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Sylvan Thorncraft ~ Early Winter 2006

Mirror, like miracle and mirage, comes from the Latin root mirari which means “to wonder at.”  Like the moon’s light is reflected on the surface of the sea. 

Know Thyself and You Will Know The Mysteries of The Universe

One of the teachings of the ancient Eleusinian Mysteries was to Know Thyself.  Many spiritual traditions have long felt that our reflection is part of our soul, that the world around us is a reflection of the divine, which in turn is a reflection of creation here on Earth.  The power for us in this point of view is that we have the opportunity to learn the deepest truths about the divine as we experience the world around us and look into our own hearts. 

At some point our relationship with our reflection and with mirrors as a tool to discover ourselves began to change.  Whether it manifested as fear of mirrors, or in chiding those who gazed at their own reflection, the desire to know one’s self, and the deep reaches of the soul through our reflection was twisted into a symptom of personal vanity and narcissistic tendencies. 

Membrane Between The Worlds

The reflective surface of a mirror or pool of water has long been seen as a thin membrane between the worlds.  This quality made these surfaces perfect for divination or potential doorways to travel through in dream journeys.  Fairy tale wisdom, which was once a tool to teach children about the mystical and practical nature of the world, is often a receptacle (along with superstitions) of older truths if you can tease them out.  Alice, for one, traveled to magical realms when she journeyed through the surface of the looking glass.  In some Jewish folk tales mirrors were seen as a gateway to Lilith and to the otherworld.  All mirrors were thought to be portals to Lilith’s cave, each housing one of her daughters.  Gazing into a mirror was thought to open you to her influence, and the demoness would easily possess a young woman who frequently looked at herself in the mirror through her eyes, leading to all sorts of promiscuous acts at the demoness’ prompting.  Though I can’t help but wonder if this is a patriarchal vilification of ancient rituals where priestesses of Lilith would go into trance using sacred mirrors, possibly meditating on the divinity within themselves, as Lilith as the serpent was said to have encouraged Eve in the Garden of Eden to know herself, then take on the persona of Lilith for sacred sexual rituals. 

Reflection and The Soul

Since our reflection was considered part of our soul, strong taboos were placed on disturbing water that someone was gazing into.  The modern superstition that lays seven years bad luck on anyone who breaks a mirror are probably rooted in our memory of the importance of our reflection.  Looking again to folklore, the stories about Vampires offer another example of this since these creatures, who were said to lack souls, were also unable to be seen in mirrors.  Taboo also sprang up around mirrors and the reflective surface of water since many death goddesses used them to catch and hold the soul after death, as she helped guide the soul to the otherworld.  It was said that the voice of the Celtic Morgan, as Mother Death, could be heard on the wind as she collected souls in her mirror, like the Slavic Gypsies’ death goddess, Mara.  Echo, Greek goddess of death by water, would wait in her pools to capture one’s reflection.  Care was often taken to turn mirrors to the wall when someone in the family died so their spirit wouldn’t get stuck in the house and be able move on freely to the realm of death. 

Divine Water

The first reflection was from the still, smooth, surface of water; the sacred pool.  Through the work of Masuru Emoto we are relearning that water is a conscious entity that holds the energetic imprint of whatever it comes in contact with (as it does physically as one of the most effective solvents on earth).  Prayer, pollution, music, love, the energy of the land that forms banks to hold it, all affect the nature of a drop of water.  Water is also intimately familiar with the energetic story of the cosmos, holding the memory of all it encounters during its constant cycling through atmospheric cloud and rain, stream, lake, river and aquifer held by and enveloped within earth, and ocean.  From these planetary cycles, water also moves intimately through our own bodies and cells, and those of the other plants, animals, and insects.  To gain insights into the wisdom of water, we can spend time with it in nature as well as looking at any of the great water goddesses from around the world.  These goddesses at their root are unifying, archetypical figures who serve as a common face for the myriad of local water spirits of local rivers, springs, brooks, lakes, pools, and seas worshiped by the communities that live in close relationship with them.  By giving these water spirits that we know intimately from our homes a similar face we have a way to relate to other communities and celebrate the divine together, while we honour our local spirits and our personal connection with them.  Water goddesses from many cultures embody love, beauty, creativity, and sensuality; the richness of life and the senses. 

