A Chairde, Friends,
I open this week with a story that weaves the mythic feminine across several ancient cultures. I was enlivened to perform this as part of a storytelling crescendo with the Anima Mundi School where I’ve been studying for the past couple of years reclaiming the mythology of the feminine through a post-Jungian lens.
The story is told through the voice of the Cailleach in her Great Mother and grandmother form in the Gaelic tradition as she remembers her time as the goddess. It knits multiple expressions of the goddess in Ireland with her Sisters from across the world. The words spoken are from the original myths and poems themselves.
The archetypes I share in this tale all emerge from the same place - from the collective unconscious - from our psyche, our soul, fite fuaite (which means inextricably linked or interwoven in Irish Gaelic) with the anima mundi, the soul of the world. Each culture clothes the goddess in its own unique way, but the message is so often the same.
“The feminine
is always on the side of life.
Loves life.
Loves”.
Marion Woodman, Coming Home to Myself
When I first performed this story, Sinéad O’Connor had just passed and so, I dedicated it to her and continue to do so in this sharing today. The closing words, “I will rise and you will see me return” are inspired by her epic song, Troy.
Feel welcome to anchor your space by taking a deep breath, lighting a candle, or whatever calls to you, inviting yourself to move from ordinary into non-ordinary reality and the timelessness of myth as you press play.
*The images are my creations with collage art from John Duncan, John William Godard, Stephen Reid, Edward Robert Hughes, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Dúchas, Ireland’s national folklore collection.
Upcoming Offerings:
As we approach the season of Bealtaine, I share some upcoming offerings below.
The Celtic Creatives Community
I have been so deeply moved by our creative community here on Substack, there is such a generosity of spirit, of genuine care and encouragement, that I am committed to nurturing.
If you are curious about joining The Celtic Creatives membership, each month you will receive:
A tool for your Celtic Creatives Toolkit: This will be a monthly practice to fuel your creative fire. It could be an active imagination, a movement technique, a journalling exercise, or a mythic art or craft practice.
A Creative Ancestor Profile: I will share an introduction to a goddess, god, archetype or mythic being within the Irish tradition who you can connect with as a Creative Ancestor to support your creativity.
A Co-Working with the Creative Otherworld session on Zoom: Bring along whatever you are working on to this hour-long co-working space. This can be related to your work or for pleasure (craft away!) In the first 10-15 minutes, I will guide you through a practice to drop into your body and what I call, the Creative Ancestor Imagination to inspire your work. After this, you will have 45 minutes to work away on whatever it is you bring with you before we close down. Our next gathering is this Thursday, 18th April at 3PM Irish Time.
Post and respond to comments and participate in our community.
The investment is €10 per month or €95 per year.
You can also become a founding member, which includes all of the above, along with four tenderly curated online retreats each year aligned to the creative wisdom of the Gaelic seasons. The investment for this is €225 per year.
Mythic Body 1-1 Programme
From mid-May, I will have space for a small number of 1-1 mentoring clients through my Mythic Body programme that’s been running for a number of years now and is described by a client as, “A living being, an enchanted place and a work of art all in one; woven together to support and surround you with love and possibility”. If you’re interested please complete this form and I’ll be in touch soon.
Wisdom Weavers
In the ripening of Bealtaine, I am offering a seasonal discount on my Wisdom Weavers, self-paced courses. You can avail of 25% off with the code: BEALTAINE25.
Wishing you a loving start to your week.
Croí isteach,
Jen x
Thank you. This is glorious. I love the images, poetry and connection.
This is beautiful, reflective, powerful...a piece to return to and reflect on her wisdoms. Wow, Jen! well done, so integrated and shimmering with the insightful Goddesses!