Guinevere the Druid Goddess and Lucan, mural painting by Yahn Smith
Guinevere the Druid Goddess here ... roused from winter hibernation and preparing to greet and celebrate Imbolc ... as I know you all are, too....
Guinevere the Druid Goddess here ... roused from winter hibernation and preparing to greet and celebrate Imbolc ... as I know you all are, too....
However, I must first confess the Winter Solstice almost got me as I went into a trance around the fire and got the bear fat too close to the flames.... Something from one of your poets comes to mind about a candle burning at both ends ... although I do think I would have made a lovely light.... But I digress....
Imbolc is generally observed February 1 or February 2 in the northern hemisphere and is linked to the concepts of purification, prophetic poetry, healing and recovery. It is one of the four major Celtic/Druid fire festivals and is considered a herald of spring. As with the recent Solstice, the use of fire for purification is an integral part of the celebration and ceremony. Symbols of renewal are prevalent, too: "among agrarian peoples, Imbolc has been traditionally associated with the onset of lactation of ewes (eeewwwww!), soon to give birth to the spring lambs." It may also be known in Christian cultures as St. Brigid's Day ... or more ingloriously, Groundhog Day.
During breaks in my preparations for the festival, I have been fairly enchanted ... one might say enthralled ... to read accounts on this blog (somehow the name reminds me of a troll I once knew) of the early lives of your presently and temporarily earth-bound spirits. And it could not help but remind me of my own days as a young(er) goddess in training.... The lessons, the lessons ... eye of newt, toe of frog, dissecting the toe of frog (not an easy task), runes, divining the bones ... "answering the calling of the tides' eternal tune, the phases of the moon, the chambers of the heart, the ebb and dart, a small gray spider spinning in the dark in spite of all the times the web is torn apart" (with a nod to my airborne mystical companions the Eagles).... So much to learn ... so many enchantments ... so little time ... even when one has infinity....
The contests on the fields of honor ... Joe Don, Jim, Charles ("Chicken" sounds more like a sacrifice, of which there seems to be a notable lack in your world), Moose (see "Chicken"); the warriors on the field of Mars ... Darryl and Mike and Walter and others; the vestals and keepers of the flame ... Clara and Pat; the performers ... Linda Kay, Sheila and the other Pat; the musicians ... who I'll bet have never tried to march a straight line or form symbols, much less play music, while carrying bodhrans (Irish drums, pronounced "BO-rans") or uilleann pipes (pronounced "pipes"... small grin); the audience (and sometimes the Greek chorus) giving voice to each play, each act, each maneuver. It takes me back, I tell you.
I am particularly fond of my incarnation/sojourn in the days of the Arthurian legend ... the Round Table, knights, damsels, chivalry, Excalibur and Avalon (my home then ... until the arrival of that nouveau WYCHE ... rhymes with bitch ... Morgan Le Fay) ... in the persona of one of my alter egos, The Lady of the Lake. (You really didn't think I was that Guinevere, did you? Puh-leeze!!! She was ONLY a QUEEN! And I am not only a goddess, but a Triple Goddess!!!! Nevertheless, we must be humble about these things....
I am particularly fond of my incarnation/sojourn in the days of the Arthurian legend ... the Round Table, knights, damsels, chivalry, Excalibur and Avalon (my home then ... until the arrival of that nouveau WYCHE ... rhymes with bitch ... Morgan Le Fay) ... in the persona of one of my alter egos, The Lady of the Lake. (You really didn't think I was that Guinevere, did you? Puh-leeze!!! She was ONLY a QUEEN! And I am not only a goddess, but a Triple Goddess!!!! Nevertheless, we must be humble about these things....
My mentor Lucan (a/k/a Merlin once upon a time) divined and bestowed the name I am known by now (although some I have are older), which many believe originates in Celtic/Druid/Welsh myth and mist ... "Gwenhwyfar can be translated as The White Fay or White Ghost ... the white phantom or white fairy [in some translations, "white wave"].... Additionally, the name may derive from Gwenhwy-mawr or Gwenhwy the Great...." [I like that!!!!!] In a more pedestrian form, modern English, the name is rendered as "Jennifer". (Not too fond of this "pedestrian" stuff....) But all this is another story, and I digress....
