Today's Oracle 18th April 2020

Thorn Tree (The Sacred Sign)

The thorn tree is sacred and inviolable. Cutting one down brings misfortune for dishonouring the habitats of the faeries of the underground. Take care not to disturb something sacred. Attend to purifying actions and intentions, including actions in the past.

Invoking Purity of Intentions and Actions.

A faery thorn is sacred and inviolable, as it marks the habitats of faeries, especially a solitary bush growing by itself in an open field. Cutting down a faery thorn brings calamity and misfortune for dishonouring the habitats of the neighbouring faeries. By honouring the sacred thorn, the people of the Middle World acquire the skills for attending and protecting the sanctity of all aspects of life, and they grow in wisdom.

The faery thorn tree or bush reminds us of the presence of the faeries living nearby. The thorn tree marks the habitats of the faeries, and the surrounding ground is hallowed by the thorn. The proverbial wisdom tells us that it is plain foolishness to cut or damage a thorn tree, especially a solitary thorn growing alone in an open space, marking the boundary between neighbours, near a sacred well, faery rash (fort), or home. Even "city people" provide little courtyards amid urban complexes for lonely thorns, fearing to incur the wrath of the faeries. No small wonder, as tradition has it, that cutting a thorn tree is met with disaster, and even death. Nearly everywhere in rural Ireland, the story is told of a local man who ignored the advice of his neighbours, cut down a thorn tree, and died shortly thereafter.

A recent and well-known incident occurred in County Antrim, as told by Jim Grant of Belfast. Some years ago, during the construction of an immense factory, a thorn tree remained untouched by the workers. The local "boys" cleared everything else, but they would not chop it down or interfere with it in any way. The company finally got an Englishman to remove it. He chopped the tree down and bulldozed the roots. The next stage was putting in the Piles, concrete pilings which were approximately 12 inches in diameter and 10 feet long - to give foundation. They laid the first of the foundation with a pile driver, but when they returned the next morning, the pilings were three feet from where they should have been! ... So, they got a new length of Piles and again placed them in the ground. The next morning, the pilings were three feet from their original locations, but in the opposite direction of the first move! So they called a conference to see who was guilty.... The smallest man in the meeting, he stood up and said, "The only way you are going to build your factory here is to replace our tree where it was." So they said to him, "How can we, if it has been cut?" He said, "get it grafted." Nobody believed him initially, of course.... So, they brought a tree specialist from Holland in. He replanted the roots on the tree and grafted it. There is now a wee courtyard in the middle of the factory, with a thorn tree growing. The faery man was never seen again, but the thorn tree thrives.

By tradition, the thorn tree blooms on the first day of May, signaling the coming of summer. Always liking a good party, the faeries may favour the thorn, not only for its fierce, protecting thorns, but for the merrymaking that comes with summer.

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, the thorn tree asks you to purify actions and intentions, including purifying those of the past. The thorn tree is sacred and inviolate. It sets a very high standard and should never be disturbed in any way. Impure actions and ill intentions, however minor, harm other forms of life as well as yourself, both outwardly and inwardly. Living in accord with the actions of nature, which sustains all life impartially, is to live humbly and richly, gently and courageously, in the giving and receiving of life. The purity of your actions and intentions, rather than how others think or feel about you, sets your course toward well-being and the acquiring of wisdom.

The presence of the thorn tree reminds you that all aspects of your life are sacred. Take time to reflect on what you may be overlooking or ignoring in your life. When you identify it, pay attention and protect it. Remember that the thorn tree is among the humblest-looking of trees and that some of the most precious aspects of your life may not be immediately apparent.

Today's Oracle 17th April 2020

Sun god (god of the Sky)

The power and return of the sun has been acclaimed and honoured for thousands of years. The warmth and light of the sun kindles the life-giving potential of the earth's biosphere. The sun's qualities are majesty, radiance, fertility, and beauty.

Invoking the Qualities of Power and Radiance.

