Today's Oracle 20th April 2020

Pooka (The Trickster)

From the Pooka, a goblin and trickster of the Otherworld, expect the unusual. The Pooka is known to take humans for a ride and dump them. He is not what he appears to be. Be open to unforeseen experiences, circumstances, or insight.

Invoking the Unexpected, Curious, and Whimsical.

Pooka can turn itself into a horse, a goat, a dog, a cross between a mule, a bullock, and a big black pig, or even a large wool fleece racing about the countryside in the manner of a horse. If an unwary traveller accepts a lift or the Pooka sneaks under and between a man's legs, it may take him for a furious ride atop cliffs and by way of wild and dangerous places. At daybreak, the Pooka tires of the chase and abruptly deposits the rider in a wayward spot. The Pooka is heard chuckling gleefully as it gallops out of sight.

The Pooka is the trickster among the Irish and Welsh goblins and is known to take many forms. Always rough and unkempt, the Pooka appears as a horse, a goat, a dog, or occasionally an eagle the size of a horse. Sometimes the Pooka appears as a ghastly-looking creature resembling a horse with great big long horns or an unknown mix of several animals. Appearing as a horse, it may sneak under a man and between his legs and then take off galloping. At the cave under the Dun of Clopook, there is "a spirit of a Pooka in this cave which frequently presents itself in the form of a fleece of wool, which issued from the cave and roamed over the field with astonishing celerity. Its motions were accompanied by a buzzing sound.

Pookas frequently appear around Halloween and May Eve (April 30), when the veil between the supernatural and human worlds grows thin and otherworldly beings and humans may pass more easily to and fro. Occasionally, a kindly Pooka rescues a man or woman from the faery host or other unseen dangers. More typically, though, the trickster Pooka appears to a lost and weary traveller to offer the man a welcome lift home - or somehow manages to get the man on its back. And "when he was on his back, [the Pooka] would race over the tops of cliffs frightening the man riding on him, and when the Pooka was tired of going with him, would bring him back again to the place where he was before or some lonely spot." The Pooka may laugh heartily as it gallops out of sight. A typical story from County Kerry tells of a saint who was caught out in the woods at night by a Pooka:

"The saint wasn't long more in the place, when a pooka horse came up to him. The pooka horse told him to come on his back and that he would bring him home. The saint was glad to hear the pooka saying that, and he thanked the pooka and said that he would go up on his back. Anyhow he got up on the pooka's back, and the pooka started running wild around the wood. [He] ran into big heaps of briars and bushes. The poor saint couldn't come off his back at all, and the pooka jumped across big glens and big holes and every place worse than another and the saint thought that he would be killed every minute. Anyway the pooka kept going on that way till morning, and he let the saint come off his back when it was bright day.
When the saint was on the ground again, he took a good rest before he started away again because indeed there was a right good fright on him after the night before."

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, you may expect the unexpected. Tricksters are natural shape-shifters, so the Pooka might show up suddenly in many guises, as unforeseen events, unanticipated circumstances, unique people, or abrupt changes in direction. The Pooka's signaling characteristics are its sudden appearance (as if from nowhere), feeling tricked into doing something you wouldn't ordinarily do (against your better judgment), and perhaps being shaken by a series of seemingly dangerous or reckless events. Despite their unlikely appearance, these unsettling experiences may awaken you to new choices and opportunities. When you least expect it, the Pooka has the pesky habit of picking you up and "dumping" you into new circumstances.

The Pooka is the trickster or prankster of the Celtic world, making mischief with unsuspecting people especially when they feel lost or tired. While the Pooka may frighten and disorient, no one is harmed. Without the Pooka's intervention, you might not have been able to see clearly the circumstances now before you.

Today's Oracle 19th April 2020

Cauldron of Creation (Source)

The womb (or cauldron) of the goddess is the source of creation. As the inexhaustible cauldron, she restores the dead to life. Her presence signals a need for repose, rest, and a complete overhaul of life energies before life is regenerated again.

Invoking the Quality of Repose and Replenishment.

The goddess is the source of life and her womb the cauldron of creation giving birth to the world. Through her, all life comes into form. In Irish and Welsh legends and iconography, her womb is symbolized by the ever-replenishing cauldron of the Otherworld, always filled with savoury meats for feasting and restoring dead warriors to life. Through the womb of the goddess, life is replenished with vitality from an ageless and inexhaustible source.

Life begins in the womb of the goddess. Ceaselessly, she births the Milky Way. The stars, moon, planets, trees and plants, animals, people, and all that is yet to exist issue from her womb. From an enormous force within, life spews forth, magnificently, hugely, intensely, and relentlessly. No god, no man or woman can tame this rite of passage. Like the mythic cauldron that symbolizes her womb, life tempestuously brews.

Yet, men and women try to ease the advancing passage. In a poem entitled "Mór Hatching," originally written in Gaelic, contemporary Irish poet Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill addresses the age-old mother with all the awe and ambivalence of an ancient Celt:

"I'm telling you, unruly Mór, that green snakes will emanate from your womb if you stay hatching out this poisoned kernel one day more.
Gather to yourself, like a bee, the hours that are blossoming in the sun's sharp sting: they ripen in the heat.
Gather them from them create honeyed days."

On the Gundestrup Cauldron, one of the prominent side plates portrays a large figure, probably divine, standing before a procession of Celtic warriors. One by one, the deity appears to dip and remove them from the cauldron, as though to restore them to life. Irish and Welsh folk tales tell of enchanted pots and bowls ever full of meal or tasty brew.

In the Tale of Branwen from the Second and Third Branch of the Mabinogion, Matholwch, an Irish king, sails to Wales, and hoping to form an alliance, approaches Bendigeidfran, son of Llfr, the king of Wales. When Matholwch is hideously insulted by an outraged chieftain, the king's half-brother, Bendigeidfran, appeases his anger by giving him a gift above price, a magic cauldron.

