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Halo Quin

~ Author, storyteller, witch

Tag Archives: Mabinogian

Treelore: Alder

11 Friday Dec 2020

Posted by Haloquin in Herbology, Magic, Poetry, Stories, Treelore

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bardic, Druidry, learn witchcraft, Mabinogian, Magic, ogham, Pagan, paganism, Treelore, Welsh pagan, Witch, witchcraft

The Raven calls, watching, waiting,
shield raised and spear tip bright,
blood river flows, tumbling, turning,
from the darkness to the light.

Pass my weapons, hexing, healing,
teach me truly I ask you and pray,
walking in both worlds, softly, safely,
to bring to each the brightest of days.

~ by Haloquin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Cad Goddeu tells of Bran being known for the alder leaf on his shield. Bran, whose body formed a bridge for his army to cross in order to rescue his sister. Bran, whose head continued to prophecy after his death. Bran, whose ravens guard Britain yet.

Bran, if you’re listening, I could really use your help right now…

The whispered wish melted into tears turned inward. He was drowning in them, barely holding onto thoughts for the grief that was washing him away down the river at his feet. 

A rough cough intruded.

He raised his head. 

No-one in sight.

The cough repeated.

He looked higher. There in the branches of the riverside tree a great black bird peered down. 

For a moment, time stood still and all was peaceful. 

Then, a single thought; the door is not locked, there is always a path ahead.

The raven clacked its beak and launched itself into flight, a single feather falling in its wake as time clicked into place. It landed in the river and span, caught in an eddy, until he scooped it out from between the alder catkins.

For the first time, Gwern felt strong enough to leave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Latin Name: Alnus glutinosa

Clues for Identification: Smooth leaves shaped like a shield with an indented tip and serrated edges. It has male (long, smooth) and female (round) catkins. The female catkins become tiny cones in their second year. The bark is dark brown/grey. It is often found by rivers as it spreads its seeds by floating them downriver.

Herbal Properties: The leaves are antibacterial and, fresh, may repel insects. A bark decoction may treat burns, wounds and inflammation. (Reminder; I’m not a herbalist. Please check for details and contraindications before self-medicating!)

Interesting facts: Alder fixes nitrogen into the soil and its roots prevent erosion of the riverbank, so it literally heals and protects the land! When cut it turns an orange colour, as though bleeding… A proper wounded healer thing going on there.

Practical Properties: It will not rot in water, but burns with an intense heat if seasoned well. Its bark will make a red dye, the twigs will make a brown dye, and its flowers will make a green dye, said to have been the dye that colours the clothes of both Robin Hood and the Fair Folk as it was used by outlaws.

Magical Properties: Unlucky to encounter on a journey in Ireland, but the fresh leaves are lucky when placed in a traveler’s shoes. (Perhaps because he seeks difficult situations, but will lend you his shield?) It is said that you can divine prophecy from the smoke and the flickering flame. Alder is associated with both fire and water, and thus balance. The warrior-king connection leads to associations with sacrifice and defense, and I associate alder with fatherhood and the divine masculine as a protective principle, as well as endurance, particularly emotional. 

Originally posted on Patreon. Thank you to my Patrons for your support! If you like what I write then please do consider supporting me as a Patron here. Your support means I can write more for you! And you get the posts early… *tempts*

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Over to you in the comments. What is your shield? Where is your strength? What do you know of the riverside alder?

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Pwyll’s Descent – Welsh Mythology and some Faeosophy

19 Thursday May 2016

Posted by Haloquin in Enchanted, Faery, Magic, Philosophy, Stories, Storytelling

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Tags

Annwn, Arawn, Faery, fairies, Feyhearted path, Mabinogian, Magic, musings, paganism, Philosophy, Pwyll, Rhiannon, Stories, Story

My work has risen from my experiences with spirits and magic, my theories have come from exploring the stories and putting the tales and my experiences together… So something I’m working on is weaving the theory back into context of the stories for the talks and workshops I have coming up this summer and I thought my lovely readers here would enjoy a taster!

