Sovereignty

Sovereignty

"And Sovereignty said to Niall, 'And as you saw me ugly at first but at last beautiful, even so is royal rule. The Land cannot be won without battles, but in the end everyone finds sovereignty is both beautiful and glorious."

__ Echtra Mac Echach Muigmedoin, early Irish text (trans, CM)

There are many Irish stories concerning the qualifications necessary for rulership - stories that reveal the true nature of sovereignty. In these similar tales, the candidates for kingship are sent out on a dangerous place to fend for themselves. In the dark of the night, they each seek for water; at the only ford or well, each encounters a fearsome hag who refuses access to water unless the seeker kisses her. When the successful man embraces her, she turns into a beautiful woman who declares that she is the Sovereign Goddess of the Land. Only the spirit of the Land can acclaim and accept the ruler who is humble enough to submit to her.

Sovereignty is not something that can be claimed with pride or with thought of self-aggrandizement or glory. Sovereignty exists only with the agreement of the land itself. Until or unless, this is sought with understanding, territorial disputes will continue.

In our own sphere of life, we each seek the sovereignty of our profession or of our soul's depths. If it is sought for self-gain, or in order to disable another, sovereignty is never truly ours. If, however, we seek out the heart of our craft, of our soul - wherever we live our lives - the spirit of sovereignty will indeed come to us and we will have a true contract of understanding based on mutual respect and exchange.

:What are the boundaries and duties of your soul's sovereignty? Consider how you serve, defend and maintain personal sovereignty in your life?"

From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews

Today's Solar Question is: "What is transforming within you?"

Dispositions of Character

Dispositions of Character

"Some are born to sweet delight;

Some are born to endless night."

-- William Blake, 'Auguries of Innocence'

We are blessed by the nature we were born with, and - optimist or pessimist - we must somehow find our way through life. Whichever way we are disposed, we must take our character into account when we make decisions or form opinions; our nature plays a big part when we form alliances, friendships, and associations; the way people interact with and react to us has much to do with their reading of our character.

Sunny temperaments have the ability to make friends easily. Those who make heavy weather of life, on the other hand, hunch their shoulders against the inevitable disaster and trudge along without an encouraging word to anyone. Each person is born with certain characteristics, which are then modified by upbringing and circumstance. It is quite possible to meet sweet-tempered people who have had difficult lives, however, as well as ill-tempered people who have had every natural advantage.

To steer by 'sweet delight' may be a joy in the right circumstances, but it probably is not a great help in times of crisis; to be bound in 'endless night' may keep away unbidden guests, but it certainly attracts no friends. Natures, like plants, can be trained to reveal other traits and strengths. Such training is hard work and requires constant vigilance, but with humor and humility, even hardened natures can change.

"What kind of temperament do you possess? What strategies can and do you use when tempted to give in to your standard reaction, your natural inclination?"

[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Today's Solar Question on this day is: "What is your spiritual goal?"

Can your natural temperament affect what this spiritual goal would be?

Mapping the Secret Territory

Mapping the Secret Territory

"For some years my heart was proud, for as the beauty sank into

memory it seemed to become a personal possession, and I said, "I

imagined this" when I should humbly have said, 'The curtain was

a little lifted that I might see."

__ A. E. (George Russell), "The Candle of Vision"

Those who are trying to map the thresholds of vision, to pass beyond them into the mysterious hinterland of the unexplored spiritual terrain, know that they have to heed the messages and visions that come. The recording of such information can be very valuable as a reminder and an encouragement in those times when the spiritual borders are stubbornly out of reach. But such records should never become territorial claims, proofs of purchase or evidence of our spiritual prowess. Exclusivism has no part in the work of mapping the terrain of vision.

The human failing of hubris, that spiritual pride which claims more than it has a right to, follows us from birth to death. To life the curtain is not to claim what lies beyond it. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that our spiritual explorations have never been commensurate with our geographical discoveries. At heart, we realize that there is no monetary profit to be gained from spiritual discovery and that those who indulge in spiritual materialism are merely poseurs, not the spirituality enlightened. The fruit of our vision is not for hoarding but for sharing: only when shared can it become a fruit that satisfies eternally.

"Where are the borders between you and the spiritual realms most clearly discovered? What

have you learned from your own visions and experiences during your lifelong discover?"

[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

The Solar Question for this Day of the Lughnasadh (Gwyl Awst) quarter is: "Where do you need to invest your trust at this time?"

Tough question in these fluctuating economic times....

Imaging the Future

Imaging the Future

"To imagine your future constantly and vividly is to create your future."

-- John Cowper Powys - "Obstinate Cymric"

One of the best preparations for the future is to pay attention to the present moment. Not by being provident, cautious, and miserly with life's experiential wealth, but by attending to the unfolding of today's events and one's own path within them.