"I will give you a cauldron with a special property: should a man of yours be killed today, cast him into the cauldron, and by tomorrow he will be as good as ever but he will be without speech."

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, you may be feeling weary or inwardly depleted. This oracle calls for repose, rest, and a complete overhaul of life energies before energy and vitality are replenished. While the goddess is inexhaustible in her powers to restore, you are urged to cooperate by retreating from the activities of life. Seek solitude. Do as little as possible. Sleep. Relax. Engage in small and subtle activities that quiet rather than excite the mind. Meditate or pray. Let the mind unwind and settle naturally.

Once you are emptied of your automatic and perhaps busy life, you will begin to feel more spacious and free. If you are rested and quiet within, you may notice subtle changes in your awareness. As with any birth, beginnings may at first be unsettling and even messy. Nonetheless, in time new life will naturally arise within you. You will feel replenished, as though filled up by an unknown and timeless source.

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.

Today's Oracle 11th April 2020

Brigit, the Snake and Fire goddess (Transformation)

The snake goddess is associated with midwifery, smithing, and the fostering of the creative arts. Her capacity for change and renewal inspires creativity in challenging situations, and enhances our capacity to meet old circumstances with renewed vision. Her qualities are imagination, intuition, and vision.

Invoking the Qualities of Imagination, Intuition, and Vision.

Aligned with snakes and with fire, Brigit is the guardian of transformation and change. Present in moments of creativity and vision, she presides as midwife, prophetess, and patron of the arts, especially of poetry, hospitality, healing, breast-feeding, and the brewing of beer. The young and beautiful Brigit is composed, vigorous, passionate — and usually a virgin. Her presence inspires creativity and the capacity to meet old circumstances with renewed vision.

The Goddess Brigit, who also appears in Christianity as St. Brigit, figures powerfully in the Celtic world. In many ways, Brigit is a youthful composite of all the attributes and symbols of the Celtic goddesses. Derived from the Gaelic word brig, the name Brigit means "High and Exalted One." Often appearing as three sisters, she is identified with the transforming power of the Dark Goddess herself.

Brigit's special symbols are snakes, fire, and sometimes the cow. Surrounded by snakes, Brigit remains close to the earth, lending authority to transformation and change. As a child is about to be born, the attending women intone softly to invoke her presence and assistance. In Christian legend, she is known as the midwife to Mary when she gave birth to Jesus. Aligned with the element of fire to forge and mould, Brigit also presides over the hearth of the blacksmith and over imagination, vision, and prophecy. This excerpt from a simple prayer from the Scottish Highlands invokes her to shield men and women from danger at night, inspire song, and give guidance:

"I am under the shielding of good Brigit each day
I am under the shielding of good Brigit each night
I am under the keeping Of the Nurse of Mary
Each early and late, every dark, every light
Brigit is my comrade-woman
Brigit is my maker of song
Brigit is my helping-woman,
My choicest of women, my woman of guidance."

The first of February (or the thirteenth of February by the old style) is the Feast of the Bride - Brigit - celebrating the coming of spring. Brigit, as a serpent, emerges from the brown hills and turns winter to spring. Fragments of the ancient songs still survive:

"The serpent will come from the hole On the brown Day of Bride
Though there should be three feet of snow On the flat surface of the ground."

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, you are attracting change and regeneration into your life. The snake goddess brings creativity and power. Domestic activities, family and friends, and circumstances close to daily activities are likely to be sources of breakthrough and insight. Old and fossilized circumstances and relationships may begin to breathe with new life, vision, and activity. Creative projects, artistic pursuits, and unexpected insights may appear in ordinary circumstances. New and creative ideas may present themselves while conversing with friends and family or while engaged in everyday activities. Now is a good time to watch for newness and allow your imagination to roam freely.

Snakes shed their dry old skin only to grow new skin. Close to the Otherworld and its powers, Brigit's snakes signify creativity as well as caution. The presence of regeneration can transform positively or can manipulate others and circumstances for personal gain. The otherworldly powers of the snake not only inspire but may also confuse, resulting in mistaking your own desires for the needs of others and even turning into trickery and deceit what may have appeared to be a worthy pursuit. Check your intuitions with the counsel of those you trust to tell you the truth.

By remaining open-hearted and generous to all, you will experience renewed vitality in everyday encounters and activities as you attract the qualities of imagination, intuition, and vision into your life.

Today's Oracle 10th April 2020

Raven (Truth-telling and Prophecy)

Ravens and crows represent the power of speaking the truth and sometimes the power of prophesy. The raven brings truthfulness, clarity, and insight into the nature of a relationship, event, or situation. Tell the truth in the present situation.

Invoking the Qualities of Insight, Clarity, and Discrimination.

The earliest depictions of the raven are found drawn on prehistoric cave walls. Large ravens are portrayed speaking to human figures, as though prophesying from the chthonic to the earthly realms. Irish druids watch the flight of ravens to predict the future. Appearing as ravens, goddesses wreak havoc among armies, predicting death and the outcomes of battles. As a messenger from the Otherworld, the raven signifies speaking the truth and prophecy.

Like mother goddesses, carrion birds are complex symbols of death and rebirth. Statuary and coins depicting carrion birds hint at myths and symbols long forgotten by history. At temple shrines dedicated to the mother goddess Nantosuelta, ravens perch near her as though bearing messages from the Otherworld. Unique Celtic coins suggest an unknown story: an immense raven rides on the back of a horse. The reins appear to be held by the bird, and its talons dig deeply into the horse's back. Sometimes carrying a small cake in its beak, the raven may be bearing fruit or gifts from the Otherworld.

