{"id":2022,"date":"2014-02-20T19:06:30","date_gmt":"2014-02-21T01:06:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/?p=2022"},"modified":"2014-02-20T19:06:30","modified_gmt":"2014-02-21T01:06:30","slug":"temple-of-the-morrigan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/2014\/02\/temple-of-the-morrigan.html","title":{"rendered":"Temple of the Morrigan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a>
photo by Alex Mar<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Some of the Pantheacon hospitality suites included small altars or shrines, similar to the installations many Pagans have in our homes.\u00a0 But one stood out \u2013 the Temple of the Morrigan, built and maintained by the Coru Cathubodua<\/a>.\u00a0 It was the site of the most powerful experience of my time at the convention, and I hope it will inspire others to create temples at Pagan events around the world.<\/p>\n

Structure of the Temple<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some sacred things should be photographed and some shouldn\u2019t<\/a>.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t even ask to take pictures in this temple \u2013 no photograph could accurately represent the experience of being there.<\/p>\n

Imagine a hotel room with the beds removed and all mundane objects covered.\u00a0 The curtains were closed and there was a black cloth separating the entryway and bathroom from the main room.\u00a0 There was a low stool holding a bowl of water for cleansing and a place to leave your shoes.<\/p>\n

Around the walls were five altars.\u00a0 The main altar was to the Morrigan in all Her forms.\u00a0 I have experienced Her as one deity and so that\u2019s how I write and speak of Her, but the lore is far more complex.\u00a0 The altar contained representations of ravens, but there was also a decorated horse skull representing Macha<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The other four altars were centered around the Four Treasures of the Tuatha De Danann and the cities from which they were brought to Ireland.\u00a0 From the city of Murias came the Cauldron of the Dagda, from which no one ever went away unfilled.\u00a0 This altar was dedicated to the Dagda (who with the aid of Morrigan defeated the Fomorians), to his daughter Brighid, and to Goibniu the Smith.<\/p>\n

From the city of Falias came the Lia Fail, the stone which would cry out in the presence of the true King of Ireland.\u00a0 This altar held a bowl of soil and was dedicated to Eiru Goddess of the Land, and to the Ancestors.<\/p>\n

From the city of Findias came the Sword of Nuada.\u00a0 No one could resist it or escape it once it was drawn.\u00a0 This altar held numerous swords, representing both war counsel and diplomacy.\u00a0 It was dedicated to Nuada and to Scathach, the warrior woman who trained the great hero Cu Chulainn (who often tangled with the Morrigan, though exactly why has been a point of contention).<\/p>\n

From the city of Gorias came the Spear of Lugh. No battle ever went against it or the warrior who held it. This altar was dedicated to Lugh the Master of All Arts, to Cu Chulainn, and to Fionn mac Cumhaill, leader of the mighty Fianna.<\/p>\n

On each altar was an offering bowl.\u00a0 The Coru felt that mixing offerings made for an unpalatable drink (you wouldn\u2019t want to drink a mixture of mead, whiskey and ale \u2013 why would you think the Gods would want it?), so they provided a bottle from which to pour offerings on each altar.\u00a0 Donations were placed into service throughout the weekend.<\/p>\n

The setup was beautiful and elegant, but the physical construction was only one part of the temple.<\/p>\n

Opening Ritual<\/strong><\/p>\n

Have you ever been to a ritual or had a spontaneous religious experience where you\u2019re not quite sure what just happened, but you know it was strong and important and real?\u00a0 This was like that.<\/p>\n

At each altar, one of the priests of the Coru invoked the honorees of that altar and made an offering.\u00a0 In addition to being a place of honor and a place of sacrifice, each altar was also a gateway to the city from which its Treasure had been brought \u2013 cities that now exist only in the Otherworld.\u00a0 These gateways were ritually opened.<\/p>\n

As Morpheus Ravenna invoked the Morrigan at the main altar, a half-filled cup was passed around the room.\u00a0 Each participant (I didn\u2019t count \u2013 I think there were about 15 of us) breathed our prayers into it, and at the appropriate time it was poured into the offering bowl.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t just one person performing the invocation \u2013 it was all of us.<\/p>\n

The liturgy was simple and directed outward.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t about making the participants feel or experience anything \u2013 though I certainly did.\u00a0 It was about passionately inviting and welcoming Gods, heroes, and ancestors to this temple and to this gathering.<\/p>\n

Daily Activities<\/strong><\/p>\n

For practical reasons, the hotel room containing the temple was locked when the Coru priests were sleeping or away at ritual.\u00a0 But during the normal course of the convention it was open for meditation, prayer, and offerings.\u00a0 I visited for a short while each day \u2013 the temple was a quiet, contemplative sanctuary in the middle of all the loud and boisterous events and activities.<\/p>\n

And They were there.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never had trouble hearing deities, but Their presence in the temple was especially clear and real and almost tangible.\u00a0 Others spoke of the crossroads of energies formed by the four gates.\u00a0 It was a place and time for communion \u2013 for speaking to Them and for listening for Their responses.<\/p>\n

Overall Impressions<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Temple of the Morrigan was an experience that couldn\u2019t be found anywhere else at Pantheacon \u2013 not in rituals, not in workshops, not even next door talking with the Coru priests. Several participants said something along the lines of \u201cI wish other groups would do this.\u201d\u00a0 Some traditions already have guidelines and rubrics for temples \u2013 it would be good to see and experience them.\u00a0 Other traditions \u2013 particularly the newer Pagan traditions \u2013 have grown up in living rooms and back yards and public parks.\u00a0 For those traditions, a temple at a gathering would be a chance to experiment with both structures and liturgies, to see what works well and what sounds good but really isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Because some day we will have permanent temples<\/a>.<\/p>\n

My gratitude to the Coru Cathubodua for their hard work in setting up the Temple of the Morrigan and for their hospitality.\u00a0 Keeping the temple open meant someone had to be there all day (and not off playing at the con): answering questions, emptying offering bowls (there\u2019s a tree beside the Doubletree hotel that should be feeling really really good for quite some time!) and making sure fresh bottles were available when needed.<\/p>\n

And my highest gratitude to the Gods, heroes and ancestors who filled the temple with their presence and who were there for me and for so many others.<\/p>\n

Thank you all.<\/p>\n

For another, more intimate account of the Temple, see this post by Morpheus Ravenna<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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