Goddess of the week: RHIANNON SUGGESTED MANTRA: INSPIRATION Wise and magical goddess of the moon, Rhiannon hears our wishes and guides us on the path of inspiration - but only if we learn how to ask! SUGGESTED AFFIRMATIONS: ~ I ask and therefore I receive ~ I welcome change in my life ~ I see the path intended for me ~ My future is full of possibilities ~ I invite new choices into my life ~ My goals are becoming manifest ~ I deserve to have my dreams realised Related gemstones: cat's-eye, ruby and moonstone Rhiannon (Great Queen) was the lunar Welsh Goddess of fertility and rebirth, transformation, wisdom, and magic. Goddess of ethereal beauty, she was born with the first moonrise, Muse of poets, source of artistic inspiration, she was worshipped outside amidst the trees at woodland alters and underneath the Moonlight. As goddess of fertility, Rhiannon gave birth to a son, Pryderi, at Yule - the winter solstice being a significant reminder that the ultimate product of death is rebirth. (Centuries later, in 273 C.E. (Common Era), Christians adopted this time of Yule as Jesus' birth). Her son was abducted one night while she slept, and as punishment she was tied to the town gates and forced to bear visitors on her back as though she were a horse. Her dignified strength and perseverance during this time serve to remind us what all women are, and will continue to be. In her death goddess aspect, she is symbolised by an unearthly white mare and three birds that sang so sweetly they could raise the dead. According to bardic folklore, she later become Vivien, the Lady of the Lake in Arthurian myth, honoured for granting the wishes of those who could ask for what they wanted, and scorning those who could not, or would not, ask for what they wanted. This aspect is also a possible source for the Grail Question of Arthurian legend. Rhiannon carried the souls of the once-living on her white mare to the Underworld, which, according to Celtic legend, is where the soul exists in a similar way to that in our world. They did not see a difference between the spiritual world and the material world, the natural or the super-natural. After a "life cycle" in the Underworld, the souls die and are reborn into this world again, perpetuating the cycle of birth and death, renewal and destruction. HER MODERN ENERGY As we relish the phase of rebirth and renewal, we welcome new inspiration and Rhiannon's energy into our lives. Use her energy to give oomph to new projects or ideas - simply ask her for what you want! If you don't ask, you don't get, so go on - get asking! DO THIS At the next full moon, honour Rhiannon by lighting four candles (one each of red, green, gold and silver) and make your wish known to her. With the joyful energy that renewal brings, have a little fun invoking Rhiannon with the Anglo-Celtic nursery rhyme: Ride a cockhorse to Banbury Cross to see a fine lady upon a white horse, With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes she shall have music wherever she goes. Yours in love and light, ~Anita~ source