The Avalonian Wheel

Brigit the Maiden

Originally Brigit, Bride, Brighde was the Universal Goddess honoured as Maiden, Lover, Mother and Crone and as the Lady of the elements and later She became the Maiden Goddess especially honoured at Imbolc. She appears in Her sparkling white dress, covers the land with Her green mantle, touches the earth with Her white rod and quickens the growth of the seeds. Brigit is a Fire-Goddess, whose flames inspire us to speak poetry in Her praise and whose flames burn in the hearth of our homes giving us light, heat and warm food. At Imbolc the fire in the centre of the homes were let to die outand checked the next morning for signs left by Bride’s white rod of power. Her flames also burn in the smithy, She is the Goddess of Smithcraft and Her alchemical fire melts the metal and turns it to beauty, as She is melting and transforming us, so the beauty of our soul can shine. Brigit is worshipped as the Serpent, the regenerative Snake, who gives us the ability to shapeshift and transform. She is the White Swan in the sacred Glastonbury landscape, who can take us on Her back to the Dreamland, we can journey with Her to the Otherworld, to the heavenly realms. Brigit is also the Cow Mother feeding the Universe with Her milk. She is the Sacred Cow who creates the Milky Way with the milk everflowing from Her breasts. She is also the Wolf representing our wild nature and protecting us from harm. Brigit had Nineteen Priestesses, Queens, Maidens tending Her fire in Her shrine and on the 20th day the Goddess herself tended the fire. Brigit’s Perpetual Fire was relit by nuns at Kildare. With Christianity Brigit became St Bridget in Ireland, and today Goddess and Christian pilgrims come and pay respect to Her at Kildare. Brigit’s talismans are the Spinning Wheel, the Bell and the Grael of the Maiden. She is the Goddess spinning the threads of Life together, keeping the balance of the Universe. Her bells are carried by poets, who speak in Her name and the tinkling of Her bells open the mist separating the worlds. Her Grael symbolizes openness, innocence and complete trust. At Imbolc Bridie’s Eyes, Brigit’s Crosses and Bridie Dolls are made to honour the Goddess. Bridie’s Eye and Brigit”s Cross is the swastika, the ancient energy symbol showing the movement of the four elements. Traditionally Bridie Dolls were made from straw or grass, kept in a cradle next to the fire and returned to the earth at Samhain. Today Bridie Dolls are made of more substantial materials, women sew their dreams and hopes to the dolls, and the dolls travel with us as we journey through life.

Artha, Mother of Fire

Artha is the Goddess coming at Spring Equinox, She is the Great She Bear, the Lady of Spring and Mother of Fire. She is the fire in the stars and in the centre of the earth, She is the warmth and the light of the sun, the fire in the hearth, the flame of the candle, the fire in our belly and in our heart. She is the green fire of the spring bringing fertility and new life. Artha is the ancient Bear Mother, who gave birth to humans. She is our passion and our anger, which we can transform to creative energy. She is our will to do and act. She is the power from within. Her talisman is the wand, with which we focus energy. Her sacred animals are the bear, the hen, the cat and the moon hare. The bear lives in perfect harmony with the cycles of the earth, goes to hibernation during the winter and comes out of her cave in the spring followed by the small bears born during the winter. The bear teaches us to listen to the rhythm of nature and follow the cycles of the wheel of life. The cat is the animal, which can never be really tamed, always reminds us of her wild relatives, the lions, the tigers and the panthers. Goddesses connected to fire and sun are often accompanied by lionesses like Cybele, the ancient Sun Goddess or appear in the form of lion or cat like Sekhmet and Bast. Artha’s cat teaches us to be free, passionate and never forget about things we want to do. It is an ancient legend that witches can turn to cats and hares. In Brigit’s Isles Eostre and Grainne are also celebrated at Spring Equinox. Grainne is the Sun Woman, Sun Goddess  bringing light and warmth to the world and blessing the grain and fruits with Her fiery energy. Eostre or Ostara is the Queen of Stars holding light and darkness in equal measure. The Christian festival of Easter comes from Her name and the Easter eggs still hold the memory of the eggs coloured red – the colour of menstrual blood- symbolizing rebirth.