Still, even a goddess may be impressed with the capacity of humans to grow and learn within each of their lifetimes. And it is good to return in mind and heart to memory and remembrance ... to recall where you came from ... and reflect on how you came to be the altogether human beings you are today ... sometimes wise, sometimes foolish, sometimes less than noble, sometimes capable of great nobility of spirit ... but generally progressing through this life of learning, as you must. And it is good to tell the stories ... like the Irish Shanachie (sha-na-kee), or storyteller, or the File (FE-lay), the poet. Your stories ... all of them ... help remind you of your past, so that you may live the present, and honor and prepare for the future.
Nearly full moon in the daytime sky ... signs and portents ... runes to read, bones to throw ... a goddess's work is never done.... Ah! Here! I see planning ... for your own celebrations, your festivals ... something called a "reunion".... It sounds intriguing to me.... Pooof!! It shall be so!
You will be pleased to know the goddess will be in attendance for your revelries. I have just two questions ... where do we put the fire pit and who's bringing the flame-retardant bear fat????
)O(
.jpg)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.jpg)
18 comments:
you know.....last night i read your blog and my brain just kinda goes ga-ga......i consider myself to be a fairly creative person and then i read your goddess blog...I wonder.....where does this vast store of information come from......and once the info is there......how does ones imagination create such interesting tales from the mind's library......i have spent thousands of hours in airports...waiting for planes.....reads tons of books while traveling......and would not have even an introduction to such imaginative stories.......course......I guess its easier to come up with the stories if you were actually overseeing the activities during all those gatherings at Stonehenge....Huh??????
Guinevere,
Your presence on the blog is as always a delight that provides for us a fascinating glimpse into a world not often seen by us mortal humans. Your reflections into the "capacity of humans to grow and learn within each of their lifetimes" is remarkably insightful for a Druid Goddess and I suspect we have much to learn from you should you choose to share with us. In the present for us human mortals we have been privileged to communicate with your alto ego, Jennifer, whose stories are as enchanting as your own. I am sure your presence at our reunion will be an honor for everyone concerned. We will leave it to Jennifer to provide the fire pit and the bear fat.
Oh, Mike ... don't get me started on Stonehenge!!! What a near total fiasco that was!!! Solstice approaching ... nothing getting done ... high Druid priests convinced that Celts didn't want to do the work, so they imported some Turks and Caicos ... totally wild and indisciplined, just wanted to PAR-TAY, if you know what I mean.... We finally had to LEVITATE the stones into place to be finished on time ... headache ... took to my bed for DAYS.... Although it was stunning in the end, if I do say so myself....
)O(
Every year about this time I get request to draw crayfish t-shirts…… fyi…here is the latest….this client went to U of florida…….so always has to have a gator in the drawing…… so the party is march 15…..so they wanted caesar in there……..hey!!!....wasn’t the goddess around then………maybe in the form of Cassandra?......
[See Mike's new cartoon in "Short Notes...."]
Cassandra??? That weepy, wailing prognosticator come lately ... hanging out with Helen and Paris in Troy??? She wishes!!!! But you're so cute the goddess forgives you for your confusion, Mike ... and yes she was AROUND during that time ... just occupied with more important matters than cute guys with long hair (Achilles comes to mind) trying to PROVE something drag-racing ... and big wooden horses.... Perhaps one day I will tell you the story of those times....
Great cartoon BTW ... and Caesar would have LOVED the shout-out ... the Ides of March ... "And the sootsayah say, 'BE-WAEHH th' Ides of March!' And Brutus say, 'What do he mean by that, Julius?' And the MAGHTY Caesar say, "I doesn't know." (With a nod to "Brother Dave Gardner....)
Nicki, your encomiums are received with great pleasure ... and we will leave it to Jennifer to fetch and tote ... but the poor dear is a bit "scattered" sometimes....
)O(
Jennifer is a very lucky (?) woman. She found a functional schizophrenic (grin) who usually understands her and married him. For all of you, I can only recommend that you dig that crazy bodhran and grab another flagon of mead wine. Let the good runes roll on.
