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August 29 through September 4, 2022

Time for a breather this week, as the astrological musical chairs game comes to a halt and we focus on restoring balance to our lives. We'll take advantage of Monday and Tuesday's Libra Moon to bring our worlds back into order, deftly moving between the physical and intellectual realms of our lives to restore our equilibrium. The Moon will wade through spiritual Scorpio Wednesday through Friday, calling for us to go internal to complete the process of change we are in the midst of. Thankfully, a Sagittarius Moon will rule over the weekend, reminding us to quit taking things too seriously and focus on the joy and simple things in our lives.

On the Wings of Change: The Dragon in Celtic Magic, by Kristoffer Hughes

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Classical Latin writers specified that a "Draco" (which forms the origin of the modern word Dragon) referred to an unspecified or uncategorized serpent. The British Celtic name for Dragon, Dreig, continues to be used to this day in the modern Welsh language and is indicative of a mythical creature that is heraldic or emblematic of a Celtic Cultural Continuum. It is probable that the serpentine nature of the dragon and their expression in Celtic myth as worms and snakes seem to imply a possible land-based nature to these creatures; it may be suggested that the dragon started its life as a snake and developed through the popular imagination to become the mighty beast with which we are familiar. The dragon can be found in several cultures around the world, and is not exclusive to the Celtic nations; many have an earthy feel to them and seem symbolic of the relationship between a people and their land.

In Celtic magic, the true significance of the dragon is subtle, and they are not simply the enormous fire breathing beasts that we have been led to believe; they are so much more than their fictionalized expression. Not only do they represent the serpentine qualities of the land, of a creature in touch with the earth and moving into relationship with the people, they are also indicative of the spirit of a people, in this case the Celts of the islands of Britain. The dragon may have started its life as a lowly snake, but it rose to become the spirit of a place, genius loci, and then something remarkable happened: it became a part of our mythology, it sprouted wings and it moved with the people across the surface of the earth, over oceans and to new lands. Whereas the ordinary spirits of place are a part of the story of location, the dragon became something else; it became transferable and could migrate with the people. In order to gain an understanding of the significance and importance of the dragon in Celtic magic, we must descend into the past and find them in the misty corridors of mythology.

Into the Dragon's Den
In the tale of Lludd and Llefelys (which forms part of the Mabinogi collection compiled from the Red Book of Hergest), the sons of Beli the great, Lludd and his brother Llefelys find they must deal with three plagues that terrorized the island of Britain. The second plague was an awful scream that was heard every May-eve. So terrible was the scream that it pierced every heart in Britain; men would lose their strength, women would lose their children, young people would lose their minds, and every tree and plant would be left barren. The tale tells us that the cause of this plague was the cries of Britain's native dragon in battle with a dragon of a foreign race who strived to overcome it. To combat the plague, Britain was measured in length and breadth to discover its center, Oxford, and here a great pit was dug. Within this pit Lludd and Llefelys placed a vast cauldron filled with the finest mead and covered with a satin sheet. In time, two monstrous creatures appeared in battle; at length they took to the air in the form of mighty dragons, and finally they fell as pigs onto the satin sheet—which sank to the mead depths of the cauldron, and there they drank and slept. Lludd and Llefelys wrapped the pigs tightly in the satin sheet and placed them within a stone cist and buried them in the securest part of the island of Britain, at the place called Dinas Emrys in Snowdonia. And thus the fierce outcry ceased, and the people recovered.

The significance of the above tale is further reiterated in the Triads of the Island of Britain, which describes that one of the three fortunate concealments of Britain was, "the concealment of the dragons in Dinas Emrys which Lludd the son of Beli concealed."¹ Further reference to the same pair of dragons can be found in Nennius' Historia Brittonum, compiled in the 9th century. Its title is misleading, as it does not represent a comprehensive history but rather a disparate collection of early writings that focused on locality-specific British history. The story that follows involves the famed Celtic prophet/magician Merlin and his adventures with Vortigern, the Druids, and two powerful dragons.

The story tells of the shamed king Vortigern and his attempt to build a stronghold in Snowdonia, but try as he may, the towers keep falling. His Druids inform him that the only way to safeguard the strength of the tower is to sprinkle the ground with the blood of a fatherless child. In due course, such a child is discovered and brought to the site to be slaughtered. Upon discovering that the Druids are responsible for his fate, he asks if they know what is buried beneath the tower; they cannot answer. He claims that under the ground is a lake, and within that lake a cloth tent, within which are to be found two sleeping serpents, one red and one white. The site is dug, and lo and behold, the serpents are discovered. The boy asks the Druids what the meaning of this is, and again they are unable to answer. The child explains that the cloth tent represents the kingdom and the two serpents are dragons; the red dragon stands for Britain and the white for the Saxons. So far, the white has been victorious, but eventually the red would reassert her strength and repel the invader. Eventually the boy reveals his identity: he is Merlin Ambrosius.

