Moon 9
The Moon of Dedication
Moon Nine of the Avalonian Cycle of Revealing is called the Moon of Dedication, and is associated with the herb burdock (Arctium lappa). The lunar month begins on the first full moon when the sun is in Cancer; the full moon is in Capricorn. It is the first of four moons during the Time of Rhiannon.
Entering now into the Time of Rhiannon, we are presented with lessons relating to our inner Sovereignty, the ability to ask for that which we need, and the strength to endure any trial—especially those which challenge our personal truths. It is the nature of the universe to test our resolve in order to show us the places where we still have work to do, where our newly attained insights aren’t as anchored as they could be, and where the changes we have made still hold the potential to slide back into old patterns. Remember that as we walk in Sovereignty, we are not obligated to respond to every inquiry, engage in every encounter, and partake of every opportunity that comes our way just because a door has been opened to us. It is important to clear away the debris on the road, and to avoid distractions which use up precious resources that will serve us better when used in other places. It is important for us to find ways we can lead by example, while holding space for others to come into their own wisdom without needing us to show it to them. As we seek empowerment, we must also remember to empower others. As we seek our own answers, we must remember that others have their answers inside them as well. As we walk in our truth in accordance with our will, we must also remember to give others the space to do the same. Walking the path in this way can catalyze healing and growth for everyone.
The Mythic Portion
Pwyll, prince of Dyfed, was visiting his chief court at Arberth. He had recently returned from spending a year in the Otherworld in the guise of Arawn, the King of Annwn. During the feast given in his honor, Pwyll and his retinue walked to the Gorsedd Arberth, a nearby hill with a particular quality: should a noble person sit upon the mound, they would come away either having suffered blows or having witnessed a marvel.
Hoping to see a marvel, Pwyll sat upon the Gorsedd Arberth. Almost immediately, a woman veiled in gold and riding a pure white horse appeared walking along the road before the mound at a steady pace. Sending one of his men to speak with the woman, first on foot and then on horseback, Pwyll was disappointed that neither of them could catch up with her even though she did not alter her slow pace. In fact, the quicker they pursued her, the farther away she seemed to be from them. The party departed the hill when the woman disappeared from sight. Returning the next day with the fastest horse in the land at the ready, Pwyll was thrilled to see the mysterious lady appear once again. The prince sent his rider forth, but she once again remained out of reach even though she did not quicken her pace.
Returning for a third day to the magical hill, the prince and his retinue awaited the woman, but this time it was Pwyll himself who sat astride the fastest horse in all of Dyfed. Once more, the woman in dazzling gold and white appeared and Pwyll gave chase, riding until his horse was almost spent. At last he called out to her, asking her in the name of the man she loved the best to stop for him. “Gladly,” she replied, immediately drawing to a full stop, ”but it would have been better for your horse if you had asked sooner.” Drawing aside her golden veil, she told him her name was Rhiannon, daughter of Hyfaidd the Old, and that she was being married to a man against her will. She had come to Arberth seeking Pwyll because he was the only man she wanted to marry. Infused with love for her, Pwyll replied that there was no woman in the world he would prefer to marry over Rhiannon. The two arranged to meet again at the court of her father in a year, where she would have the marriage feast prepared.
The Work of the Moon of Dedication
The lessons of the Time of Rhiannon in general, and during the Moon of Dedication in particular, concern the ways in which we express our hard-won connections to Sovereignty in the outer world with all its attendant joys and challenges. Working on ways to make our inner understandings become manifest in ourselves and our lives is an enormous undertaking, and not one to be embarked upon lightly.
Just as Rhiannon rides forth from the Otherworld on her white horse of Sovereignty, so is the sovereign self we have cultivated—through reclaiming and transforming aspects of ourselves that have been lingering in shadow—ready to make its way out into the world. We are called to be like both Rhiannon and Pwyll: the rider who is focused and intent on going about their business to attain their goals, and the seeker who needs to learn how to ask for what they need as well as how to revise their plans when first attempts do not yield the desired results.
Change is hard; it requires persistent and disciplined dedication. With steady footfalls upon the ground of our inner lives, we slowly lay the path that takes us to our heart’s desire. We may perceive that the going is slow and believe our goals remain elusive, but the inner changes resulting from our steadfast and deliberate action will ensure that we too will cross the threshold that transforms the potential that dwells within us into the reality that manifests around us—and we will be forever changed by this journey.
Others will take notice when we walk a path of personal Sovereignty powered by openness and authenticity. We may find that those who were actively engaged in challenging our choice to embark upon this pathway have already fallen away; it is hard for the shadows of others to keep up with an Otherworldly mount empowered by true will. There will be those, however, who see us for who we are, and in recognizing the path we are walking, will want to walk it too. They may try to ride along with us, but our saddles only hold one. They may seek to follow us, aggressively try to get our attention, or try to benefit from traveling in our wake.
We must not permit ourselves to be distracted or taken off course; it is not an unkind thing to recognize that everyone’s path to self-
actualization is their own, though it is a blessing to stop for those who truly wish to know how they can undertake their own journey. Asking for what we need is at the heart of Rhiannon’s lesson for us, as is the ability to maintain our focus on who we are and what we are working to accomplish while still functioning in the physical world.