I gotta tell ya.......during my career in lots of primitive places I have had a multitude of meetings and encounters with witchdoctors.....spellcasters....witches.....warlocks....etc etc.....I am not joking now.....this was usually associated with getting a tribe's permission to cross their property with our seismic activities.....and without the the witchdoctor's permission(usually a cash payment)......there was no way we were coming in there........soooooo.....during the 80's.....I did this huge seismic survey in and around the Kangean Islands for Arco.....(called Pegerungan)....these were a large series of coral reefs 114 kms north of Bali, Indonesia. The main village was, and still is, a leper colony. On the land portion of this we would drill holes 20 meters deep and load it with dynamite. When the charge went off, of course, smoke would emanate from the shothole. The villagers panicked....(really really now!!!!).....they thought the smoke was the spirits of their ancestors returning.....and the spirits would be coming into their grass houses to live with them......the local witchdoctor shut us down...he was p___ off to beat the band!!!...upon his directions(demands).....we had to fly a bigger....more powerful witchdoctor from Surabaya, East Java.....by expensive helicopter....180 kms one way to Kangea.......over a couple of expensive days....he went from shothole to shothole chanting, singing, dancing,....to beseech the spirits to return to the earth......and after another impressive cash payment.....apparently.....they all went back into the earth.....and the witchdoctor loaded back up and flew back to Surabaya...
In Fiji....the chiefs and witchdoctors had me drink 24 half coconuts full of a narcotic drink..(8 hours)..which made me hallucinate like the dickens....(but that is another story)..
...I dont know if any of them could levitate rocks tho.....
Ah Mike ... my Fijian acolytes undoubtedly served you kava ... or kava kava, as it's called when it begins to make talking difficult and one begins to blither ... usually after the first sip or two.... Your warrior mettle has been tested and proven....
No, they can't levitate rocks, but after several kava kava, they ... and you ... might think they can....
Now I want to hear more about these cash payments to the Indonesian witch doctors, who have obviously been holding out on me.... Where IS Bruno when I need him?? Perhaps in the future we can arrange to bypass the middle-witch and deal direct...???
)O(
Guinny, Brigid here. Girl, seriously! I’ve cautioned you on more than one occasion to mind those bear grease fumes. It’s fine with me if you want to carry a torch, just don’t BE one! Don’t make me come over there to pour a lake on your strong head! I swear, it takes a village to monitor your mischief.
You did some heavy decorating with those stones—beautiful job. When you get a chance, could you just go tidy up a scotch? They look as if they’ve been shuffled and the ditches could stand a bit of mucking out. Be a love, hmm?
Your writings here are something to treasure. Admirably, you’ve retained your sense of history and reverence for those beings in any form that went before us, but, the trait I admire more than any other in/at any age, and especially during these times, is your keen sense of the silly. I have managed to hone mine to a fine point, I like to think, as have some of the other souls on this blog. Some call it a sense of humor. Blessed are those with a good one! Long life!
Now, lovie, must fly to find something appropriate for Imbolc (thank you for the mention). Can’t be seen in the same rag twice, you know. So many details to attend to. Those pregnant ewes are getting on my nerves with the constant bleating and whining about the upcoming deliveries. Sheesh! You’d think they’d never done this before. I hope you’ll bring your best behavior now, sweetie. I won’t mention the Arthur thing if you won’t, and stay the heck away from Bres!
Sister Brigid!!! OLDER Sister Brigid, I might add ... but won't!!! (grin) So good of you to take time from your busy schedule to drop by and visit with us before YOUR day!!! What a feast and fire we shall have!!! As for Bres ... he's a bit too much of a country boy for me, albeit lovely to look at. I take it this means he's back from exile??? Pardoned, was he???
You're right about the stones, of course ... but you also know I've never been one for the DOMESTIC arts ... that's what I have Bruno for ... I'll send him as soon as he gets through with the Indonesian witch doctors.... Or perhaps we can bring in some Turks and Caicos for the heaving lifting...???
Yes, we need more people with a sense of the silly .. the humorous ... particularly in dark days.... I'm glad to know your silly sensibilities are intact and flying high ... with all bells and whistles intact!! Yet sooooo SHRILLL!!!!
And ... about Arthur ... I keep telling you ... I'm not THAT Guinevere.... You simply cannot believe everything you read in the "Druid Tattler"! Can you even IMAGINE me in a nunnery??? Jeez!!! Now if you want the scoop on Lucan....
)O(
Guinevere, dahling, you should write a book of your escapades and have some bloke publish it for you. You could possibly become the new Entertainer of the Year!