The earliest traces of Celtic art are cave drawings found in the Camonica Valley in the Italian Alps near Brescia, the work of Iron and Bronze Age Celts. Ravens appear to speak to a human figure who stands before the bird, as though listening.

Evocative of an intimate connection between the birds and goddesses is the mysterious winged goddess. She appears as both in this world and of another world. While shape-shifting between forms is commonplace in Celtic images, portrayals are rarely "frozen" midway in transition. Like the raven, the winged goddess may be a messenger between the realms, bearing gifts as well as prophecies.

From the Iron and Bronze Age through the Roman period, ravens appear as benign, even auspicious, in their accustomed role as prophets and messengers from the Otherworld. However, in the warrior culture of medieval Ireland, their aspect changes. Forecasting death and carnage on the battlefield, tales of terror recount a better story. In the celebrated account in the Ulster Cycle of the death of Cú Chulainn, the Hound of Ulster, the truth-telling Morrigán appears as a raven and concludes the scene:

"Holding the huge wound in his body together, Cúichulainn .. . took a drink and washed himself and turned from the lake to die. On the shore, a little distance away, he saw a pillar stone and he struggled towards it and put his back to it for support.
Then he took his belt and tied himself to the pillar so that he would die standing up, for he had sworn he would meet his end "feet on the ground, face to the foe. Upright and facing his enemies, he called to them to come near him and cautiously they approached and stood round him silently in a circle. They stayed there and watched him but none of them dared lay a hand on him for the hero light still shone round his head....
For three days his enemies watched Cúchulainn. The ravens of battle, the Morrigu and Badb, hovered around his head and at last the hero light faltered, flickered, and went out. As it did so, Cúchulainn let out a great sigh and the pillar stone split at his back. A raven lit on his shoulder and settled there."

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, the raven is your benefactor and companion. Your present situation may require speaking the truth in order to clear the way for newness and avoid misunderstandings. Regardless of the situation, lying about mundane or important aspects of your life tears at the fabric of your nature because it disables your emotional and spiritual maturity. On the other hand, bludgeoning others with your opinion without cause or necessity is not mature truth-telling, either. Telling the truth means seeing the world clearly and speaking what you see.

Telling the truth is akin to prophesy. It cleans the "eye of the heart." In time your inner vision will see things in their essence and into events seeming to take place in the future. Having been drawn to this oracle, you may have an opportunity to open the windows of perception, to see more deeply into life, and to bring insight and discrimination from the world of spirit to the ordinary, seemingly mundane affairs of life.

Today's Oracle 9th April 2020

Coupling of Earth and Sky (Unlimited Possibilities)

The sexual coupling of goddesses with gods and mortal men represents the union of sacred polarities - feminine and masculine, earth and sky, darkness with light-and the procreation of unlimited possibilities. Success requires steady development.

Invoking the Qualities of Patience and Steadiness.

The mythical sexual union of the sovereign goddess with a god or mortal king conveys fertility and prosperity to the land. Throughout Welsh and Irish legend, the sexual union of the sovereign goddess and a mortal man elects the man as king and grants him otherworldly powers, so long as he is just. The goddess Morrigán mates with Daghdha, the great tribal god. The queen-goddess Medb (meaning "one who intoxicates") chose and tested her many sexual partners. The coupling of earth and sky signifies unlimited possibilities.

The sexual coupling between the sovereign goddess with a tribal god or mortal king signifies the bringing of otherworldly blessing to people, animals, and crops. The goddess signifies the spirit of the land itself, the man its protector. The royal court at Tara, the mythological heart of Ireland, was traditionally the site of the ritual enactment of union between the king and the land, represented by the goddess of sovereignty. The mythic exchange of sexual potency assured new offspring and vigour, and brought fluorescence to plants and flowers. The people and animals were fertile. The sun shone and rains came to nourish the fields. The harvests were regular and abundant. The people grew healthy, prosperous, and joyous.

One of the many manifestations of the sovereign goddess is the Morrigán, often associated with protecting the land in times of war. The Morrigán is a great warrior, fierce in battle, but here is associated with fertility, courage, and bold sexuality. The Dindshenchas, a twelfth-century manuscript linking topography and myth, describes her role as sovereign of fecundity. The Morrigán mates with the Daghdha, the tribal god, as she stands straddling a river, with one of her two feet on the south of the water and the other to the north of the water. In a place known as the Bed of the Couple, they have sexual intercourse, thereby assuring the fertility of the people and animals and fruitfulness of the land.

The earlier the legend, the more prominent is the goddess's role in electing the future king of Ireland. The queen-goddess Medb's intrepid sexuality was but her duty in choosing the best consort possible for the well-being and protection of Ireland. Often manifesting as the hag, the sovereign goddess elects the king independently, choosing the best candidate from among the royal line. The coupling takes place once one has passed the hag's terrifying tests.

Without union with the sovereign goddess, the spirit of the land, no king can rule justly and wisely. The sexual union of the goddess with a mortal man elects him as king. As long as he is just, she grants him otherworldly powers and the land flourishes with bounty.

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, anticipate the unexpected. The essence of the earth and sky, represented by the union of the sovereign goddess and mortal man, are joining to prepare a common accord and showing of blessing.

The new is possible, yet the success of this transition depends on your attitude. Sexual union creates urgency and possibility. The intensity of sexual coupling, the union of opposites, and the exchange of energy signify the heat of transformation and life. While the "marriage" of these forces is already within you, the force of birth requires patience and steadiness. New life is precious and requires grand attention and care. Be patient and steady. You may even have to slow down and pace yourself, as sexual energy discharged erratically can cause unnecessary confusion. Allow your life to be spacious and comfortable, so that new life and new possibilities have a chance to grow and develop easily. Nothing can be hurried. If you are receptive and steady, new possibilities will take root within you. If growth is even and unhurried, the possibilities are great.

