Celtic Women's Spirituality: Accessing the Cauldron of Life - Edain McCoy 1998
The Dedication of the Warrior: Solitary Ritual
Today’s warrior woman may not be called upon to battle enemy tribes—although she might, if she is part of our modern armed forces—but she is likely to be called to fight for her principles and beliefs, to protect herself from rape and burglary, to shield her children and loved ones from danger, or simply to safe guard her self esteem.
Sadly, modern women have not been taught how to fight for themselves. “Baby Boomer” women, raised with the passive role models of early television, were taught that the best way to gain power was to be sneaky and always let a man think he had really solved the problems to which women had found the answers. The young women of Generation X have grown up in a violent world that has tried to teach them to equate personal power with the ability to hurt others before they get hurt. This is just as much a poor warrior model as the overly pas sive Donna Reeds and June Cleavers of the Baby Boomer generation. Women who grew up in the preWorld War II era, raised by the last offspring of the repressed Victorians, have even fewer positive role models than the two gener ations that followed them. All in all, it’s amazing that any woman is sane and ego healthy.
Modern warrior women are aware that the greatest differences between people are based more upon gender than any other arbitrary designation that separates human from human. Though we are led to believe that issues of race, religion, and politics are the greatest barriers between people, just stop and think about all the women in your life, what they have endured, how they have managed to survive and, in many cases, how they have triumphed. There is no defining category to which they belong other than their womanhood. Think of the women beaten by fathers, brothers, or husbands. Think of those who have endured sexual harassment in the workplace. Think of those who have been raped. Think of those who have had to choose between raising the children they love or working two menial wage jobs to just retain custody of them. Think of the laws, enacted by legislatures made up mostly of upper-class men from the dominant ethnic background, who have legally boxed women into situations in which people made of lesser stuff would crack. These are worldwide problems that transcend all classifications but gender.
The media goes out of its way to emphasize racial differences when a white an attacks a black woman or a black man attacks a white woman, but it really comes down to only one thing-a man attacking a woman. The implication the press gives is that somehow an attack is more acceptable if it comes from someone who shares his victim’s ethnic, religious, and economic background. Convincing women that someone of another ethnic, religious, or socio-economic background is their enemy helps keep women focused on the characteristics they share with the men in their lives. It keeps us separated from other women, from seeing a natural feminine unity based on similar goals, experiences, and problems. Keeping women at war with each other keeps us isolated and it keeps us weak.
Having been blessed with friends representing a great diversity of ethnicity, national origin, religion, and culture, I have seen this principle in action for myself. I have talked at length with women from all over the world, and the one topic on which we have no trouble understanding each other is on issues of women’s concerns. If you have not had such an experience, you really should seek out the opportunity. Hearing for yourself the oneness of women’s experiences and perceptions is empowering. It is also very threatening to the powers-that-be. There is strength in unity, and the patriarchy knows this.
Women have also had to endure verbal attacks that serve to keep us in a lesser position. We have been called the usual round of demeaning names such as bitch, cunt, hag, harridan, tease, and so on and so forth, ad nauseum. Our very ability to function in the world has been called into question as well. In many cases we have been deemed too hysterical and emotionally unstable to hold positions of responsibility. Yet studies show that it is men who are right-brain oriented-and the right half of the brain is the hemisphere that rules the emotional side of human behavior. Women tend to be ruled by the left brain, the hemisphere of logic and reason. Women also have more connectors between the two halves, a substance known as the corpus callosum, which allows a greater exchange of information between the two spheres. Think about it. When was the last time you heard a report on the evening news about women whose bar fight got out of hand to the point that they resorted to shooting at each other? When is the last time you heard about a woman so upset over the break-up of her marriage that she killed her husband, her kids, and then herself? When is the last time you heard about a woman serial killer, or pedophile, or rapist?
Our natural cycles, the very cycles that enable human life to continue, have often been blamed for our supposed irrationality. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) takes a lot of bashing in the media. It is true that many women become more aggressive during this period, though they are rarely out of control. What they are is under the influence of the male hormone testosterone which, although it remains only in small quantities, increases during the premenstrual phase. Modern medicine has documented the male phenomenon known as the “testosterone rage,” a violently irrational outburst caused by sharp escalations in this hormone’s production, usually due to the ingestion of bulk-building steroid drugs. Testosterone increases aggressiveness. Testosterone is the definitive male hormone, as estrogen is the defining female one. Therefore, any PMS symptoms that are perceived as unstable are due to the fact that women act more like men during this phase than at any other time in their cycles. Aggressive behavior in men is applauded—in women it is feared.