Rhiannon the Lover

Rhiannon is the Goddess of Love who is celebrated with the Beltane fires. She is the White Mare from the Sea riding between the worlds. Rhiannon touches the world with Her flowering branch of hawthorn and the plants, tree, animals and humans become sexually active. She is the wild horse, full of energy, powerful, untameable and listening only to her instincts. She stops Her White Mare only when somebody approachies Her in the name of Love. She asks us to open our hearts, be honest and surrender to love. Rhiannon is also a Faerie Queen, who can be seen at Beltane when the gateway between the visible and invisible is open. She is surrounded by small birds, whose song awakens the dead or make the lonely sleep. Rhiannon is the Lady of the land, She is Sovereignity giving the right to the king to rule. In the Beltane rites kings of Britain married with Rhiannon ritually in the Sacred Marriage in order to rule in harmony. Her talismans are the comb, the mirror and the shell. Her comb stands for the wind blowing through Her hair and it is also the carding comb used to clean the the wool of domestic animals. Her mirror is the magical tool allowing entrance to the Otherworld, it reflects our true self and helps us to foretell the future. Other Goddesses celebrated at Beltane are Blodeuwedd, the Flower Goddess, Olwen of the White Track, who is the May Queen and Elen, Protectress of trackways. The Goddess of Love has a consort, the Horned One, the Stag King.

Domnu, Mother of Water

Domnu is the Goddess of South, the Goddess of Summer Solstice, the Mother of Water. She is Queen of the Deep, who can be seen in the sea water, in the clouds, in the rain, in the moist of the earth, in the springs and in the rivers. She is the Great Ocean of our emotions, sometimes soft, calm and flowing, sometimes cold and dangerous. She is the Goddess opening us so that our emotions can flow freely, She teaches us to express what we feel, to acknowledge our emotions. Domnu is the Lady of the Holy Springs and Wells. Since ancient times people honoured the Goddess in the healing waters and holy women, priestesses tended the holy waters to ensure that water flowed cleanly. Colourful cloth-clouties were and are flying again above holy wells with prayers to the Lady of Waters. The Mother of Water is also the Lady of the Lake deriving Her power from the Otherworld. Domnu’s companions are the whales, the dolphins, the seal and the salmon. The whales sing the song of Mother Earth, they call us to retreat to the centre of our soul and listen to our inner voice. The dolphin teaches us the importance of clean communication and love, and the dolphin is also the healer of emotions. Domnu’s talismans are the sea shell and the chalice. The chalice is the symbol of the open heart, which overflows with love. The sea shell hides beautiful pearls inside. We are closed shells still we open up and show the world our pearl, our true nature, who we really are.

Ker the Mother

Ker is the High Fruitful Mother, from whom all life is born. She is whole to herself, carries the Universe in Her Virgin Womb, She gives birth to the stars, to the plants, to the animals and to us. Ker is also the Grain Goddess, who taught human the secret of cultivating grain and gave us the present of bread. It is Ker who sends us Her signs in the Crop Circles, which appear regularly in grain fields in southern Britain. Ker is also the Deer Mother, the primeval Birthgiving Goddess. Her memory is preserved in fairy tales of women who can transform to deer. Another Mother Goddess of Brigit’s Isles is Madron. She is the Bountiful Cow Mother and the Goddess with cornucopia – a cow’s horn filled with fruit and grain. Madron is also the Triple Mother Goddess, the Dea Matronae. These three Goddesses carry baskets filled with Nature’s presents and are often accompanied by rising serpents. Madron was honoured by neolithic people in sacred mounds and also in Silbury Hill. Silbury Hill is the womb of the pegnant Mother Goddess. In the Glastonbury landscape the Mother Goddess can be seen lying on Her back with the Glastonbury Tor being Her left breast, Wearyall Hill is Her outstretched left leg, Her right leg tucked beneath Her body, Chalice Hill is Her pregnant belly and She gives birth to the town of Glastonbury. During Christianity it was Mother Mary, who preserved the nurturing qualities of the Mother Goddess. The Mother’s talismans are the loom and the shuttle, on which She is weaving the web of life. Her animals are the horned ones.

