Celtic Women's Spirituality: Accessing the Cauldron of Life - Edain McCoy 1998
Voyage to Tir na mBan: Guided Meditation
This meditation will help open the doors of Tir na mBan, the Land of Women, to you. If you have already had experience in this area, please continue to use whatever method of entering and exiting the Otherworld that works best for you. Your deep mind is already conditioned to these cues; to try to make major changes now will only hinder your progress. If your experience in the Otherworld has not been specifically in Tir na mBan, you may want to incorporate archetypes from this guided meditation to help yourself into this particular Otherworld realm without altering your basic format.
Remember that the sections in the meditation marked off by brackets [ ] are either clarifications of terms and words used in the text, or are instructions to the one who is reading the meditation aloud: either with you reading into a recorder, or a partner reading to you. These sections are not to be read aloud to the journeyer, nor are they to be considered part of the body of the actual meditation. If you are unfamiliar with the practice of guided meditation, or are unsure of how to achieve the altered state of consciousness necessary for successful inner-world work, or how to ground yourself afterward, please refer to Appendix E for a full discussion, instructions, and tips.
Tir na mBan Meditation
Close your eyes and slow your thoughts; breathe rhythmically and deeply, center your spirit, relax, and let go. Focus inward and outward, drawing your consciousness away from the physical world.
Know that you are protected by your own inner powers and by the love of your Goddess. If you wish, at this time you may mentally call out to your Goddess and ask her for help and assistance, or you may wish to weave some other mental magick for the protection of your physical body as you start to become unaware of it. You may also ask her for protection and guidance in your spiritual travels. [A five-minute pause should suffice.]
Know that you are always in control and that you have the power to return to full, waking consciousness at any time you choose. If you wish to return at any point in your journey, you can do so by thinking the words “I AM HOME.” Thought is action on the astral plane, and this simple act of will, constructed in a cohesive thoughtform, will trigger both your subconscious and conscious minds that you wish to return immediately to your normal consciousness, and it will immediately happen. You can then open your eyes and go about your daily life.
Knowing that you are protected and in control, you can fully relax. Take one more deep breath and release yourself to the experience that Tir na mBan has in store for you at this time.
Will yourself free of the confines of your normal consciousness and allow yourself to pass through the void that separates what we think of as “reality” from the Otherworld. [Pause for a moment to allow this visualization to take place.]
When your inner vision clears, you find that you are standing at the center point of the right half of a large double spiraL Cautiously you put one foot forward, and you begin to follow the spiral’s path.
You are aware that the Otherworld is a limitless place with an almost infinite number of realms to explore. As you work your way out, you feel the need to take on a form, or find a guide that will specifically help you into Tir na mBan.
[At this point you must decide how to proceed. You can find a small silver boat waiting for you, or a white horse or black bird. Or, if you like, you can shapeshift yourself into the horse or bird form. If you choose the shapeshifting option (A), begin to feel the changes in your outer form now. If you wish to have a guide (B) or a boat (C), see it start to form for you now.]
As you wait at the point where the two spirals connect, you feel a change in the atmosphere. The world has become more fluid and light. Standing on either side of the path are two large dogs, one red and one white. These are the guardians of the gate of the Celtic Otherworld.209 They are fearsome creatures, yet they regard you passively, as if they have been expecting you, and they make no move to stop your progress.
[A few times I have been stopped at this point, either by the dogs or by some other spirit being, and either ordered or advised not to continue. If you are unwell, angry, poorly motivated, or are carrying any other negative emotion that would make an Otherworld journey unadvisable at this time, you may also be stopped, or at least advised to tum back and try again later. This choice is usually left up to you, though these guardians can turn into true terrors of the threshold and make continuing on very difficult. At other times, you may be allowed to learn this lesson the hard way, permitted to forge ahead to your own detriment. I have had this happen as well. You must decide for yourself if, when stopped and asked to go back, you are receiving an Otherworld challenge or simply being ably guided by those who know more than you.]
[The Otherworld challenge, sometimes known in general Paganism as the “terror of the threshold,” is a deeply recurring theme in Celtic practice, appearing in both ancient myth and modem ritual. Its purpose is twofold: 1) It forces the unprepared to either tum back or risk having to learn their lessons the hard way, and 2) It permits the worthy candidate who passes the test of the challenge to gain new knowledge and a renewed self-confidence as she passes on into the greater mysteries.]
[Now follow option A, B, or C, depending on which outer form you have chosen to gain access to Tir na mBan.]