Women must integrate a warrior aspect into their lives, just as they do other magickal aspects, not only to function as a whole being, but because survival in our modern world requires it. When we become warriors we become capable of arming ourselves with the facts needed to defend ourselves and our sisters when such verbal attacks come. Words have power. If you don’t accept that, you have no place in a magickal religion in which words are known to be powerful enough to shape realities. Left unchecked by us, the negative energy of these words will grow to form a repressive reality we do not want.
Being a warrior has its obligations, and its need for temperance as well. Warrior women must learn, to borrow a B-western movie term, not to “shoot from the hip” when it comes to our defenses. Becoming overly aggressive is not a solution to our collective problem. If that worked, then the world today would already be a mighty perfect place to live. Above all, we should not give in to “man-bashing.” We must have the wisdom to distinguish the chest-beating baboons steeped in the involuted thinking of the patriarchy from our brothers who find this behavior and mindset just as disturbing as do we. In the heat of battle the skilled warrior knows at whom she is swinging her axe!
Evoking the powers of the warrior is not a way of gaining power over others, but of taking back power over ourselves and our lives. It reaffirms our right to make our own decisions, to choose what we do with our bodies, with whom to mate, what to study, how to live and, most importantly, how to connect with the many aspects of our Goddess. Once we learn how to call upon that warrior self, we can respond quickly and efficiently if ever we or someone/something we love is threatened. Never confuse the warrior self with one who must always resort to violence to solve her problems. Some of the most powerful warrior work you may be called upon to perform is peaceful in nature, creating change through wisdom and wilL This is power indeed.
The Nature of Ritual
A ritual is a set pattern of actions and words undertaken to achieve a lasting and definable end result. Rituals can be formal or informal, planned or spontaneous, but all retain some elements of unchanging, prescribed rites whose purpose is to imprint a lasting change on the life and psyche of the participant. The language of ritual is symbolism. Symbols trigger our minds to move in desired directions, and to connect with other aspects of our inner selves and our deities. The need to forge a symbolic connection with the deep mind, or subconscious, is why ritual form necessitates a certain amount of repetition.
Often it is said that ritual leaves a lasting change on the psyche of the one who participates in the ritual. This is a good definition but unless the concept of the psyche makes sense to you it is useless. Psyche was the old Greek word for the soul, as well as being the name of a Greek allegorical heroine who represented the human soul and married the God of love, Eros. It refers to the totality of a person as she exists not only in this incarnation but in all forms. It refers to the physical body, the soul, the mental body, and the astral body. Properly conceived and executed, ritual is a very powerful and far-reaching tool for change. Long after the physical aspect of a ritual has ended, its energies continue to work on your behalf.
An old metaphysical adage teaches that when you change, everything around you changes. Through ritual, we attempt to control the nature of our inner changes. By doing this, we cause the world around around to change in conformation with our desires. This is why ritual is often equated with magick, since the end result is some type of change, however subtle.
Ritual most often takes place within the confines of the sacred circle. Use of the circle for religious rites and magick is an ancient practice. The circular shape is a symbol of completion, eternity, and containment, and it represents our acceptance that all things are cyclic in nature; each of us is born, dies, and then is regenerated over and over again. (For those of you unfamiliar with the casting, use, and grounding of sacred circles, Appendix C provides detailed discussion and complete instructions.)
Preparing for the Warrior Dedication Ritual
This ritual consists of eleven parts:
Cleansing
Shielding
Arming
The Naming of the Arms
The Declaration of Intent
Sacred Vows
The Naming of the Warrior Self
The Girdling or The Bestowing of the Torque
Assuming the Warrior Stance
Drinking the Warrior’s Brew
Consuming the Hero’s Portion
For this ritual you will need the following materials:
✵ An incense or herb with purifying powers such as frankincense, basil, sage, or cinnamon
✵ Your shield (discussed in full in this chapter)
✵ A chosen piece of weaponry; this can be a ritual tool or a special wand, knife, or axe you want to use for your warrior rituals
✵ A sash or cord that will be used to make a girdle to represent your new status; or a torque, a metal neckpiece used by Celtic warriors and people of rank that is sold through many occult suppliers (see Appendix F)
✵ A tea made of herbs related to strength and prophetic visions such as mugwort, cinnamon, catnip, white oak bark, angelica, valerian, or spearmint
✵ Plans for a large, lavish, post-ritual meal
Prior to any ritual it is customary to do a cleansing of both the body and the mind. This was very much a Celtic custom, and many early observers of the Celts write in detail about the obsessive cleanliness these people practiced. The body can be cleansed either through “bathing” it in the smoke of a purifying incense or bathing in a tub, preferably with an herb known for its purifying powers. The mind can be cleansed through simple meditation: taking time to slow your thoughts, center your energies, and focus on the upcoming ritual. Whichever method(s) you choose, make sure to turn your thoughts from mundane concerns and focus them on the task at hand.