The power of the sun to give light and warmth and its return each day have been revered for thousands of years, from the time of the Bronze and Iron Age Celts. Portrayed as a spoked wheel or swastika, the sun rolls across the firmament pulled by a chariot and team of horses. Among the Romanised Celts, a powerful sky god brandishes his solar wheel as a shield as he crushes the head of a monster with his foot or hand. The sun god signifies majesty, power, radiance, fertility, and beauty.

The sun gives warmth, light, and cycles to the year and is therefore associated with the giving of life, fertility of the crops, and the conquering of menacing forces. Complementary to the earth's primal power over life, the sun touches the earth and sparks the life already there. From archaeological evidence from the Bronze and Iron Age through the mythological period, the allusion to sexual coupling is obvious: the warmth of the sun enters the moist interior of the earth where life begins. Solar images adorn the bodies and are conveyed by goddesses and gods alike. In the Camonica Valley in northern Italy, the Celts of the late Bronze and Iron Age carved on cave walls solar images, round disks or spoked wheels held aloft or volleyed by human figures. The Gundestrup Cauldron bears the image of a magnificent sky god portrayed as being upheld, perhaps conveyed, by a wheel. Small clay figures of young goddesses are affixed with sun wheels surrounding their bodies or adorning their breasts, bellies, and thighs. Images of the sun and earthly abundance appear to harmonize in the Celtic imagination. Though sun images are primarily associated with male deities and images of earthly abundance with mother goddesses, it is not uncommon to find goddesses associated with sun wheels and gods carrying cornucopias and signs of a prosperous harvest.

Images of the sun wheel and swastikas, sometimes accompanied by a chariot and horse, on cave walls, coins, and armour, distill in imagery the mythic portrayal of the sun conveyed across the sky by a chariot and a team of horses. Perhaps only an animal as prestigious as a horse could accompany the sun. Epona, the horse goddess, is sometimes accompanied by solar imagery.

Solar deities in the Roman period, however, became increasingly masculine and fierce, though benevolent toward those they protected. Borrowing some of Jupiter's appearance from the Romans, the Celtic Jupiter is a powerful god, portrayed as standing and holding his solar wheel authoritatively. He frequently appears as a victor and as a god of generous mien and majesty, mounted on a horse and brandishing his (entirely Celtic) solar wheel like a shield against the enemy. Beneath him, pressed down by his foot or hand, is a monstrous, serpent like creature. The Celtic Jupiter is a warrior god, conquering the hideous forces troubling human life.

Two of the great fire festivals of the Celtic world, Beltaine at the coming of summer (May 1) and Lughnasa at the coming of the harvest (August 1), ritualise fire as the sun's semblance on earth. The cycles of the sun bring life. Celebrated into the nineteenth century, a midsummer celebration in Germany, for example, involved setting a wheel of straw on fire and rolling it down a mountain into the Moselle River. If the wheel reached the river still ablaze, a good wine harvest was foreseen. Similarly, the great fire festival of the Christian year, Easter, became associated in time with the sun. On Easter, the country people in Ireland rose early in the morning in hopes of seeing the "sun dancin' in the sky."

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, you are sensing a fiery power emanating toward you or from within you. You marvel at the majesty of the sky world and the delicate fabric of life stirred by sunlight. You cannot seem to get enough sunlight. The brilliance of light attracts you. You may want to wear bright jewelry, or even be attracted to precious gems, especially diamonds.

Drawing this oracle suggests that you have an opportunity to attract majesty and radiance to your character and attitude toward life. This is your time in the sun, a time to shine, bringing a sparkling quality to your own life as well as to others'. If you are attracted to a spiritual path, you may sense an inner light that propels you to focus more intensely on your meditations, prayers, or practices toward gaining enlightenment.

The sun's constancy and radiance invariably help to instil confidence and assurance. Positioning your life within the sun's beneficence brings balance to the flow of ordinary life events. In sensing the constancy of movement beneath change, hard times will bestow resilient and bountiful times, steadiness, and hope. By mindfully drawing closer to the sun's radiance, your life will seem more buoyant, majestic, powerful, and inspiring.

