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Ceridwen
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"She rushed out of the house in a frenzy in pursuit of Gwion
Bach, and the story says that she saw him fleeing swiftly in the form of a hare. She turned herself into a black greyhound
and pursued him from one place to another. Finally, after a long pursuit in various shapes, she pressed him so hard that he
was forced to flee into a barn where there was a great pile of winnowed wheat. There he turned himself into one of the grains;
what Ceridwen did then was to change herself into a tufted black hen, and the story says that in this form she swallowed Gwion
into her belly."
-The Mabinogi And Other Medieval Welsh Tales
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Meditation for Ceridwen
This meditation is my own. As with all of my personal writing on this
website...this meditation came to me through my own experiences as a student of the Avalonian Tradition. For more information
about meditative practices check out my Meditation page.
You are sitting at the stone circle of Avalon. To the north of the center altar you see a mist rising
between some large rocks. Beyond the mists you can barely make out a cave. You walk slowly, purposefully to it...counting
your steps as you go. 10, you breathe out the stress and heaviness of your day, 9, you breathe in the cool, sweet air of Avalon,
8, you breathe out the lingering thoughts that careen through your mind, 7, you breathe in the delicate scent of apples,
6, you breathe out any negative energies that cling to you, 5, you breathe in the groundedness of the Tor, 4, you breathe
out every worry, 3, you breathe in the peacefulness of Avalon, 2, you breathe out any lingering
weariness as you prepare for the journey ahead. 1, as you breathe in the cool dampness of the mists, you enter the cave.
After a few moments the mists part and you find that you have come out of the cave and are standing in the middle
of a forest trying to adjust your vision to its inky blackness. You look to the moon and realize that it is the
night of the dark moon. You have come to this place to search out the Goddess Ceridwen. Finally your eyes have
adjusted and you begin to walk through the forest. You notice that it is a forest of old growth trees but thins out quite
a bit as you begin to reach the shores of Lake
Tegid. Just before you reach the shores of the lake, you come upon a little thatched roof hut. Outside of the hut
a huge iron cauldron squats over a roaring fire. You call out softly as you approach but no one
answers. Far off in the distance you hear the faint call of a hawk. As you move closer to the cauldron you hear the
sound of its brew bubbling merrily away. A few hundred yards off, the lake laps gently at the shore and you think
you see the coal black eyes of an otter peering back at you...head bobbing softly in the water before ducking under with a
soft splash. You turn your attention back to the cauldron and notice that the fire has dimmed considerably. How long were
you starring out at the lake? You decide to put another log on the fire. Looking around, you see a pile of logs, cut and stacked
neatly between two trees north of the cauldron. When you reach the stack of logs you notice a sharp double headed
axe wedged into a huge old tree stump. The smell the fresh cut wood tells you that someone was here a short time ago.
You take a couple of logs from the stack and turn back to the cauldron. As you approach it once more you realize
an old hag is standing in the doorway of the hut. You ask if you should put another log on the fire and the hag nods
Her approval. You feel her eyes on you as tend to the chore. Finally, She makes Her way slowly out to the circle carrying
a big wooden spoon the size of a staff. As She begins to stir the brew she motions for you to join
Her. You quell the fear rising inside of you as you walk around the cauldron to stand beside Her. She stirs some more before
asking, "What do you seek my child?" You think for a moment before speaking. Ceridwen stirs the brew in the cauldron slowly
as you speak, often muttering to Herself or you. At times, She walks around the circle, stopping along the way to pinch
off some of the herbs that grow around the perimeter or to break off a piece of bark before going back to Her cauldron.
Finally, when you are done speaking, She turns to you and looks into your eyes, into your soul, before asking, "Are you ready
to go into the depths of my cauldron? Be careful what you wish for my child because I will be your
initiator. I will be the greyhound that nips at you when you are rabbit. I will be the hawk that pursues you when
you are sparrow and I will be the otter that seeks you when you are fish. And when you have finally come to the
simplest form...that of a grain of wheat I will be there to gobble you up," She cackles at that and stirs the brew once
more. You reach into a pocket and pull out a gift for Her. You look at it and then turn to offer it to Her. "Thank you Mother,"
you say. And then you tell her that you are ready for the lessons that she wants to teach you.
She smiles at you grimly and says, "Yes, yes you are." With that She hands you the staff so that you may continue to stir
Her brew. She tells you to look into the cauldron. "Pay attention to the symbols you see...look at the lessons contained within
my cauldron." You stir the brew slowly, carefully. Ceridwen stands behind you, one hand resting on your shoulder. Finally
you receive the message you seek. When you look up again you realize that She has left the circle. You place the staff on
the holder by the cauldron and bank the fire before beginning your journey back to the stone circle
of Avalon. As you walk through the forest you notice a mist begin to rise all around you. By the time you reach the cave the
mist has become so thick that you can barely see. You draw your cloak around you and enter the cave. You count your steps
back...1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. You walk through the rocks and find yourself back in the stone circle of Avalon.
Used with permission by Joanna Powell Colbert
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Ceridwen's Chant
Deep cauldron, ancient wisdom
Cerridwen
Life yields to your embrace
And is born again
This chant was written by BryteUnicorn.
Be sure to click on the flame so that you can hear the recording!
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My Personal Ritual to Honor Ceridwen
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| Used with permission by Joanna Powell Colbert |
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This ritual maybe very elaborate or very simple...depends on what you
feel like. I prefer to do this ritual in my outdoor sacred space at dark moon. On the North altar I may place
a small image of Ceridwen or an image of the dark moon. On my central altar I will place a special mixture
of incense using Avalonian herbs specific to Ceridwen, an image of Avalon, and a chunky white candle on the altar before taking
a moment to calm my mind for the ritual at hand. I take the time to leave behind the mundane world and then cast my circle
moonwise to evoke feminine energies. I light the candle and still my mind by rhythmic breathing. I begin the meditation
to part the mists and return to Avalon. When I reach the Tor, I take a moment to light the incense and begin my journey in
the midst of lake Tegid...to walk on Her shores and sit at Her cauldron. To seek out Ceridwen. When I am ready to
leave the Island, I pause at the Tor to leave an apple or some blossoms. When I return to my sacred circle, I take a few minutes
to write about the meditation, then give thanks and libations before opening the circle.
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Bendithion Afallon
All pictures on this website are links! Move your cursor over the photo or
art to click the link! I have taken pains to give any work that is not mine credit...please be sure to visit their website!
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