Dark Goddess Craft

by Stephanie Woodfield

  Blodeuwedd eventually convinces Lleu to tell her the one way in which he could be killed. The loophole is rather bizarre: he must stand with one foot on a roofed cauldron of water and another on the back of a goat. Once her lover has created the spear, Blodeuwedd has her husband demonstrate the strange posture. As soon as he does so, Gronw Pebyr, who has been hiding and waiting for the right moment, strikes him with the spear, and Lleu transforms into an eagle. Blodeuwedd and her lover take over Lleu’s lands, but Gwydion finds the eagle and turns him back into a human. After nursing Lleu back to health, Gwydion helps Lleu reclaim his lands. When Gwydion confronts Blodeuwedd, he transforms her into an owl as a punishment. He tells her, “You will not dare to show your face ever again in the light of day … and that [will be] because of enmity between you and all [other] birds. It will be in their nature to harass you and despise you wherever they find you.” 42

  Blodeuwedd’s final transformation is meant to be a punishment, but in many ways it allows her to obtain what she has sought all along, freedom. On a symbolic level it signifies that she herself has changed. She is no longer a naive girl allowing others to create her future. She chooses to love whom she wishes and change the shape of her life, all of which is met with resistance from those who tried to control her in the first place. Math, Gwydion, and even her husband, Lleu, never stop to ask what Blodeuwedd wants. Her role is chosen for her, based on their own needs and desires. When she exerts her own will, she is seen as the villain and punished for it.

  When we choose to change and forge a different path, we encounter resistance from multiple sources. There is our own resistance to change, fearing the unknown of how it will change us. Then there is the outside resistance we encounter from others. As with Lleu and Gwydion it may not be in the best interest of those around us for us to change. If we have coddled those closest to us, they may react badly to a newly found sense of independence. If we make choices others disagree with, the price of independence and liberation may well be some burned bridges.

  Sovereignty of Self

  While Blodeuwedd is not a goddess of sovereignty in the traditional sense, in which we see the goddess wedding the king and conferring the authority to rule to him, she is a perfect example of personal sovereignty. Our concept of sovereignty is very different from that of ancient tribes of Wales or Ireland. Their concept of sovereignty was linked to the will of the land, personified by a goddess, and the king’s connection to it. It was more rooted in tribal affairs and the living land itself. The king was granted rulership over the land and its people by the goddess, and if he ruled well, all would prosper. When the king made poor choices, the land suffered and he was usually dethroned by supernatural means. Personal sovereignty has some similarities. Our bodies and very souls, our deeds, are the landscape in which we must learn to rule rightly so that we may flourish.

  But how do we rule ourselves rightly? How do we own our very skins? “Own” is the imperative term there. Do you own yourself? Your victories, your mistakes just as equally? Sovereignty is not about standing on our own personal soapbox and making our voices heard simply because we haven’t done it before. It’s looking at ourselves honestly and still loving ourselves and dedicating ourselves to steering our lives and deeds in the right direction for the person we are.

  Sovereignty is a rather important concept for those who work with the Irish or Celtic pantheons and is particularly important in the tradition I am part of. It is a concept that many goddesses embody, but sadly it’s also very misunderstood. More often than not when I see people who feel they have been letting others walk all over them and then embrace the concept of sovereignty, they see anyone questioning them or disagreeing with them as an attack on their newfound sovereignty. They think being the loudest person in the room is claiming themselves, simply because they have never allowed themselves to have a voice in the past. This is, rather, an imbalance, a swing in the other direction. Having a voice is important, but sovereignty is not being the loudest person in the room. It’s something far subtler. The loudest person in the room is more than likely using the outburst as a way to make them feel powerful, while inside they are probably terrified they are not. Owning our own skins, owning our deeds and actions, owning the whole of ourselves is something we have to claim for ourselves. It requires constant work and acceptance of ourselves. There is a beauty, a power, a treasure deep within each of us. A hidden worth that no one but us may ever see or realize. But the world is always going to hold us up to their own measure and judge us. Sovereignty is knowing the only judge that matters is ourselves. That there is a piece of us that is beyond value, that belongs to no other. And that is the inner compass we need to use to guide us.

  Changing like Blodeuwedd from compliant maiden to transformed goddess full of independence is not easy. The transformation is painful and costly, but the cost of not undergoing it is never knowing our true selves. In becoming the owl, she inherits the night. Gwydion in the end of the story makes this sound like a kind of curse, yet we regard owls as symbols of wisdom. They can see in the dark far better than any other bird, just as Blodeuwedd can help us to see the darkest parts of ourselves clearly. As we discussed in the first part of this book, “dark” is a misleading term. We think of the “darkest” parts of ourselves as something bad, that dark inherently means evil and undesirable. In Blodeuwedd’s story, the darkness of night that she is banished to and, essentially, the dark and dangerous parts of herself identified by those who wish to control her, are all her innermost desires. She desires to choose her own lover, she desires freedom, and she desires the ability to makes choices in her life. The only thing that makes the desires dangerous in the story, at least in her husband and Gwydion’s point of view, is that she acts on them. She listens to her shadow self to win her freedom. And it transforms her. Gwydion sees it as a curse because her desires are at odds with his own, but ultimately Blodeuwedd gets what she wants, freedom. Transforming into the owl, who navigates the night easily, is simply the outward appearance of the transformation that has occurred within, being able to act of her own innermost desires and see them for what they are. Sovereignty requires that we rule over and know how to navigate our innermost selves. Really claiming sovereignty is, like in Blodeuwedd’s story, taking those parts of ourselves back.

