The Strength and Guidance of Celtic Goddesses, Saints and Women
2017
Greetings my name is Linda Stern and I love sharing about Scottish Goddesses – they are all such amazing role models. So much so, that it is difficult to choose which Goddesses to speak about. But choose, I must…. so today I have chosen to speak about crossovers. Crossovers between intense Scottish women, and fiery, fierce Scottish goddesses and impassioned Scottish saints.
But why should you be interested fiery, intense, impassioned women? Well, it’s because I hope the stories of these goddesses and saints and women will inspire you to embrace the strength found in yourself to make a positive difference in our world…. just like they did.
So as an introduction of myself- I am a minister at Interfaith Community Sanctuary in Ballard where we honor all the paths that lead to the Divine and one of my areas of interest is the Divine Feminine face of Creator as She shows herself all over the world- now and in ages past, so this of course includes Celtic Goddesses and Saints.
Also, you might like to know, I am blessed to have Scottish heritage on both sides of my family- from different clans that were in the American colonies before the revolutionary war- one as early as 1652 when Henry Mitchell and Pricilla Jarrett Mitchell, who were from Orkney Island, came at 18 years of age to the Virginia colony.
On the other side of my family is Clan Anderson and today, I am wearing the Anderson Tartan in the form of an Arisaidt. The Arisaidt, was worn by Scottish women and was usefully for many reasons- to keep warm, for sleeping, to get out of the rain, to hold a child, to gather vegetables or to conceal a weapon for protection!
Over the last 40 years, I have delved into my family’s genealogy, and I have discovered my roots---- which go back to ancient times in Scotland- before it was called Scotland- past the times of the Celts to the times of the Picts. Truly, I have found that connecting to my roots has helped me understand who my family is and who I am. So, I hope you investigate your roots, Celtic or not.
Looking around this tent, I bet that most of us have at least some roots in Celtic Lands as Celtic lands were vast and knowing about how our Celtic ancestors lived can give us a different perspective for our life now. To give you some of that perspective about Celtic life and to start our journey about Scottish women, goddesses, and saints- I want to tell you a little about this time of year, the Celtic spiritual path and a woman named Tailtiu.
This time of year, in the old Celtic religion is called Lughnasadh. It is 2 days from now on August 1. Lughnasadh was and is a celebration to give thanks to Mother Earth for her abundance and beauty. So, if you are having a great time, it might just be…. that you are connecting to the spirit of the past Celtic celebrations of Lughnasadh and Highland Games. How is that, you ask?
Well, let me tell you ….by sharing about my first strong Scottish woman. Her name is Tailtiu, and she is the force in back of Lughnasadh … even if the celebration is named after the Celtic Sun God, Lugh. Tailtiu was the last Queen of Fir Bolg and to save her people, she single-handedly cleared huge fields for agricultural use….and gave her life in the doing of it. On Tailtiu’s deathbed, she asked her clan, her family, to hold celebrations- like the game you’re at today- to honor the Earth and Earth’s abundance. She prophesied that if the games were held there would always be happiness and gratitude and connection to each other and the earth. So, what do you think? Do you think her prophecy was successful? I do! We are at a joyful celebration right now!
The Old Religion, that most of these women I will speak about were a part of, was practiced for 1000s of years and was a part of everyday life. The Celtic spiritual path was deeply tied to the earth, deeply to the cycles of the year and deeply to the cycles of our bodies. Also, Celtic spirituality acknowledged that the spiritual world lives inside and outside of us, and that we are all are intimately related to everything that exists. Everything.
And Celtic Goddesses were a part of that spiritual path. They were revered for their strength, intelligence, protection, healing, and many other reasons. In times past, the ancient Celts knew the source of life in themselves, in the Gods and Goddesses, and in plants and animals, was feminine. And because…. the Celts saw the relationship between the goddesses and women- they respected women in their clans. Women owned and kept their possessions after they married, they held political power, they trained warriors, they led those men into battle, they worked as druids, healers, and leaders.
Also- In the land of the Celts, sometimes when a woman led a spectacular life after she died…. she was elevated to the status of a Goddess - similar to how the Catholic Church elevates a person to status of a saint.
So was Tailtiu, a mortal Celtic queen or a Celtic goddess? Or both? Was it myth or History? Who Knows? Stories about goddesses were mostly spoken history, spoken myths and spoken legends- so perhaps the line between a goddess and a female historical figure gets blurred. And of course, this maybe the case with Saints as well.
But whether intense mortal woman, fierce Scottish Goddess, or Impassioned Scottish Saint or - or all three- their pluck and intelligence have inspired people for millenniums.
