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wandering by the water... /// src src src src

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CAILLEACH - Queen of Winter

One of the great Celtic ancestors, the Cailleach was the goddess of the cold and the winds. Sometimes known as the Veiled One or the Queen of Winter, the Cailleach determined the winter’s length and harshness. As both divine hag and creator deity, she remains a popular topic for poets and writers.

The Cailleach dwelled in Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man, and many places remain dedicated to her within these regions.

Etymology

Cailleach is a common word in both Scottish and Irish Gaelic meaning “old woman” or “hag.” This current word was derived from Caillech, a term meaning “veiled one” in Old Gaelic. These terms stem from a base root shared with many others that describe women, such as caillin.

Poets have given her different names across time: Digdi (or Digde), Milucra, Biróg (the fairy-woman who saved Lugh of the Long-Arm as an infant), Buí (one of Lugh’s wives), and Burach. Due to many of these being separate characters altogether, some scholars believe that Cailleach was more of a title than a name—any old woman could be called a cailleach.

Her most prominent title was Cailleach Bhéara, revealing her as master of winter. The many regions named for her often gave her unique titles reflective of their respective landscapes. Examples included An Chailleach Bhéara (The Hag of Beara) in County Cork, Ireland, and “the Storm Hag(s)” in Scotland.

Attributes

The Cailleach appears primarily as a veiled old woman, sometimes with only one eye. Her skin was deathly pale or blue, while her teeth were red and her clothes adorned with skulls. She could leap across mountains and ride storms. In the Manx tradition, the Cailleach was a shapeshifter capable of transforming into a giant bird.

The Veiled One was a creator deity that shaped much of the known landscape; whether she did so intentionally remains unclear. Her tools of creation and destruction included her hammer, with which she was able to control storms and thunder. In some legends, she also controlled a well that would occasionally overflow and flood the land.

The Cailleach was neither fully good nor fully evil; her intentions varied from tale to tale. Through her association with storms and thunder, she was a natural and wild destructive force. Despite this, she also cared deeply for animals both wild and domestic during the dark winter months. In all three Gaelic-speaking regions, she was the patron of wolves emboldened by winter hunger; in Scotland, she also served as a deer herder.

The Cailleach was both ageless and immortal; as winter gave way to spring, she would take a drought that returned her to youth. In Manx legend, she spent half the year as a young woman and the other half as a old crone—she was only known as the Cailleach during the latter half. In Ireland, she had seven periods of youth, after which she remained old permanently.

The seasonal division between summer and winter—where the Cailleach ruled winter and Brigid ruled summer—highlighted the association of the two goddesses. On Samhain, or October 31st, the Celtic year ends and winter begins, marking the return of the Cailleach. In Scotland and the Isle of Man, the Cailleach transforms into Brigid during Beltane, a fertility festival held on May 1st.

The Cailleach was also a goddess of grain, a key resource in surviving winter. The last sheath of grain harvested was dedicated to her, and used to begin the next planting season.

Like many Irish goddesses, the Cailleach was linked to sovereignty and rulership. Before anyone could rule the land, they had to first garner her approval.

Sites

One of the Cailleach’s most remarkable attributes was her association with places. The Cailleach was tied to inhospitable locations across the Gaelic-speaking Celtic world. The Cailleach had more ties to local geography than any other Celtic deity.

#cailleach #goddess

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Finally went to forest and took pics of my Cailleach doll!

She is made from old paintbrush, wire and pipe cleaners with head of air-drying clay and body of wool yarn and recycled scraps of fabric. Her hair is the same yarn with some beads. I also gave her some jewerly and accesories from broken jewerly and some trinkets.

She was so fun to make and to photograph! It was great weather and just right amount of cold. ❄️

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Offerings to Cailleach

Who is Cailleach?

The Celtic goddess of winter, cold and wind, and also often depicted as a wise hag with bear’s teeth. Cailleach is also the goddess of disease and plague. She is also associated with winter storms, blizzards and thunder, and is neither good nor evil. She is said to be full of knowledge of the world and nature, but is also considered to be very lonely. This makes her relatively easy to contact and work with. 

Offerings to Cailleach

- Warm home cooked food / baked goods - Wild berries, foraged food, mushrooms etc - White candles  - Hag stones - Shells  - Feathers  - Trinkets, nice things you’ve found on walks, thrift stores etc. 

#Cailleach #goddess #offerings

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Cailleach by Shelly Mooney

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handmade spiderweb belt loop chains 🕸

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Today was fun.

Energy was off.

But I met a lot of cool folks.

Definitely not doing another show in Madison WI on Halloween weekend with home game for the badgers... Most vendors didn't break even. I'm lucky my mom lives here so I didn't have to pay for hotel and meals..

Next show is November 18th at Paradigm in Sheboygan WI!

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annie steg gerard

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Being a neurodivergent or mentally ill witch…

Let’s admit it, a lot of the most popular witch tips out there are very centered around neurotypical brains. Sitting down in complete silence to meditate for hours? Dedicating time to sitting down and reading? Having a set schedule everyday for witchcraft? It’s just not realistic for everyone, especially those that can experience executive dysfunction due to neurodivergence or mental illness. For me personally I experience ADHD and compulsions due to anxiety, and listening to the wrong witchy advice in the past caused me a lot of discomfort and anxiety in my life. I thought if I did something the wrong way an evil spirit would take me, or I felt like a failure because I can’t sit still and meditate for long periods of time. Witchcraft is for everybody and I want people to stop witch-shaming those of us who just have to do things a different way in order to achieve our spiritual goals. I get a lot of my information through podcasts and audiobooks as opposed to sitting and reading. I meditate while doing a craft I enjoy and put magickal energy into my art. There is no one size fits all way to do witchcraft.

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The rest of the kit isn't done yet the only thing that's for sure going in here is the book that fits in the lid the other stuff is just there for aesthetic. I do plan on making a candle that's going to go in there, a hand rolled beeswax candle. Some ancestor connection oil. An incense blend. Some crystals of course.

Just the time that it took to make the box, I'm not going to account for the time that I had to redo it, this kid's going to be on the more expensive side because this is all handmade.

#spells #witchcraft #witch #witchy #garden witch #wisconsin #sheboygan #witches #art witch #coffin box #coffin book #goth aesthetic #gothic #Ancestors #Ancestor #ancestral work #samhain #witch kit

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[[ Credit @foxwitchmoon on IG ]]

~Reposting because the person who originally came up with it had to change their shop name, please show them support by spreading the new repost, it was an unfortunate situation having to change the name~

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Goldberry, River-Daughter by Marie Magny

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I'm also teaching a workshop!

#spells #witchcraft #witch #witchy #garden witch #wisconsin #sheboygan #witchesofinstagram #tumblr witches #Witches Market #witches #witchblr #Blue lottus Crystals

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That's what mine is. Look up molly Roberts art magic she's a huge inspiration!

…………………………… What if I turned my Grimoire into a junk journal

What if I turned it into a pop up book.