Welcome,
Friends.
Welcome to today's meditation,
A journey with Ellen of the Ways.
One of our most ancient deities here in the British Isles.
Ellen is the deer mother.
She has great horns like deer and stag and reindeer.
But like many ancient Celtic deities,
She has been somewhat lost to time.
But we see whispers of her within carvings,
Jewellery,
Some ancient texts and even ancient tattoos.
But perhaps she exists most vividly within story.
And so story is where we'll meet her.
I invite you to take your time to find a place of restfulness,
Whether that is seated or laying down.
Wrap yourself in blankets.
Make yourself as comfortable and restful as you can be.
As we journey into meditation,
Perhaps the realm of dreams with which to meet Ellen of the Ways.
As we settle and relax.
Take your time to allow the breath to be easeful and calm.
Let your body settle and be supported.
It is safe to let go.
As body,
Breath and mind relax and settle.
In the realm of meditation,
Peace,
Onus and quiet.
This is the place to meet a goddess who is elusive,
Shimmering and changeable.
She endures through the ages,
Guiding upon paths of change.
She is the antelope goddess who rules the ways,
The roads,
The passages of human life,
Physical and spiritual.
They say that her roads connected ancient ley lines,
Energy lines of the earth.
She uses magic to guide and build pathways and ancient trackways.
Now in our minds eye,
We wish to journey to seek the wild one.
We journey into forest.
There is grass beneath our feet.
The warm sun shines through branches,
Creating sunbeams that light up leaves and blossoms around you.
The forest is peaceful and restful.
The sun is warm but low in the sky,
Casting long shadows of tall trees and curling ferns.
You find yourself feeling so peaceful that you find a soft place on moss or grass to sit and leave against a tall tree.
You feel the solidity behind you,
The support on your back.
The back might be a little rough but it is warm.
You close your eyes and find yourself slipping into dream.
And although in a dream world you can see around you still,
The wood is here,
The forest,
The trees.
It feels almost as though you have crossed over a threshold.
Colours seem more vibrant.
Little sparkles fill the air like fairies flitting from branch to branch.
Birds sing and as the sunbeams shine through the trees there is a crackling,
Almost a building of energy.
You have been found.
Before you stands Elam of the Ways,
The Lady of the Wildwood,
Primeval goddess.
She is the soul of the forest,
The creator of tracks and paths.
She is robed in the most amazing gown of green.
Bits of woven moss and grass and leaves cascade around her.
She has long red hair,
Intertwined with flowers and twigs and stones.
And upon her head two great antlers.
They are reindeer antlers,
The only species of deer with whom the females are the ones with the antlers.
And although she does not speak,
Her bright green eyes welcome you and she invites you to journey with her through the trees.
You walk silently and peacefully past trees and plants.
You walk over streams,
Past grazing deer.
You move into open grassland to see soaring birds in the evening sky and past ancient stones covered in moss and lichen.
You walk silently and peacefully past trees and plants.
You walk over streams,
Past grazing deer.
This ancient goddess guides us upon pathways,
Watches over us and protects us on our physical pathways.
And our spiritual ones.
She is not here to tell you what path to take.
Only you can make that choice.
But you can call on Ellen to help guide you through ancient pathways,
Ancient mysteries,
Memories of the deep wildwood where our hearts may reside.
She will protect you on your journey.
And take your time now to see where your path has led.
With Ellen standing beside you,
What can you see?
This is pathway stone or grass.
Can you see trees or fields of wildflowers?
Take your time to see what it is she wishes you to see.
This is pathway stone or grass.
Can you see trees or fields of wildflowers?
This is pathway stone or grass.
Can you see trees or fields of wildflowers?
This is pathway stone or grass.
Can you see trees or fields of wildflowers?
This is pathway stone or grass.
Can you see trees or fields of wildflowers?
This is pathway stone or grass.
Can you see trees or fields of wildflowers?
When the time comes,
Ellen guides you back to the place she found you,
Your place.
To the place she found you,
Your place of dream and rest,
Beside the tree.
And once more,
You take a pause to rest on soft grass and soft moss.
Ellen gently steps back into the shadows of the trees.
She watches you with ancient eyes.
You may catch a final brief glimpse,
A sparkle of her eye,
And then she is gone,
Disappearing in a heartbeat.
Back into the wildwood.
But you will see her again,
This goddess of the dreamways.
She will meet you on the paths your soul takes every night,
On journeys of discovery and revelation.
You will find her deep in the heart of the wood,
Among the wild places where the deer roam.
That is where you can seek,
And if you are lucky,
Find her.
Look for the flash in the shadows at sunset,
The glimpse of an antler.
And once you have met her,
You will be forever changed.
And so,
My dear ones,
There is no rush,
But you may wish to move and stretch from your restful place.
We are rising both from that restful place in the forest,
In our mind's eye,
And our restful place here as we begin to return our awareness to the day and to the room.
Take as long as you need to stretch and move and perhaps open the eyes and take some deep breaths.
As I leave you here,
As always,
I thank you for joining me and I hope to see you again soon.
Thank you and Namaste.
Namaste.
Thank you.
