Hello and welcome to this Spring Equinox meditation on the transformation of the Celtic goddess.
Please begin by finding either a comfortable seat or by lying down on your back in a comfortable way.
Taking a moment to really settle in.
Is there anything you could use to make yourself 10% more comfortable here?
Now that you've settled in,
Let's start with a nice deep breath in and out.
I'll invite you to either close your eyes or let your vision soften around the edges.
We're going to tune in to your internal landscape now.
You are walking on a trail through the woods.
Perhaps you visualize a trail that you've been on before,
Or perhaps some place totally new comes to mind.
You are all bundled up for your walk because it is not quite spring yet.
You notice in the shadows of some of the trees,
There is still some frost.
The breeze is cool.
Whenever you walk through a patch of sunlight,
It warms you to your bones.
Take note of the flora that surround you.
Taking a moment to name the trees and plants.
Notice if you hear or see any animals on your walk today.
As you hike on,
You notice off to the left side of your trail.
In the distance,
There's a patch of brightest purple.
Intrigued,
You step off of the path and notice a well-worn deer trail leading in the direction of the purple.
You decide to follow it.
Crossing on through the more dense forest and undergrowth,
You notice this large swath of purple snowdrops and violets.
Noticing the earthy,
Pleasant smell.
And now that you are deeper in the forest,
Where you look into deepest shadow,
You can even see some snow.
You follow the swath of purple flowers deeper into the wild,
Surrounded by boulders and larger older trees you walk on.
The boulders grow craggier and more wild looking.
The trees get mossier and larger still.
You see more sunlight ahead and realize there must be a clearing.
When you come to the clearing,
A surprising sight greets your eyes.
In the middle of a clearing is a pool of deepest,
Clearest turquoise blue.
This little spring is not fed by any visible source,
But the water is so unbelievably clear.
Look into the bottom and see what kind of rocks and water plants you notice.
You are surprised and pleased by the inexplicable and magical presence of a large salmon in this pool.
Look at the colors of its scales as they dance in the light.
Feel the warmth of the clearing sun on your skin.
You are so enraptured by this view that it takes you a moment to notice that you hear the sound of someone or something approaching.
Instinctively you hide in some brush off to the side of the beautiful pool.
You hear what sounds like a person coming closer,
Sounds like two footsteps with an odd sort of thunking sound accompanying them.
You feel curious but not afraid.
You find a good gap in the bushes for your eyes to peek through.
A tall figure enters the clearing and walks towards the turquoise pool.
You notice that thunking sound you heard was their large staff.
Mysterious figure is quite tall,
Probably over six feet,
And yet you do not feel afraid.
The figure pulls back its head and reveals a mane of long white hair and the lined but glorious face of a strong old woman.
At first you marvel that an old woman could have made it so far into the wilderness,
But as she comes closer to the pool you see this is no ordinary old woman.
She has the wiry strength of a smith and she carries herself like a warrior.
She walks to the edge of the turquoise pool and kneels down.
She places her hands in the water and cups them,
Brings the water up over her head and releases.
Wherever the water from this spring touches her snow white hair,
Her hair turns red.
She smiles and looks up at the sky,
Continuing to pull water from the spring and splash it on herself.
The fish even joins in,
Flapping his tail and splattering her with droplets of water.
Wherever the water touches her,
It transforms her furry winter cloak into green wool,
Her white hair to red,
Erases the storytelling lines on her skin.
Once she has washed off her winter guise,
The goddess stands tall.
She drops her walking stick.
Looking around the edge of the pond you see the decaying remains of what appear to be many,
Many walking sticks.
Perhaps this ritual is an annual occurrence.
You notice as her red hair shines in the sunlight at the edge of the pool that you hear the drip,
Drip,
Drip all around you of winter's last frost melting.
The greens of the forest seem to grow more vibrant before your very eyes.
As you stare at the tall and imposing figure,
She gives you a smile and a wink.
She knew you were there this whole time.
This is,
After all,
Her spring,
Her forest,
Her whole world,
Some might say.
She turns on her heel and heads back the way you came.
You take a deep breath,
Grateful for this miracle that you have witnessed,
Getting to see the seasons change.
You straighten up and begin your walk back to your world and your trail,
Feeling rejuvenated and held in the hope of spring.
Take a nice deep breath in,
Smelling the scent of the forest and the magical pool,
And exhale.
Open your eyes,
Take in your surroundings.
Thank you very much for joining me for this Celtic storytelling meditation.
I hope you enjoyed it.
