The next day they walked to a rocky outcrop at the back of the western beach, known as the Eagle’s Beak.

“How is your stomach feeling today?” Bébinn asked, knowing that Aífe had not eaten since the day before.

“I’m fine, thanks, as long as I drink only water,” Aífe said good-
naturedly.

“Do you see that rocky prominence up there? I want you to climb it.”

Aífe looked up, horrified. It appeared to be a sheer cliff from where they were standing.

“If you go slowly, you will find little handholds and places to put your feet. It isn’t as hard as it looks.”

“I have never climbed anything like that! What if I fall?” Aífe clenched her hands.

“Don’t ask questions or give excuses. Do it now!”

Aífe had never attempted such a thing in her life. It was a good forty feet to the top of the rocks, and she was terrified that she would fall and smash her skull on the rocks below. The first ten feet were easy, the next few harder. By the time she was halfway up, the height was dizzying, and she was too afraid to look down.

Each time her foot slipped off of a rocky purchase her stomach lurched, until she was covered in sweat. She uttered small gasps each time she lost her footing. She thought of the soft sand between the rocks below. If she fell, would it cushion her? Might she only break a few bones?

Near the top, her progress was by inches. Now she felt like a fly clinging to a sheer wall, about to be swiped off by some giant, unseen hand at any moment. She used every bit of willpower just to keep going, despite her trembling limbs. When at last she pulled herself over the top and flopped onto a small tussock of grass at the summit, she was stunned to see Bébinn there before her, calmly sitting on a fleecy blanket, laying out provisions for a picnic.

“But how … ?” was all she could say between pants of exhaustion and slowly ebbing fear.

“There’s a grassy slope up the back. It’s an easy climb. I got here before you were even halfway up the rocks!” said Bébinn, smiling innocently.

Aífe grew angry. She had been tricked and deceived but dared not show it. It was impolite to hold such ill feeling towards an elder.

Bébinn studied her face for a moment.

“Tell me how you feel. Be honest!”

“I’m hurt, and I’m angry. Why did you do that to me? I could have been killed!”

“I suppose that’s true. Why then did you do it?”

“Because you said I had to!”

“As I recall, I said I wanted you to climb. Just because I wanted you to climb up that rock, did that mean you had to? Did you have a choice?” Bébinn inquired calmly.

“I didn’t think I had a choice,” Aífe answered.

“You chose not to have a choice. But you were never a victim. You made your own decision. Your choice was to follow my dictate. Yes?”

“I suppose that’s true.” Aífe was still confused.

“I do not have power over you. You made the decision to go up that rock face and not seek another path.”

Aífe stood quietly and thought. “Yes,” she finally answered. “I decided.” She was amazed and embarrassed. Through all the fear and discomfort, she had been angry at following someone else’s orders. Now she saw that she had been in control of her own fate all along; she had simply made the wrong choice.

Bébinn continued. “Today’s lesson is called commus. It is about power and the choices we make to use or not use our own power. We will focus on the area around your stomach, between your navel and the bottom of your rib cage.” Bébinn indicated the space with her fingers and went on speaking. “When a woman is pregnant, the fetus develops in the center of the mother’s body. There is a reason for that. The growth of a child is a physical and visible manifestation of the transformational power that exists in the middle of the body. But there are other powers and energies that also emanate from that same area. The center of the body is the place from which all of the body’s powers radiate.

“On a base level, the nature of that area has to do with developing power over others or letting others have power over us. You see, there is a constant tension in our lives between the quest for personal empowerment and making positive choices versus exerting power over others or being overpowered by others.

“Sometimes we do need to assert ourselves powerfully, but if this becomes a habitual pattern of life, it results in harm to ourselves and others. It can even make us physically sick and create chronic stomach disease. Of course, constantly feeling victimized and powerless can lead to disease just as easily.

“It is especially important when we do magic that we remember that all magic comes back to the sender eventually. If we seek magical power over someone else, it will eventually backfire—and the same energy will return to harm us three times.”

Aífe was thoughtful. “Yes, Ethne always says that a wise magician has to remember that the universe tends towards balance. If forceful energy is sent out—for example, battle-magic—it will rebound on the sender. The old Ard-Drui Coemgen died doing battle-magic for the Ard-Ri Crimthann.”