Today's Oracle 16th April 2020

Divine Couple (Union)

The divine couple promotes the health and well-being of the family, household, or locale and assures the continuity of life, even after death. The presence of the divine couple brings domestic harmony, prosperity, and success in business and commerce.

Invoking the Qualities of Harmony and Balance.

The divine couple represents the auspicious union of the goddess of the land and the god of fertility. As lovers, their constant and faithful alliance pro. vide harmony and prosperity to households and settlements. Equal in stature and supernatural powers, the paired deities personify the balanced ordering of life and confidence in life's continuance, even after death. Their pairing signifies health and abundance in the seamless passage of time and events.

Divine couples are a common feature of Celtic iconography, even more so than among the Greeks and Romans. Popular local goddesses personifying the land partner with gods of fertility and prosperity to assure the continuance of life.

In areas occupied by Roman armies, native goddesses acquired Roman gods as partners, creatively sanctioning both a military and a spiritual reality. Portrayed as equal in size and balanced in authority, these divine partners provided assurance of the orderly continuance of life through the dangers and unpredictability of daily life amid conquest and occupation, and even beyond the portals of death.

Together as partners, or individually, Sucellus the Hammer God, and Nantosuelta, a territorial river goddess, were widely revered throughout Provence, Burgundy, Germany, and Luxembourg. They are a handsome couple of equal size and proportions, usually portrayed seated beside each other on thrones or standing regally, accompanied by their individual symbols of authority. He holds a hammer or mallet, and sometimes a pot; she carries a cornucopia or plate of fruits and grains, and occasionally a scepter festooned with a symbol of a house. Together they are associated with prosperity, health, and wellbeing, the success of the wine harvest, and through regeneration the protection of the living and the dead.

In occupied areas of Gaul, Germany, and Britain, Mercury and Apollo became popular among the Celts, Apollo even acquiring several Celtic surnames. Though Mercury retains his winged cap and Apollo his lyre, they are nonetheless paired with the native Celtic goddesses, Rosmerta and Sirona respectively. One of Rosmerta's characteristics includes holding a rudder perched on a globe, as though to guide it. Sirona is associated with curative thermal springs and healing. Though divine couples were usually portrayed as equals, a unique stone from the Rhineland in Germany suggests Rosmerta's authority over the Roman Mercury. The iconography shows the Roman god offering his money bag to Rosmerta, who sits before him on a throne.

Irish and Welsh legends are full of the intrigues of supernatural lovers, often the background or rationale for war. There is no way to directly compare these figures with the divine couples of Roman-Celtic iconography, except to point out a common lineage. Like the supernatural couples of an earlier time, the female heroines are active and forthright, and scarcely the pawns of male intrigue. Indeed, like evenly matched teams, their equal powers animate the action.

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, you are seeking to bring confidence and strength into your life through the balancing of powers. No real success - in the external affairs of life or in the inner life - is achieved through domination or force. In time, those things achieved by force will always feel shallow and unsatisfying.

Having drawn this oracle, you are attracting to your life a situation asking you to balance strength with compassion and action with tenderness. You may wish to examine and explore aspects of your life that could be brought into greater balance. The feminine and masculine powers within you are seeking to become strong and resilient so that true balance may permeate all of your life. The harmony gained in the balancing of opposites will bring confidence and success to your personal and professional life and assurance in the continuity of life amid external changes.

Today's Oracle 15th April 2020

The Under Tree (Taking Root in the Otherworld)

The Under Tree extends its trunk and opens its branches toward the sky and into the Otherworld. It represents our capacity to expand and stand strong in the hidden and unknown aspects of our nature and to nourish their graceful expression.

Invoking the Qualities of Exploration and Expansion.

Wile  all trees spread upward in the sky, the Under Tree also reaches beneath the ground, extending its trunk and branches within the earth. By following the tree's branches into the earth, the traveller enters the Otherworld beneath the ground. In the Christian period, the Tree of Life grows on the Blessed Isles ever to the west. Forever blossoming and fruitful, the tree supports the maturing of the unseen and unexplored resources in our nature.