They also require a deep respect for natural law.  Like the Inuit goddess Sedna, these goddesses can be nurturing and life giving, rewarding us with bounty when we are in alignment with natural laws, providing food to eat and water to drink and for healing.  They can help us connect and communicate with each other, since water was once our major mode of transportation.  Water also connects us with divine wisdom through scrying and oracles.  These water goddesses can be unpredictable and dangerous if people are out of balance with natural law or take cultural taboo for granted.  Illness, floods, storms, and scarce fish are often thought to be ways she warns us when we’re out of balance.  Many of these goddesses and water spirits are depicted as women with fish or serpent tails.  Their combination of human and animal form make them bridges between the worlds, helping us integrate natural law with the human realm like Sagittarius, aquatic and terrestrial they help us draw on our intuitive watery side as well as our embodied earthy side.  These watery goddesses often carry mirrors which can teach us about the power of our reflection.  Our reflection looks the same as our body, only in reverse, our opposite. Reflecting on something gives us the opportunity to look at what has transpired, to consider the situation from a new perspective, still our own but a bit different, so we can see it as a whole.  Our physical reflection can be a symbol as we try to recognize, honour, and work with the opposites with in us, moving towards unity.  Realizing that we embody not only both sides of the coin, but the whole realm of possibility, can help us foster compassion for ourselves as well as other beings that may first seem very different from ourselves.

The African water spirit Mami Wata, whose name comes from ma or mama meaning truth or wisdom, and wata from the ancient Egyptian Uati or Uat-ur which means ocean water (Mami Uati was an ancient form of Isis worshiped in Egypt and Mesopotamia), is often shown as a mermaid with a serpent, symbol of divination, wrapped around her body, holding a mirror, comb, and beautiful adornments.  Her roots are deep.  Many African creation stories tell of merfolk who came from distant stars, like the Nommos from the belt of Orion that the Dogon people speak of, who brought the tenants of divine law to the people, helping humans create cultures that were in alignment with nature.  Like Venus and Aphrodite of the Mediterranean Sea, Minne, the Celtic Merrow and Selkie (seal women), serpent-tailed Melusine of the sacred springs and rivers who retired to the Isle of Avalon, Oshun, and Yemaja, Mami Wata represents a pantheon of water spirits, beautiful embodiments of fortune and abundance, sexuality and attraction, healing and nurturing, and the wisdom of water.  These water goddesses are often sensitive, one only need see the images from Emoto’s work with frozen water crystals that have been exposed to negative emotions, jagged and misshapen to be reminded of how easily water picks up what we project emotionally and physically, and understand why water goddesses are so easily hurt or offended.  In the same breath, water is a natural solvent, able to dissolve many substances and bring them into a new fluid relationship, the water goddesses can be elegant diplomats, and readily respond to love, admiration, joy, and attention.  Devotees often bring gifts of food, drink, flowers (especially five petaled ones), jewelry of copper or gold, and fragrant oils and incense to their local waters and dance ecstatically until entranced to hear the divine speak.  Shells are also used for divination, considered the mouths of the Orisha.  Other shells, like the cowry, are sacred to the goddess because their openings look like a woman’s vulva.

These water goddesses also celebrate feminine creativity, symbolized by the fruits of our wombs.  Hathor, the ancient Egyptian cow goddess of life and joy, abundant mother and sensual lover, the Great Cow Who Protects Her Child, the Sanctuary of Women, she is the embodiment of the Milky Way, the fertile cosmic waters.  These watery goddesses are often connected to the waters of the womb.  Charms, offerings, and prayers are devoted to them around matters of fertility and children.  Hathor is the richness of the annual flood of the river, bringing nutrients to the plain that will enrich the crops planted once the water recedes.  Hathor is the loving cow who tends her calf, her oracles are consulted to predict the fate of newborn babies and the midwives that help deliver them.  She carries the Ankh, symbol of life, of a woman’s womb, like Venus’ mirror.

When We Know Ourselves We Open Our Creative Flow, The Result is Divine

As we experience the world around us as a reflection of the divine, the inspiration and joy that comes from knowing ourselves as part of that cosmic flow can open our creative channels.  In myth, the goddess of reflection often gives birth to enlightened children, her own creative expression.  The stories of the last few thousand years have made these children hero sons, feminine reflection gives birth to those who are able to take right action.  Maya, goddess of reflection gave birth to Buddha, as the Greek Maia was the mother of Hermes, and Maga, Celtic grandmother goddess, bore Cu Chulain. 

In other instances the goddess finds such beauty and joy in her own reflection all of creation is born from the vibration of that love.

