St Anne and Danu / Anu

Yesterday it was St Anne’s Day, many believe that she is the Christianised goddess Danu (or Anu)  and there are certainly a few things which support this theory.  St Anne was said to have been the mother of the Virgin Mary, which in itself puts her in a powerful position as the grandmother of Christ!  Danu is taken to mean “river” and she is also known respectively as Anu, Anand, Anann and Danand; and there are references to her in a number of old Irish texts.  Her name may have connections with the river Danube in Germany, which was of course an area which was once inhabited by Celts.

Danu was married to the god of death Bile, which whom she gave birth to the Daghda and she is also described as the mother of the “three gods of Danu” being Brian, Iuchar and Iucharba, who supplied the special weapons to Lugh with which he fought the Fomorians.  In the Book of Invasions she is described as the sister to Macha and Anu and the sovereignty goddesses Eriu, Banba and Fotla.    Danu is equated with the Morrigan, both directly and indirectly, one such example can be found in the the Book of Leinster:

“Badb and Macha and Anu, i.e. the Morrigan, from whom the Paps of Anu in Luachair are named, were the three daughters of Ernmas the Witch…”

Further clues about her nature can be found in the meaning of the word ‘Anu’ which can also be taken to mean wealth, hinting at a close connection to the Earth itself; and in a reference in the Book of Invasions where she is referred to as “shapely Danand”, emphasising her beauty.  Those of you with an interest in Danu / Anu and the Morrigan may find “The Isles of the Many Gods” and “The Guises of the Morrigan” of interest.

Of course, the Virtuous Well at Trelleck near Monmouth in Wales is now deemed sacred to St Anne, but it was originally associated with Anu without a doubt.  The waters are deemed to have healing properties and it is also considered to be a healing well.  Hundreds of strips of fabric is found tied to the tree above the well, tied with wishes.  These are known as clouties and the well is still frequented by both Pagans and Christians alike.  The nearby standing stones are a must visit too, with a great story of a feud between the Devil and Jack O Kent,

err, its 8 9 9 9 10 ?

Avabh, Achildao, Balye, Limlal & Salbrox – that’s what!    I just had an email from a reader of my blog who wanted to know what I was “on about” when I made the comment about diamonds, salt, sulphur and zircon in my blog earlier this month.    For the benefit of that reader and for anyone else who finds themselves interested, here is a little explanation:

In the Enochian language which was skryed by John Dee and which is also sometimes known as the language of Angels, there are references to several minerals, these are to be found in the 8th, 9th and 10th of the 30 calls (or keys) which were recorded by Dee.  The minerals referred to are the ones I mention, zircon is the common name for hyacinth.  So it was in reference to this that I made my comment. 

I hope that clarifies it!  And if not, don’t worry, its probably just me being complicated.

Stars in London !

I returned late last night having paid a fleeting visit to London for the launch of Stellar Magic by Payam Nabarz.  The book, a Liber Astrum, which was published earlier this month by Avalonia, is a unique and practical guide to working with the magic of the stars, constellations, planets and the Moon – whilst maintaining a scholarly integrity by bringing together star-lore and mythology from a wide spectrum of world cultures and pantheons.   The launch was hosted by the lovely folk at The Atlantis Bookshop in Bloomsbury London.  The shop has a long and very interesting history of association with the world of occult authors, books and publishing – spanning nearly nine decades!  So we were definitely in the right place for it! !

Considering that it was a Friday evening as well as summer holidays, Payam had a great turnout for the launch and book signing.  The function room (itself rumoured to have hosted many interesting occult rituals by some of the best known occultists of the past and present)  was packed as he gave insights into the material in the book, interspersed with readings of hymns and poetry from the book.    It was lovely to see so many interesting people, some of whom we met for the first time and others whom we haven’t seen for many years, including a number of other authors, editors and translators. 

[Above author Payam Nabarz signs a copy of his book Stellar Magic for Helena Howard from Gipsy Witch]

A Crystal Cave Meditation

The following meditation is from my partner David Rankine’s book “Crystal Healing & Folklore” published by Capall Bann in 2002.  It is a simple exercise which can have very powerful results.  I am posting it here by request from one of the readers for something more on the use of Crystals.  I will write more on my opinions in regards to working with Crystals in the near future, so do make sure to subscribe to the rss feed if you have not done so already and if this is a subject you are interested in.