A: Shapeshifting
Feel your outer self becoming as fluid as the world around you, changing to a very feminine form. Feel your arms becoming (insert the word hooves or wings), and sense their power as the real you is enfolded in this new shape. [Allow about three minutes for this to take place.]
You continue along the other spiral, moving clockwise through a counter-clockwise world of water and mist. Inward you travel in an ever-tightening circle, until you come to a halt on the shores of Tir na mBan.
As you step out onto the beach, you feel your old form returning. The (insert the word hooves or feathers) melt into your skin, and you look out of your own eyes once more.
B: Horse or Bird Guide
From out of the mist in front of you comes a guide to take you the rest of the way to Tir na mBan. A beautiful (insert white mare or large black she-raven) comes to stand majestically in front of you, beckoning you to mount her. You climb willingly onto the creature’s back.
You continue along the other spiral, moving clockwise through a counter, clockwise world of water and mist. Inward you travel in an ever hightening circle until you come to a halt on the shores of Tir na mBan.
You step out onto the beach, and dismount your friend. You sense she will be waiting for you when you return to this spot again on your return trip.
C: Silver Boat
From out of the mist comes a small silver boat to take you the rest of way to Tir na mBan. You willingly climb into the boat, knowing it has been sent to you from the Otherworld.
You continue along the other spiral, moving clockwise through a counter-clockwise world of water and mist. Inward you travel in an ever,tightening circle until you come to a halt on the shores of Tir na mBan.
You step out onto the beach, and beach the boat. You know that it will be here waiting for you when you return to this spot again on your return trip.
From this place on the shore you see you are at the meeting point of two worlds. Behind you the world is misty and it is hard to see through the murky veil, but ahead of you in Tir na mBan it is summer, lush and green. A huge primeval forest spreads out endlessly before you. The only easy access to it seems to be a small pathway right in front of you. The sides of the path are marked by two small cauldrons. As you approach you see they contain a dark red liquid. The path itself is dark red, as if stained in blood from thousands of years of women’s bleeding cycles. These are the cycles of the womb, of personal pain, of misogynism, and of joy at being female. They are the rivers of blood shed in agony, in violence, in happiness, and in unity. They are all here, all part of this Otherworld. You can feel the collective pulse of the universal feminine all around you. The whole area radiates a sacredness, and throbs with the potential of life, and you feel your own heart beat in sync with it.
You follow along this blood path deep into the forest until you come to a grotto. In the middle of the grotto is a silver and gold throne, and on it is seated a Goddess-like woman clothed in flowing green robes. Upon her blonde head is a crown of gold that radiates like the sun, and in the center of it sits the largest, clearest red ruby you have ever seen. She exudes serenity and quiet power, and she seems at one with her natural surroundings.
All around her are the astral forms of women like yourself who have come seeking the wisdom of Tir na mBan. At first it makes you sad to see how few women are lined up before her, waiting their turn to drink from the large, jewel-encrusted chalice this Goddess-queen offers them.210 In comparison to all the women in the world, their numbers are few. [The cup is probably being offered by Scotland’s Queen of Elphane, and is presented to women as an invitation to seek her wisdom. In the past few hundred years this Goddess has become a faery queen, a sovereign associated with Bealtaine. Thomas the Rhymer, a seventh-century visionary, claimed she appeared to him on a May eve all dressed in diaphanous green silks, riding a white mare with fifty-nine silver bells entwined in her mane.]
When it is your turn to drink, you approach the throne. The queen smiles at you with motherly pride, and you take the heavy chalice and drink deeply from it. The potion inside tastes a little like milk and honey, but it has a light, otherworldly texture and flavor that you have never experienced before.
You hand the heavy chalice back to the queen.
“Welcome to Tir na mBan,” she says. “This realm belongs to you. Go and seek your wisdom, my sister.”
With that command you are free to explore this world at will. You move into the forest again, noting as you travel along how rich the landscape is in feminine imagery. Chalices, cauldrons, hares, does, horses, ravens, and pools of sacred blood liberally enhance your surroundings.
[At this point you may explore any part of the Land of Women you like. You may visit your ancestor mothers, seek a personal vision in the cauldron of knowledge, seek out the Well of Segais (knowledge) that is traditionally guarded by a stag in the underworld, or seek your shadow self in the darker reaches of Tir na mBan.211 Your shadow self will have all your same fears, loves, hopes, joys, strengths, and failings. It will be neither good nor evil, strong nor weak. It will just be you. This discovery can be the most daunting aspect of the Otherworld experience, but it is one that will ultimately make you whole and give you spiritual insights you are not able to get otherwise. As it has been taught to Pagans for centuries, you are your own best teacher. That which you cannot find within yourself, you will never find without.]
