Beyond the veil of mortality, we now depart.
Into the greatest mystery of all:
Death—and the beyond.
Into the darkness of what lies beyond the mortal veil,
And into the Otherworld.
There, so we may surmise,
It may be filled with light.
The reconciliation and reconnection to our Ancestors and loved ones.
Or.
It may be black as night.
Empty.
Lonely.
Silent.
Yet one constant exists, that guides us no matter the situation:
The Great Mother and Father standing beside and within us.
Ushering us to the paradise of rest and rekindling.
As our spirits morph into the Other and enjoy the plenty of the Other Side,
They slowly march us to the inevitable conclusion:
The journey, once more, through the Cauldron of Rebirth.
And back into this world in a new incarnation.
And deep within us,
Living on within our spirits,
Is the immortal aspect of our Selves,
That retains the memories of Who Had Gone Before,
That finds its new home in our hearts as we take our first new breath,
And breathe in the life and light of our world once more.
And so it goes, on and on, into eternity,
Until the Gods call us home for eternity.
And once there, as we look back,
We will know that our work…
Has finally found its ending, and also—
Its new beginning.
(transition music)
Grand tidings and welcome to you on this, the twenty-second episode of Beyond the Seas. My name is Kieran and here we are again, back at it for another week. Happy Ostara, everyone! Huzzah, it is a Spring Equinox episode! I am overjoyed to welcome in this new season and super excited to see the two cherry blossom trees blooming across the street from my apartment on the Upper West Side. I always follow and gauge the seasons off of those two trees and I know you can feel the tides turning as much as I can. So folks, just a quick reminder, the show’s goal is to reach 250 followers on Instagram by the Summer Solstice—so if you have not yet already, please head on over to that illustrious profile, @beyondtheseaspodcast, and hit the follow button. Then follow Claudia’s Insta, @thefeatherwitchynyc, to follow along with our tarot collaboration. AND, I have begun to have a thought, as the show is nearing its five-month age: what if, eventually, I set up….a Patreon? Is that something y’all would be interested in? Maybe? Let’s all put that on the back burners of our mind and allow that seed to grow. But if you do think it’s a splendid idea, DM me on Insta or email me at beyondtheseaspodcast@gmail.com. I cannot wait to hear from you all and thank you so much for being here with me today.
And now, artistic and literary updates! So many auditions. So, so many auditions. I have been doing so many agent showcases here in the city, because a theatrical legit agent is my goal for the year. The callback last week went SO well: I really admire that casting director and was so happy to be back in the room with her. So here’s to more great auditions and manifesting work and creativity. And guess what: I started yet another book! I needed a new subway read for the morning and afternoon commutes, and was so happy when a dear friend gifted me Stephen King’s The Shining. It has been on my list for decades and was so grateful for it to fall into my lap. So here’s to the spooky events that take place within its pages and me experiencing them in the spooky, underground, fast-moving, smelly subway cars. Ha!
And now, the Card of the Week! I am somewhat trepidatious about the card for the next seven days because of what it traditionally represents…but have a feeling that it will ultimately all turn out for the positive. I can hear the wheels in your heads grinding right now, trying to figure out which one it is! Let me solve the mystery for you: The Tower. Which means, huge change is coming this week! In the Ghosts and Spirits Deck, it is all about the Fall of the House of Usher. In the Wildwood Tarot, it is the Blasted Oak: an ancient tree felled by a large lightning bolt. In either case, it symbolizes the mental turmoil or challenges that we face from outside forces—but the power to circumnavigate those forces and overcome their effects on us arises from the same place: our minds. The power to boldly and courageously faces these challenges and changes is inherent within our psyches and spirits. So may we boldly venture forth into the next seven days and face these outside forces with positivity, love, and strength of self.
And now, the Wine of the Week!
And finally, this week’s topic. The motif of the witch and the Cauldron has been around for, what, hundreds of years now. We equate the concept of the village witch brewing concoctions and potions in the black vessel, over a roaring hearth fire. But where did those legends and associations first arise? From whence do we surmise the concept of gifts from the Grail, the Cauldron? What myths and stories tell us of the Cauldron of Rebirth, from Them Who Have Gone Before? And how might we look to the future, as we continue our search for the Grail within us?
