Moon 4
The Moon of Germination
Moon Four of the Avalonian Cycle of Revealing is called the Moon of Germination and is associated with the herb vervain (Verbena officinalis). It is the last of four moons during the Time of Ceridwen, and the lunar month begins on the first full moon when the sun is in Aquarius; the full moon is in Leo. This full moon corresponds with the Station of Confrontation in the Avalonian Cycle of Healing, and it is the holy day of Gwyl Mair.
From the smallest of seeds held in Earth’s rich soil to the embryonic stars forming in the dense stellar nurseries of deep space, the greatest growth occurs in darkness. It is here at the deepest point of the great cycle and the bottom of the Cauldron of Transformation where we must fully embrace our darkness. It is in this place we must embrace the ultimate trust in ourselves and our process. We do this by letting go of our attachment to outmoded ways of seeing ourselves and the world, by releasing our illusions of control over anything or anyone but ourselves, and by surrendering ourselves to the process of inner alchemy that we have set into motion when we undertook this journey into Sovereignty.
It is the shedding of the confines and limitations of our old life that permits us to drink deeply from the vessel of rebirth. It is by emptying ourselves of what was that we are able to glimpse the possibilities of what may yet be. When we are as fully conscious of the dark as we can be … when we are able to look at the places where we have been broken, or have fallen short of our goals, or have otherwise not actualized the potential that lies dormant within us … we can then see the light that has always been there within us. It is then that we can discover the treasure awaiting release—the Fire in the Head, the Shining Brow that will lead us with compassion and true wisdom up and out of the cauldron as the cycle waxes anew.
The Mythic Portion
It is not long after her shape-shifting pursuit that Ceridwen discovers the piece of wheat that had been Gwion Bach has taken root in her womb. After the passage of nine moons, she gave birth to a boy child. As angry as she was at Gwion, she found that she couldn’t do the babe any harm. She instead wrapped him in a leather bag and set him adrift on the sea in a coracle. Some say that forty years passed before the coracle made its way into a salmon weir where it was found by a Welsh prince named Elphin on Nos Calan Gaeaf—the Eve of the First of Winter. The prince cut open the leather and revealed the infant within, exclaiming at the sight of him, “Behold, this radiant brow!” And so the child receives the name Taliesin. Raised by Elphin and his wife, Taliesin grew to become the most gifted and renowned of all Welsh bards.
The Work of the Moon of Germination
The Moon of Germination is the same moon as the Holy Day of Gwyl Mair (“The Festival of Mary” or “The Festival of the Mother”), both of which correspond to the Station of Confrontation in the Avalonian Cycle of Healing. It is the time which marks the very bottom of the cauldron of the dark half of the year—the deepest depths of winter.
And yet it is here, in this darkness, that new growth takes place.
Gwion as the devoured seed spends nine moons planted in Ceridwen’s womb and in doing so, reveals the reflective nature of the process of becoming conscious of the most hidden parts of ourselves. Nine is the number of the Moon, that archetypal symbol of the Unconscious realm. The journey into wisdom is the great initiation which makes one Twice Born: once of the womb (physical birth), and once of the cauldron (spiritual birth), each a symbolic resonance of the other.
Though this gestational period appears like a fallow time from the outside, a great deal is happening in the darkness. Our inner potential begins to pierce through the hull of its seed, sending shoots of new growth up toward the surface of consciousness, seeking discovery … awaiting our attention. When this deep wisdom is at last revealed, when the reborn child is discovered and freed from the leather bag—another womb-symbol, rendering us Thrice Born (the new Self that arises from the union of Consciousness and Unconsciousness)—the hard-earned Wisdom that illuminates the path of our inner process becomes plain to see.
Oftentimes the things we most deplore bring with them our life’s greatest blessings. Within the shadow of our fear lies the beauty of our strength. Our gifts are often realized through the harnessing of our flaws; they are intimately related, two extremes of the same whole. Releasing these things into the void by relinquishing our control over the outcome is a part of the work of the Station of Confrontation. We must learn to see the root of our issue for what it is and then change our lives by letting it go. Transformation will come.
