This blog is here because Blogger is simple, easy and free. It doesn’t have a lot of traffic analysis, but it does have some, including a list of the top 10 search phrases used to find your blog. Some of the most common phrases used to find Under the Ancient Oaks are “Druid symbols,” “Samhain,” and “Athena Parthenos.” If you cut down the time frame, you can see some rather odd phrases used by one or two people, including this one earlier this week:
“how to make a deal with Morrigan wicca”
I know there’s a character called Morrigan in a game. I’m not a gamer, so that’s about all I know about that. But the fact that the searcher added “wicca” to the phrase tells me he or she was looking for the goddess, not the game character (it also tells me the searcher probably doesn’t know much about Morrigan or Wicca, but that’s another topic for another time).
So, on the off chance this person visits this blog again, let me try to answer the question. How do you make a deal with Morrigan?
You don’t.
If you need something from Morrigan (or from most – though not all – of the old goddesses and gods), ask. Ask nicely. You don’t need to debase yourself or offer lavish praise – the Battle Goddess has a strong and healthy sense of self and she doesn’t need you to go on and on about how great she is. You, on the other hand, probably need to remind yourself that this is a powerful goddess you’re addressing, not your next door neighbor.
Be polite. Offer her food and drink. Not because you’re trying to bribe her – as though the Lady of Sovereignty could be bought with a glass of wine – but because you’re trying to be a good host.
Ask for what you need. Remember that in prayer as well as in magic, fuzzy targets yield fuzzy results. Be as specific as you can while focusing on the ends, not the means. Remember who you’re talking to: is this something that requires the attention of a goddess? Or is this something you need to take care of yourself?
She may answer, or she may not. Every time I’ve asked Morrigan for something, she’s responded. Not always in the way I imagined or would have preferred, but always in a way that worked.
And every time, Morrigan has asked something of me in return.
Read the stories of our Celtic ancestors. The model you see over and over again isn’t one of negotiation as we see it today, where two parties write out a book-length contract with every contingency specified in advance. Their deals were far more open-ended: I do something for you and you in turn will do something for me, that I will choose at some point in the future. You are honor-bound to give me what I ask even if it is far in excess of what I gave you.
Deities in general and Morrigan in particular aren’t interested in negotiating contracts. She wants what she wants. If you obligate yourself to her she will have what she wants, one way or another.
Morrigan is neither capricious or cruel – she’s never asked me for anything I couldn’t give her, or that I felt like I shouldn’t do. She has asked for things that were difficult and time-consuming – and she continues to do so.
She is a goddess. I am a Druid and a priest. We fight in the same army, but she is a general and I am a junior officer. We are not equals and we do not bargain as equals.
How do you make a deal with Morrigan? You ask for what you need – and you prepare yourself for service towards her Great Work.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In