For now, grab your favorite bottle of red, find a comfy chair, and close your eyes as I tell you the tale of The Cauldron of Rebirth—and take you…
Beyond the Seas.
(transition music)
Witches and other magickal practitioners have long been associated to the hearth and its fire. In a lonely cabin, on the edge of the village or forest, there is the witch—the archetypal character that literally lives in the liminality—and this person stands next to the rolling fire in the cabin. Over the flames, is a black, round-shaped object. Sounds of boiling and bubbling issue forth from its steaming depths and the witch stirs slowly and methodically. This is the Cauldron. The associative Grail of the witch’s practice.
Poisons and potions, brews and tinctures arise from the creative source that is this receptacle. It is the witch who decides what to use it for, be it good or ill. Now, when contemplating how the witch and the Cauldron came to be synonymous, we must travel back into the past—into the legends and myths of Them Who Have Gone Before, to better understand how the Ancients viewed this object on a spiritual and mythological level.
In Ireland, arising from the arrival of the Tuatha de Danaan, came forth four treasures, from their four mystical cities. Of course, in my first episode of the show, I talked all about these incredibly powerful beings, but will restate here that these treasures were The Stone of Fal, the Spear of Lugh, the Sword of Nuada, and—most applicable to our discussion today—the Cauldron of the Dagda. Throughout the surviving tales of the Dagda, we hear that this Cauldron was ever-present in ritual, battle, and celebration. For the Cauldron was never empty and never without food or drink. It would remain constantly full, so that all the people would have their fair fill of what their palettes desired.
But it is to Wales that I now want to turn our attention. There are two wonderful legends that include the Cauldron that I want to speak of: the first is of the Goddess Cerridwen and the brewing of the potion of knowledge. The second comes from the Second Branch of the Mabinogion, which concerns Branwen, daughter of Llyr. The first legend comes from the Amgueddfa Llangollen (Am-gee-eh-thva Shan-GO-shen) website and recounts the relationship between Cerridwen and who would eventually become Taliesin.
“There lived on an island in Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake in North Wales) a Goddess called Ceridwen, feared by many because of her knowledge and wisdom and magical skills. She was married to Tegid Foel of Penllyn, a giant so named as he was totally bald. His spirit is said to be the guardian of the lake that bears his name. They had two children, a girl named Creirfyw, beautiful and fair as a summer day, the other a boy, named Morfran (great crow) ab Tegid, who was extremely ill favoured, in fact so ugly was he that he was nicknamed Afagddu (utter darkness) by all who saw him.
“Ceridwen was displeased at this unfairness and decided to compensate, so she consulted the Llyfrau Fferyllt, where lay all manner of magical spells and selected one that would give her son prophetic knowledge and inspiration (Awen) so that he would be accepted by his peers and the court of Maelgwyn Gwynedd and honoured for his knowledge. Ceridwen had a Cauldron of Awen, and after consulting Llyfrau Fferyllt, she had to boil a magical brew, for a year and a day, at which time the essence would be given to her son and he would acquire all the knowledge and inspiration to admit him as an honoured member of the court.
“Gwion Bach ap Gwreang was enlisted to stir the cauldron as he was but a lad with no knowledge of anything and Morda, the blind, who was enlisted to stoke the fire beneath the cauldron, never allowing it to go out, and as he could not see what Ceridwen was doing. Ceridwen tended to her cauldron, regularly putting in magical herbs and all manner of things as prescribed by the Fferyllt, chanting incantations as she did so. Gwion Bach dutifully stirred the cauldron and Morda stoked the fire.
“All went well until one day as Gwion Bach stirred the last remaining liquid which had been reduced to but a few drops and these flew out of the cauldron and landed on the little finger of Gwion Bach, who, as they were hot and it burnt him, licked them off immediately and became gifted with all that Ceridwen had wished and prepared for her son. The cauldron then split in two and the remaining mixture flowed out and into a nearby stream where the horses of Gwyddno Garanhir were grazing and were poisoned. Realising the implications of what had just happened, Gwion Bach fled, as he knew that Ceridwen in her anger would destroy him. When she found out that the magic potion was gone, she flew into a rage, hit Morda with a piece of wood knocking his eye out and chased after Gwion Bach.