On 5th June I’ll be co-teaching a workshop on working with the spirits of the land and this little video introduces the first part of the story and some of the ideas behind this work.

Pwyll is the “Prince of Dyfed” and, whilst out hunting, he finds himself on a strange adventure to the Welsh Otherworld, Annwn. Later he will meet Rhiannon, but first he had to prove himself worthy of honour from Annwn and its denizens… 

 

This story is from the first branch of The Mabinogian, a cycle of stories written down in 12th-13th Centuries and compiled together (and translated into English) by Lady Charlotte Guest. Because of the time they were written they are couched in terms of medieval society and social structures, but the magic shines through, carrying with it evidence of the oral culture and understanding of the world in which these tales were born. Tracing the patterns of the myths and stories can teach us a lot about the relationship we humans have had with the land and its spirits, and what we had learnt (and have recently mostly forgotten) about how to navigate those relationships for the benefit of both worlds.

I believe this is so important I wrote a book on how to get in touch with your own connection to the otherworlds, and you can see more about that here, and I’m constantly exploring new ways to share that understanding and the skills that worked for me with others. Bringing it back to where I began, rooted in the stories, where we learn best, feels like and important thing to do now.

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Workshop in Wales! Spirits of the Land!

17 Wednesday Feb 2016

Posted by Haloquin in Enchanted, Faery, Magic

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Arawn, Faeries, fairies, Fairy, Feyhearted path, Mabinogian, Magic, Pagan, paganism, Pwyll, Reclaiming, Rhiannon, spirits, spiritwork, Stories, Wales, Workshop

Spirits of The Land Workshop! Sunday 5th June, 10am -7pm

Spirits of Place Workshop by HaloquinJoin us in the wild hills of West Wales for a day of magic!

Working with the spirits of the land and the stories of Pwyll, Arawn and Rhiannon we will delve deeply into working with the Spirits of the Land and developing our own practices for building and deepening our relationship with those spirits and powers.

This one-day event is in the tradition of Reclaiming Witchcraft in which we often honour the “Spirits of Place” or the “Spirits of the Land”, so in this workshop we will explore what this means and ways in which we can recognise and honour those spirits who graciously allow us to work our magic in their homes, and who support us as we do.

***

Little Foal

Rhiannon, who once ruled over Dyfed, returns to help us learn to honour the spirits of the land…

In the first branch of The Mabinogian, Pwyll meets the Lord of the Otherworld, travels there, learns its ways and returns with a deep connection and friendship which benefits both worlds. Then, one of their ladies, the Goddess and Faery Queen Rhiannon, comes to live in our world and offer her wisdom and compassion to the people of her land. Through engaging with these stories and working directly with the spirits of the land in which those tales were born we will develop our skills for recognising and honouring the spirits in (almost) any place we find ourselves, building a foundation for future work with the spirits of the land and the faeries.

Who is this for?

This will be a practical, intensive day of magic. Some experience is helpful, but an open mind and willingness to participate is essential. If you would love to honour the spirits of the land and the Fae, deepen your relationship with them, and gain skills for continuing your own journey with them, this is for you. If you love the Welsh tales and gods, this is for you. If you enjoy hands-on, magical experiences, this is for you.

This is not a lecture. This is not therapy. This is not spellwork. This IS experiential work focussed on supporting you in developing your relationship with the spirits who have been here long before we have, in the way they present themselves to us now.

Visit my website for more details!

Questions? Want an online version of this? Fancy inviting us to put this on in your home town? Comment below or email Halo!

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Meet Halo

Snow Pixie

Welcome to my world!

Halo Quin is an author, a storyteller, and a practicing witch with a lifelong relationship with the spirit realm (faeries, deities, and the primal powers of land, sea, and sky, specifically) who aims to share magic through experience. Halo lives in wild West Wales, right by the roiling sea, and loves to sing, dance, and otherwise enchant through performance. She also runs the local storytelling circle, and an ADHD resource centre, and ultimately encourages self-knowledge, self-acceptance, self-healing, and self-enchantment through everything she does... leading to:

Beauty ~ Magic ~ Delight

Re-enchanting the world, one story, one song, one spell, at a time.

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