Woden's Wandering Witch

  In Irish and Scottish folklore there exist stories about cat sidhe (fairy cats) also called cat sith in Scottish Gaelic. Sidhe and sith are both pronounced “shee”. Cat sidhe are believed to be large, Otherworldly black cats with a single white spot on the chest. The descriptions bare some resemblance to Kellas cats, the wild cats of Scotland, which has led some to theorize that sightings of them may have been the origin of the cat sidhe stories (Matthews, 2005).
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I’ve written before about how I approach honoring the ancestors and various Gods, and I have written before about some of my thoughts on the spirits of the Otherworld, but I’ve never really discussed directly how I percieve those spirits or honor them. Since the Good Neighbors comprise a huge aspect of my own personal practice I feel like I really should discuss it here. Or perhaps I am just feeling brave today, as it is said that one should not discuss one’s own personal experiences (readm more)

     The question was asked on a Facebook group I belong to, why do the group’s reconstructionists follow that approach? While I no longer think of myself as a Celtic recon, per se, I do feel that reconstruction is a big part of my own practice and I enjoyed thinking about the question. I decided that I suffer from insatiable curiosity and a desire for authenticity, and that in the end is what will always make me look to reconstruction as the main methodology I use in practicing my spirituality. Needless to say this causes me endless grief and often shapes my own self-image as well as how I relate to groups and labels.
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When Odin is mentioned in conversation most people probably do not immediately think of him as a healing deity. God of battle, of the valiant dead, of poetry, of kings, of runes, even of magic or wisdom, but probably not healing. However I have personally related to him this way for many years and often pray to him to heal illnesses and injuries. Admittedly this began as my own personal practice becuase it seemed natural to go to Odin for pretty much anything since I dedicated to him, but as it turns out there is some evidence that he may have been seen as such historically as well. So let’s look at the historic evidence of Odin as a god of healing*
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     All ritual, at its heart, should serve the dual purposes of honoring the Gods and of opening us to Their blessing. It should also allow us to be aware of and reflect on our connection to those Powers and our part in the natural and cosmic cycles. It is said, although I can’t lay my hands on the exact reference right now, that the ancient Druids believed that their rituals were a perpetual act of creation that kept the cosmos going; I like to think that even today our rituals help keep cosmic order, if only because it nurtures my own feeling of connection to everything

Picking up where part 1 left off…
The Golden Eagle (Iolar Firean) - the golden eagle is one of the two types of eagle that were native to Ireland before being driven to extinction around a hundred years ago. Eagles were seen as symbols of wisdom, magical power, long life, speed, and vision (Anderson, 2008). In folklore some types of faeries, such as the Pooka, are said to appear at times in the shape of an eagle; personally I associate eagles with Nuada and Osprey with Manannan  mac Lir. Additionally eagles appear often in Irish and more general Celtic mythology.

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   Today’s book review will focus on the single most recommended book for Celtic recons, the CR FAQ. This really is one of those “must read” books for anyone interested in Celtic recon, and is the product of the collaborative efforts of some of the founding members of this approach to Celtic religion. It was published in 2007 in print and appears free online at http://www.paganachd.com/faq/.
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