“And so it was that Gwion Bach, pursued by Ceridwen, changed himself into a Hare and ran swiftly away across the fields and meadows. She became a greyhound and caught up with him. He changed himself into a fish diving into a river and She became an Otter and swam after him. He changed into a Wren and flew out of the river high into the sky and she became a Hawk and dived towards him. He changed into a grain of wheat and fell from the sky into a vat of wheat in a barn. [It was then, that Cerridwen changed into a chicken and, fatefully, ate the one grain of wheat that was Gwion Bach. She swallowed him whole and]
“Nine months later she bore a child, a male, but on account of his beauty, Ceridwen could not bring herself to hill him, sop instead, she wrapped him in a leather bag and carried him away from Llyn Tegid across the mountains of Eryri till she came upon a river and placed the leather bag, with the baby inside, in a coracle which she set upon the water. Gwyddno Garanhir who lived in the land between Cardigan Bay and the Lleyn Pensinsular before it was flooded, had a Salmon Weir on the river between Dryfi and Aberystwyth, and he had a son called Elphin, who was condiered a luckless fellow poor mind. He was seny by his feather to catch Salmon at the weir but this day instead o fSalmon the luckless fellow found a leather bag caught up in the weir having tumbled out of the coracle. Elphin opened the bag nuch to the amusement of his fellow fishermen, as he had failed to catch any Salmon. Inside he found an infant of beauteous countenance who stared up at hinm and Elphin exclaimed, ‘Behold a radiant brow.’ And the child sang to Elphin and from that moment the fortunes of Elphin changed for the better, and Elphin ap Gwyddno Garanhir said, ‘He will be called Taliesin.’
Now, the second legend is of Branwen, Daughter of Llyr, which is the second of four branches of The Mabinogion. It is a tale of betrayal and loss, so strap in because it is quite the journey. I read the whole thing on Project Gutenberg’s website, which I highly recommend, and found condensed summary of the tale to share with you all. So, if you like what you hear here, visit the Gutenberg website to enjoy the whole story.
“Branwen was the sister of Bendigeidfran, a legendary Welsh giant and King of Britain. She was also a half-sister to both Nisien, one of the good characters of the tale, and Efnisien, one of the villains.
“When Efnisien heard about his half-sister’s marriage, he was furious, as Bendigeidfran had not asked for his permission before Branwen became Matholwch’s wife. In his anger, Efnisien ruined the wedding ceremony by injuring Matholwch’s horses. He cut off the horses’ ears, lips and eyelids.
“As an apology, Bendigeidfran gave Matholwch a healthy horse for each one defiled, as well as a gold plate and a silver rod as thick as Bendigeidfran’s little finger. But this was not enough for Matholwch, so he was given a magical cauldron, the Pair Dadeni (Cauldron of Rebirth), which brought the dead back to life, [but without the ability to speak].
“Sometime later, after Branwen had settled in Ireland and given birth to a son named Gwern, she was punished for Efnisien’s actions. She was banished to the kitchens and beaten every day by the butcher. As a maid, the kitchen was Branwen’s home, but she had one friend, a little starling. One day, Branwen told the starling of her despair and sent it to Wales to tell Bendigeidfran.
“When Bendigeidfran heard about his sister’s situation, he immediately sent an army to Ireland. As Bendigeidfran was a giant, he could walk through the sea, with his navy’s boats sailing by his shoulder. Irish soldiers were dumbfounded at this sight, thinking a mountain and trees were coming for them.
“In an attempt to stop Bendigeidfran and his army, Irish troops destroyed an important bridge crossing a river. But this was no hurdle for Bendigeidfran. The giant lay across the river, saying, ‘He that would lead, let him be a bridge. I will be a bridge’, and let his troops walk over him to cross the river. This quote is a well-known Welsh proverb to this day.