If we take the above three accounts—the tale of Lludd and Llefelys, the Triad, and the account of Merlin and Vortigern—there are several facts that belie the nature of the dragon. In the first tale we are told that the terrible cry on May-eve is the battle cries of a dragon, which the tale describes as "...and therefore YOUR dragon..."², implying that one of the dragons is native to Britain and to the tribes of Lludd and his brother Llefelys, and is indicative of the land and its people, whereas the antagonist is foreign. We find the usual tripartite style relating to the shape or forms of the dragons, in that they appear initially as "monstrous animals," they then arise to the air as—one assumes—winged mighty dragons, and finally they fall to the earth in the form of pigs. Many of the modern interpretations of the tale fail to address the magical significance of this saga; firstly there are three forms to the dragons: unassigned animal, dragon, and pig. Meaning can be discovered in the original language, which states that "...yn ymladd yn rith aruthter aniveileit...yn rith dreigieu yn yr awyr...yn rith deu barchell,"³, which translates as, "in the form of monstrous animals...in the form of dragons in the air...in the form of two pigs." That may not seem extraordinary until one examines the term "rith," which is a word that describes a form of magic, or a magical description for an object's form or shape that is altered or transformed by magic. The term "rith" used magically implies that the actual shape of anything in existence is not necessarily permanent and can be changed by the will or power of the magician. One may assume that owing to the etymology of the word "dragon" and the fact that Merlin describes the sleeping dragons as serpents, that the initial monstrous shape of the dragons may well have been in the form of serpents. Snakes are commonly associated with the Celts and may represent the spirit of the land itself, which may imply that the dragon may have started its life as Genius Loci. After they rise to the air in the form of dragons they then descend into the shape of the most common Otherworldly Celtic beast, the pig, believed to have been gifted to humanity from the indigenous Celtic underworld, Annwn. The pig appears throughout Celtic mythology as devourer of the profane, a sign of impending supernatural activity and a valued commodity, qualities that can be superimposed onto the scales of the mighty dragon.

In the tale of Merlin and Vortigern we are informed of their colouration, red and white; the red dragon continues to be the emblematic symbol of the nation of Wales and its people as the original inhabitants of the Island of Britain. The dragons and the inter-textual references between these three accounts and other Celtic myths demonstrate the nature of the dragon, its function and the impact it had on the Celtic culture—which continues to this day.

How is this of value to practitioners of Celtic magic today? Not only do we have a creature of supernatural erudition that is indicative of the lands of the Celts but which is also representative of that cultural continuum and its people. It is the magic and spirit of the dragon that connects one on an energetic level to the entire Celtic Cultural Continuum. Some Genius Loci are not transferable from one location to another whilst others are. Where one spirit is indicative of a river, a mountain, or an ancestor, the dragon is the spirit that encompasses them all; it represents the beating, pulsing, vibrant spirit of the Celts and it is transferable to another location. To call the dragon is to summon the might of the Celts, to invoke the essence of heritage and culture that swim within you.

The Spirit of the Celts is more than the sum total of heritage and genetics, for if we look to the tales we can catch a glimpse, a clue to the nature of its spirit. In the tale of Vortigern, a fatherless child is necessary to solve the riddle of the fort's continuous destruction. This lack of parenthood is a trait shared by another enigmatic and magical figure of Celtic mythology, the prophet and chief bard of Britain: Taliesin, who also claimed himself to be an aspect of mystery by stating, "Not of mother nor of father, was my birth, was my creation."⁴ This trait seems to eliminate the need for hard genetics to justify one's connection to the Celtic spirit—which cannot be contained to blood alone; it runs in the rivers of deep ancestry and the magic of spiritual connection. It is by means of the Celtic spirit that we connect and swim in the rivers of its powerful continuum, and the dragon with its myriad shapes and its qualities of both land and tribe is perhaps one of the most powerful symbols of this connection. Regardless of where you are or where you come from, the commonality of the dragon and its power to transcend diversity, location and time is an ancient and significant energy that can and will bring richness and connection to your devotional practice, your magic and rituals.

¹Trioedd Ynys Prydein, Rachel Bromwich. Univeristy of Wales Press, Cardiff, 2006. P 94.
²The Mabinogion, Sioned Davies, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2008. Pp 113.
³The White Book Mabinogion. J. Gwenogfryn Evans, private press, Pwllheli, 1915. Pp 99.
⁴Kat Godeu, "The Battle of the Trees," The Book of Taliesin. Author's translation.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2014. All rights reserved.