As I speak about these Goddesses, Saints, and women, see which ones you spark your interest and after I speak, please come on up the center of fire, or water or herbs and connect with them. So…off we go!
I always include the Goddess Bridget. You might say she is my go-to Goddess. That is because she has been a beloved Celtic Triple Goddess for thousands of years. Her main titles are Goddess of Healing, Inspiration and Smithcraft but she is so much more.
The circumstances that she helped people with is a vast and shows you how revered she was and still is….... it includes Fertility, New Beginnings and Birth, Healing with water, Poetry, Creative Inspiration, divination, prophecy, anything connected to Fire and the home, and she is the Main Goddess of Druidry, and she is a Protectoress of the people and the land.
She was like their North Star.
So, to give you an idea of from whence she came into the world
I give you..... Bridget’s Fire Birth story.
A long time ago, at the first crack of a pink dawn,
near the waters of the magic well, the goddess Bridget
slipped into the world and into the hands
of 9 swaying and crooning sisters
who formed a great circle around her.
The waters of a magic well gurgled their joy.
Suddenly, up rose a column of fire out of Bridget’s head
that burned to the very heavens connecting the above with the below.
Then she reached up her hands and broke away a flaming plume
from her crown of fire and dropped it on the ground in front of her.
There it leaped and danced, leap and danced.
The nine sisters hummed and crooned and swayed around her,
and the waters of the magic well began to tremble
as Bridget built a hearth- stone by stone around the dancing fires
again, uniting the above with below, and the inner with outer.
From this fire, Bridget used both her hands
to draw out a leaping tongue of flame and she swallowed it!
And she felt the fire burn straight to her heart.
There stood the goddess,
fire crowning her head!
fire shooting from her heart!
and fire dancing from her hands!
The Goddess Bridget was born!
So, obviously….she is connected to Fire! She is the Flame of our Creative Consciousness and is associated with both the inner fires of the soul as well as the outer physical fires of the hearth, showing the wisdom that the inner and outer worlds live in unity.
In Bridget’s Inner Fire, we find the ancient mystery of Alchemy. Wisdom gained through the fire of life strengthens and transforms us. Bridget is teaching us, that sometimes we need to feel the fire, to react to the fire, to be changed and charged by the fire- to walk our own life path. Fire is Light that burns brightly in us and in the dark to show us the way.
Also- Bridget is connected with many forms of sacred healing water. So, I want to tell you a story about Bridget’s healing waters:
One day, Brigit was sitting at her sacred well and 2 lepers appeared and asked to be healed. "Bathe yourself in my well," said Bridget to the first man. He went to the well and at everyplace, Bridget's waters touched his skin, he turned whole.
"Now bathe your friend," said Bridget to the first man.
So, the healed man turned and looked at his friend. He was repulsed and backed away. "I cannot touch him now,” he said.
"Then you are not healed," said the goddess. And she gave the first man back his leprosy. She then healed the second man by dipping her cloak into the sacred water and placing her mantle around his shoulders.
She turned again to the first man and said, "Return to me with compassion and there you will find your healing."
So, here was not only the element of healing in the form of sacred water, but also her wisdom, compassion and the mind set… to not put up with selfishness.
As a Protectress, Celtic Warriors appealed to her for the strength they needed to fight their battles with their swords and their spirit. She was a devoted and steadfast guardian, to all who call upon her. Within the protective embrace of Brigit’s cloak, we can feel safe and supported and guided.
So, I want to teach you a prayer in Scot Gaelic you can say to feel her cloak of protection and guidance around you. It means “Oh, Bridget, spread above my head your cloak bright to guide me.” (phonetic)A Bat Breed, share osh mo keon- Go vrat fion gom ankal.
The goddess Bridget has been worshipped for 1000s of years. And then…. around the 5th century, there was a mortal woman named Bridget who led a life of service and helped others. Some say she may have been a Druidess at a temple for the goddess Bridget.
Anyway, after the death of this woman named Bridget, who led a good life, she was venerated and called Saint Bridget. Both the Goddess and the Saint had the same name, both the Goddess and the Saint had the same feast days, both the Goddess and the Saint had the same legends and folk customs. Some suggest that the woman took on the goddess Bridget’s name and attributes to gather followers to Christianity. What we do know is that chronologically, Bridget was definitely a Goddess before a Saint.
In the world today there is a sanctuary with a sacred flame that is kept burning 24/7 to honor….which one? The Saint? The Woman? The Goddess? Perhaps all 3. Perhaps the saint and goddess and the woman are one in the same- just showing Herself in a different form when the world needed a different form.