Today's Oracle 8th April 2020

Lugh/Lludd (Warrior, the Shining One)

Lugh, the master of all arts, is one of the Tuatha De Danaan and a great warrior of the Irish mythological cycle. As foretold by a druid, he kills his own grandfather, Balor of the Evil Eye. A warrior's quality is mastery.

Invoking the Quality of Mastery.

The Irish warrior Lugh is the master of all the arts. When he approaches Tara, the fort of King Nuada, the king's eyes are dazzled by the bright light of Lugh's countenance, as though he has gazed straight into the sun. Lugh's counterpart in the Welsh tradition is the warrior-king Lludd, who joins with his brother Llewelys to overcome the three plagues oppressing the Isle of Britain. A warrior's special quality is mastery of all the arts, including poetry, music, smithing, pageantry, and healing.

Long ago in Ireland, in mythological time before the time of the Celts, the Fomorians lay siege on the Tuatha De Danaan, who were living peacefully on the emerald isle. Among them, Lugh is a warrior more beautiful and noble than any man. Born of supernatural origins, he is the son of a prince of the Tuatha De and a Fomorian princess, the grandson of the powerful Fomorian king, Balor of the Evil Eye. When Lugh approaches the gates of Tara accompanied by his warriors, he gains access to the king's court as the master of all the arts, including carpentry, smithing, music, combat and war, poetry, magic, healing, cupbearing, pageantry, and gaming. Once the Tuatha De king, Nuada, sees that Lugh is matchless in all the arts, he enlists his aid against Balor. Soon, Lugh enlists the help of Manannán Mac Lir, the powerful ruler of the sea. From Manannán, he acquires a breastplate that no weapon can pierce and a sword whose thrust no one can survive. As Nuada watches Lugh and his warriors returning to Tara, his

"Eyes were dazzled by a bright light as if he had looked full into the sun, but then he saw the brilliant rays shone from the face of the leader of the troop and from his long golden hair. Darts of light came off the young man's armour and off his weapons and the gold-embossed harness of his horse. A great jewel blazed from the front of the golden helmet he wore on his shining hair, and Nuada knew that Lugh had come back to Tara."

As soon as Lugh takes his seat in the court of the king, a horde of slovenly Fomorians bears down upon Tara. To Lugh's horror, when the unkempt men stumble into the court, Nuada and his household rise to their feet. When Lugh protests, Nuada replies that these Fomorians are returning to claim their taxes and a third of the crops and a third of the children as slaves. Outraged, Lugh brandishes Manannán's sword and kills all but nine of the Fomorians, sparing them only to turn to Balor with Lugh's deadly reply.

The Tuatha De Danaan and the Fomorians prepare for war. King Balor, Queen Ceithlinn of the Crooked Teeth, their twelve sons, and a great army of warriors march across Ireland to Tara. On the Plain of Moytura, the ground becomes "slippery with blood" as men fight and die, friend and foe side by side. When Balor fells Nuada with a single blow, Lugh is so enraged that he taunts his grandfather Balor to lift the eyelid of his deadly eye. Ten Fomorian warriors pull on ropes, as though drawing a curtain, to raise the weighty lid. Lugh thrusts a stone from his sling into Balor's eye as it opens, killing him instantly as the eye falls back through Balor's head. Though the dead are "as countless as flakes of snow," the Fomorians are forever routed from Ireland."

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, you are attracting adventure and challenges to your life. This oracle signifies the actions of a mature and seasoned warrior, capable in many arts of action and contemplation. Seasoned warriors do not go out looking for high adventure, but challenges seem to find them nonetheless. To meet approaching events, you will want to combine authority with grace, skill, and artfulness. In acquiring many skills, you will be both flexible and strong. A true warrior has complete command of her or his actions. By coupling your skills to one another in your actions, you will master both the situation and yourself.

If the present situation is dangerous to yourself or others, wise action is to seek guidance and assistance. A warrior rarely journeys alone, but is accompanied by kindred companions and trusted friends or advisors. Pursuing worthy and risky objectives without the aid and wise counsel of others is unwise and sometimes perilous. Concerted action adds strength to strength.

Today's Oracle 7th April 2020

Bear (Fierce Femininity)

The wild bear of the forest is the expression of motherly devotion and loyalty to family and kin. In times of provocation and danger, the mother bear protects and defends her young without regard to her own safety. Her actions are swift and unselfish.

Invoking the Quality of Selfless Actions.

The wild bear of the forest is intimately linked with the Celtic goddess Artio, her very name meaning bear. Artio, the bear goddess to the Gaulish Celts, appears fiercely protective in the manner of a mother bear defending her young. She guards the bears from danger and guards humans from the bears. Accordingly, Artio personifies divine watchfulness and protection for both the human and animal realms. In human affairs, her motherly and bearlike protection brings a sense of safety, ease, and well-being.

Artio was the bear goddess of the Celts of Switzerland and the Moselle Valley during the Roman-Celtic period. While retaining the calm and tranquil bearing of the mother goddess and characteristically bearing fruit for her supplicants, Artio was nonetheless a fierce protectress. She had something of a double identity, as she was both the guardian of the bears and wild creatures of the forest, and the guardian of the sacred hunt.

Like a mother bear defending her young, Artio watched over animals and humans alike. Fiercely loyal, she was venerated by the Celts for the protection she provided against the wild forces of nature and, by extension, against enemies. Hunters and warriors propitiated her interventions. When enraged she was aggressive and dominant. Raging like a mother bear protecting her young in times of danger, the Celts felt safer under her sway.

