Have you heard about the Cailleach? She is well known in Celtic lands. She is not only the bringer of winter, she was the creatrix of this land. She emptied her apron full of stones to make these islands on the fringe of Europe. Like a Pictish warrior she is sometimes imagined with a blue face. She is older than everything and only yields to the maiden Brigid in springtime when it is time for the world to resurrect and grow. So she is death and endings, before she reinvents herself as the fertile maiden in springtime.
Looking at photos from years past I can tell that winter has advanced by comparison to previous years. The outer is mirroring the inner reality. The weather is matching the world climate. To make your self feel better you might want to refer to an earlier post inspired by Traci Yorke Freezer Spell.
One must take one’s cheer where one can find it and make it. The Cailleach is a crone. Old women can be dangerous.
Winter is Coming
There is a cold wind this morning
and a leaden sky.
I cannot but help to think winter
is coming early.
The leaves are being shaken down
piling on the ground.
Early frost has blackened bracken
leaving it face down.
The Cailleach once upon a time
built this world of stone,
comes once more with her apron
of stones she will hurl.
The Cailleach comes in stone cold rage.
Winter is coming.
Hail stone fists will begin to fly.
Winter is coming.
The Cailleach blows, her face gone blue.
Winter is coming.
The Cailleach buries and freezes out.
Winter is coming.
The Cailleach comes early this year.
Copyright © 2018 Bee Smith