You will also need to prepare ahead of time:
✵ A shield, and then select a name for it
✵ Another weapon, and choose its name as well
✵ A warrior name for yourself
Your shield can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. This is to be a form of psychic protection and strength, not an actual tool of battle. It can either be drawn on a piece of paper, glued together with colored pieces of felt, embroidered in cloth, or burned or carved into a piece of wood. Shield-shaped blocks of soft basswood are easy to find in craft shops, and these carve and burn well. If your shield is small enough, it can be carried around with you as a personal talisman. If not, it can be saved for personal or group warrior rituals in which you divine outcomes for uncertain or frightening situations, or whenever you just need a boost of personal strength and stamina.
When you have the time and the privacy, begin to design your shield. Take a pencil or colored pencils and sketch out ideas as they come to you. The images you choose should reflect your Celtic focus as well as contain images of defense and protection. Mine include a large pentagram, which is a symbol of protection and of many Wiccan traditions; a horse, representative of the Goddess and symbolic of the ability to travel between the worlds; a boar, an animal that symbolizes the best of a Celtic warrior’s attributes—strength, tenacity, and stamina68—and is also a sign of abundance and wisdom; a triskele to represent the Triple Goddess (see Chapter 6); a Brighid’s Cross to honor my connection to this Goddess as one of her priestesses; and my chosen warrior name.
You should also choose a secret symbol to be projected mentally onto your shield during the ritual, one that you can readily call to mind to activate the shield’s protective powers. This is also like having a security code for your magick. No one else should ever know what this symbol is. This will prevent anyone else from using your shield or breaking through its defenses.
The precedents for the arming and naming of warriors were discussed in the previous chapter. Names were of great importance to the Celts, who felt that a name contained the essential power of a person or thing. To name something was a serious endeavor. Naming helped shape that thing’s or person’s personality and helped direct its inner power. To know the true name of someone or something was to have a measure of control over it. This again is why you will want to keep your shield’s unseen symbol and your weapon’s name closely held secrets.
Naturally your warrior self will not be worn on the surface at every moment. Giving yourself a warrior name will allow you to call up that aspect of yourself at a moment’s notice, whenever it is needed. Do not worry about it clashing with any other names you have chosen for yourself. A Pagan can have many names. Choosing a warrior name will not lessen the power of your chosen Craft name69 or of any other names you use in magick and ritual. I have four names: my general Craft name, my priestess name, my warrior name, and the secret name my tradition has us select for ourselves upon our initiation. Because I have a secret name, as do many Pagans, I do not feel the need to closely guard my other names.
Finding the right name for yourself is not difficult, though it may take some time. When selecting special names for yourself or your tools, start by drawing from the Celtic myths. The names of warrior Goddesses or heroines are always nice to adopt. You can also go through an Irish or Welsh lexicon searching for an appropriate name. For example, my warrior name is Lorica. The Irish word lorica refers to a warrior’s breastplate, the last line of defense in face to face battle. It also means a blessing or prayer of protection in modem Irish.
One way to select a name for your shield or weapon is to let it tell you what its true name is. To do this spend time with it; hold it, sleep with it (if it is safe to do so—sleeping with sharp knives is out!), meditate with it held against you. Open yourself to its energies and ask what it is called. It may take some persistence, but eventually a name should come to you. If it is a name or word with which you are unfamiliar, you may want to check it out before commit ting to it in case it is unacceptable to you. Negative names like “Spirit Killer” or “Harm Giver” should indicate that your mental programming of the weapon went wrong somewhere and you should start over, projecting more positive, defensive images into it.