  Devotional Work and Offerings for Blodeuwedd

  Flowers and herbs, particularly oak, broom, and meadowsweet, are good offerings to Blodeuwedd. I like to offer her white flowers in particular. In her darker aspects, and calling on her to break free of oppressing situations, I offer her thorns because they remind me of the talons on a bird of prey. I often make offerings to her at twilight, although you do not have to choose a particular time of day to honor her. Twilight is a liminal time, and for me it is a time of transformation, a time to stand between realms, making it appropriate to honor her and her ability to transform us.

  Invocation to Blodeuwedd

  Created for a purpose not of your choosing

  Blodeuwedd, Flower Face, I call to you

  Molded into form by the magick of another’s desire

  You shift and change, unwilling to be what others wish you to be

  Blodeuwedd, Flower Face, she-owl

  Blodeuwedd, who no man can claim to own

  Blodeuwedd, hear me!

  Blodeuwedd, teach me to be free!

  Blodeuwedd Ritual to Claim Sovereignty

  Call on Blodeuwedd when you feel you need to reclaim sovereignty over your own life or aspects of it.

  You Will Need:

  White candle

  Offering to Blodeuwedd

  You can incorporate this into a full ritual or place the white candle on your altar and invoke Blodeuwedd. When you feel her presence, light the white candle, saying,

  Blodeuwedd

  Flower Face

  Owl who sees clearly in the dark

  Let me claim my own darkness and know it has value

&nbs
p; That I may be strong and whole

  May I be free of the chains of others’ expectations

  May I know the desire of my own heart

  And not turn away from it

  May I have your bravery, Blodeuwedd

  You who would take your freedom into your own hands

  Take a moment to think about the areas in your life you need to reclaim sovereignty over. What has led you to lose ownership over these areas of your life? When you are ready, say,

  I am worthy because ____________

  List or describe why you are worthy of taking ownership of your life. Feel the full scope and weight of each thing you list; do not rush through them. Recognize them as true as you say them aloud.

  Thank Blodeuwedd and leave your offering on the altar or outside. Light the white candle whenever you feel you need a reminder of why you are worthy and of your own sovereignty.

  Thorn in My Side Spell

  Use this spell if there is someone who is hindering your independence or is actively trying to manipulate you. I would point out that someone who simply does not agree with you is not the same as someone hindering you. This instead is for situations when people are actively trying to manipulate our actions and feelings or are working against us in harmful ways.

  You can use as many thorns as you like. I live in a place with a lot of bougainvillea, an ornamental vine that happens to have quite a lot of large thorns. It’s often planted not only to look nice but also to keep unwanted guests away. It’s also an excellent source for thorns for your magickal workings. Rose thorns or the smaller thorns found on briar bushes are also a good place to find thorns to harvest for your magickal practices. If you do not live in an area where you can go into a wild place to harvest thorns, going to a florist or the flower section in your grocery store is a good resource. Some stores sell roses with some of the thorns remaining on the stems. If they do not, sometimes if you ask for discarded stems (my excuse is usually that I am looking for material for a compost pile), they will give you cut stems that may still have thorns on them that you can use.

  You Will Need:

  Candle

  Carving tool

  Essential oil of your choice (optional)

  Thorns

  In your sacred space call on Blodeuwedd in whatever way you wish. On the candle carve the name of the person who is bothering you. Then draw two lines to form a big X over the name. If you wish to anoint your candle with oil, you may do so. Then stick the thorns into the candle, pushing the sharp ends in so they stay embedded in the wax. As you do so, see all the energy, negative thoughts, and actions the person has directed at you returning to them and piercing them as the thorns pierce the wax. As you chant the following, continue to visualize all that has been directed at you returning to the person who sent it and flowing into them. You are simply returning what belongs to them and shielding yourself from its influence. See the energy rushing back to them easily and eagerly, returning to its source. Say,

  Claw and beak

  And taloned feet

  Blodeuwedd, on evil

  Havoc wreak

  Justice bring

  On pale white wings

  Prick of thorn

  Wax and burn

  Your hate I now return

  Repeat the chant as many times as you feel you need to. When you feel ready, thank Blodeuwedd. Let the candle burn down and then throw any wax that remains in the garbage.