“Alone, awesome, complete with in Herself, the Goddess, She whose name cannot be spoken, floated in the abyss of the outer darkness, before the beginning of all things.  And She looked into the curved mirror of black space, She saw by her own light her radiant reflection, and fell in love with it.  She drew it forth by the power that was in her and made love to Herself, and called Her “Miria,” the wonderful.

Their ecstasy burst forth in the single song of all that is, was, or ever shall be, and with the song came motion, waves that poured outward and became all the spheres and circles in the worlds.  The Goddess became filled with love, swollen with love, and She gave birth to a rain of bright spirits that filled the worlds and became all beings.”

Excerpt from a Creation Story from the Faery tradition[1]  

The mirrors of the goddess are a deep reminder of the waters of the womb, of physical and ritual birth, of intuition and emotion, of all that they carry and swim through.

Silvery Moon as Teacher About Reflection and Intuition

Women have long been connected to the moon, our bodies cycling with her silvery sphere, source of the intuitive waters, enlightenment, and dream.  The heavenly body of the Moon is in fact a cycling mirror of light and darkness, reflecting the Sun’s light back to Earth.  In central Asia the heavenly orb of the moon was said to be the mirror that reflects everything in the world.  In medieval times it was thought by some that women should pray to her own deity, the Moon, with her personal desires, rather than trouble god.  Furthermore woman should pray to the Moon using a piece of silver.  Chant like these are reminders of the moon as our ally: 

Call on the Moon when She is round

Luck with you it will abound

What you seek it will be found

In sky, in sea, or solid ground.

                                                                                                                        (Anonymous)

The early Latin word for silver was luna, which also means moon, and was later called argentum, meaning "white and shining" by the Romans.  Silver has been used as a divinatory metal since ancient times.  The metal has been known to influence the currents of psychic intuition.  Pure silver has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal, and is both conductive and reflective.

Native silver is very rare, but when found, it takes the form of twisted or entwined ropes and wires.  We often think of silver running in veins through the earth’s crust, but in fact 2/3 of the silver mined is found with other metallic ores.  The metal of the moon is most often found in combination with the metals of Saturn (lead) and Venus (copper), as well as zinc.  Polished silver is the best metallic reflector of light and has been used to make mirrors since ancient times.  Now silver emulsion is used to print photographs, fixing an image onto the sheet of treated paper, a new way to capture one’s reflection, catching the essence of a person or moment.    

Metaphysically, it is thought that the mineral silver mirrors the soul, strengthening the connection between the astral and physical bodies, as well as helping balance the right and left hemispheres of the brain.  The metal draws out toxins from the body as well as offering protection from negative energy.  Since it is closely related with the energy of the moon, silver is said to enhance intuitive and psychic ability.  A reflective, moon like, luminous metal, it is easy to understand why silver would be favored as a divinatory tool.

We know from the archeological record that the mirror was an important tool for ancient people around the world.  Bronze Age Celtic women were all buried with their mirrors.  They were also carried by every Pazyryk child, woman, and man, a nomadic people that ranged through the territory that is now nestled between Mongolia and the former Soviet Union.  Concave mirrors were common in Mesoamerica and the Orient.  These curved mirrors were known to be used as fire-starters, for the hearth at home as well as ceremonial fires, drawing the fire of the Sun, the energy of the heavens to earth.  The Latin meaning of reflect, “to bend back,” suggests that mirrors may also have been used as tools for protection.  For nomadic people mirrors could also have been helpful tools to signal each other from great distances with flashes of reflected sunlight.

Divination

            Since early times humans have been using different forms of divination to reveal truths about the intention of the divine.  This insight allows us to come into alignment with the divine flow, enriching our lives and finding balance.  Though divination has been discounted by the modern cult of science as a cultural relic, when you look beyond the symbols and methods that may sometimes seem exotic or strange, to the roots of divination, the very definition of the word being “perception by intuition and foresight,” we come to understand that when we are observing the natural world and the messages that are always being sent our way, we are open conversation with the natural world, both seen and unseen, and are able to come to greater understanding of the mystery that is all around us and the current of life.

            Some feel that divination is simply a way to quiet our busy minds and open to the wisdom of our subconscious, allowing our conscious selves access to that knowing.  Often the act of divination is held within the structure of a formal ritual, and the questions asked reflect the needs of the community.  Divination can also be applied to personal questions, some consider this fortune telling, but this seems to dismiss the importance of personal concerns.

