Farewell Winter, Adieu to The Cailleach…

Farewell winter, adieu to The Cailleach

As I have previously written, I don’t often work with the sabbats these days, at least not on the set dates on the calendar.  Preferring to work instead with the energy of the day, the week or the month and with the weather as Mother Nature decides it should be.

But with Beltane upon us I a feel a little adrift.  And I realise I feel the same unsettled energy at this time every year.  Then I had a little light bulb moment…my matron goddess is The Cailleach and she rules from October around to…yep Beltane.  At this point in the year she fades into the shadows.  She is my goddess and therefore is always around, should I feel the need to call upon her but her presence is definitely in the background during the warmer months.

I have in the past couple of years had a gorgeous sun god to work with for the summer months, Belanos came to me and he seems content (well fairly) to sit in the background during the winter months whilst The Cailleach kicks my butt, this week he will come charging out to the forefront to guide me through the summer.  So, I won’t be alone, but why am I unsettled?

Another light bulb moment…whilst I work daily with The Cailleach throughout the winter and even do a little welcome ritual to her in October.  A realization hit me, I never say goodbye or see ya later when she departs to her summer slumber.  Sheesh…no wonder she is making me uncomfortable!

Although I won’t be celebrating Beltane as such, no dancing around the maypole for me, I am far too long in the too for that.  I will be doing a little shindig for The Cailleach.  I will thank her for keeping me upright and vaguely sane during the winter months and for preventing me from doing anything too stupid.  I will wish her a good slumber whilst the spring arrives in full force and promise to her that I will still honour her throughout the summer.  Bidding her peace until I see her once again in a few months time.  There will be ritual, there will be candles and probably boiled sweet offerings (she is an old lady, they love boiled sweets).

Now, she has given me some peace and although she stands with her arms folded, tapping o’ the feets, she does have a smug expression on her wise crinkled ole face.

I think I may have escaped her wrath this time, but perhaps only just.

My ‘farewell, see you in a few months’ ritual will be followed by a respectable amount of time, then I will welcome Belanos and begin my work with him.

Perhaps this is a reminder to me that the gods really do need to be honoured properly.  Maybe sometimes we take them too much for granted?   Just a little bit of respect and good manners goes a long way.  They may well be in other realm/otherworld but we gave them human characteristics so we should expect nothing less that a few human traits from them!

Farewell winter, we welcome the spring and on into the summer.  Adieu to The Cailleach, slumber well and we shall see you again in the autumn.