  Blodeuwedd Incense

  3 tablespoons meadowsweet

  1 tablespoon oak leaves

  2 tablespoons heather

  ½ teaspoon cinnamon

  9 whole cloves (or ¼ tablespoon ground)

  1 teaspoon hawthorn berries

  1 tablespoon violets

  Pinch of salt

  I like to make this incense during the new moon. Once I mix all the ingredients, I leave the herbs in a covered bowl outside or in a windowsill. For three nights or until I can see the barest sliver of the moon in the sky, I spend a few moments holding the bowl and seeing Blodeuwedd sending her blessing into the herbs.

  [contents]

  * * *

  40. Sioned Davies, trans., The Mabinogion (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007), p. 58.

  41. Patrick K. Ford, trans., The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1977), p. 105.

  42. Will Parker, trans., The Four Branches of the Mabinogi (Dublin: Bardic Press, 2007), p. 558.

  14

  Scáthach

  You find yourself on a misty moor. The mist is thick and swirls around the landscape. To one side you can see the jagged rocks of a cliff. The sound of the ocean’s waves crashing far below and the scent of salt water fill your senses. You walk through the mist for a while until you come to another cliff face. There is no way forward except for a bridge that reaches over a chasm. You look dubiously at the bridge. Ropes make up the sides and arm rails, with wooden planks forming the walkway. The ropes are thick but they look old. You take a few more steps closer to the edge of the bridge and look through the mists to the other side. You can just make out green earth on the other side and the stones of a fort in the distance.

  You put one foot on the bridge tentatively. It seems sturdy enough, and, grasping the rope sides, you begin to slowly make your way across. It is not long before you realize that the fort on the other side of the bridge never seems to get any closer. You can see it, and you are certainly moving and making progress along the bridge, yet it seems no closer. You look behind you and you can see you have traveled several yards. The end of the bridge you started on is still there, and you guess you must be halfway across the bridge, yet somehow you seem unable to reach the other side.

  You continue on, thinking perhaps the mist has fooled you, this time taking care to pay attention to how many paces you have taken. Yet still when you look up and gaze at the other side of the bridge, it remains distant, no larger in your vision than when you first started. Frustrated, you begin to run, your anger overriding your fear of the bridge’s stability. Perhaps if you run fast enough, you can reach the fort. Taking your hands off the bridge’s rope you make a mad dash for the other side. You can see your feet stretched out before you, your strides long, your breath labored with the effort of your speed. You glance away from the wood planks for only a moment and see a woman who you swear was not there a moment ago standing directly in your path. You attempt to slow down but collide with her anyway. You fall back and grab the ropes to steady yourself. The woman is unmoved. She wears leather armor and carries a sword at her side. Her hair is long and all of it is tied in many small, intricate braids. Her boots are old and worn, mud still on them. This is someone who demands an honest day’s work from herself and others.

  “Not everyone can reach my school on Dún Scáith. Are you willing to struggle? To persevere? To get up again when you are pushed down into the mud and tired to the bone? Or will you give up, when given just a taste of challenge? What are you made of?” She asks the last question while looking you up and down in appraisal.

  The question echoes around in your mind. What are you made of? There have been times you have given up, times you have failed. But you think of the reason you have come to Dún Scáith, to the school where Scáthach dwells and teaches the greatest of heroes. You decide that even those heroes who learned from the great Scáthach failed at times too. Although her challenging words make you want to shout at her that you are worthy, that you won’t back down or give up, you realize this is part of learning. You will fail before you can learn to be better at whatever craft you wish to hone.

  While your first reaction was to argue with her, you now think better of it and tell her you will not know what you are made of until she has challenged you, and you offer yourself to be honed like a blade and tested, if she will have you.

  She smiles, pleased with your
answer. “Good. I would teach a mind that is open, one that may be filled, not one of arrogance that is already full. To learn, to train in one’s craft, one must begin assuming one knows nothing. Only then can one learn everything. I will challenge you. Keep an open mind, and I will give you my hard-won wisdom.” She vanishes as soon as she speaks the last word.

  With new resolve you begin to cross the bridge again. This time the fort begins to grow larger, until the stone tower in the mist grows closer and you reach the other side. There Scáthach waits for you, and you know you can return to this place whenever you wish to connect to her and learn from the Shadowy One who taught the greatest of heroes.

  Scáthach, whose name means “shadowy one” in Gaelic, was a great warrior woman and teacher in Irish mythology. She ran a school for warriors on the Isle of Skye, which was named for her. She trained many Irish heroes, the most famous of which was the hero Cúchulain. Cúchulain was told that, while he was skilled, “if he went to Scáthach to learn soldierly feats, he would excel the warriors of all Europe.” 43 He vowed to find her school or die trying. While her reputation preceded her, Scáthach and her school at Dún Scáith (an actual castle whose ruins remain today on the rocky coast of the Isle of Skye) were rather difficult to find and gain entrance to. The only way to get to the school was by crossing over a bridge that crossed a valley with jagged rocks. The bridge was magickal, and once one reached the center of it, it rose up and threw the person crossing it back in the direction in which they came. Cúchulain overcame this obstacle by leaping across the entire bridge.