This month on “Journeys with the Goddess,” we travel to Dunscaith castle on the Isle of Skye in Scotland to meet the ruthless warrior queen of those lands, Sgathach. Her story has been veiled in mystery in the lore, and we usually only hear of in her in reference to Cuchullin, the might warrior of Ulster who she is said to have trained. But her story has so much more to tell us about the powerful women of the Celtic world who were also warriors and leaders in their own right. This retelling of Sgathach’s story focuses on her academy of warriors and the three pillars of her school: mental focus, physical strength and second sight. We hear of her as a young, wild woman and how she trained herself by tapping into the ancient energies of past warriors and how she faced her own demons to become one of the most powerful and revered queens and warriors of her time. We find that her story carries its own potent medicine in a time of illusions and patriarchal collapse... And then we journey into meditation with her to be initiated as warriors ourselves, remembering our own power and strength when supported by other women and mentors.

The song at the end of the episode is an original melody ("Enegeni Yalo or "Daughter of the Earth Prayer") and the lyrics are written in Proto or Common Celtic. Their translation is below.

Exploring Further:

Books: Warrior Goddess Training by Heather Ash Amara

Women in Celtic Myth: Tales of Extraordinary Women from the Ancient Celtic Tradition by Moyra Caldecott.

Websites: Source text of “The Wooing of Emer”: https://celt.ucc.ie/published/T301021.html

Journal Prompts:

• What are the core values, passions, or people that I am fiercely dedicated to protecting?
• What is your relationship with the Warrior? How much does it resonate inside of you?
• If this feels like a strong archetype for you, what presence does the shadow side of Warrior have? How would you like to work with the shadow aspects, if they are present for you?
• If you would like to cultivate more Warrior energy in your life and activism, what are some of the practices below you would like to try this week?

Practices to connect with your Warrior energy

• Contemplative practices that are based on martial arts… aikido, karate, tai chi
• Yoga poses like the warrior poses or mountain pose
• Connect with the Earth through gardening or farming
• Create art in nature using stones and other Earth materials
• Set boundaries and practice saying ‘no’
• Do something (small or large) you are afraid of every day!
• Give your inner warrior a theme song

Song:

Enegeni Yalo (Daughter of the Earth Prayer)

Aleyo Biwo (Nourish life)

Aleyo Korda (Nourish the sacred journey)

Tuwetsu (Guiding with wisdom)

Gigena genjo (Will be born bright)

Wela kuno (Become beautiful in wild ways)

Wela derwo (Become steady as oak)

Ati biwe mero (Awaken wild)

Ati bite togo (Awaken strength)

Kenyeyo, kenyeyo (Rise, rise).

Connect with Bronwyn: Website: www.bronwynclaireasha.com

Instagram: @bronwynclaireasha_

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