A mysterious tree guards the entrance to the Otherworld beneath the ground. By climbing down through its branches, a traveller enters the Otherworld and encounters supernatural figures living there. In the Welsh Mabinogion, the legend of "The Lady of the Fountain" tells of the hero Owain, who becomes the champion of the fountain of wisdom and the husband of "the Countess," none other than the sovereign goddess herself. One of Owain's companions, Kynon, tells a story of being directed by the Lord of the Animals to

"Ascend the wooded steep until thou comest to its summit; and there thou wilt find an open space like to a large valley, and in the midst of it a tall tree, whose branches are greener than the greenest pine trees. Under this tree is a fountain, and by the side of the fountain a marble slab, and on the marble slab a silver bowl, attached by a chain of silver, so that it may not be carried away. Take the bowl and throw a bowlful of water upon the slab, and thou wilt hear a mighty peal of thunder, so that thou wilt think that heaven and earth are trembling with its fury.... And the shower will be of hailstones; and after the shower, the weather will become fair, but every leaf that was upon the tree will have been carried away by the shower. Then a flight of birds will come and alight upon the tree; and in thine own country thou didst never hear a strain so sweet as that which they will sing."

The ancient tree is the center of the Celtic world, connecting the earth to the Otherworld below and the sky world above. Its branches reach into the ground and sky. Sometimes the tree is silver and its fruit shimmer like jewels. If an apple tree, a branch from the sacred tree bears blossoms and apples all year long. In the Ulster Cycle, Cú Chulainn's charioteer, Laeg, eloquently describes the ancient tree as he approaches the hallowed realms of the Otherworld:

"At the entrance to the enclosure is a tree from whose branches there comes beautiful and harmonious music.
It is a tree of silver, which the sun illumines.
It glistens like gold."

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, the ancient tree beckons you to take root in the Otherworld to stabilize and then expand the hidden and unknown resources of your nature. For centuries, the poets and musicians of the Celtic world have been nourished by otherworldly or spiritual forces within the earth. In this way, poets and prophets break totally new ground, bringing new ideas to awareness. If you accept the invitation, you will begin to explore undeveloped talents and inclinations in your character. Sustained periods of exploration and discovery may be ahead of you. In the Celtic world, the Otherworld is joyous and delightful and never dreary or depressive, so exploring the otherworldly (or inner) side of your nature is likely to be lighthearted and graceful. Supported by an otherworldly merriment, too much work is rarely involved. Rather, the newly matured talents and qualities will add greater depth and dimensionality to your life and work.

Today's Oracle 14th April 2020

Spirit of Mountains (Breasts of the goddess)

Certain mountains, such as the Paps of Anu in Ireland, signify the breasts of the mother goddess, the earth. Overflowing in generosity, they symbolize the qualities of mercy, forgiveness, and impartiality in human life.

Invoking the Qualities of Impartiality and Forgiveness.

Known as the Paps of Anu, two symmetrical, rounded mountains lie close together on the plains near Killarney in the Province of Munster in Ireland. Suggesting an ageless ritual, twentieth-century pilgrims carry stones from the bottom to the top of the mountains and then place the stones on the summits, forming unmistakable nipples on the breasts of the goddess. The strength of the goddess is her certain impartiality and forgiveness.

The Book of the Invasions, chronicling the successive invasions of Ireland, recounts stories of the Tuatha De Danann, the people of the goddess Anu, Áine, or Danu, who inhabited Ireland before the Celtic invasions from continental Europe. Initially from Galicia in northwestern Spain, the invading Celts compelled the Tuatha De to relinquish the Middle World and inhabit the Otherworld. Mythic history recounts the Tuatha De as a supernatural, godlike race having druids and poets of their own and hurling "a wind of wizards" against the Celts while still at sea.

