Badb
Can you hear her calling?
Distant voice upon the wind, Shrieking! Cawing!
Sweltering sun settles on a scarlet horizon
Breathe deep
Swallow hard, bittersweet taste, salty and metallic
Trudging ever forward
She waits, hooded figure, shadowed by the dying light
The path is uneven, the night descends
She stands at the river’s edge, pale phantom, keening for
the loss
Red-tinged tide laps upon the shore
Crimson Taloned Queen, she knows what has been, what is now
and what will be
Make your choice.
Now or later, she will ever guard you at the End.
Author: Karen Storminger @2016
The day before retreat is set aside for staff to
arrive and set up camp for attendees and guest speakers. A time for organizing,
last minute decisions if necessary, and setting up sacred space around the
camp. I cannot say enough words of praise and thanks for the wonderful people
who volunteer their time to doing the “grunt “work to make an event such as
this come together and be successful. This year staff were on point and so
focused we actually ran ahead of schedule most of the weekend. This made for a
much more relaxed event and gave everyone time to slow down and connect with
each other and the Gods/Goddess/Land/ spirits etc.
The theme for this year’s Call was Devotion. I can
honestly say the work done by everyone in the months prior to put things
together, write ritual, prepare workshops and all the myriad other elements was
most definitely a work of Devotion. Devotion means many things to different
people. To me it is a deep and abiding connection and feeling of affection for
my Goddess. I devote my time in service to her. The retreat was an unbroken
almost surreal moment of Devotion to the Goddess. From opening Ritual to
closing Ritual, there was a feeling of reverence. A deep affection for one another and feeling
of seeking close connection came from everyone. Throughout the weekend we spoke
of being caretakers of the land, building community and showing our devotion to
the Goddess through our actions. Clans were tasked with creating their own acts
of devotion and service over the weekend. Altars for the land spirits were
built. Attendees left this camp spotless. Much cleaner and happier than we had found it.
Unfortunately, the groups that had been there before us had been considerably
disrespectful to the land and we made it a concerted effort to make amends for
that to help heal those wounds. I believe it was appreciated judging by the
impish grin of a wily little tree spirit on Sunday morning, let’s just say you
had to be there, lol.
Ritual focused
on the many aspects of the Goddess and held a much more intense and reverential
atmosphere to them, in my opinion. The overall feel was much more intimate, even
though the group was large (there were some 70-ish attendees this year). Workshops
focused on myth, legends, building personal devotional practice and a variety
of traditional and practical magical workings. We ate as a community, sat at
the bonfire telling stories, and sang songs while drumming into the night. Attendees
were encouraged to spend time in the Temple making offerings and communing with
whichever aspect they were called to at the time. A personal and private
individual Dedication ceremony was held in the Temple. Devotional prayer times
were kept for those who wished to participate at regular times of the day. A
new addition was Oracular work this year. It gave individuals the chance to
speak with the Goddess privately during specified times. It was during my time
in the Temple as a guardian for the Oracle, that I felt her presence most
keenly. She appeared as both Macha (a very PREGNANT Macha I might add) and Badb
at one point one evening. Her energy one of concern for her warriors. At this writing still, I have an ever-present
emotion of sadness from her. The Goddess Keens. It is not easily explained, it
just is.
The weekend went smoothly and peacefully and an
overall feeling of calm permeated the camp.
Yes, The Morrigan is a
Goddess of War and Battle. The thought
of a weekend dedicated to her devotion being calm and peaceful may seem
antithetical to some. Indeed, just prior to the weekend, there were stirrings
of discontent from others, who for one reason or another disagree with the
viewpoints of this Tuatha’s leadership. (A conversation for another time,
suffice to say attempts were made to publicly hobble the event with fighting
words.)
I ask you this;
How can you know what is truly worth fighting for if you never experience
peace? If you never put down the sword? It is not that the Tuatha fears battle,
exactly the opposite has been evident from the start judging by the character
of most of her followers. The Morrigan loves a good fight for sure, but she
also knows that to fight for the sake of fighting is counterproductive and
foolish. Does she not in many of her stories repeatedly give warriors the
chance to change direction? We pay a very high cost in war, one must heed the
Goddesses words, “They do not know what they are asking for”. Dogs that fight over bones will always go
hungry. “He will win who knows when to
fight and when not to fight.” – Sun Tzu, the Art of War
For me,
personally, the outcome of the weekend was clear. The Queen favors Peace at this time. This was most
evident to me on the last day. Our final ritual for the weekend was Badb’s. It
was held at the water’s edge, exactly how she wanted it, at noon with the sun
directly above us. Attendees chose to
face one of three priestesses at the water, each via a different path. One easy
and direct, one more difficult, and one the most challenging path. Each made
their own choice. Each came away with their message. Afterwards, I was told by
another that as we stood at the water two sunfish were present just to the
right of me in the water. As the invocation to the Goddess occurred the fish
began to mate in the water under the midday sun. As a Priestess in the ritual I
received my message last. Ogham were used in this ritual. My message; Birth,
change, new beginnings.
