim the trophies of heads, euphemistically known as "the Morrigan's acorn crop."

The origins of the Morrigan appear to be directly linked to the megalithic Cult of the Mothers, who usually appeared as triple goddesses. Her role in Celtic legend is similar to that of the Valkyries in Norse folklore in that both used magic to cast fetters on warriors and made the decision regarding who would live and who would die. The Morrigan is also closely associated with horse symbolism and may, on occasion, have been linked with the equine Goddess, Epona.

Another guise of the Morrigan is that of the "Washer at the Ford," who could usually be found washing the clothes of men about to die in battle. In effect, she is thus choosing those whose lives will be lost in the upcoming conflict. An old English poem entitled "Exodus" also refers to ravens (as previously mentioned, one of the Morrigan's other chosen manifestations) as choosers of the slain.

In one legend concerning the Morrigan, she appears to the hero Cuchulainn (son of the God Lugh) and offers her love to him. When he fails to recognize her and rejects her, the Morrigan is deeply wounded and informs Cuchulainn that she will hinder him while he is in battle. When Cuchulainn finally perishes, she settles on his shoulder in the form of a crow...the hero's misfortune being that he never realized the feminine power of sovereignty that the Morrigan offered to him.

Once Goddess of Strife and Fertility, as well as Battle, modern Pagans view the role of the Morrigan in a somewhat different light from that of the Ancient Celts, but she remains an appropriate deity for strong and independent individuals. Many followers of the Morrigan erect a permanent shrine in her honor, using such items as bowls of brine and blood, the feather of a crow or raven, or even a piece of red cloth to symbolize the Washer at the Ford.

Comment by Arachnifauna on January 29, 2020 at 11:01pm

Comment by Mystic Wolf on November 1, 2019 at 8:01pm

Thanks Ghillie Dhu for the information on the Morrighans prophecy. I was reading about Scotland's Pompeii

Comment by Ghillie Dhu on November 1, 2019 at 8:57am

From “the Morrigan’s prophecy” spoken at the close of the battle of Moytura. (based on the translation by Isolde Carmody)

Beneath the peaceful heavens lies the land.

It rests beneath the bowl of the bright sky.

The land lies, itself a dish, a cup of honeyed strength, there, for the taking, offering strength to each

There it lies, the splendour of the land.

The land is like a mead worth the brewing, worth the drinking.

It stores for us the gifts of summer even in winter.

It protects and armours us, a spear upon a shield

Here we can make for ourselves strong places, the fist holding the shield

Here we can build safe places, our spear-bristling enclosures.

This is where we will turn the earth. This is where we will stay.

And here will our children live to the third of three generations

Here there will be a forest point of field fences

The horn counting of many cows

And the encircling of many fields

There will be sheltering trees

So fodderful of beech mast that the trees themselves will be weary with the weight.

In this land will come abundance bringing:

Wealth for our children

Every boy a warrior,

Every watch dog, warrior-fierce

The wood of every tree, spear-worthy

The fire from every stone a molten spear-stream

Every stone a firm foundation

Every field full of cows

Every cow calf-fertile

Our land shall be rich with banks in birdsong

Grey deer before Spring

And fruitful Autumns

The plain shall be thronged from the hills to the shore.

Full and fertile.

And as time runs its sharp and shadowy journey, this shall be true.

This shall be the story of the land and its people

We shall have peace beneath the heavens.

Forever

Chris Thompson

2012

Comment by Ghillie Dhu on November 1, 2019 at 8:39am

Failte Runewitch sorry i missed you,time been taken up elsewhere.Glad to see you in this group.Thanks for your post too.

Comment by Ghillie Dhu on July 5, 2019 at 6:15am

July already,another month gone by,this year is flying by.Ive seen like everyone else the shambolic state of the world  where the new world order so called, are destroying the earth for massive profits.How do we stop them ,that is a good question.Petitions and demonstrations wont stop them.NWO,s aim is to eradicate most of the human race by starvation and causing unnatural drought.Obviously the billionaires will make sure that they are all right ,of course.Peaceful means of protest are all very well,remember the hippie movement in the sixties ,progress was being made back then.Now 50+ years later we are still in the same boat seeking ways to make the world a fairer place.Keep reveering the flora and fauna ,it is all sacred ,keep fighting,keep invoking. One day we will win.

Comment by Ghillie Dhu on June 9, 2019 at 11:01am

Comment by Ghillie Dhu on June 9, 2019 at 10:53am

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