Artio's fierce qualities resemble the "Mother Terrible" aspect of the goddesses of Old Europe from the Balkans discussed by Marija Gimbatas (6500-3500 B.C. ). Artio's supernatural character may be a remnant from a time when goddesses were revered as the primal forces of nature, presiding over life, regeneration, and death. While Celtic mythology abounds in stories of fiery goddesses and queens, archaeological evidence for Artio (or other ferociously dominant goddesses) is scarce. A small bronze statue found near Berne, Switzerland, depicts a regal Artio bearing fruit before the full figure of a bear, who appears to be greeting her. Between them is intimate identification, as though they are matched in strength and ferocity and equally divine.

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, this may be an ideal time to develop the fierce, feminine qualities of readiness and responsibility for others into your character. Not only does the mother bear protect her own young, but she personifies selfless, courageous acts on behalf of others. She acts immediately and powerfully in service to others to protect and preserve in times of danger and distress. Her actions bring peace and tranquillity to life. Everyone benefits from her watchful attention and protection.

Being watchful and safeguarding the rightful needs of family, kin, and community are beneficial and necessary qualities in human life. Men and women are called on to intervene and mediate when the rights of others are unjustly violated or circumscribed. Trust your immediate and selfless response to situations when others are in need or danger. There is no reason to hold back and think about it. Act.

Today's Oracle 6th April 2020

Wondrous Child (Promise)

The wondrous child represents promise, hope in the future, and the rekindling of spiritual life. The new life is innocent, potential, and incomplete. The qualities of newborn innocence and inner development require safety and long stretches of unencumbered time.

Invoking the Qualities of Hope and Trust in the Future.

The Wondrous Child conveys promise and the rekindling of hope and trust in the future. In Irish legend, the wondrous child is Cú Chulainn. As a boy of seven, he was already the greatest combatant in the court of the king, Conor Mac Nessa, and he grows up to defend all of Ulster single-handedly. Taliesin, the great bard of Wales, is another wondrous child. When as a child he is discovered in a leather bag in a salmon weir, he composes poetry recounting the feats of his fabulous origins.

Throughout the world, the birth of exceptional children is a sign of hope. In Celtic lore and legend, the origins and childhood of great poets, saints, musicians, and warriors are often miraculous in character. Cú Chulainn, the great hero of the Ulster Cycle, was the son of none other than the god Lugh of the Long Arm of the Tuatha De Danann and Dechtire, sister of the King of Ulster, Conor Mac Nessa. Oengus, the youthful champion, was the son of the river goddess Bóinn and Daghdha, the Good God.

Taliesin, the incomparable bard of Wales, had once been a boy called Gwion Bach. Upon "accidentally" acquiring knowledge of all there was to know, he incurs the wrath of Ceridwen the Hag, who chases him as a greyhound when he is a hare, as an otter when he is a fish, and as a hawk when he is a bird. Finally, as a hen, she eats him when he is a grain of winnowed wheat on the floor of a barn. The grain of wheat passes into her womb, and in nine months she gives birth to a son so fair and beautiful that she cannot bear to slay him. So she puts him in a leather bag and watches him while he shape-shifts into a hare, a fish, a bird, and finally into a grain of wheat. Immediately, Ceridwen eats him and the seed goes into her womb. Nine months later, Taliesin is born once again as a boy so fair and beautiful that Ceridwen, unable to kill him, places him in a leather bag (in some versions a basket) and sets him to drift on a river on the eve of Beltaine.

Meanwhile, the son of a nobleman, called Elffin, known for his terribly bad luck, is sent by his father to a favoured salmon weir. Every May Eve, the father was accustomed to taking salmon of great value from the weir, but Elffin finds nothing but a plain leather bag. When Elffin slices the bag open, he sees a bright forehead, and cries, "Look, a radiant brow (taliesin)." Elffin is despondent over the bad luck of returning to his father's court with nothing but a child. But the boy astride Elffin's saddle begins at once to compose a poem for him. Amazed, Elffin asks him how he could possibly compose such poetry, being so young. Taliesin replies with another poem, known as "The Consolation of Elffin":

"Elffin of noble generosity.
Do not sorrow at your catch.
Though I am weak on the floor of my basket, there are wonders on my tongue.
While I am watching over you, no great need will overcome you ..."

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, you are urged to cherish and develop a talent or skill that is latent within yourself or in someone you love. It may be a child, a friend, a partner, or even a teacher. Whether you need to attend to yourself or someone else, the talent in question is extraordinary in some unique way. If the talent is within you, you will need to create an environment that allows for long stretches of unencumbered time to practice or cultivate the essential skills. Garnering unencumbered time in modern life may require major reordering of priorities. If you are in the role of supporting another, you are in the role of an assistant and supporter who makes time and more supportive environments possible. Either way, you are a great encourager of self or another. New life in all forms is invariably innocent, potential, and incomplete. The role of encouraging, supporting, and providing safety are essential to its secure development.

Today's Oracle 5th April 2020

Boar (Fearless in Conflict)

The wild boar or pig is a fierce and indomitable creature symbolizing war and conflict. The fury of an enraged boar or army is rightly feared. The qualities of the boar are fierceness, power, and unassailable strength.

Invoking Strong and Decisive Actions.

The wild boar is revered for its ferocity and strength. By association, weapons and armour adorned with boar symbols lend fury and courage to warriors. Arduinna, a boar goddess and huntress from the Ardennes Forest in northern Gaul, rides bareback on a galloping boar. Arawn, the Lord of the Welsh Otherworld, rewards Pwyll for his bravery with the precious gift of the first herd of pigs in Wales. The wild boar signifies power, strength, and fearlessness in conflict.

