The Passing of Arthur

The Passing of Arthur

"Be brave, be impeccable!
Endure challenge, be cheerful!
I go to the summer world
of Afallon, to recover.
But I'll come back to my land
Once more......."
    ____ Thomas Gwynn, "Arthur's Passing"


    The prophecy that King Arthur will return has been often uttered and widely believed throughout Britain and beyond. It was so strong a belief centuries ago that twelfth-century cleric, Alan of Insulis wrote "Preach about the market places and villages that Arthur the Briton is dead as other men are dead, and..... Hardly will you escape unscathed without being overwhelmed by curses or crushed by the stones of your hearers."  Arthur the British war-leader  - the King Arthur of the later medieval legends - derives from a potent Celtic archetype the function of which is to maintain the integrity of the land. His ending is seen as no death, but as a time of recovery for the healing of his wounds, after which he will come again. This legend fueled his Latin title Rex Quondam Rexque Futurus: the King Who Was and Who Shall Be.

   There comes in every country's history a time of hardship and a corresponding time of shining deeds to overcome the hardship. When the land plummets into war or other difficulty, the inhabitants of the land need leaders who can reach into the very soul of the land and draw forth the necessary inspiration, courage, and resourcefulness to defend it and them. Every land has its own Arthur, called by a multitude of names, remembered in heroic stories that can be retold to encourage us in later times of trouble. And the same prophecy is uttered: that the hero or heroine is not dead, but shall come again.

"What is the sacred trust of your own land? Which figures and emblems have been associated with it?  How do they endure?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]


Water's Healing Powers

Water has a special magic for the Celts as a symbol of vitality and inspiration. The fact that it could capture light (for example, a reflection of the setting sun) could not be rationally explained and was taken as proof of supernatural properites. Wells and springs were charged with magic powers. Lakes and rivers were the dwelling-places of otherworldly beings, like the Lady of the Lake in Arthurian legend.

Walking by a river or stream, let the power of the water, seen and heard, energize your spirit. Let every ripple add its soothing blessing to your deepening inner calm.

The watery cage of the moon

"Do not fear the Druid's magic,

You too are a skilled magician.

You can summon the spirits of the night

You can endure the moon in a puddle."

   If you gaze into a puddle and see the full moon's reflection there, the time is auspicious for you to make a wish - nas long as your wish is sincere and virtuous, there is a good chance that it will be realized soon. But best of all is to try to catch the moon's reflection in a well: this simple spell may bring you closer to achieveing your heart's desire.

[From: "Celtic Inspirations" by Lyn Webster Wilde]