Some of Rhiannon’s most meaningful teachings concern the power of our words and the transformational potency of our sovereign intentions. And what extraordinary lessons! When we ask for what we need, we will receive it. When we fearlessly formulate our intention, as Pwyll did, the Universe will respond in kind. When we hold on to our desire to attain our goals and put in the time and effort necessary to achieve them, we will be successful. There are many other instances where Rhiannon’s stories illustrate the power of our words. She teaches us the importance of upholding the integrity of our promises, of following through on our commitments, of being truthful in our speech, and to maintain a high code of ethics even in the face of injustice.
Searching Deeper
While not identified as a divinity, Rhiannon was unquestionably depicted as an Otherworldly Maiden or Fairy Queen in the text and would have been readily recognized as such by the contemporary medieval audience of Y Mabinogi. Rhiannon emerges into the narrative of the First Branch as she rides along the road passing before the Gorsedd Arberth, a mound with magical properties that puts it solidly in the company of the famed hollow hills in Celtic myth which serve as portals to the Otherworld. These mounds are often neolithic burial chambers where the indigenous Britons visited their beloved dead and honored ancestors with offerings. It is possible that some of the lore and existent folk practices around the Otherfolk in the British Isles and Ireland may have their origins in pre-Christian ancestor veneration or worship, particularly when these practices are associated with chambered tombs and subterranean barrows.
The openings of these burial structures often had alignments with the rising or setting sun of the solstices or equinoxes such that a shaft of light would enter the barrow to illuminate the far chamber, sometimes featuring spiral carvings. This phenomenon is sometimes interpreted as an ancient belief in the rebirth of the dead, with the solar light revitalizing and perhaps impregnating the womb-tomb of the barrow with its life-giving energy. A threshold place between life and death, present and past, light and darkness, it makes sense that these mounds continued to be revered long past the time of those who had built them, entering into folklore as a doorway between this world and the Otherworld—one that opened in both directions.
When we meet Rhiannon, she is described as being garbed in gold brocade; perhaps the gold is symbolic of the sun that enters the burial mounds, for in the narrative she is said to draw level with the mound as she rode before it, a very evocative description that may indicate a solar association. It is more likely that her garments are the reddish gold often used to represent the red color of the Otherworld, as they are described in a similar fashion to the vestments worn by Arawn, king of Annwn, and his unnamed wife in the first part of the First Branch, when Pwyll takes Arawn’s place in Annwn for a year. Further, when Rhiannon’s newborn son is taken from her and is found in the threshold of the house of Teyrnon, the baby is swaddled in the same golden brocade. Throughout the First Branch, it is only those characters with connections to the Other-world who are ever seen dressed in this rich golden fabric.
Another connection between Rhiannon and the Otherworld is the majestic white mare upon which she rides. The horse is a long-standing and cross-cultural symbol of Sovereignty in Celtic traditions, and the color white would have been instantly recognizable to the contemporary medieval audience as being associated with the Otherworld. Even without the stated color, the fact that Rhiannon’s horse, even when walking at a slow pace is unable to be overtaken by even the swiftest of horses, marks it—and her—as an Otherworldly creature.
Folklore abounds with examples of the ways in which the influence of the Otherworld has the power to warp the reality of things in this world: for example, it affects the passage of time, such that someone can spend what feels like one night in a faery mound only to emerge and discover that a hundred years has passed; it has the ability to bridge great distances, such as hearing the song of the Adar Rhiannon as if they were in the same room, while in reality they are singing from the Otherworld, far across the water; it also has the ability to affect the speed of Rhiannon’s mare in relation to those who approach it—the faster others ride to catch up with her, the further away Rhiannon’s horse is, regardless of its apparent slow and steady pace. Rhiannon’s association with the horse continues in both in the First and Third Branches of Y Mabinogi.
Seeking Sovereignty Within:
Journaling Prompts and Self-Reflective Questions
Moon Nine
The Moon of Dedication
The Time of Rhiannon
Mythic Focus: Rhiannon appears from the Otherworld on her white mare and is pursued by Pwyll, who is unable to catch up with her until he asks her to stop.
Personal Insights Around This Moon’s Mythic Portion: Meditate upon the portion of Rhiannon’s story associated with this moon and reflect it within yourself. Her story is your story.
The Focus of the Moon of Dedication by Phase
Seek the lessons of the Moon of Dedication 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 Rhiannon at the full moon. Review the work of the previous month and the insights it brought to you, set up your work for the coming month, and ask for insights on the issue of focus which may have shifted or deepened due to the work you have done.
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 Dedication.
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 Dedication.
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 Dedication.
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 Dedication.
At any point in the month, bring the issue of focus to Branwen to explore through the Station of Integration and the Moon of Dedication. 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 Dedication
Burdock (Arctium lappa)
Creating the Mother Elixir: On the night of the full moon, create your Burdock 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 Burdock 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 Burdock Elixir: As discussed in Chapter 4, begin your daily exploration of the burdock elixir. Be sure to journal everything you can about how the elixir makes you feel, what you think it 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 Nine: 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 Nine: Continue to take the lunar elixir daily, but this week spend time experiencing and comparing the energetic impact of burdock as an essence, and burdock 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 Nine: Continue to take the lunar elixir daily, but this week spend time researching the medicinal, folkloric, and magical uses of burdock, 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 Nine: 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 burdock are related to the present portion of Rhiannon’s tale, and how it helps you to build a relationship with Rhiannon herself.
End of Moon Reflections: Under what circumstances could you see yourself using the Burdock 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.