When we learn to trust in the process of the Universe, when we release ourselves from the bonds of our outmoded beliefs, we enter into a place of true wisdom. Immersing ourselves as fully and as openly as possible into the deepest depths of shadow will result in our ability to emerge from these dark inner waters with new perspective and clarity; we will have become the Radiant Brow. We are a different person than the one who first entered the cauldron, and though it may have been difficult to face or accept what was contained within, we are better for having dared to make the journey … and that much more wise.
Searching Deeper
Ceridwen was the patroness and muse of the bards, the bestower of gifts from the Pair Awen, her Cauldron of Poetic Inspiration. As Taliesin was accounted to be the greatest of all bards, having attained enlightenment and been reborn from the Cauldron of Ceridwen, he became the paragon to which all bards aspired as they too sought to be considered Cerddorion, the children of Ceridwen.
It is not an accident that the infant Taliesin was found in a salmon weir on Calan Gaeaf—a holy day and threshold time that marked the beginning of winter—the Welsh equivalent of Samhain and the Celtic new year. Further, salmon has strong associations with wisdom in the myths of the Celts, and it is interesting to note that Ceridwen’s home of Llyn Tegid—a deep glacial lake through which the River Dee runs—is the only known home in Wales to a species of fish called gwyniad, which are in the salmon family. The salmon is also one of several connections between the story of Gwion Bach, who transformed himself into one while being chased by Ceridwen, and the Irish tale of a youth named Demne, who would become the great hero, Finn Mac Cumaill.
Demne was apprenticed to a druid poet named Finnegas, who dwelt on the banks of the River Boyne. For many years, Finnegas made a daily visit to the Well of Segais, the source of the Boyne, which formed a pool surrounded by nine hazel trees upon which grew the nuts of wisdom. In this pool dwelt wondrous salmon that ate the hazelnuts that fell into the water, and Finnegas sought to catch one, as there was a legend that whomever caught and ate one of these salmon would obtain the art of poetic prophecy. After five years of Demne’s service, Finnegas was at last successful in catching one of the salmons of wisdom. He set Demne to the task of cooking the fish with the command that the youth not eat any of it while Finnegas went to fetch more firewood.
The boy agreed, for he held his master in great regard, and set about cooking the salmon in a way that would best honor this wondrous fish. During the cooking, Demne noticed that a bubble was forming under the skin of the salmon, and he used his thumb to press it flat again; as he did so, he burned himself, and in an unthinking reaction to the pain, Demne popped his thumb into his mouth to soothe it. Too late, Finnegas returned, finding that the prophecy he had tried to circumvent—that he was destined to catch the Salmon of Wisdom, but someone else was destined to eat it—had nonetheless come to pass, for the wisdom had flowed into his apprentice. And so it was that Demne received the name Finn, which means “fair, blessed, enlightened,” and he would go on to become a renowned warrior-poet and leader of the Fianna, a noble war band, whose adventures are told in the Fenian cycle of stories. Finn was able access the powers of prophecy for the rest of his life simply by putting the thumb he had burned in his mouth.
The similarities between the two tales is striking, from the youth employed as an assistant obtaining the wisdom intended for another, to the acknowledgment of their enlightened state with a name that speaks of their newly acquired radiant brightness. The Irish name Finn is etymologically connected to the Welsh name Gwyn, both meaning “bright, white, holy”; we also see it in the terminal form -wen in the names of mythic personages believed to have once been deities such as Ceridwen and Branwen. Although it is uncertain, it is also believed that the name Gwion is related to Gwyn and may share the same meaning.