[This addendum to the guided meditation takes you through the process of dream retrieval, one of the most respected of shamanic arts. This optional sec tion may be used if you have had a dream that you cannot remember and want to, or if you have one that was unfinished and you feel it is important to see it through to its conclusion.]
Knowing that you must find your missing or unconcluded dream, you allow your intuition to lead you to the cave of dreams. You are led through a misty land populated by fantastic creatures and images. In the center of a clear blue lake you see the mouth of the cave of dreams. The cave appears to be made of pure silver, and it glistens in the halflight of this dream world. Inside are all the dream images that have ever been made by women.
There is no boat nearby, or any apparently easy way to cross the lake to the cave. Then, knowing that in the dream world you can do anything, you step out onto the lake and find you are able to walk on the surface of the water. You walk toward the cave entrance and note that it has no guardian; its only protection seems to be the lake, an obstacle you discovered you could so eas ily overcome.
You step inside, and see that the cave of dreams is not dark inside, as you would expect a normal cave to be. Many pathways lead away from this central chamber. Because you have been contemplating retrieving this particular dream while in your waking state, you decide to follow your instinct and select a pathway.
You walk through the narrow chamber, which contains an infinite number of closed doorways. Most of the markings upon them do not look familiar, and you realize those rooms do not contain the dream you are seeking. Finally you come upon a doorway that you know without a doubt is yours. As you grasp the doorknob you vividly recall either the point at which your dream left off, or the feeling you had upon awakening from the dream you could not remember. You open the door, and step into the dream sequence.
[When you are satisfied that you have retrieved all of the dream information that is possible for now, you should begin walking back toward the mouth of the silver cave, following the same pathway you used to enter the dream. Then you may continue with the process of returning to your normal con sciousness, which follows.]
When you are ready to leave Tir na mBan, you come back to the blood path and follow it back to the shoreline. [If it cannot be found, mentally will your self to it.]
A: Shapeshifting
As you stand on the shore, you feel the animal form that you took on to come here reasserting itself, and you allow the transformation. Then you step off the shore and back onto the left-hand side of the spiral path, following it ever outward to where it connects with the right-hand spiral. At this point your form changes again to your own physical body.
B: Horse or Bird Guide
Waiting for you on the shore is the (horse or raven) that brought you here. You climb again on her back and she starts carrying you out onto the lefthand side of the spiral path, following it ever outward to where it connects with the right-hand spiral. At this point you dismount, thank the creature, and continue walking.
C: Silver Boat
Waiting for you on the shore is the silver boat that brought you here. You climb into it again and it easily slips back out onto the left-hand side of the spiral path, following it ever outward to where it connects with the right-hand spiral. At this point the boat stops, and you get out. The boat retreats back into the mist, where you know it will be waiting for you on your next trip to Tir na mBan.
You joyfully continue moving into the center of the right-hand spiral, feeling Tir na mBan growing farther away from you as the atmosphere loses its fluidity.
Feeling as if you have truly been born anew, and have received another level of initiation into the Celtic women’s tradition, you reach the center of the right-hand spiral. You feel yourself suddenly fading away from the astral world as a gentle veil of space and time closes off your world from this one, and you say to yourself, “I am home.”
Gently your consciousness transfers itself back to your physical body. Feel now the awareness of your physical self returning to your legs, arms, back, stomach, and neck. Flex them and relish the joy of being a living human being.
You are once again part of the waking physical world. You open your eyes and feel exhilarated, energized, and glad to be home with your new wisdom. Do not forget to ground yourself [see Appendix C if you are unfamiliar with this concept]. Touch the earth, eat, scream, or do anything else that firmly roots you in the present. Then be sure to record this experience in your Book of Shadows, or other magickal journal, for later reference.
209. Mynne, Hugh. The Faerie Way (St. Paul, Minn.: Llewellyn, 1996), 31.
210. Matthews, Caitlin. The Celtic Book of Days: A Guide to Celtic Spirituality and Wisdom (Rochester, Vt.: Destiny Books, 1995), 120.
211. A lengthy guided meditation specifically designed to unite you with your shadow self, and to extract a talisman of power from this union, can be found in my earlier work, Celtic Myth and Magick (St. Paul, Minn.: Llewellyn, 1995).