"Then as now the Cauldron of Ceridwen..... was on the boil;
and its life giving drops..... were being scattered abroad,
according to what, by mere human computation, amount to
nothing but the accidents of pure chance."
___ John Cowper Powys, "Obstinate Cymric"
From Ceridwen's vessel of inspiration three drops flew out, and were caught by the child, Gwion as he sat tending the cauldron. When a spark of knowledge catches the tinder of our being, it runs through us like a forest fire. All the metaphors and images by which we have lived our lives become incandescent with immediacy and meaning. After the kiss of knowledge, Taliesin, who was once the boy Gwion, declares that he has been in many times and places, that he has been a drop in the air, a letter among words, a sword in the hand, a string in a harp, and many other conditions associated with the human state. It is the metaphor of himself in the immediacy of the realized present that sings.
To realize and truly live our metaphor, we need the random grace of the cauldron's drops to awaken us to our true potential. Suddenly meaning explodes behind our eyes and thoughts run together and connect like the colors on an easel when it rains. This is the experience of the child Gwion when he puts his lips to his hand to cool the scalding drops. The incubation period of knoweldge for Gwion is nine months in the womb of Ceridwen, where he brings together the many metaphors of himself and learns their truth. By the time he is born they have become part of him; he is living repository of his own knowledge.
"What metaphors do you apply to your own life (e.g., a lone wolf, a rolling stone, a busy beaver, a foolish clown)? What triggers knowledge of these metaphors? What fixes their truth in you?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]
In the early times the cauldron sat over the fire, and meat, bones, vegetables and herbs would simmer in a sustaining broth. The rich stew in the cauldron became a potent symbol for the Celts, for spiritual as well as physical nourishment - for inspiration, mystic knowledge and regeneration. Dead warriors who plunge into Bran's cauldron come back to life but without the power of speech - signifying that you can't talk about the great mysteries, they can only be experienced or tasted. And when little Gwion tastes the brew in Ceridwen's cauldron, he begins the journey that transforms him into the all-knowing bard Taliesin.
A cauldron of transformation:
When you're facing a period of difficult change, find or make a cauldron. It doesn't have to be big, but it should have a round, embracing shape, like a bowl.
Put into the cauldron any negative emotion you need to transform - for example, disappointment, fear, resentment or guilt. Look into the cauldron and imagine it drawing this quality from you. Pour in some water or wine and swill it around, then take a sip. Trust in the process of transformation: let it happen without any further input from you.
[From: "Celtic Inspirations" by Lyn Webster Wilde]
Uncanny. Take a look at my Inner Journey blog. We are surely in sync.
ReplyDeleteMary