“Matholwch soon realised that he would have to make amends for punishing Branwen and agreed to make Gwern King of Ireland.
“But like all good tales, the Irish had a plan in place. As part of Matholwch’s concession, he agreed to build a house for Bendigeidfran. A massive house was needed to house the giant, and a house with a hundred pillars was built. As the house was being constructed, Matholwch hid a soldier in each of the pillars in an attempt to capture Bendigeidfran.
“Luckily for Bendigeidfran, Efnisien discovered the Irish plan and killed the soldiers.
“But Efnisien was not a good man. He was still unsatisfied and jealous of the status of some of his family members.
“One night, in a fury, Efnisien threw Gwern into the fire, igniting a fierce battle between the two armies.
“The Irish used the Pair Dadeni to resurrect their troops, until Efnisien climbed into the cauldron and broke it into four pieces, sacrificing himself.
“Only Branwen and seven of Bendigeidfran’s knights survived, and they returned to Wales. Bendigeidfran’s head was buried in London. [As a result,] Branwen died of a broken heart from all that happened.”
Wowwee, what a trek. What I love about these two tales is the origination of rebirth and revival. In the former, the birth of Taliesin, after he is swallowed by Cerridwen, promotes the motif of the pagan Father God dying and reincarnating through the Great Mother. In the latter, it is the cycle of reincarnation and rebirth that all of us will experience, and the loss of speech in the Irish warriors is the loss of awareness from one life to the next. The loss of memory. The loss of knowing who you once were, but still feeling that connection deep within your spirit. Now, after the break, I will philosophize and connect these threads together. Ergo, y’all know what’s coming next:
Refill your drinking horns, your goblets, your chalices, for the second half of The Cauldron of Rebirth after this brief break.
(transition music)
There is a fabulous piece from the ancient world that has remained in my mind for quite a few years now. It shows a seated figure that, around the world, is not only easily recognizable, but also continuously repeated. It is the figure of Cernunnos—the God of Nature and the Wild—as found on the Gundestrup Cauldron. It is a magnificent work of art and depicts not only the beliefs of Them Who Have Gone Before us, but also their skill in artistry and attention to detail. Truly, our Ancestors were aware and attentive peoples, highly skilled and passionately creative. Ergo, the following information about the Cauldron itself comes from Iulia Millesima’s article “The Dangerous Journey into the Gundestrup Cauldron,” as found on the LabyrinthDesigners website.
“The concept and symbolism of sacrifice among the Celts were not so different from other contemporary cultures: dolphins, horses, heads, and processions [are found throughout their pieces of art and ritualistic elements]…[especially] from the gruesome glorification [of sacrifice, as shown on] the [Gundestrup] cauldron.
“We know that it was discovered in a peat bog in the Danish Jutland; it has been thought to [have been]…manufactured by Cimmerian people between the second and first-century B.C. Cimmerians used to settle mainly in the region of the low Danube, but they were known to be spread from Himmerland, where the cauldron was found, to Pontic-Caspian steppes, where sometimes they clashed with Scythian people. Similar ritual cauldrons were discovered in Scythian and Pazyryk burials, called Kurgan, scattered in a vast area comprising Southern Russia, Ukraine, Southern Siberia, Central Asia, and Mongolia.
“The Gundestrup cauldron looks like a magnificent silver bowl, 42 cm. high and 69 cm. diameter, composed of thirteen finely embossed panels: five rectangular inners, seven square outers, and a circular [panel] at the bottom. Although the beauty does not tell us, it is more than a large sacrifice bowl, whose primary practical use was probably to gather the blood from a bull’s slaying, as we can see from the circular panel bottom, which designates bull immolation. The bull was not a random victim but a symbol of the union between sky and earth.
“The first detail noticed on the bowl side panels suggests scenes of immersion in a regenerating substance, whose remembrance alone gave celebrants a powerful allure since it was probably used in religious ceremonies connected to ruling functions. Surprisingly, many figures indicate, if not a direct marine environment, at least the preponderant presence of a [watery] flow.