Mike Spradley...your artistic abilities and sense of humor are keen indeed! How do you get those wonderful colors? Ah...I just remembered that your mother was a wonderful artist. Is that where you get your talent? My favorite cartoon of these submitted here on the blog is the bar scene with that little dude asking for MORE tequila! LOL!! Thanks for sharing them with us.
hey Sheila
ok....I admit it.....i draw them....and have them colored by a t shirt company with software.....Sob!!...the truth is out..........anyhoo....my Mom was a great artist and thats where I got it........miss pryor and my mom teamed up together in the 2nd grade to get me to drawing.....ms crewes in the 4th grade ...and miss nickerson(heart palpitates),,,,,did the same......but i really develped when we were flying 12 hour patrols offshore veitnam.....i would draw cartoons of the entire patrol......so hundreds.....none of which i kept...then in this current business....i draw cartoons all the time for all kinds of events......i have no patience for real art like Yahn does...i have to do something quick......hey great seeing those piccies of you in linda kay's blog.....thats the way i remember it........thosee white shorts...!
Mike...ahh haaa...those white shorts? That is actually white fringe on the bottoms of our blue cordury body suits, better known as our 1963 twirling suits. I didn't get to wear the white wool suit like LK is wearing in that 1962 photo because I didn't become a twirler until my senior year. I think those went back to the factory because the band got new uniforms when we were seniors.
In 7th and 8th grade I had a couple of pairs of white shorts that I was every so quickly growning too big to wear...Those were my tennis shorts. I just hated not being able to wear those all through HS. OH...to be able to get into something like that again.
BUT...thanks for the compliments. We all need those wonderful words of yours now that the white shorts no longer fit! LOL!!
Really, I am not retarded...promise...and I can read, too. Guinny, I just saw your name right next to mine on the list of people coming to the reunion. I am so excited that you are going to be in attendance. I am afraid to ask what you will be wearing...of course, knowing you as the fashionista that you are, I am sure it will be something that is MOST STUNNING! I still have plenty of some wonderfully exotic bear fat left over from the Solstice. It will be kept cold so we can use it for our reunion party. How's that?
Shee-Ra, POP ... delighted to accept your offer of "exotic" bear fat ... sounds yummy! (grin) Just make sure it's flame-retardant so some of us don't make complete "ashes" of ourselves!!! (Possibly too late for that already....) And could you maybe put in about a gallon of that wonderful jasmine scent you use in some of your soaps??? Lover-ly....
)O(
Me, Blog. Me, troll.
My big ears hear name call by Gwindebere, Drugodis three times—I mean she godis three time not I hear my name call three time. (Humin talk confusin make no sens sumtime and too much sens sumtime other—but I do bes I can from learn to tawk by hoomins axin me not hurt them an splainin they mean Blog no harm.)
Some troll hurt humin, Blog not. I frenly troll. I lonely troll, too, but evertime I come out from under brige and say mmm-mmm to lovly humin womin, she screem and call me "big ears big nose hairface." Make me sad. But I not hurt her. I jus say "you ugly don't have tail and no hair on face." Troll womin with long tail and hair on face make Blog heart go BOM-BOM-BOM like what humin call drumb. But I digrest, like Gwindebere, Drudgodis three times say.
I hear much tawk from many what call classmates. I like to hear. Make me wish I have classmate. Make me wish I have any kindo mate. Har har. But I digrest some more.
Blog have big hope for 63 humin classmate reonyun. Blog don't get no what you call imbi-tashin, but that okay. Blog be there in spirit, which I hope don't smell too bad.
Blog go back under brige now.
Blog, sweetie ... where HAVE you been all this time??? I've been looking for you high and low ... sometimes REALLY low ... with no success. What happened??? You forget to leave a Bridge Forwarding card??? No wonder you're a lonely troll....
As for the reunion, your "Save the Date" card is probably catching bird droppings at your last bridge of residence. And about the smell ... well, I understand that Sheila is providing some lovely jasmine-scented bear fat for the reunion ... we'll make sure to rub it ALL OVER you ... be sure to bring your heavy-duty brush and clippers, luv....
Still haven't found your dream-troll, I see ... but you keep trying, dear. Somewhere out there is THE ONE for you ... hair, tail and all... We triple goddesses intuit these things.
And don't worry too much about those "humin womin". Most of them aren't advanced enough to appreciate a "frenly" troll such as yourself. Their loss....
Gotta fly now ... but DO stay in touch....
)O(
Post a Comment