What is the significance of these two tales being so similar? We cannot be certain, but it could mean that both the Irish and the Welsh tales are drawing upon an earlier, common tradition that may have roots in the Celtic mother culture that arose on the European continent, or that in the inevitable cultural exchanges that occur with neighboring peoples, the tale of Finn or Gwion (or someone else they were based upon) passed from one place to another. We must also remember that although these tales were written down during the medieval period, they likely have their origins centuries earlier, and were preserved in bardic oral tradition. While the Irish and the Celtic Britons were two different cultural groups, albeit related, the druids were an important part of every Celtic society, and it may be that these two tales have a common origin story that would have been a feature of Druidic teaching.
Seeking Sovereignty Within:
Journaling Prompts and Self-Reflective Questions
Moon Four
The Moon of Germination
The Time of Ceridwen
Mythic Focus: After nine moons in Ceridwen’s womb, Gwion is reborn as Taliesin, the fully realized Shining Brow. She casts him into the waters and he is found in a salmon weir.
Personal Insights Around This Moon’s Mythic Portion: Meditate upon the portion of Ceridwen’s story associated with this moon, and reflect it within yourself. Her story is your story.
The Focus of the Moon of Germination by Phase
Seek the lessons of the Moon of Germination at each moon phase by using the stations of the monthly Cycle of Healing; be sure to journal all of the insights, symbols, and guidance you receive from each goddess at each moon phase. As you work with the information you receive between each phase, perhaps following the daily process outlined in Chapter 3 of this book and using tools such as trance postures and doorways as detailed in Avalon Within, be sure to record those insights in your journal as well.
Full Moon: Connect with Ceridwen, as this is one of the four moons that make up her time, to set up your work for the month and to receive insight on the issue of focus. This is also the Station of Confrontation in the cycle of the sun, marked by the holy day of Gwyl Mair, and so will acknowledge the potential found in the depths of the darkness.
Third Quarter: Station of Descent in the cycle of the moon. Bring the issue of focus to Rhiannon to explore through the filters of the Station of Descent and the Moon of Germination.
Dark Moon: Station of Confrontation in the cycle of the moon. Bring the issue of focus to Ceridwen to explore through the filters of the Station of Confrontation and the Moon of Germination.
First Quarter: Station of Emergence in the cycle of the moon. Bring the issue of the focus to Blodeuwedd to explore through the filters of the Station of Emergence and the Moon of Germination.
Night before the Full Moon: Station of Resolution in the cycle of the moon. Bring the issue of focus to Arianrhod to explore through the filters of the Station of Resolution and the Moon of Germination.
At any point in the month, bring the issue of focus to Branwen to explore through the Station of Integration and the Moon of Germination. Some women will do this on the night after the dark moon in counterpoint to working with Arianrhod on the night before the full moon.
Herbal Ally for the Moon of Germination
Vervain (Verbena officinalis)
Creating the Mother Elixir: On the night of the full moon, create your Vervain Lunar Elixir using the directions found on page 105 of Chapter 4. Be sure to label and date the bottle you are using to store the Mother Elixir. Journal any of your experiences around the creation of the vervain elixir.
Prepare the Daughter Elixir: After you have made the Mother Elixir, use the directions found on page 107 of Chapter 4 to prepare a dosage bottle for use in the daily experience of this elixir throughout the month. Remember to use a blue or amber dropper bottle for this purpose, and to clearly label your Daughter Elixir.
Daily Work with the Vervain Elixir: As discussed in Chapter 4, begin your daily exploration of the Vervain Elixir. Be sure to journal everything you can about how the elixir makes you feel, what you think its energetic actions are, where it sits in your energy body, and any and all impressions, insights, symbols, visions, and memories it presents to you:
Week One of Moon Four: Immerse yourself in the lunar elixir by taking it every day, reflecting upon how it makes you feel, and journaling all of the insights that come to you when you meditate upon the energies of the elixir.
Week Two of Moon Four: Continue to take the lunar elixir daily, but this week spend time experiencing and comparing the energetic impact of vervain as an essence, and vervain as a magical herb that you burn, as detailed in Chapter 4. Again, reflect upon how each makes you feel, and journal all of the insights that come to you when you meditate upon the energies of the elixir and the energies of the herb itself.