"The druids of [the Tuatha De Danann of] Ireland and the poets sang spells behind them, so that they were carried far from Ireland, and were in distress by reason of the sea.... And the wind rose against the ship wherein were Donn and Airech, two sons of Míl, and ship wherein were Bres, Búas, and Buaighne; so that they were drowned at the Sand hills at Tech Duinn."

The Tuatha Dé are identified with the goddess Anu, an ancestral mother goddess of Ireland. Anu was undoubtedly a fertility goddess associated with the land. Little else is known, though her Neolithic origins suggest solar attributes, linking the fecundity of the earth and the fertility of the sun. One of her places of habitation, recorded in The Book of the Invasions, and an ancient center of ritual activity, is the Paps of Anu, a set of two breast like mountains lying close together on gently rolling lowlands in County Kerry. Modern-day pilgrims carry stones from the plains below to the very top of the mounds of stones left by pilgrims before them. Viewed even at a short distance, these mounds (probably ancient burial mounds) embellish the Paps of Anu with nipples (paps means breasts or teats). Below, near a natural spring and a starting point for ascending one of the paps, a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary beautifies a small clearing where the villagers still gather for occasional mass and festivals in midsummer.

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, you are invited to let go of judging yourself or others harshly. While corrective actions are essential in the course of human life, needlessly blaming yourself or others for past actions is neither practical nor life-sustaining. However awkward or painful, both seeking and extending forgiveness frees life to be lived more fully in the present.

The image of the breasts of the goddess signifies the nourishment of a mother's milk. The image overflows with the milk of blessing. Her capacity for bestowing mercy and forgiveness is boundless. As though untouched by human logic, she gives impartially to the just and unjust alike. You are encouraged to partake of her wisdom in some aspect of your life. Rather than judging or holding court on the actions of others (or of yourself), you may wish to reevaluate and amend those aspects of your life in which a gentler and more forgiving approach would be freeing and deeply gratifying in the long run.

Today's Oracle 13th April 2020

Treasures (Stone, Spear, Sword, and Cauldron)

The four treasures brought by the Tuatha De Danann to Ireland are the Stone of Fál, the Spear of Lugh, the Sword of Nuada, and the Cauldron of the Daghdha. Each treasure in turn signals power and a challenge for further development of your character.

Invoking the Challenges of Mastery and Power.

Accomplished in the arts of Druidry, the godlike Tuatha De Danann came from the isles to the north of the world to invade ancient Ireland. The Tuatha De brought four treasures with them: the Stone of Fál, which shrieks when a rightful king sits upon it, the Spear of Lugh, which grants victory, the Sword of Nuada, from which no one escapes, and the Cauldron of the Daghdha, from which none leave hungry. Each treasure represents power and its challenges.

Failius, Goirias, Findias, and Muirias were the four cities of the mythic isles in the northern seas. From the cities' great sages, the Tuatha Dé Danann acquired knowledge of Druidry, magic, and prophesy. They invaded ancient Ireland with a great fleet of ships, and upon reaching the western shore, they set their boats on fire and, in so doing, destroyed any hope of returning to the north of the world. Defeating and routing the Fir Bolgs who then lived on the island, the Tuatha De controlled all of Ireland and established themselves at the royal court of the high kings of Ireland at Tara. As recorded in the Book of the Invasions, which chronicles the successive invasions of Ireland, the Tuatha De brought four great treasures to Ireland from the northern isles.

"From Failias was brought the Lia Fail which ... utter[ed] a cry under every king that should take Ireland. From Goirias was brought the spear which Lug [Lugh] had: battle would never go against him who had it in hand. From Findias was brought the sword of Nuadu: no man would escape from it; when it was drawn from its battle-scabbard, there was no resisting it. From Muirias was brought the cauldron of the Dagda [Daghdha]; no company would go from it unsatisfied."

All four treasures recur in the historical legends of Ireland, and feature prominently in Arthurian legend. By tradition, the Lia Fál (the Stone of Fál) still resides on the hills of Tara in County Meath, the mythic center of Ireland and inaugural site of ancient Irish kings. In a curious blend of ancient and Christian traditions, the Book of Invasions tells that the stone made no cry after the birth of Christ.