Wild boars personify the terror of war. Celtic weapons and armour bear the symbols of the boar, its mouth menacingly open and dorsal bristles standing straight up. Replete with screaming, yelling, clamouring chariots, clashing weapons, and the neighing of terrified horses, Celtic battles were horrifying, bloody, and noisy. Roaring over the hill in wild abandon and screeching savagely, enemies were often reduced to terror by the tumult. Adding to the din, among the horns are trumpets called carnyxes, fashioned in the shape of a boar's head, its mouth open and snarling. When blown, carnyxes add a horrid, rattling screech to the fury of battle.

Boars and pigs are also prized for their meat. They demand great skill and courage from the hunters and their horses in the hunt. Though often exaggerated, the Celtic fondness for pork and ritual feasting is well known and documented. Warriors extolling their bravery competed for the champion's portion of pork at the feast. Choice pieces of pork were buried with chieftains to prepare them for otherworldly feasting. Pig offerings were made to the gods, sometimes slaughtered with select portions buried as gifts to the Otherworld, butchered and given as food offerings, or consumed in ritual feasting.

The legends from Wales and Ireland portray boars as supernatural, enchanted, and as gifts from the Otherworld. In the First Branch of the Welsh Mabinogion, Pwyll, Lord of Llys Aberth, encounters Arawn, Lord of the Otherworld. For breaking an honour code, Pwyll must exchange places with Arawn for a year and slay his otherworldly enemy, Hafgan. Pwyll keeps his pledge, and after the year is over Pwyll and Arawn return to their own realms. In gratitude, Arawn sends Pwyll and later his son Pryderi wondrous gifts, the most precious being the first herd of pigs in Wales. In "Math the Son of Mathonwy" of the Mabinogion, which chronicles the conflict between northern and southern Wales, the magician Math, the Lord of Gwynedd, envies the otherworldly pigs:

"So they went unto Math the Son of Mathonwy. "Lord," said Gwydion, "I have heard that there have appeared in the South some beasts such as were never known in this island before." "What are they called?" asked Math. "Pigs, lord." "And what kind of animals are they?" "They are small animals, and their flesh is better than the flesh of oxen. . . . " "And who owns them?" "Pryderi the son of Pwyll; they were sent to him from Annwn, by Arawn the king of Annwn. . . ." "And by what means may they be obtained from him?" "I will go, lord, as one of twelve, in the guise of bards, to seek the swine." "It may be that he will refuse you," said Math. "I will not come back without the swine," replied Gwydion. "gladly," said Math, "go thou forward.""

In the Tale of Culhwch and Olwen, Culhwch is of royal birth and cousin of Arthur. Cursed for offending a queen, Culhwch falls in love with Olwen, the daughter of the giant Ysbaddaden. Since Olwen's marriage prefigures the giant's death, Culhwch is given a series of extraordinary tasks to perform by the giant before he can win the hand of Olwen. His quest centers on capturing Twrch Trwyth, a fierce and enchanted boar who was once an evil king, and seizing the shears, comb, and razor from between Twrch Trwyth's ears. Enlisting the aid of Arthur and Mabon, son of the goddess Modron, Culhwch follows Twrch Trwyth and his band of enchanted pigs all over southern Wales, Ireland, and Cornwall before bringing Twrch Trwyth to the ground.

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, the conditions ask for strong and decisive actions. To act with power and strength, you must first seek clarity and then act decisively. Conflict, disagreements, and discord can be multiplied by indecision and vacillation. The wild boar is never indecisive, but moves swiftly forward. While the aggression of the boar is needed in everyday life, a fierce focus and determinism are often required in business and professional life. Sometimes you must fight for what you need.

When applied to personal or intimate affairs, this oracle points to swift and decisive actions to curtail misunderstandings or even to stop the actions of others when safety or security is threatened. In specific circumstances, you must protect and defend yourself, physically and emotionally, from the actions of others. Stay centered and resolute.

Today's Oracle 4th April 2020

Leprechauns (Earth)

Leprechauns represent the playful and resourceful qualities of the earth. By poking fun at our desire for riches, the leprechauns teach us detachment and equanimity in relationship to material wealth and status.

Invoking the Qualities of Playfulness and Mirth.

The leprechaun is a small, mischievous, and wizened man who often appears dressed in fanciful clothes such as a red vest, green trousers, and a conical hat. Aligned with the otherworldly powers of the subterranean earth, he knows its hidden treasures and is therefore very rich. When encountered cobbling in a lonely place, humans torment him to relinquish his golden guinea purse or lead them to a crock of gold. Through cleverness and trickery, he typically outwits his captors and escapes.

The leprechaun is known by many local names throughout Ireland. All manner of similar dwarves and gnomes inhabit the stories of western Europe, especially Germany and France, particularly Celtic Brittany in France. The leprechaun often lives in the ground or in rock caverns and caves. Though commonly connected with the faeries or known as the cobbler to the faeries, the leprechaun is a singular otherworldly being associated with the underground and its riches, especially gold and hidden treasure.

Most commonly, a leprechaun appears as a small and mischievous man, a wee cobbler, who possesses an inexhaustible purse of golden coins or hidden treasure. Typically encountered at the thresholds of time, just before dawn or after night has fallen, a leprechaun will often be dressed like a country gentleman of the last century, wearing a fanciful red vest with gold buttons or a gentleman's dress coat with large buttons, tight fitting trousers or knee-breeches, and curious shoes with large metal buckles or boots with curled-up and pointed toes. Occasionally, a leprechaun will befriend a poor farmer or a child by leading them to hidden treasure or leaving a guinea in an old chest each night. Some leprechauns live merrily in the wine cellars of old and noble families - as long as good wine is kept in the cellar. Nonetheless, most leprechauns are seen cobbling a single shoe in a hedgerow or out in the bog. When chased, he may disappear as though swallowed by the ground.