            There are several categories of divination.  The reading of omens takes note of unusual or important natural events in order to predict what may happen in the future.  Sortilege, also known as cleromancy, divines by casting lots with bones, sticks, stones or other materials.  The board games and playing cards we enjoy today are entertaining versions of earlier sortilege divination practices.  Augury is divining based on observing the qualities of and relationships between the object(s).  In classic Rome Augurs watched the flights of birds, how many there were, the species, and the direction of flight to reveal the will of the gods, which the Auger would be interpret for officials and politicians.  Though a public official, an Augur would be consulted before all major public and private undertakings.  In addition to watching the flight of birds, Augurs also studied lighting strikes, or the entrails of ritually sacrificed animals (haruspicy), especially the liver, which was thought to be the source of blood and life itself.  This practice is thought to have originated with the Babylonians and Mesopotamians, who examined the livers of their sacred sheep (during the age of Aries the ram) to see the will of the gods.  Spontaneous divination is a broad term used to describe an answer that comes based on what the diviner may notice.  Often a question is asked then the diviner will look and listen to what ever comes next.  Bibliomancy is a form of spontaneous divination, a sacred book is picked that is felt to contain the answer, a question is asked then the book is allowed to fall open and what ever the diviner points to is the message that answers that question.

            There are countless ways to divine, astrology (Vedic, Western, Chinese, and others) which looks to the guidance of celestial bodies, casting runes or yarrow stalks for the I Ching, cartomancy (using cards, tarot, oracle cards…), studying different physical characteristics like the palm of the hand (chiromancy), the soles of the feet (podomancy), or the shape of one’s head (phrenology), ailuromancy (watching the behavior of cats), scatomancy (which studies animal droppings), scrying with crystals, water, or other reflective surfaces, pyromancy (reading fire), geomancy (which looks at markings in the earth or how dirt falls when tossed in the air), graphology (studying handwriting), numerology (numbers), oneiromancy (dreams), and onomancy (names) just to start the list.  With divination it’s good to remember that the information we need is all around us, we just have to ask and then pay attention. 

Scrying

Scrying is a type of divination that involves focusing on a reflective surface, traditionally a crystal or crystal ball, a bowl of ink, a dark bowl filled with water, a well or pool, embers in a fire at night, a candle’s flame, or mirror (often with a black painted surface), stilling the conscious mind in order to see clairvoyantly.  The word scry comes from the Old English descry, meaning “to perceive form a distance, to make out dimly, to reveal, perceive, detect, or discover by the eye.” When we scry we are calling on our watery intuition and dream vision.  The earliest forms of scrying probably involved sacred pools of water.  This technique was popular in early Britain and Greece where beryl, crystal, black glass, polished quartz, water, and other substances that were able to catch light were often used.

            The Cabalists employed a system of divination with mirrors based on the seven planets of our inner Solar System, the heavenly bodies known at the time.  Each planet is connected with a day of the week as well as a type of metal.  This correspondence would determine the material that the mirror would be made of and the question to be asked.  On Sunday one would align with the Sun, gazing into a gold mirror to ask questions about the great folk of the earth.  Monday, the Moon’s day, would be an auspicious time to gaze into silver for insight into dreams and mystic enlightenment.  Tuesday one would focus on Mars in an iron mirror, asking questions about enmities and lawsuits.  On Wednesday one would consult a pool of quick silver, Mercury, and ask about money matters.  Thursday, Jupiter’s day, seek answers regarding worldly success in a piece of tin.  On Friday consult Venus’ copper regarding love.  On Saturday, Saturn’s day, gaze upon lead for lost articles and secrets. 

Thinking in this way, we can draw on our studies of astrology and the energy of the planets to inform our divination practice, another delicious example of how it’s all connected.  Entertain possibilities and see what works for you.  

How to Get Started

Though some people find that scrying comes very naturally, it can be difficult and frustrating for others, taking lots of practice before anything seems to happen.  As with many skills that came easily to our ancestors, it can take time to retrain ourselves to see in this way.  It’s best to hold this work lightly at first, taking the process seriously while maintaining a playful curiosity. 

When we scrying we use the surface of the water, crystal, or mirror to intensely focus our attention to enter a trance state.  This is similar to other forms of meditation, though more complicated since our eyes are open.  Because of this, it is often easier to start scrying in a place that is dimly lit and free from distraction.  Since there are so many media to scry in, play with the ones that resonate with you.  Sit in a way that allows you to feel relaxed, breathing easily.  Place the bowl, mirror, or other tool that you’re using to focus your attention at an angle that is comfortable to you, so there aren’t any noticeable reflections on the surface to distract you.  Create sacred space as you wish, call in the directions and your helping spirits, smudge with herbs to clear the space or open you to your intuition, what ever feels right to you.  As with the other practices we have been using, fix your intention in your mind and speak it out loud.  This need not be elaborate, but knowing the question you’re asking, the intention that you hold for your work, and creating sacred space are important parts of focusing your attention on the task at hand and creating a ritual so your essential self and the divine know that you are open and ready to have a conversation.