Banbha, Mother of Earth

Banhba is the earth, which sank beneath the waves during the Great Flood and then re-emerged from the sea. She is the Lady of the West, the Goddess of Autumn Equinox, the Mother of Earth. The Mother of Earth is also Brigantia, Goddess of the Land on which we live and where all nature including us finds its roots. It is Her Body we walk on, it is She, who gives us food and nurtures us, She is our Home. The Earth Mother is also called Ertha and Gaia. Banhba’s talismans are the stone, the orb and the crystal. The stone is the backbone of the land, the orb represents the globe of Planet Earth, and the crystal reminds us of the treasures we can find in the earth, in the darkness. Her creatures are the boar, the bagder and the fox. Creatures, which hunt at eventide and dawn and they become agressive when cornered.

Keridwen the Crone

Keridwen is the Wise Crone, the Old Hag, the Death Goddess, the Dark Mother, the Queen of the Underworld. As Death Mother and Bringer of Death She was honoured by neolithic ancestors in the long barrows. She was the Tomb, in which bones were buried and She was the Womb, from which souls will be reborn. The magical Isle of Avalon is the Western Isle of Dead ruled by the powerful Dark Goddess an guarded by the Nine Morgens, who appear as dark crows. She comes at Samhain, when the gateway between the worlds is open and we can communicate with the spirit world, with our ancestors. Keridwen is the White Sow, the Underworld Goddess, the keeper of the Cauldron. As the the White Sow She is the Death Goddess being pregnant with the souls of dead. The Crone’s cauldron is the cauldron of healing, transformation, regeneration, the cauldron of death and rebirth. Another Crone Goddess is Sheela na Gig, whose sexual image symbolizes the return to the Goddess through Her Yonic Gate of death. Carvings of Sheela na Gig holding open with her hands Her yawning Vulva can be seen in churches all over Brigit’s Isles. The worship of the Vulva and Womb of the Earth Mother has existed from the beginning of time, natural rock formations are opening to Her Sacred Body, caves are openings to Her Womb. The Crone’s talismans are the Scissors, with which She cuts the thread of Life and the Cauldron of Death and Regeneration. Her animals are the crow, the toad and the sow.

Danu, Mother of Air

The Mother of Air on the North is Danu, who lives beyond the North Wind. She is the stillness at the centre of the storm, the stillness that comes after death. She is the ancient Bone Woman, who keeps our pure, eternal essence. Danu talks to us in the winds, in the song of the birds, in the voice of drums, rattles and bells, and she talks to us when everything around us is quiet. She is the Goddess of Wisdom. The Mother of Air is also celebrated as Cailleach of Winter and as Arianrhod of the Silver Wheel. Cailleach is the Old Hag of Winter who holds the icy black rod of winter, She reigns from Samhain to Imbolc. Arianrhod is a transforming Goddess bringing Death in Life and Life in Death. She is the guardian of the Sevenfold Labrynth, in which we journey to the centre of our souls and face our darkness and our light. The Mother of Air has three talismans, the Sceptre of Sovereignty, the Sword of Light and the Feather Fan. The Sceptre is the symbol of our commitment to the Goddess. The Sword of Light symbolizes our ability to cut through illusions and find our truth. The Feather Fan represents our ability to fly. Her animals are the Eagle, the White Owl, the Hawk and all the Winged Ones.