To call up the power of your shield, your tool, or your warrior self, you need only to take a deep breath, center your energy, and say (or think clearly) the name three times. Allow each one to be spoken in clear, slow, deliberate tones, feeling each one empowering and awakening these inner aspects. You should also mentally conjure up the image of the secret symbol that you will project onto the shield during your dedication ritual. The combination of the name and the mental image will stir your shield and weapons to life, whether they are physically with you at the time or not. They will also bring your inner warrior to the surface. Use the energy of your shield when you need to have a defense, and the weapon when you must go on the offense.
This process is so simple to use once its components are in place that too many women dismiss it as having little use. This is another of those mysteries you should learn: the simplest magicks often have the strongest results, because they are the easiest to harness and build a working relationship with over time. Each time you use a magick, its power in relation to you is strengthened threefold. Those who you are protecting yourself from may never actually see the shield and weapon manifest around you, but trust that they will sense the power and tread cautiously around you.
I saw this warrior magick in action for myself. When I was living in Texas my best friend, also a Celtic Pagan, and I used to race walk night simply because it was convenient for us; it was also wise considering the south Texas heat. We always stayed together and remained in our own neigh borhoods, quiet residential areas with good security. We felt that, as women, we were being as safe as we could be without forfeiting our right to move freely in the world. One night we became aware that we were being watched by a man hiding between two houses that faced the road that exited the housing development in which I lived. About a half mile beyond this was a major thoroughfare known as Bandera Road, though it was not well traveled so far out so late at night. It was a mystery to us how this man had happened upon us, but we could both sense he was not standing there wishing us well. Immediately we both mentally called upon our shields and weapons, and visualized them in action against this interloper. We did not do this with the intent to harm, only to warn him of the dangers in messing with two warrior women. Within a few minutes he disappeared back toward Bandera Road.
Because you have worked this ritual in both the seen and unseen worlds, your warrior power will function in both. When you are astral projecting, doing a guided meditation, or practicing dream control, knowing how to call upon your warrior aspect will put you in charge. While it is always best to sim ply retreat from Otherworld dangers or awaken from a disturbing dream, there will be times when this is not possible. Calling upon the warrior in you, and on the power of your shield and tool, can strengthen your defenses and help you fight off a psychic attack if it comes.
The torque and the girdle are symbols of Celtic authority and personal power. The torque is more often associated with male warriors, but since torques were symbols of rank and not gender, women probably wore them as well. The ritual girdle is not anything like the hip crunching few decades ago, but an emblem that represents personal authority.70 It shows that its wearer is whole and complete unto herself; she needs no other individual to make her feel complete, requires no outside approval for her choices, and asks no favors from anyone as she seeks her warrior self. The girdle was also a symbol of magickal protection for the Celts,71 and might have been used to offer protection to warriors as they went into battle.
The Warrior Dedication Ritual
Gather all your materials and go to a private place to cast your ritual circle. Be prepared to spend at least an hour undisturbed in this place. When all the pre liminaries are out of the way (see Appendix C if you are unsure how to do this), announce your purpose aloud to the universe. You might want to do this while facing south, the direction of passion ruled by fire, the element that also rules protection and battle.
Next, take out your shield and mentally impress upon it the secret symbol that you have chosen to use to empower and protect it. See it clearly in your mind, and then mentally sear it onto the face of the shield. Spend a few moments feeling your energy blending with that of the shield. You should also mentally project into it what you require it to do for you. Then make a state ment in which you name it. You can state this out loud if you are alone, but you may choose to do it silently if you are with a group and do not choose to reveal the name of your shield to anyone. The naming might sound some thing like this:
Shield which is my defense and protection, in the presence of the Goddess who knows the true name of all her creations, by earth, water, fire, and air, I call you (insert shield’s name). As I call upon you, so shall you respond to my need.
Now repeat the shield’s name three times. After each recitation breathe onto the shield. The breath of life was another Celtic concept used by the warriors. When a warrior lay mortally wounded on a battlefield, another warrior would come along and bestow the “kiss of life.” Their lips would touch as life ebbed from the dying warrior so that some part of the life force would live on in the surviving warrior. The Celts also believed that this helped a warrior to be reborn into the clan again.
Starting with the south quarter, walk clockwise around your circle, present ing your shield to each of the elements and introducing it by name. Tell each quarter that this shield is now a part of you so that each element can recog nize it as such. This type of introduction is a customary practice at the end of many Wiccan initiation rituals. The purpose is to announce to the totality of the universe the new name by which they shall know you, or in this case, your defense mechanism—your shield.