Week Three of Moon Four: Continue to take the lunar elixir daily, but this week spend time researching the medicinal, folkloric, and magical uses of vervain, beginning with the information provided in Part Three of this book. Compare your findings this week with your direct experiences, being sure to journal all of the insights and connections you’ve made.
Week Four of Moon Four: Continue to take the lunar elixir daily, but this week meditate upon the mythic portion of the month and reflect upon the ways in which the energies of vervain are related to the present portion of Ceridwen’s tale, and how it helps you to build a relationship with Ceridwen herself.
End of Moon Reflections: Under what circumstances could you see yourself using the vervain elixir in support of your work and personal process? If you had to describe the actions of this lunar elixir using one word, what would it be? What about using one sentence? What about using a whole paragraph? Again, be sure to journal everything.
Working: Journey Into the
Sacred Landscape of Ceridwen
Llyn Tegid
Please perform the induction to travel over the Ninth Wave, as found on page 74, and then proceed with the working below. When you have completed it, be sure to return from across the Ninth Wave, using the visualization found on page 76.
Having crossed the Ninth Wave into the Otherworld, disembark and envision a silver tether that extends from the center of your torso to the vessel which bore you here; it is of endless length and will expand and retract as necessary as you explore this Realm Over Waves, while keeping you connected to the boat in order to facilitate your return.
Take three deep, anchoring breaths, and immerse yourself in the energies of this place. It is the reflection of Llyn Tegid, the home of Ceridwen, here in the realm of the Mythic Otherworld. Standing on shore of the lake in the fading twilight, you are greeted by a strange, almost acrid scent borne upon the breeze. You follow it, and it leads you along the edge of the water taking you from the open beachfront at the foot of the long, glacial lake up along the eastern shoreline. You enter into an overgrowth of spiral-limbed and moss-covered trees that make a lush canopy that forms a living tunnel along the water’s edge. The scent becomes stronger as you continue to walk carefully in the dim light of the gloaming to step over the trunks of fallen trees and exposed roots lifting out of the ground like the gnarled fingers of ancient and arthritic hands.
At last you find yourself in a sheltered alcove, open to the waters of the lake but protected all around by a dense tangle of brush and trees. The scent is overwhelmingly strong here, and in the center of the wooded grotto you see a large cauldron hanging by a chain from a tripod over a slowly dying fire. Smoke rises from the mouth of the vessel, but no one appears to be tending this brew. Noticing a pile of neatly-stacked wood nearby, you feel called to add some fuel to the fading flames. You select a log and carefully place it among the embers and the half-burned wood underneath the cauldron. Squatting beside the fire, blow below the new wood three times to encourage the fire to catch; your effort is rewarded almost immediately—hungry tongues of flame begin to greedily devour the new wood.
You stand once more and see in the accompanying brightness that the cauldron is filled with a thick dark substance that roils into a boil as the fire crackles below it with increased vigor. The acrid stench fills your nostrils as large bubbles rise to the surface of the liquid, and belch odor into the darkness as they break. You notice a long-handled spoon hanging from one of the legs of the tripod. Take it and begin to stir. The liquid gets hotter and hotter as the boiling continues. The bubbles are smaller now but more numerous and frequent, and the steam rising from the of the brew shifts suddenly—it feels like the mixture has begun to coalesce. The bubbles come faster and faster.
And then, as if by magic, it is done.