“Among a whole Pantheon of Celtic deities embossed on the Gundestrup panels…[the god] Cernunnos is [not only shown, but also surprisingly] related to water. In Celtic mythology, Cernunnos was the deified spirit of horned male animals, especially deer; and…deer too, [for] the ancients, is closely related to water, in fact, as astonishing as it may seem to us, the Ancients consider it an animal very familiar with the liquid element, amphibious, able to walk in the middle of the waves, travel on the waters, and cross the seas. The deer, therefore, appears, in reality, to be comparable to the seal in the spatial perception of wild animals, which was that of the men of ancient Europe.
“Cernunnos is seated full-face cross-legged, wearing a coat, and surrounded by an animal procession. In the upper right plane of this composition is a child wearing a coat identical to the one worn by the deity, a small figure astride a dolphin’s back. [The dolphin is a] skilled dancer of the sea…and for this reason, he was taken as a symbol of the passage from life to life after death and became a psychopomp fish.
“A procession of animals also surrounds the deer god, and this shouldn’t be surprising as Cernunnos is a nature deity; even trees are sacred to him. But there are not only processions of animals among the cauldron decorations: warriors on horseback and foot seem to be in a military parade.”
What I love about this piece from history is the veneration for and position of power held by Cernunnos. Personally, I did not know that he was also considered a deity of water, for I have always associated him with the Wild and Nature. In that regard, this deity now becomes exactly like the shamanic practitioners of the past: psychopompic. He stands betwixt and between, much like the cauldron itself that he appears upon. For the Cauldron is transmutative: much like a crucible in chemistry, it is a vessel that may turns solids to liquids, or transition materials from cold to hot. And heralded by the God of the Wild and Waters, he symbolizes the ability to flow between one state and the next.
But most importantly, the Cauldron is a female-associated tool. It represents the womb of life—the womb of the Great Mother. It is the Source of Life itself, as expressed in the second branch of The Mabinogion. From the womb of our earthly mothers did we spring and to the womb of the Great Mother do we journey throughout our lifetimes. For, on the other side of death, is not only the Great Father, but the Great Mother: both standing beside the Cauldron of Rebirth that is the doorway back into our world. It is the source of knowledge and wisdom—divine inspiration—that flows from the Otherworld and into our spirits. It is what connects us to the magick of Nature surrounding us. It is what connects us all together.
The negative associations that the Cauldron holds is due to the demonization of the witch throughout history. For, in the past, it was seen as the life-granting and affirming tool. Afterward, with the coming of Christianity to the Pagan lands, the witch was demoted to a negative level of evil, so as to subvert and control not only the indigenous beliefs, but also women. Thus, the Cauldron became a source of baneful magicks: poisons, flying ointments made from the flesh of unbaptized babes, maleficent tinctures, and evil remedies that sought to curse and harm, rather than heal.
Now, however, the witches of today know what the Cauldron truly is—and what its power may be used for. It is the Source for our magick, and the Source of our wisdom. It holds our memories and dreams, our longings and passions. Yet, it presently reminds us that we march ever onwards towards the doorway of Passing: from this life and into the next. But all the while, it remains a source of comfort: for into the arms and womb of the Great Mother will we once more travel.
For that cosmic doorway between this world and the Other is only just beyond sight.
Hidden by the gift of mortality and human life.
Yet, we the magick ones know how to peer through it
And see beyond, to the magicks of Them Who Have Gone Before Us.
For our speech is not lost when we peer into the Other Side,
Rather, it is enhanced and saturated.
Filled with love and wisdom.
And when we journey back, turning our inner eye once more to this our world,
We contain the messages from the Cauldron,
From the Great Mother Herself.
And deep within our spirits and minds,
We know, throughout the rest of our time in this world,
Our magick will always be stronger…
Because of it.
(transition music)
The stories, research, and production elements were done and edited, respectively, by me, Kieran, with sources attached in the description. If you want to be a guest on the show, or have a topic you wish me to explore and discuss, send me an email at beyondtheseaspodcast@gmail.com. And be sure to hit the follow button, on whichever platform you enjoy the podcast, and look forward to more content next week. Until then, seek the veil between the worlds, and allow yourself to travel…Beyond the Seas.