Next, take up your chosen weapon. As you did with the shield, spend time sensing the connection between you. This will be even stronger if you have crafted the tool with your own hands. Remember that it does not need to be elaborate. It does not even have to be a weapon in the traditional sense, since its function is a psychic and symbolic one. Then name the weapon:
(Insert name of type of tool, like knife, wand, et cetera) which is my ally in battle, in the presence of the Goddess who knows the true name of all her creations, by earth, water, fire, and air, I call you (insert weapon’s name). As I call upon you, so shall you respond to my need.
Repeat the weapon’s name three times, and after each recitation breathe onto the shield. Then, starting with the south quarter, walk clockwise around the circle, introducing your weapon by name to each quarter.
Next, take these two newly charged armaments of defense and offense and move with them to the center of your circle. Hold your defensive shield in your left or receptive hand (usually the non-dominant one-the one you do not write with) and your offensive weapon in your right or projective hand (the dominant one-the one you write with). Now you will take the sacred vows of the warrior woman. These should be written by you and should contain the following four elements:
✵ Dedication of intent to protect and defend yourself
✵ Acknowledgement of your strength and power as a warrior
✵ Dedication to the way of the Goddess
✵ Willingness to help protect others who are not as strong as you, or who are afraid or unable to defend themselves
Still holding the tools, declare your warrior name three times by saying:
I am the warrior called (insert name).
You may do this silently if there are other women present and you wish to keep your name a secret. If you do not, there are several empowering ways they can help you celebrate the dedication of your warrior name. They can chant your new name in rhythm while you stand basking in the glory of your strength, or they can each salute you in tum, honoring you as a warrior among women. It sounds so simple, but take it from someone who has been there: it is a very moving experience to be celebrated in such a manner.
The next step is to bestow upon yourself, or have bestowed upon you if you are in a group situation, the girdle and/or torque. As these are placed upon you, some statement should be made that they are symbols of honor, of the warrior’s rank and obligation. You should also vow to see them destroyed if you should ever shame or misuse your warrior power. You may make these vows in your own words, or in the words your group has chosen. These types of oaths are common in basic Pagan initiation ceremonies, usually asking that your deities desert you and your tools tum against you should you ever use them wrongly.
After this, take a ritual drink of the warrior’s brew, the tea you have prepared ahead of time. It should have been made with your ritual purpose in mind and will be used to seal your vows. In group situations, a communal cup is sometimes passed among all members. Or, if sanitation is an issue, a communal cup or cauldron can be used to fill smaller individual cups. The choice is yours. Taking the drink will also be a threefold rite; you will offer a salute to the Goddess first, drink second, and then save some to offer to Mother Earth as a libation when the ritual has ended.
Now yell, cheer, sing, and dance, assuming a warrior’s fighting posture, and present yourself to each quarter with your new warrior name. Allow yourself to feel invincible. Revel in your strength.
When you are ready, you may close your circle and ground yourself (see Appendix C). Put your new talismans of warrior power in a safe place, where their energies will be protected from curious hands and unwanted random thought patterns. Encase them in a cloth made for them and place them in a closet or magickal cabinet, or you can place them under your bed, if it is clean enough under there. These are magickal tools, a part of you, and they should always be treated with respect.
After you have seen to the care of your new talismans, go out and feast on your Hero’s Portion. The Hero’s Portion consisted of the finest cut of meat and the best cup of wine at a celebration banquet. In Celtic mythology these feasts are mentioned frequently, as is the competition for this place of honor at the right hand of the ruler. Either go out alone to eat and treat yourself roy ally, enjoying your first taste of warrior self-confidence, or go out with a group of Pagan women (whether or not they were part of your dedication ritual) and celebrate your new status together.
68. King, John. The Celtic Druids’ Year: Seasonal Cycles of the Ancient Celts (London: Blandford, 1994), 113.
69. A Craft name is a spiritual name chosen by you or for you upon your initiation into Paganism. This is similar to the confirmation names taken in some Christian sects. Some people keep these names secret, while others adopt them for everyday use. The purpose is to acknowledge a changed you; a new person who needs a new name.
70. This actually should read herself or himself, since men wore them, too. Ireland’s King Cormac was said to have owned five girdles.
71. Matthews, Caitlin. The Celtic Book of Days (Rochester, Vt.: Destiny Books, 1995), 199.