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, you are either naturally drawn to power and authority, or your present circumstances require the right use of power. Power is invariably a double-edged sword capable of cutting in two directions. Your skills may involve a natural talent or expertise cultivated over time. Having mastery makes possible important personal accomplishments, expression, and satisfaction. At the same time, by holding authority you also attract circumstances and events that challenge and further develop your skill and authority. Unless you acquire personal qualities equal to your talents and skills, your life situations will become untenable and you will not be able to express the talents and skills you rightfully hold. Consider the possibility that the challenges you attract are actually invitations to bring qualities such as greater awareness, confidence, integrity, savvy, kindness, and equanimity into your nature. Take time to reflect on the particular type of challenges you are presently encountering and the unique qualities needed to meet them successfully.

Today's Oracle 12th April 2020

Sun Wheels (Talismans)

Like the sun itself, sunlight gives protection and warmth. Carved or crudely fashioned sun wheels are talismans drawing the light and warmth of the sun into the chaos, pain, and sorrow of life and even into death. The sun wheel's qualities are trust and hope.

Invoking the Quality of Protection.

Sun wheels are signs of protection and healing. Worn as talismans, they protect warriors in battle. Buried with the dead and carved on tombstones, they comfort the dead and illuminate the mysterious journey to the Otherworld. Offered at healing springs and lakes, votive sun wheels are carried to the depths of the earth. Symbolizing the warmth and light of the sun within the fecund earth, they represent healing and protection amid chaos, sorrow, confusion, and pain.

To the ancient Celts, the sun in the sky was a life force rendering fertility to the moist earth, healing to the diseased and sorrowful, and solace in darkness and danger. Iron Age warriors embellished their body armour with sun wheels, seeking the sun's beneficence in danger and giving them courage in battle. Along with personal items suggesting a life after death, small sun wheels were buried with the dead to illuminate the passage in the afterlife, perhaps the journey to the Otherworld. Tombstones in Roman-occupied Alsace in France were decorated with solar symbols, as though to guide and enliven the dead in the Otherworld.

Sun wheels also adorned the bodies of small clay goddess figurines deposited as votives at healing shrines, springs, and lakes and buried with the dead. These figurines were mass-produced, inexpensively available, and crudely fashioned, and may have been popular among women seeking safety in the passage of childbirth. Sometimes referred to as "Venus" figurines, the goddesses were slim-figured and nubile, suggestive of sexuality and fecundity. Offered as prayers and left at curative springs and sacred lakes, these fertile and sun-filled figurines were conveyed to the depths of the Otherworld. This sacred union of the sun and earth brought healing and safety to their Celtic supplicants. At Bath in the southwest of England, the thermal springs of the goddess Aquae Sulis (in Gaelic sulis is suggestive of sun) gave comfort to thousands of supplicants before and after the Roman period. The hot springs and the steamy interiors of the shrine inspire a sacred link with sun and earth, a natural vortex of healing and protection to devotees.

Decorating armour and tombstones, worn as amulets, buried with the dead, and accompanying prayers, sun wheels gave hope to the weary and infirm and solace to those in danger.

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, the brilliance of the sun banishes darkness and chaos and brings you comfort and security.
There are numerous ways to convey the qualities of the sun in your daily life. You might use a sun symbol as a talisman to carry in your pocket, in your purse or bag, or on a chain. Wear an amulet as jewelry, on a necklace, string, or key chain. Keep a symbol of a sun in your office or work area to serve as a reminder, or meditate with the sun as it rises. You might wish to use a candle flame as a focus of meditation. In your imagination, bring light to any darkness and confusion in your life. Allow the outer light to fill the interior reserves of your being. Conduct your daily activities mindful of the light and warmth of the sun.

Sunlight dispels darkness and confusion. The sun as talisman draws the light and warmth of the sun into the chaos, pain, and sorrows of life. Its brilliance will bring you renewed trust and hope.