There is a stillness … a silence … and then a bright and blinding light. Before you can react, three drops of shining liquid leap from the cauldron and land on your thumb. Instinctively, you pop your thumb into your mouth, expecting the heat of the brew to burn your skin, but this is not the case. Instead, you experience a warmth spreading from your hand, an almost ecstatic joy that rushes up your arm and fills the whole of your being with a radiant brilliance that infuses every cell and vibrates through every part of you. Pause now and fully experience this moment as you give yourself over to this energy that washes over your being, opens your heart, and brings illumination to your spirit. Filled in this way, you find that you now have full knowledge of what has just happened—you have received three drops of the Elixir of Wisdom from the Cauldron of Ceridwen, here on the shores of Llyn Tegid, her home. Take three deep and centering breaths as you anchor yourself in this new understanding.
Suddenly, your attention is brought back to the alcove when you hear a deep and resonant rumbling; the cauldron begins to shake and shudder. You back away from the unstable vessel and watch as it cracks in two, its dark and syrupy contents spill upon the ground, burning grass and the roots of shrubs and trees like a powerful acid.
In that moment, you sense that something is coming and you know that it is time. A light flashes inside you, the same light that emerged from the cauldron when the drops flew forth; you know it is a sign arising from your newly-gained Wisdom. Almost immediately, you sense a rustling in the underbrush and hear the low growl of what sounds to be a dog … and you know that you must run. With swift thought and an even swifter body, you sprint away and find that you somehow know how transform yourself into a hare. Bounding away into the brush, you run and run … pursued by a fleet-footed greyhound snarling and snapping at your tail. You dart left and right but cannot lose her. She closes in behind you, barking at you as her jaws seek to catch you. Your heart beating quickly, you continue to evade her.
A light flashes within you again, and suddenly you find that you are able to understand the meaning behind the greyhound’s growls—another side effect of the cauldron’s brew. She speaks: “I hold the challenges of the energies of Earth! What aspects of your physical self—your body, your health, your environment and access to resources—are holding you back in the here and now? How can these be transformed?”
Call upon the wisdom of the three drops and seek the answers to these questions as you continue to run from the greyhound … and when you feel you have received the answers you need, take three deep, centering breaths to integrate this understanding. And just as you feel these deeply rooted patterns that you’re connecting with here and now are about to slow you and restrict you from moving forward, you become aware of the hot breath of the dog upon your back legs … a light within you impels you to move in a way you haven’t before … to turn and leap, now jump, now dive into the water to escape the greyhound’s jaws.
As you dive, the blinding light within you makes you know how to shift and change, and as you hit the water you become a shining silver salmon. Your slim body slices through the water as if it’s something you’ve done your entire life. As you go down into the unfathomable depths of the deep glacial lake, you hear a large splash behind you. Turning your body so that you can look behind you, you realize you are still being pursued; the greyhound has also changed, becoming a swiftly swimming otter.
And even as its sharp claws brush dangerously close to the filaments of your delicate tail as you dart this way and that in your desire to get away, you experience that bright flash of inner light, and get a sense of what the otter is seeking to ask you: “I hold the challenges of the energies of Water! What aspects of your emotional self—your fears, your pain, your attachments—are holding you back in the here and now? How can these be transformed?”
Call upon the wisdom of the three drops and seek the answers to these questions as you continue to swim away from the otter … and when you feel you have received the answers you need, take three deep, centering breaths to integrate this understanding. And just as you feel these emotions you’re connecting with are about to overwhelm you, you find the strength to lift yourself above them … to get the perspective you need to prevent them from pulling you down deeper and deeper into the well of what no longer is … and with a burst of strength, and a flash of light within, you throw yourself high above the surface of the water, entering the realm of air. As you do so, you realize that your fins have become wings, your scales have become feathers, and you have become a tiny wren whose beating wings take you high above the water to soar on the wake of the wind.
But the pursuit is not over—although you have taken flight and left the lake below you, you look down to see the otter leap out of the water. As she hits the air, she transforms into a sharp-taloned hawk who spreads her wings and closes the distance between you. Still you fly, and still the hawk pursues you, screeching. Up and around, darting left, veering right, you try to avoid her powerful beak and razor-like claws, but she remains close behind. Once more, the light shines within you, and in that moment of brightness you find that you can understand the hawk’s screeching.