On to the next goddess who is named Skahthakh. She was afraid of nothing. In fact, her name means “she who strikes fear in others.” She walked with the dead, she taught how to be a warrior, led them in battle….and lovemaking.
Skahthakh is a Gaelic Goddess of the Dead. It was she who accompanied souls who were slain in battle on their death journey. If they led a good life, she would guide them on their, Imrama na Anem or Journey of the Soul to Tir Nan Og, their Otherworld.
But she also acted as a judge of sorts- when she found a soul who acted poorly in life, she would take them to another island in the Otherworld- one where no one wanted to be. One where they learned what they had done wrong and….paid their debts.
Skahthakh taught from her warrior’s school on the Isle of Skye in the Hebrides. There she taught martial arts, discipline, healing, the ways of the seer, the deadly use of weapons and the art of making love. The greatest warriors of the land came to Skahthakh’s warrior school to be trained. This included the Red Branch warriors and Cuhuleann.
As a Protectoress, her great battle shield was said to guard the barriers between the Land of the Dead and the Land of the Living. One night a year, she would lower her great shield, to allow access over the veil. This way, the dead could walk amongst the living and the living could honor the dead. Life and death in relationship, not fear.
Some say that Skahthackh was a mortal woman. She was an important leader, teacher, warrior, and role model. Remember- that I mentioned that in Celtic society, women trained warriors and lead them into battles and that if a mortal woman led a spectacular life she could be elevated to a Goddess? So it was that the Tuatha de Dannan, the ancient Gods and Goddesses…. transformed Skahthakh from a mortal woman into a Goddess. But mortal or goddess, she was and is an inspiration.
The next example is a woman from ancient times who was transformed into a Celtic Goddess and was made a part of the story of Christianity. Her story is about strength of leadership, perseverance, and new beginnings. Her name is Cessair, and she was originally from the Iberian Peninsula. Both Scots and Irish have been shown to have a strong DNA foundation from the Iberian Peninsula so again so a wee bit of myth and legend, and a wee bit of science and history in this story.
Her story goes like this… The Great Flood was coming- and Cessair asked for a place on Noah’s ark, but he said no. So, she said, “No Problem!” and she found her own ships to escape the flood. So, they set out in three ships… a very mystical number… on their very long journey. Cessair had rescued them all.
On the journey was Cessair, her husband, 2 other males and 150 mothers from…all around the world! These 150 women were seen as creating a strong Celtic diversity- much like Noah did with animals on his arc.
The Celtic people saw this Woman-Mother-Goddess as a source of regeneration and strength. Cessair’s “I was here first" energy was so strong, that when the Christians came, they could not eliminate her…..so, they just made her a part of guess who’s family? That’s right; Noah. This is another example of a strong woman and/or goddess, blending into the Christian faith to attract followers.
Cessair thrived in 3 cultures- and she was a role model of strength in leadership in all of them.
The next story is about an amazing woman named Triduana, and even though it is a small story it is worth a mention. She is an example of a woman elevated into a Goddess who is also canonized by the Catholic Church. Her story is this: Triduana was a beautiful and strong woman who being harassed by a Pict King. And rather than submit to his advances, she plucked out her eyes and ruined her beauty and presented them to the King. Some might say it was like cutting off your nose to spite your face- well cutting out your eyes……but to the people it showed that she would not allow herself to be abused. Celts elevated her to the status of a Goddess for her strength and anything having to do with healing of eyes. And the Catholic Church canonization her for the same reasons. Another example of a cross-over between a woman, goddess, and saint, to attract followers to Christianity.
And lastly, I’d like to talk about a Saint who was a great inspiration to the culture and country of Scotland during the 10th century. She is my 27thgreat grandmother, St Margaret, Queen of Scots. Margaret’s birth date is not known for sure but thought to be September 8th, 1047. BTW-that’s also my birthday, Sept 8th just separated by 900 years.
St Margaret, Queen of Scots has long fascinated historians as one of the most complex women in medieval history. We know so much about her because her personal confessor shared his writings ……so much for privacy…. And also because many historians both in her lifetime and after wrote about her. She is thought to be a woman of conscience, charity, clarity, compassion, and intelligence. And intensity. She is amazing.
Margaret was born an English Princess in the House of Wessex, to Prince Edward the Exile and Agatha, who was either Russian or Hungarian. Margaret’s father had been removed from England as a child to save him from being killed by a new conquering ruler.