A common leprechaun story tells of a man, or occasionally a woman, who catches a leprechaun cobbling on a single shoe and makes a "close prisoner" of him. Until he tells where the gold is, the leprechaun has no chance of getting away. Taking the man out to an old ring fort where the faeries live, the leprechaun shows him a big ragwort, and says, "Dig under this weed tomorrow morning and you'll get a crock of gold." "Wait," he says, "and we'll mark it. Take off my red garter and tie it around the [ragwort], and you'll know where to dig in the morning." The man does exactly that and lets the wee man go. When he comes out in the morning, there is a red garter on every ragwort in the field, thousands of them, exactly the same size and pattern.

Even with a tight grasp about a leprechaun, the wee man can only be trapped by an unbroken stare. Many stories of leprechauns tell of his imitating a lover's voice from behind, alerting the captor to some alleged danger, creating a ruckus, and the like. A likely story from Ireland goes like this:

"The clocharachán [a local name for a leprechaun] makes shoes inside a little rock cavern and he has sparán na scillinge: every  time you'd look. the purse there would be a shilling there. You'd seldom see the clocharachán and it is very difficult to catch him. A man heard that he was in some rock cavern or other. He came upon him one evening and gripped him firmly.

",give me your purse! " said the matt.

"Let me go," said the clocharachán, "and I'll give you the purse."

If you took our eye off him he'd get away from you.

"Get a red-hot spit," said the clocharachán, "and stick it in his backside!"

The man looked all around him and the clocharachán departed and took his purse away with him!"

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, you are attracting the playful and resourceful qualities of the earth. The leprechaun is boundlessly rich. Each time he opens his silken purse, he finds another golden guinea. Yet his presence often has a double meaning. On the one hand, he beckons the rich resources of the earth toward you, tempts you, and may bountifully reward you. On the other hand, he often turns your attachment toward wealth into a standing joke in which you are the principal player.

The presence of this oracle suggests that you are being tempted by material resources in the form of money, great opportunities, or a "deal." These material resources may come, but more likely, they are ephemeral. Being a natural trickster and mischief-maker, there is no telling what the leprechaun's influence will be. There is no human logic predicting his rare gifts of hidden treasure. There is only a slim hope that your present circumstances will result in making you rich or famous.

Spiritually, the tempting yet ephemeral riches of the leprechaun invite you to cultivate detachment and equanimity with regard to material treasure.

Today's Oracle 3rd April 2020

Salmon (Knowledge)

As a magical creature of the waters that is close to powers of the Otherworld, the salmon brings knowledge and wisdom, expressing them through the creative arts, especially poetry, prose, and singing. Ancient bards were inspired by tasting the salmon of knowledge.

Invoking Spontaneity and Artistry.

The magical salmon brings supernatural knowledge and wisdom. Taliesin, the ancient bard of Wales, was retrieved from a salmon weir in the River Convey. In the Finn Cycle of Ireland, the red-speckled salmon living in a pool on the River Boyne acquires great knowledge by eating the berries of the rowan tree overhanging the pool. When Finn tastes one of the salmon, he acquires knowledge of everything in the world, past, present, and future, and becomes as great a poet as he is a warrior and hunter.

In Irish and Welsh legends, the salmon captures the wonders of otherworldly wisdom. Swimming in pools close to sacred springs and feeding on rowan berries, salmon acquire knowledge of all there is to know.

The Finn Cycle of Ireland chronicles the story of a magic salmon and the giving of the knowledge of all things to Finn. To acquire greater wisdom, Finn goes to  learn poetry from Finneces, who lives on the shores of the magical River Boyne (Bóinn), encamped there for seven years attempting to catch one of the red-speckled salmon that live in a pool by the river. The salmon eat the berries that fall from a rowan tree overhanging the pool and acquire the knowledge of all there ever was to know. Whoever eats one of the salmon will enjoy the wisdom of the world. When Finn comes to Finneces's camp, the poet has just caught a beautiful salmon. Finneces gives the fish to Finn and instructs him to cook it, but not to eat even the smallest piece. While lifting the salmon off the spit, the skin of fish sears Finn's thumb. Thrusting his thumb into his mouth to ease the pain, the knowledge intended for Finneces goes to Finn. As prophesied, the wisdom of the salmon goes to a fair-haired man named Finn who becomes as great "a poet as he was a warrior and hunter."

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, the unspoiled wisdom within your nature seek expression in the creative arts, especially poetry, prose, drama, and singing. Even without special training or talent, creative pursuits seem satisfying and want to be spontaneously expressed. Routine activities may suddenly seem revitalized with insight. Creative and ingenious people attract you. The grandeur of nature is a great source of joy and inspiration.

In the Celtic world, the bards could both bless and curse with the eloquence of their words. In our time, words can promote good and evil and, therefore, rightful expression requires clarity of mind and heart. Take time to choose your words and expressions carefully.

Like the magical salmon feeding on the rowan berries at the bottom of the pool, wisdom may seem to come from a deep well within you. Fresh insights may nourish many aspects of your life, personally and professionally. New ideas will beg expression in words. If you respect the rights of others, this new (or renewed) artistry in ideas and words will develop and increase.

Today's Oracle 2nd April 2020

Will O' the Wisp - Jack O'Lantern (Fire)

Will O' the Wisp is too bad for heaven and too clever for hell. He therefore forever wanders the countryside with a wisp of light. Using the creativity of fire unwisely or selfishly brings misfortune. Seek to use creativity and talent with generosity and compassion.

Invoking the Use of Creativity and Talent.

Will O' the Wisp was a poor and quick-witted man who ill used his talents taunting his neighbours, including the devil. Some say he was an awful man who always got the upper hand with his neighbours, and even with the devil. When Willy died, he was welcome neither in heaven nor hell. He still wanders about the Irish bogs at night with a lantern or his nose afire. His presence signifies the fires of creativity and talent and their right use in the world.