Crystal Cave Meditation
If possible it is preferable to actually have a geode that you can hold whilst doing this meditation. If possible it is worth visiting any good accessible cave systems near you, to improve your connectedness to and appreciation of such caves, as well as bringing away with you images which help make it easier to hold the visualisation! You may find this meditation easier to do if you tape it first (leaving appropriate pauses for yourself to experience events) so you can play it back and concentrate fully on the experience.

Create a sacred space in a manner you are comfortable with. Take a few minutes to still yourself and relax. Make sure you are sitting comfortably, and close your eyes. Focus your awareness on your breathing, gently bringing it back if it wanders. In your mind’s eye see the room (or space if outside) becoming filled with a white mist. It becomes thicker and thicker coalescing and blanking out everything around you until all around you is white mist, you are floating in a sea of white mist. Then the white mist starts to disperse, thinning out, drawing back to reveal a cave around you. There is a hole in the roof or one side of the cave, letting in some moonlight which is reflected off the walls, the light bouncing from crystal to crystal as you look around, and realise the entire cave is lined with crystals. The floor is very smooth and polished, like the face of a cut crystal, and there are facets of crystals all around.
Take time to explore and examine the crystals. Then sit in the middle of the cave and let your awareness expand to fill the cave.How does it feel? (You should remember this for later). Be aware of the energies flowing through the earth which you are now connecting to. Expand your awareness further, feel the earth around you. What do you feel? You may continue expanding your awareness as much as you choose, so that e.g. you end up becoming the whole earth, or focusing inwards into the centre of the earth and becoming aware of the molten core of the earth.

After a while start to contract your awareness again, reducing it until you are back to the cave at the centre, and then looking around the cave, see the white mist start to fill the cave again, obscuring the walls and ceiling and floor. It completely blankets you so you are aware only of the sea of white mist around you. Now see it roll back and reveal the familiar surroundings of the room (or space) that you started in. If you do not feel fully earthed, stand up and stamp your feet a few times. Record your experiences in your magickal diary. A variation on this theme worth trying is that when you have expanded your consciousness to that of the cave, you then become the universe, i.e. you become the first manifestation in the void.

Witch Talk Interview

I will be interviewed this evening by Karragan for Witch Talk Radio, for those of you who are interested in listening in details can be found at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/witchtalk/2009/07/19/little-mysteries-of-life-interviewing-author-sorita-deste 

We will be talking about Wicca, Witchcraft, Hekate and, well ME!  Aparently you will even be able to call in with your questions!  Starts at 9pm UK time, 4pm US.

Carnelian, Horn Stone

Ok Carnelian is not generally known as “horn stone” but I like the sentiment.  It does get its name from the latin ‘cornu’ which means ‘horn’ so it is however a reasonable assumption that it could be called horned stone!  Or maybe that is my wishful thinking!  

Carnelian is one of my favourite stones, especially in its red form, though it of course occurs in many other colours too – including blue, white, green and yellow.  It has a wide range of attributions and uses, which is best to read up about extensively if you are going to work with it.  With a history of use which can be traced back at least 6000 years its one of those stones which has a lot of things to say for itself!

The Egyptians called Carnelian the “Blood of Isis” and it was used to make the protective thet (a buckle) amulet which was placed on the neck of mummy’s.  Often the thet would be engraved with the 156th chapter of the Book of the Dead, the tet (representing the mason’s table) was also often made from this stone, likewise the ab (heart shaped amulet) all of which were laid over the body of the mummy. 

Red Carnelian was linked to the god Set and was known in the Late Period of Egypt as ‘herset’, which translates as ‘sadness’.  

“Let not the Muse the dull cornelian slight
Although it shine with but a feeble light
Fate has with virtues great its nature grac’d
Tied round the neck or on the finger plac’d
Its friendly influence checks the rising fray
And chases spites and quarrels far away”
 — Marbodius