Gaze onto the surface, focusing your eyes on one spot.  Stay open to images that may come to mind, sometimes inclusions within a crystal or the way a shadow flickers in the candle light may help trigger images.  The images you see may seem to be in your mind’s eye, or on/in your scrying surface.  For some, speaking out loud what you are seeing, even if it doesn’t seem to relate, can help deepen the trance state and open to more involved series of images.  Feel free to experiment and see what works for you.

When you’re done scrying, take the time to get grounded again.  A trance state can be disorienting so make sure you aren’t rushed afterwards, take the time to eat some food, go outside and take deep breaths while you feel your feet firmly on the earth, take a nap, what ever you need to do to get back in your body and find your roots.

Scrying with Water

Water knows the whole world, the rain, clouds, ocean, trees, animals, and depths of the earth.  She cycles through all of creation, so when we divine with her it is good to remember that you are working with a living entity, she holds vast wisdom gathered during her travels.  Since all water is sacred, tap water is fine to use, but water from a special spring, the sea, or collected rainwater can deepen your connection with the water spirits of the place where you live and open you to their help as you work together.  Steeping a bowl of water in the light of the full or new Moon, or setting the bowl out every night for an entire Moon cycle, creates a rich soup blessed with lunar magic.  Nurturing our intuition and dreams, the Moon is a natural ally for divinatory activities.  How ever you acquire your water, it is good to bless it in whatever way feels appropriate to you, and place it in a plain black or dark colored bowl.  You can also try using dark colored liquids, like inky water, dark red wine, or beer, as women once did in their cooking pots or brews over the fire.

Scrying with Mirrors

Black mirrors made specifically for scrying have the advantage of portability, and are also quite easy to make.  As we make our own mirrors together we will be able to bless them as we go, filling them with our intention and care.  By taking this time, like collecting water from a special place, the end piece will be much more attuned to our personal energy and intention, I feel like this provides an opening, connecting and aligning myself with the piece in a ritual way, so when I use the piece I feel all that went into its creation.  You may want to keep your mirror wrapped in natural material, like cotton or silk, with a bit of sea salt to help keep it energetically clear.  Salt is naturally cleansing, purifying, and protecting.  I keep sprigs of mugwort with my mirror as well.   

Mugwort

Mugwort is a guardian of the threshold and protector of travelers, a natural companion for these tools that are membranes or doorways between the worlds.  Ruled by the Moon and Venus she opens us to our dreams, our psychic senses, and intuition.  Mugwort is a wonderful plant ally to call on when preparing to do divination work, smudging yourself and your scrying tools with her smoke as the ancient Aztecs did.

Dowsing

Though dowsing is a type of divination that is traditionally associated with finding underground sources of water (water witching) or metal using L shaped rods, a forked stick, or pendulum, it can also be used to locate lost objects, to answers questions, seek ley lines and the currents of the earth, feel the energy field of crystals, trees, stones, people…  Dowsing with a pendulum can also help you check another person’s chakras, to see where they may be blocked or need healing. 

As with other divination practices, and life in general, intention is key.  Clear you mind of thoughts and the business of the day, take a moment to ground your energy, maybe call in your helping spirits.  Form the idea of what you’re looking for in you mind, speak it out loud if you need to.  If you’re using rods, hold one loosely in each hand, with your elbows bent, relaxed at your sides so the long ends of the rods are parallel to the ground, pointing forward.  If you’re looking for something, have that intention in your mind, gently walk in the direction that the rods are pointing, if they turn, move in this new direction, when the rods cross or open in front of you, they are indicating that you have found what you are looking for. 

If you want to dowse the answer to a question you can use rods, though I prefer a pendulum for this type of work.  All manner of beautiful pendulum can be purchased at shops, you can make one yourself, or you can use something that you keep close to you, like a ring or earring, at the end of a piece of thread.  To begin, form the question in your mind, wording it in a way that can be answered by “yes” or “no.”  I’ve also been taught to be careful about asking “should” questions, as spirit may have very different ideas about “should” and “should not” than we do.  Take the time to refine your question, so you are clear about what you’re asking.  Hold the pendulum in whatever hand feels comfortable to you, some suggest using the hand you write with, hold the other hand under the pendulum so the pendulum is pointing at your open palm.  To start, ask your pendulum to show you “yes,” then to show you “no.”  This can vary from person to person, so it’s always good to ask and is also a good way to get acquainted or reacquainted with your pendulum.  After this, I like to ask my pendulum if now is the time to ask about whatever it is that I’m asking.  Sometimes it isn’t, and I have to honour that too.        