So, at some point, her father married Agatha and they resided in royal courts in Sweden, Kiev, and Hungary, and they were devoted Catholics.
Then in 1057, the family was recalled to England because her father was the successor to the English throne. But......it was a ruthless political time within 3 weeks of arriving…. Margaret’s father was crowned king and killed by poisoning- right in front of her! Just think…. Game of Thrones and you’ll have the feeling.
The next in line for this “opportunity” for the throne was Margaret’s brother, Edgar who was proclaimed King of England! But this didn’t last long, as William the Conqueror invaded and took the throne. So again……the family was out! This kind of thing happened a lot in history. If any of you have watched White Princess or White Queen- you will know what I mean.
Margaret’s mother planned an escape to the continent to save her children from either death or a life of being political prisoner in the tower or in abbey.
At night, they boarded a ship and escaped bound for the continent…but as in all good stories…. There was a raging storm……. that blew the ship off course… and they shipwrecked along the northeastern coast of Scotland. This place is still called St Margaret’s Hope.
And…….as in all good love stories... Malcolm, the King of Scots, my 27th great-grandfather, rescued them and offered the royal family sanctuary. Within a short period of time, the king fell in love with Margaret and asked for her hand in marriage and they wed. Both families knew how important this political marriage was for Scotland and for the house of Wessex.
Margaret never wanted to marry- She was well educated and wanted to continue her studies so to do that as a woman, she needed to become a nun but for the good of her family and the Scottish people, she wed.
Because she was raised in the high courts in both England and on the continent, Margaret knew that her rough and tumble husband needed some polishing to be considered part of the world’s stage and being a part of the world’s power is what King Malcom wanted.
Margaret crafted Malcolm's transformation from a warlord barbarian…..to a worldly medieval king. By her care, the king became gentle and civilized and so did the Scots.
She is called the Pearl of Scotland as she worked tirelessly to bring charity, religious reform, and refined culture to her adopted land of Scotland, and she earned the love and trust of the people.
She would rise at midnight to go and pray in a hidden cave- which was her personal place of devotion. And at times she defied authority and disguised herself as a male to enter a church forbidden to women. She prayed, fasted, admonished with such intensity that she damaged her physical body.
Margaret fed orphans and the poor before she would ever eat and gave away her clothes to those in need, which encouraged other families to do the same. She stole her husband’s gold to give to the poor and she released ransomed prisoners.
She viewed the Church of Scotland as primitive and encouraged religious reforms to become more in line with Rome. She built churches and monasteries, she fed and clothed the poor, she brought Benedictines to the country, and she started a free pilgrim ferry for the poor to St Andrew’s.
In 1093, her beloved husband, King Malcolm was killed in battle alongside their son…. And Queen Margaret died within 3 days. Her will- which had led a culture onto the world stage faded. Her will to live was gone.
Queen Margaret was declared a saint in 1250 for religious reforms, for extensive charity and almost single-handedly leading the people of Scotland into modern times.
She showed the power of what one woman who believed she had a purpose could do.
I wish I could have met this amazing woman but because so much is written about her, I feel as though I know my 27th great grandmother, who across the centuries encourages us to be strong, and to make a positive difference in the world.
So…. these women I have spoken of- Mortals- Goddesses- Saints. Sometimes the “reality” of who they were is blurred in history. Remarkable Celtic women could be elevated to the status of Goddess; Remarkable women could be venerated to Sainthood. And there are the cases of women who were Celtic Goddesses who were also Saints, enabling the transition from one spiritual path to another.
But whether intense mortal woman, fierce Scottish Goddess, Impassioned Scottish Saint, or all 3……their pluck and intelligence and strength can inspire us.
I believe that we all have that strength in us
the goddess strength in us
the saint strength in us –
to do Great works in our own time.
So, may you gather strength from the stories that precede you
and may you use your own strength now
to share your gifts with the world and do great works
and then to inspire others.
I’m going to end with a Gaelic blessing and after the blessing, please come up to the centers of water, fire or herbs to connect with the goddesses and saints. They are waiting.
May the blessing of light be on you,
Light from within and light from without.
May the blessed sunlight shine on you
like a great peat fire,
so that stranger and friend
may come and be warmed by you.
And may the Light shine out of your two eyes,
like 2 candles in a window,
bidding the wanderer come in out of the storm.
And may the blessing of rain be on you and
may it rain upon your Spirit
and wash it fair and clean,
leaving a shining pool where the blue of Heaven is reflected
and sometimes a star.
Blessings to you all and I thank you.