She asks: “I hold the challenges of the energies of Air! What aspects of your mental self—your perspectives, your illusions, how you communicate—are holding you back in the here and now? How can these be transformed?”
Call upon the wisdom of the three drops and seek the answers to these questions as you continue to fly away from the hawk … and when you feel you have received the answers you need, take three deep, centering breaths to integrate this understanding. And just as you feel the clarity of mind and the multitude of possibilities arising you’re connecting with are about to overwhelm you, you find the focus to channel your energy to formulate a plan. Filled now with insight, you also find it increasingly difficult to elude the grasp of the hawk. Trying not to panic, you center and breathe. The light of understanding blazes inside of you, and in your mind you know at last what it is you must do.
Below you and not far from the long and shining body of Llyn Tegid, you see a farm. You fly toward it as quickly as your tired wings can take you and you catch sight of a mill as you draw close. Everywhere on the ground you see scattered seeds of wheat, and so you drop to the earth and you hide yourself among the grains there on the threshing floor. You only have a moment to breathe when you find again that you are not alone. The hawk has followed you, and as she glides to the ground, she transforms into a hungry black hen who pecks and scratches at the grains of wheat. Lying there still and silent, you listen to the scratching of the hen draw near, then far, then closer once more. A flash of light fills your mind, and you find you can understand the clucking of the hen.
She asks: “I hold the challenges of the energies of Fire! What aspects of your creative self—your motivations, your obsessions, how you express your will—are holding you back in the here and now? How can these be transformed?”
Call upon the wisdom of the three drops and seek the answers to these questions as you continue lie still, hiding from the hen … and when you feel you have received the answers you need, take three deep, centering breaths to integrate this understanding. Deep recognition dawns on you at the same moment the hen’s beak hovers above you. She tilts her head to look at you with one steady eye, and you know what you are meant to do. You take another three centering breaths and surrender yourself to the moment. The beak comes down and devours you …
And you know nothing but darkness …
Unsure of how much time you have spent in the stillness of the darkness, you become vaguely aware of a growing light coming from within you and around you all at once. In this faint glow, you slowly realize that you are surrounded by water and you feel yourself being held in the deep curve of the bottom of Llyn Tegid, feeling so much like the Cauldron of Ceridwen. Experience yourself being rocked back and forth … back and forth … back and forth … and as you are rocked, you are shaped and you are shifted and you are changed. You are like the many pieces of slate that are smoothed and formed by the rhythms of Llyn Tegid as its waters are churned by the currents of the River Dee as it flows through this glacial lake. You too are shifted … you too are held … you too are rocked and formed and smoothed like one of Ceridwen’s fingers, the long and thin pieces of slate birthed by this lake and its current.
The light within you flashes stronger than ever, and you know that you are in a place of renewal and rebirth … the womb of the goddess. You know, too, that when you are ready, you will emerge from these maternal waters. Take some time now, to reflect upon your life. Think about the person you would like to be. Think about what it would be like to go through life with the certainty that you are now, and always have been, connected to goddess, connected to the Divine … and that you are her child, being reborn with every breath.
It is time now to reemerge from the lake, from the womb, from the Cauldron of Ceridwen. Leaving behind the energies that interfere with you knowing your wholeness and keep you from acknowledging your holiness, you emerge from the water and find yourself once more on the shores of Llyn Tegid. Take a moment and look at yourself in the mirror-like surface of the water. You see a shining face different from before but somehow also the same. How have these drops of wisdom shifted you? How can you better do your work in the world? How does it feel to have reclaimed some of the energies locked up in shadow while looking forward to doing more work in the light of Sovereignty?
Take three deep, centering breaths. Remember all that you have seen, and received, and committed to in this moment. And when you are ready, follow the thread that connects you to the vessel which took you to this Land Beyond Wave, taking your place in the boat once more, to begin the journey back over the Nine Waves, to the place that is here and the time that is now.