“Exactly. Nature is the ultimate source of all power, and she always seeks to bring the world into balance. All beings must be respected because they, we, are all part of Great Nature. We are all part of the same Source and equally sacred. We should strive for respect and cooperation in all things to get what we want, rather than trying to exert power over others.

“There are many kinds of power: power over, passive power, self-empowerment, and true personal power. Sometimes a person will even play the victim as a way to gain power over others. We always have a choice in our use of power: action or inaction, speaking or not speaking, doing or not doing.

“The center of our body, the place from which our power emanates or where power is taken in, is also the place of transition between the pools of energy in our body above and the pools of energy below. It is the choice-point where we decide whether to move forward and change or persevere with who we already are.

“This constant decision-making produces a friction within us that vitalizes all our bodily energies, just as the sun energizes the plants. It leads to change and transformation, if honored, while if ignored, keeps us stuck in our habitual patterns. It can arouse a lust for life and new challenges or make us feel weak and helpless. We have to consciously decide whether to move forward, change, and transform, or remain the same.

“But the key is to realize that we are always choosing to use our power or choosing not to use it. No doubt your Ard-Drui Coemgen was well aware of the risks when he undertook battle-magic on behalf of the Ard-Ri. He made a conscious decision to sacrifice himself for the good of other lives, as a great Drui sometimes will.”

They were silent for a moment, each reflecting on the Druid who had given their lives throughout the ages so that their tribes would prosper. They had volunteered to be sacrificed and shed their life-blood to return their energies to the land, to ensure healthy crops for the people, or to protect the tribes from disease, conquest, or some other looming catastrophe.

“Why did we come here, to the Eagle’s Beak?” Aífe asked at last.

Bébinn replied, “You know the story of the King of the Birds. In that tale, which is actually a wisdom teaching, there was a contest amongst the birds of the world. The challenge was that whichever bird flew highest would win the title King of the Birds. One by one, the birds stepped up to claim the prize.

“The snow goose was sure she would win because she migrated vast distances each spring and fall. The raven was full of magic and believed she would win by virtue of her cunning. The eagle was sure he would win because he had the strongest wings.

“On the day of the contest, the birds flew higher and higher until finally the lordly eagle flew above all the rest, circling easily in the clouds. But when even he could climb no higher, a tiny wren appeared from within the eagle’s back feathers. The wren had hidden himself in the eagle’s feathers before the eagle took off, without the eagle even knowing it. The wren flew higher than the mighty eagle because he was well rested, and in that way the wren was proclaimed the King of the Birds.

“The wren is known as the ‘Druid bird’ because it symbolizes using one’s brains rather than brawn to achieve one’s aims. The eagle is a symbol of using raw muscle to achieve power, which is a long way of explaining why we came to this spot. If we want to maintain our personal power, it is a good idea to think carefully before we act and not rely on brute physical force, as the eagle did.”

“Oh,” said Aífe quietly. She now saw how she had charged ahead without thinking and used her muscles and will to climb the cliff, instead of using her mind to see if there was another, better way.

Bébinn spoke again as she finished laying out the midday meal. “Today’s test is called the test of citrine. Citrine is a stone of fire and the sun. It is used to heal the digestive tract by laying it over the stomach, and it reminds us that we should make positive use of our personal power in the pursuit of our goals. It also reminds us that just as too much sunlight will burn us and too little will cause the crops to fail, so too much exertion of power or too little exertion of it will bring a lack of balance and cause harm.”

Bébinn reached into her willow basket and pulled out a folded linen cloth, which she opened carefully. In the center was a shiny citrine crystal, sparkling orange in the sunlight. She handed it to Aífe.

“This is for your crane bag. Now, let’s sit on top of the Eagle’s Beak and pretend we are both tiny wrens. Dáiríne packed a nice lunch for us, and I think your belly is probably settled enough to enjoy it!”

“Thank you very much!” Aífe murmured gratefully. Her stomach had indeed recovered from the trials of the day before, and she found that she was suddenly starving.