Mysterious lights are seen on the bogs in Ireland at night. Holding a wisp, a lantern, or with his own nose ablaze to illumine his way in the dark, poor Willy the Wisp (also known as Jack O' Lantern) forever wanders the countryside. "Willy the Wisp ... refused admittance of heaven and hell, was given a wisp for light by the devil. And Willy goes about lonesome places from that day to this and the wisp with him."" Willy the Wisp was too bad for heaven and too clever for hell.

When alive, he had been a terrible bad man who played spiteful tricks on his neighbours. His wicked eye was said to have the power to turn a person into a goat. Carried away with his own cleverness, though, he taunted the devil and

"Got the upper hand of Old Nick in every deal. At long last he died and was sent down to hell. When the devil saw him coming he ordered all the doors and windows to be securely locked and bolted. Poor Will walked up and down expecting to be let in at any moment. Losing patience at long last he went over and began peeping in through the bars. What do you say if his nose didn't catch fire! But [he had/ no [chancel of getting in. The poor fellow had to come back to Ireland and he is wandering up and down the country ever since with the tip of his nose on fire. That's the light you see when he's nthe bog.... The fire on the tip of his nose is so strong that all the water in the ocean wouldn't extinguish it. He'll be wandering about night after night till Doomsday and then if the devil doesn't let him in I don't know what will become of him."

Never follow Willy's meandering light in the bog. He will lead a man or woman astray.

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, your creativity and talent may be going astray. A wise person uses his or her creativity wisely and unselfishly. Are you undervaluing your talents and skills and therefore undermining your endeavours? Are you withholding your strengths? hoarding them? trivializing them? neglecting them? overlooking their potential and not attending to their development? Are you supporting your talents through proper diet, exercise, and rest?

Unwise or selfish use of creativity and talents brings misfortune. Wise and generous use of talents brings peace of mind and contentment. Compassionate use of talents brings much joy to the heart. In seeking to develop your talents and how to use them it is wise to seek guidance from those who have manifested their own talents in creative and generous ways. Such guidance will be inspiring and sound, because it is based on having already wrestled with the tensions of ambition and impatience, success and failure, giving and receiving, and passion and resistance.

Today's Oracle 1st April 2020

Faery Lover (Sensuality)

The faery lover (suitor) is a beautiful man or woman who comes (often in the night) to rouse and seduce us. The faery lover's presence signifies unexpected pleasure and delight, and sometimes danger.

Invoking the Qualities of Pleasure, Delight, and Danger.

A faery lover disguises his or her identity and appears as a beautiful man or woman. Approaching by night or in secluded places, the faery lover courts the intended with poetry and song, plays games that delight the senses, or promises riches and happiness as the rewards of marriage. Sometimes a human visits a faery castle beneath the ground and meets a comely lover there. These otherworldly liaisons are short-lived, usually foiled by amiable but cunning trickery.

Passionate love affairs often take place between otherworldly lovers and humans in old Celtic myths. Gods and goddesses seduce human men and woman, usually bringing them back with them into their realms. Children born of these unions are exceptionally beautiful and possess extraordinary powers. In the Irish folk stories, supernatural lovers are typically faeries who come to court and seduce human men and women, especially those who are forlorn or cut off from society."' In Scottish tales, the lovers are faeries, selkies, or beautiful seal men from the sea. Always, the lovers are comely and seductive, appearing as human. A selkie lover slips into a lonely man's bed by night to make love tenderly.

In a typical Irish tale, a young orphan girl encounters a handsome faery man while alone: "Day in and day out, she is driven out to mind the cows on every windblown headland and down to Elly Dunes as well. One day she was down there, a young lad came up to her and joined in the conversation with her and when she came home that evening, her stepmother said: 'You must have been playing a lot today, you look terribly worn out.' 'I wasn't doing anything,' says she." The next day and next, she goes out with the cows and each day she fails the more. When finally she confesses the tryst to her stepmother, she advises: "'When he comes to you tomorrow ... say that there is a very sick calf at home and ask what would cure it.' So the lad told her: `Tell your mother that hen dung, stale urine, a black-hafted knife and last year's burned palm, all mixed together and sprinkled on the calf, will do the trick."' Using the magic potion to get rid of the faery man instead, "the stepmother made up a posset and she gave it to the orphan girl." The next day when the girl met the lad, she had the ... bottle in her pocket. "When the lad sat down beside her, she splashed some of the posset over him. He rose up in a mist and disappeared westwards out over Achill."

The old mythic tales of encounters between Celtic gods and goddesses and human lovers are boldly and playfully erotic. Unlike these ancient stories, tales told in more recent times are sensual and erotic, but rarely directly sexual. Rather than welcomed, otherworldly lovers are typically feared and driven away. Humans rarely visit the faery realms to find lovers there. With passions no longer easily shared between the supernatural world and the human inhabitants of the Middle World, the bold passions of the supernatural realms stay hidden in the Otherworld.

IF YOU ARE DRAWN TO THIS ORACLE, the sensual and sexual side of your nature is wanting attention and care. Your body itself may be wanting deeper and more intimate expression. This oracle suggests that you may be wanting and attracting new (or renewed) relationships that are both loving and fulfilling. Exploring the possibility of a new relationship with your imagination may help to make you more receptive. These new or renewed relationships will bring greater physical and emotional vitality. By being open to new situations (and not repelling them), new acquaintanceships may develop into intimate encounters, friendships, or even partnerships. The faery lover tends to approach quietly and gently, but unexpectedly.

The oracle also suggests that now may be a good time to nourish the normal sensual and sexual needs of the body with comfort, pleasure, and delight. Comforting the body's needs will bring you joy and strength.