As you become more familiar with dowsing you may find that the tool you use opens you to feel the energy of a place or object in a new way.  I find that dowsing helps me focus on my sense of touch, feeling the vibrations of things, rather than relying so heavily on what I see or think.  As with all sacred tools, the relationship you develop with your dowsing rods or pendulum over time will make it easier to attune to their energy, and in turn make it easier to tune into the energy of the land, being, or object you’re working with or looking for.

Brigit, Rowan, and Imbolc

Brigit is the Celtic goddess of the threshold, the place between the worlds where there is great potential for transformation.  In her three aspects she teaches us different lessons about the power of this liminal place.  She is the goddess of inspirational flame for poets and their musical songs, the creativity that is the result of traveling to the edges of our psyches and cultural norms.  She holds the wisdom of midwifery and healing waters, offering support as we cross the thresholds into and out of life, or straddle that line between life and death while in the throes of illness.  She is the guardian of healing wells and springs which also serve as places for divination, since the wells provide access to the otherworld of foreknowledge.  Sacred wells and springs all over Ireland are dedicated to Brigit, in a myriad of local forms, where people are able to collect and drink healing water and leave prayer ties in the trees and offerings of candles and flowers.  She is the keeper of the smithy, the embodiment of alchemical transformation as metal, what is solid, is melted down and in that moment of potential worked into something new.  Nuns in Kildare, Ireland still tend Brigit’s sacred fire, bringing the light of her vibrant flame back to our hearts.

The ancient Celts based their annual calendar on the cycling of the Moon, and each Moon month was connected with at tree.  The second new moon after winter solstice is the beginning of the Rowan (mountain ash) Moon and is associated with Brigit and her holy-day Imbolc, celebrated on the second of February, the time of quickening as the days lengthen and the Sun begins to strengthen.  The druids believed that Rowan guarded the gateway to the spirit world and used the smoke of its burning wood to contact the sidhe, the fey folk.  Rowan Moon is the moon of vision, spirit moon, astral travel moon.  Imbolc is one of the four ancient cross quarter holy-days, dynamic times of year, points of quickening change, while the Solstices and Equinoxes are places of balance or stillness.  They are a time when the veil between the worlds is thinner than at other times of the year, it’s similar to how it feels at dusk or dawn, when the colors more muted, a bit easier to see what may be too diaphanous in the bright sunlight or after dark.  For those of us on Earth’s northern hemisphere Imbolc is in the thick of winter, deep dreaming time, but the Sun’s light of inspiration is growing.  This alignment, along with it being Brigit’s sacred time and the Rowan Moon help make Imbolc an auspicious time for magical activities like divination.  Imbolc is also a welcome time to access Brigit’s healing and protective energies.  Lay a cloth out, preferably on some bushes or in a hawthorne tree, on Imbolc eve to collect healing dew and Brigit’s blessings.  It is also the time to weave a new Brigit’s cross to hang over the threshold of your front door of your home or barn to call on the goddess’ protection for the year to come.

In Closing

It is time to reclaim the mirror and its deep and powerful connection to women and our mystery.  The mirror is a precious tool, a reminder of the importance of reflection and intuition, a doorway to the other realms, a carrier of soul…  Symbols can be revealing of deeper currents with in our collective unconscious.  As the female symbol, ♀, was first Venus’ mirror, women embody her wisdom and the wisdom of water.  If we reenter our world, eyes fresh with new understanding we see that this tribute to Women’s wisdom is everywhere.  There are mirrors in our homes, in the car, on window glass, in puddles of fresh rain water, on and on.  So many of us have struggled with issues around self image and have suffered deep wounding, it is easy to feel that mirror is an enemy, a tool of this oppression. 

Yet if we look through the surface, mirror reminds us of our divinity, our soul’s beauty, strength, and complex wholeness, our capacity for creation and the constant stream that connects us to source, to past, present, and future.  Like the previously nomadic people of western India, sew tiny mirrors onto your clothes and remember that you once slept under the stars.

            The mirror is ours.

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