The central image of Celtic Craft shamanic tradition is the cauldron, the vessel of heat, plenty, and inspiration. Notable Celtic cauldrons include the cauldron of the Dagda, which leaves no one unsatisfied; the cauldron of Diwrnach, which will not serve cowards; the cauldron of Bran the Blessed, which confers rebirth; and the cauldron of the goddess Cerridwen, which confers knowledge.39 Folks from ancient Gaul (modern France, Belgium, and part of Germany) had a similar deity, Sucellus, associated with the hammer and the pot of plenty.40 These properties are also found in the cauldron’s later manifestation as the Grail, conferring plenty, healing, and spiritual wisdom. The Gundestrup cauldron, a huge silver cauldron discovered in Denmark and dated at 400 or 300 b.c., gives us proof that such ritual pots existed over 2,000 years ago in Europe.41 In fact, cauldrons as big as a person were common among the ancient Celts. Sometimes they made the cauldrons themselves, and other times they would buy them from traders from as far away as Egypt and Greece. These pots were often buried with the owner when they died. The Egyptian picture-writing of the great Female Deep that gave birth to the universe and to the gods was a design consisting of three cauldrons, and in Norse legend, the three cauldrons stood for the female power of cosmic creation. Here, the cauldron represents the birthing process. Greek history gives us the Cauldron of Medea, a priestess of Hecate (goddess of the moon), and you’ll find her famous soliloquy in Part 3, under Moon. Where the Celts often spoke of buried cauldrons beneath water in the underworld, the Romans referred to sacred cauldrons hidden in caves. Scandinavian folklore holds that the “Roaring Cauldron” was the source of all rivers.42 In checking history, then, we see that the cauldron was associated with both male and female divinity, and appeared to be an important ritual item throughout many cultures. Legends about the Christian evangelist Saint John claimed that he was birthed from a boiling cauldron and had spiritual powers.43
If we really think about it, the cultural significance of the cauldron is an exact replica of modern-day new physics, where the unmanifest (seen in this instance as liquid form) becomes manifest through the transformation of light (the heated cauldron). The bubbling sound of the liquid as it heats is the “pop” that occurs from “no-thing” to “some-thing.” Isn’t it amazing that myths from all over the world lead back to the same scientific principles? The basis for all new science is explained differently in each ancient culture, yet these mythos lead to the same understanding.
Most modern Witches have both a cauldron and a chalice somewhere in their magickal tool box, and use them for various purposes. Much like the beliefs of the ancient Celts, the cauldron is used to heat things (or contain the fire itself), seen in ritual as the representation of inspiration and transformation (Celtic Goddess Cerridwen), and is associated with plenty, or abundance, sometimes through the Celtic god Dagda. For the solitary Witch or those with small groups, the chosen iron cauldron is usually small (six to twelve inches in diameter), called a gipsy pot. Larger groups who have been practicing for several years might invest in the bigger iron kettles (two to three feet in diameter), many times discovered at flea markets and auctions. The chalice (the more refined version of the cauldron) is associated with our holy communion.
In the Craft, cauldrons with three legs represent the three faces of the Goddess—Maiden, Mother, and Crone. Cauldrons with four legs are associated with the four elements, the four airts (magickal winds), the four watchtowers (astrologically related), and the four major fire festivals (Wheel of the Year). Other keywords connected with the cauldron are water, trans- formation, death, and rebirth.
Cauldron Ritual:
A Time to Move On
Some people think that it’s brave to keep your feelings locked away, but when you bottle your emotions inside of you, they will find a way to get out—sometimes into sickness and sometimes into altered behavior patterns—they do not just go away. This ritual is titled “A Time to Move On,” meaning that although you acknowledge the pain or sorrow of a particular event, you also realize that life keeps going and that there are better times ahead. This ritual is to help you start on your way with peace and the blessings of Spirit, and it can also be performed the day you realize you aren’t a child anymore, the day before starting high school or college, or the day of your graduation. You can even reformat this ritual for the opening of a bridal shower.
Supplies: One cauldron; spring water; your favorite skin-safe magickal oil; white rose petals; one new wooden spoon; and thirteen white votive candles. (Note: If you are not allowed to have candles, make them out of construction paper.) One white taper candle on which you will inscribe the name of what is lost (this could be the name of a person, the name of a pet, the loss of an important friend who has moved away, the defeat you experienced in a physical challenge, the idea of graduation, growing up, moving to a new home or apartment—even the loss of a prized possession) and set it aside. One box of tissues to wipe away the tears; thin red, white, and black ribbon, measuring a yard long; black cloth. Choose your favorite ritual format.
Instructions: Cast a magick circle and call the quarters. Place the cauldron and all supplies in the center of the circle. Surround the cauldron with the thirteen unlit candles. As you lay out the candles, say:
The first for the blessings of Spirit.
The second for combined energy
of the Lord and Lady.
The third for the unity of the sacred triad.
The fourth for love that never dies.
The fifth for all the elements—
earth, air, water, fire, and Spirit.
The sixth to honor memories past.
The seventh for the safe journey forward
and changes I will encounter.
The eighth to build for the future.
The ninth to grant all wishes.
The tenth for endings free of pain.
The eleventh to master all fear.
The twelfth to bring happiness near.
The thirteenth to dispel all evil.
So mote it be.
Tie the ribbons onto the handle of the spoon, saying:
Red for the blood of life, white for the purity
of Spirit, black to repel all negativity.
Pour the water into the cauldron, saying:
Water cleanses and renews. Water washes
away pain and sorrow. Water blesses
and creates harmony.
With the oil, draw a pentacle on your forehead, then put three drops into the water. Stir the water three times with the spoon in a clockwise direction, saying:
Once for love, twice for joy, three times for
harmony. The cauldron is blessed.
Add the rose petals to the water, then stir the water with the spoon in a clockwise direction three times, repeating:
Once for love, twice for joy,
three times for harmony.
Recite the Charge of the Star Goddess (page ), which invokes the energy of deity, as you hold your hands over the cauldron. Once finished, light the candles, one at a time, remarking again what each is for (“The first is for the blessings of Spirit . . .”). Light the taper candle and say:
Bring forth, Great Lady, a new day, a time of laugher and joy, a time of happiness and love. May the blessings of Spirit be ever upon me now, and in times to come. So mote it be.
If you are in an area where the burning candles can safely remain lit, you can let them burn out. If this is not the case, then, with the back of the spoon, snuff each of the thirteen original candles, again repeating what they are for. Allow the inscribed candle to burn completely. Thank deity, release the quarters, release the circle, and pour the water outside off your property. If you have had to put out the candles, wrap them and the spoon with ribbons in black cloth. Place under your bed. If this has been a particularly bad time for you, repeat the spell with the same materials in thirty days. If you have done this ritual as a gift for someone else, give them the spoon with instructions for its safekeeping.