"Then Ceridwen began to boil the cauldron... for a year and a day until three blessed drops of inspiration had been obtained from the brew." ___Hanes Taliesin, Welsh text (trans. CM)
When Ceridwen (Ker-RID'wen) brewed her cauldron of inspiration, she set a boy called Gwion (GWEE'on) to tend it. Three drops leaped from the cauldron and burned his hand. As he sucked the scalded spot to cool it, knowledge came to him in an instant. He hid in a variety of shapes, but while hiding as a grain of wheat he was eaten by Ceridwen, who was in the form of a red hen. Resuming her usual form, she conceived him in her womb; nine months later he was born and sent forth upon the waters in a skin bag. Eventually he was discovered in a salmon weir, where he was recognized as Taliesin (Tal-ee-ESS'in).
The three drops of inspiration - the awen (AH'wen) - are encryptions of primal creative power, having the ability to change our lives. Their impact on Gwion was such that he had to be literally again in order to assimilate the knowledge he unwittingly gained. The awen is not merely an old myth, however; it is a living possibility. It arises when the rays of experience glance upon and inspire the dormant seeds of knowledge within us. The connective energy of inspiration runs through our being, bridging areas of ignorance, reconnecting areas of neglect, bringing into one teeming mass of imagery, metaphor and understanding all that we are about. The assimilation of this experience can take the rest of our lives, or we can welcome the manyfold experiences of our lives to help ripen our understanding from day to day.
The gifts of the awen lie dormant within each of us, to inspire, connect, and creatively empower all that we touch. From the creative soup of our personal experience, we can leap out to play in the teeming waters of the river of life as wise ones who are able to assimilate all that befalls us.
"What are the three main inspirations of your life experience?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]
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