For those who have place to go and tasks to accomplish, the active use of the imagination to shape their destiny should never be despised. There is no such thing as a 'destined future' -

one that is fixed and immovable - since every step we take toward the future, every action and intention, changes the dance of our life to some degree. By imagining our future in an active way, we become more sensitive to the influences and interests around us. The active imagining also helps break down our romantic and false expectations and sets up pathways of practice toward our life's purpose, as we grow ever more sensitive to the unfolding patterns. Furthermore, it helps sustain us when achievement seems far off or unending delayed.

The work of shaping the future consists not in the ruthless excision of everything and everyone standing in our way, but in the gentle retuning or ourselves and our abilities to the pitch of our innate life's purpose. This is a daily, intentional shaping whereby we become attuned to the song that is always singing us.

"Use your own active imagination to create the pathway that leads toward a plan in the future."

[From: The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

The Soul of the Land

The Soul of the Land

"How has Ireland been apportioned? -- Knowledge in the west, battle in the north, prosperity in the east, music in the south, kingship in the centre."

--- "The Settling of the Manor of Tara" from Caitlin and John Matthews - "The Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom."

Beneath the physical form of hills and valleys, beneath the rivers and mountains, there is another appearance. It is not only in the minerals,m nor in the folded rocks; it is not only in the soil, nor in the trees and plants. Yet somehow in under and through all these things, the land has another nature; its living soul. Many people believe that there are no such things as souls in people or anywhere else, and yet we know that this cannot be so. As the soul of a person looks out of her eyes and makes her who she is, so too does the soul of the land shine out of its features and give it special qualities.

However small or large our own country is, certain regions have their own distinct nature. They are centers of administration, trade, learning, art, spiritual wisdom and so on. All contribute to the land as a whole. Certain regions foster one quality more than another; they are like a garden in which certain skills flourish and grow strong.

In the Celtic lands of yesteryear, each region had its sacred center or assembly, as did each country - a center that was not necessarily central in mathematical terms. The sacred center of any land has a greater spiritual pull than any other part, so it is here that the major assemblies of national importance are debated or decided. As Tara is to Ireland, so too is our own country's sacred center to the land itself: a hallowed place where the soul of the land shows through in all its splendor.

"Become closer acquainted with the different regions of your own country through travel, study, and meditation."

[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Harvest

Harvest

"All among the barley,

Who would not be blithe,

While the ripe and bearded barley

Is smiling on the scythe?"

___ anon. "The Ripe and Bearded Barley"

Every year brings the miracle of the harvest. The grain has ripened beneath the great golden sun of summer, with the assistance of the sharp, lancing showers of spring, with the help of the germinating chill of winter's grasp upon the seed hidden within the earth. It is only in autumn that we can began to enjoy the fruits of the earth.

The seasonal round is not longer part of our daily life, accustomed as we are to helping ourselves to the good things of the earth, at any time of the year. Food preservation methods are now so sophisticated that we can enjoy cherries in December or hazelnuts in March.

The mysteries of the grain were hallowed by our ancestors, because grain created two stable items of diet: bread and ale. The complex processes of flour refining and fermentation were discovered millennia ago, bringing their own special gladness to everyone's hearth.

Though the celebration of harvest no longer brings us together in communities to rejoice that the cycle of life can continue into another year, we can still be blithe and thankful that there is sufficient food for all to share. Every time we eat bread, every time we drink beverages brewed from grain, we also partake in the mysteries of harvest.

"What is your life harvest this year? Consider the riches of the year's experiences and ponder how they will fuel the year to come?"

[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

The Moon

The Moon

"I give you praise, moon of guidance,

That I have seen you again,

That I have seen the New Moon,

The lovely leader of the way."

___ Scots Gaelic prayer to the moon (trans. CM)

Few people today mark the moon's phases, unless they go out a lot at night or their work calls them to contemplate the mysteries of the moon. The tides and seasons of our own mood have their correspondence with the moon's phases, which we can use with benefit once we are aware of them. It is easy to live only a daytime life, obedient only to the sun's diurnal rhythm. The longer monthly pattern of the moon is less discernible to us, but much more profoundly connected with our unvoiced preoccupations, with subtextual feelings, memories, and instincts that inform us with their subtle messages.

To be aware, as the writer of this invocation was, of the moon as 'leader of the way' is a great gift. The inexorable daily rhythm of the sun can sometimes beat us upon the anvil of life as problems hassle us, and the sun's longer rhythm of the four seasons brings us through changes over the whole year. But the cycle of the moon sees our soul through the phases of birth, growth, achievement, and death in one month, giving us relief, change and encouragement. Whatever the problem, no matter how heavy the burden, we can look up and see that the moon has renewed itself yet again - as we also can.

"Go out and commune with the moon tonight, whether it is visible or not. Note your mood over a couple of months and see how its changes correspond to the moon's phases."

[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]