The Druidic College

Fall Equinox marks the still point at which dark and light are equal in the turning of the wheel. We are moving from the triumph of the Summer Sun toward the Winter Darkness. We are harvesting, and gathering resources for a time when abundance is of the invisible rather than the manifest, a time where what we have accomplished and gathered to ourselves need now be offered to others to sustain them, to the earth in thanksgiving, and a time when we gather our own selves to grow, in stillness and darkness, ready for a rebirth when the wheel turns again.

It is a time of receiving: harvest, and teachings. In our world (at least in this hemisphere) school years begin. We gather teachings to ourselves, and are energized to begin the process anew. We seek out and honor teachers and listen to their wisdom.

The land of the legends of Cuchulainn, in the region of Ulster in Ireland, is a land in which both light and dark have an honored place. The God Lugh is a mighty God who fathered Cuchulainn, the great hero in King Conchobhar’s court in Ulster. Lugh is of the Sun, the most skilled of the deities of the Tuatha de Danaan, whose magical powers are great. Cuchulainn’s strength and ferocity reflect the solar influence. The Goddess Morrigan embodies shadow and darkness. She is the Sovereign of the land and must be honored, and those who turn away from this do so at a heavy cost. She is the Battle Goddess, passionate and fierce.

The legends of Ulster speak of teachers.

The Druid Cathbad was the revered advisor to King Conchobhar and his people. He taught many other aspiring druids, and shared his magic and wisdom with the people. When his advice was ignored, tragedy often struck.

Cuchulainn as a youth sought after a teacher. He was directed to Scathach (pronounced Skah yah), a great woman warrior living near Scotland, to learn her craft in battle and survival. The man who directed him there fully expected that Cuchulainn would not survive their encounter. But he was strong enough to compel her to teach him all his skills; in return he defeated an enemy of Scathach at her request. Scathach’s name translates as “shadow” and legends place her in the Isle of Skye.

In this time of balance of light and dark, we dedicate ourselves to learning and seek out the wisdom of Cathbad and Scathach to help us in our quests, honoring them, thanking them and receiving teaching from them.

Blessed be, Arvanna