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March 2006 Dear Drummers, In the Celtic Wheel of the year we are now steadily turning from the north and toward the east: the direction associated with prosperity and generosity. Winter begins to loosen its grip, and hints of spring begin to emerge—the days are longer, the skies seem to blue more often, and sense of hope begins to emerge. I like to apply the Christian term “grace” to the east. When the Celts spoke of prosperity, they meant the prosperity of nature—the fields that gave so much food, the earth that gave animals and flowing streams, the sky that gave rain and sun and spring time breezes. The word Grace is usually associated with a transcendent God bestowing favor upon humanity—unearned and undeserved, but given anyway out of pure, unending love. (Of course as all things theological, this became twisted into an idea that god only offered grace to certain people—certain chosen ones, or believers, or later, only certain protestant denominations. The bumper sticker I’ve seen often says it this way: God Bless Everyone. No Exceptions.” The idea that Grace comes to us through the fecundity and beauty of the natural world—this is the way I see the western idea of grace mix with the Celtic love of the land. If our species is to survive, we will need to see the earth once more as a source of grace, as opposed to a source of raw materials to be plundered for our comfort. And this is why I believe that our spiritual work together has an important purpose—we are among the first wave of westerners to begin to re-spiritualize the earth, or re-enchant nature. No one meeting secretly in houses a few years after Christ’s death knew that what they were doing would become a major religion. Neither do we know what will come of our worship together. There is a Scottish story that tells of the Old Hag of winter, the Cailleach, who grows tired at this time of year. She makes her way down to the shore and into a small boat—likely a coracle (Pronounced KOR-uh-kul), a small rounded boat made of canvas or hide stretched over a wicker or wooden frame. The boat is shaped like a vulva. She makes her way across the water to an island, barely bale now to paddle or even to stand. With great exhaustion, she makes her way to the center of the island, where there is a well. She dips the cup in the well, and drinks. And falls asleep. When the rays of the springtime sun wash across her face the next morning, she awakes, as the Maiden of spring. We have in this story a connection between the old hag and the young maid, that indeed they are two faces of the same goddess. A figure form the Celtic art brings these two faces together. It is called the She-la-na-gig. I’ve attached a couple of images of them. The most famous is the wide-eyed, grinning woman gleefully reaching down and stretching open her vulva for the onlooker to gaze in. What, in the Christian world became described as an image of wonton lust, or as the image of “an immodest woman” (one translation of the name Sheela, or Sheila), it seems clear that from the Celtic perspective this is a wonderfully potent image of the goddess reminding us that all life comes out of her body, and back in as well. Her vulva is both the entrance and exit door. It is no mistake that this figure is found over church doors—the church being the womb of god into which we enter to commune with Him. The She-la-na-gig is sometimes presented as young woman—but often without breasts—and sometimes as the old hag with drooping breasts, and ribs showing through her skin.
She-la-na-gigs are found carved above church doorways entrances to buildings—she is a threshold spirit, protecting the traveler as they move from one world to another.
There are a lot of fascinating ideas around this figure, and I’ll relate some of them on Friday. See:http://www.bandia.net/sheela/index.html#text-f-9a or http://www.whitedragon.org.uk/articles/sheela.htm if you are interested. The ceremonial part of the evening will focus on a simple sounding, yet powerful question: “What do you want your life to be about?” If you want, you can use that question to meditate on during this week leading up to the drum and ceremony to the She-la-na-gig. During the ceremony I’ll give you an opportunity to make a “vow to the elements” or to the She-la-na-gig. Of course, as always we begin with by delighting the ears, bones, blood and nerves through the delicate (and not so delicate) application of hand (and stick) to drum—also an image of the vulva—we literally play upon the Goddess’s pleasure center—whew, I’m getting hot already.
Jaime
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