My mother passed away a little over a year ago. I don't feel I've really dealt with her death because I don't know how. A few months after she died, I had two dreams in which she visited me and we just talked about normal things like my new boyfriend, whom she said she helped bring into my life. In the last dream, she told me that she had to go. I was never scared during or after these dreams. On the anniversary of the day I learned of her death, I had a very frightening experience. I was sleeping and then had a sinking, trance-like feeling with a sharp humming noise in my ear. Then I heard her say hello and my name, and I awoke with a jerk. (This happened at my boyfriend's.) I didn't sleep very much for three days after that because I was scared to death. At first I wasn't sure it was my mother because my mother has always known how things like ghosts and spirits scare me. Since then, I have had these trance-like feelings while falling asleep but have woken myself up. Today it happened every time I tried to fall asleep, even after prayer. I haven't heard voices since, or had dreams of talking with my mother, but I usually try to stop them. Is my mother trying to contact me even though she knows how it scares me? Also, the sleep disturbances mainly happen at my boyfriend's, which is where I stay most of the time. It is becoming a huge problem in my life. I feel like I'm either going insane or have reason to live in fear. Why would she come to me in dreams before and disturb my sleep now? Is this even her? What can I do to stop this, since I don't think I can ever learn to like it? Please help - I don't want to be afraid of my mother or of going to sleep at night.

Molly

Astrea:

I lost both of my parents a little over a year ago, so I know how awful this is. In fact, I am rather annoyed at mine for not being around more than they are.

I think if you were encountering your mom, you would be so glad to see her that you wouldn't be fearful at all. The entity that is visiting you isn't your mother; it's an energetic entity that forms over you when you try to sleep at your boyfriend's house. It's got icky energy because it's trying to deprive you of sleep in order to split the two of you up.

I want to reassure you that you WILL see your mother again, and you won't be afraid when you do. She'll come to you in a form you will happily accept when you are ready to see her. She will know when that time comes, just as she knows that now is NOT the time.

Also, you'll know the difference between her and what you've been encountering when you actually are in touch with her again. It will feel very different from these disturbing visits.

The two dreams you describe having of your mom were just dreams. I had a long conversation with my mother about Maury Povich in a dream the other night, and I'm sure my mom didn't know who he is!

We can dream good and not-so-good things due to the anxiety of losing our parents. There is nothing for you to fear, however. If you have any guilt about your relationship to her, healing and releasing it should also take away your fear.

The entity you're experiencing at your boyfriend's is bad. It's quiet when you're not there because it gets its energy to manifest from the tremendous energy between the two of you as well as your reactions to it. Whatever it is that reaches into your Harmony lives there with him but doesn't appear to him because you're easier to affect; you're more sensitive and therefore more aware of its presence.

It scares you because it doesn't want anyone to be happy. You can try burning sage and other banishing herbs in the house, but if you could just stay away from there it would be better. If you can, get your boyfriend to move. Can't he sleep at your house? It's a heck of a lot easier to remove yourself from this entity than to remove it from the two of you.

I can't tell for sure whether this Spirit was ever in a human incarnation, but I doubt it; it exists by gathering unhappiness. It's an aberration of Love Energy, so I suppose you could call it Hate Energy. Every couple it destroys makes it stronger and more evil. Don't be its victims; stay away from it!

*****

Susyn:

The feeling that you don't know how to deal with your motherís death is common. Most of us can't describe or explain how profound losses like this affect us, and we all handle those sorts of experiences differently. There are aspects of losing our mothers that will never be resolved - we just do the best we can. I offer you my condolences; I recently lost my own mother and know what you are going through.

You are blessed to have had her visit in your dreams and verify that she not only knows your boyfriend, she was instrumental in bringing the two of you together.

I do not sense that the negative experience you had on the anniversary of your motherís passing involved your mother at all. It may have been a spirit disguised as your mother. I'm certain that your mother would never try to scare or frighten you in such a way.

You mention that these scary experiences happen only at your boyfriendís house. This gives us another clue that these are not visits from your mother at all. Most likely, your boyfriend has a discarnate spirit living in his house - one that is trying to play tricks on you.

To verify this, start a journal in which you record all the events you have experienced so far and any you have in the future. Then ask yourself questions to see if you can find patterns. Does this only happen during full moons? On Tuesdays? When you're anxious or upset?

Once you have a better sense of what's happening, youíll be armed to put a stop to these events. Play detective to see what you can figure out. When you are at your boyfriend's, change some things around to see if that stops these frightening events. Change sides on the bed or see if he will move the bed to face a different direction.

I also advise wearing a protective stone when you sleep over at his house, such as turquoise, malachite or amber. Another powerful way to stop this entity in his tracks is to ground it with salt. You can keep a packet of salt under your pillow or place a bowl of salt on the nightstand. This is very effective for keeping unwanted night visitors away.

If these methods aren't effective, you and your boyfriend may need to smudge his house to eliminate the negative entities that seem to be hanging out there.

In the meantime, you can connect with your mother through guided meditation. You do not need to be asleep to interact with her. Choose a special time and place each day when the two of you can be together. (Ideally, this will be at your own house!)

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.