Picture is from from The Goddess Oracle and is the property of Thalia Took (www.thaliatook.com).
The Cailleach, or Veiled Woman, is a Celtic hag goddess, associated with places in Scotland and the Isle of Man. There she is seen as a winter spirit, whose behavior on February 1 predicts the weather for the coming year. In other lore she is the symbol of winter that holds spring captive, by keeping Brigid prisoner inside a mountain. Upon her escape, spring returns.
Other lore features The Cailleach BhÊirre as a hideous old woman in search of love. If she finds love, she turns into a beautiful woman.
Druidry.org has this to say: “The early Celts savored the dark side of life. They embraced war like a lover, plunging into battle naked, singing gloriously boastful songs. They were fearless in the face of death, which their belief in reincarnation taught them was “…but the center of a long life.” It was not uncommon for a man to lend money and agree on repayment in a future lifetime. Their day began at dusk; the new year at Samhain, the festival we know as Halloween. Darkness was associated with new beginnings, the potential of the seed below the ground. In Celtic mythology and folk-lore, the wisdom of darkness is often expressed by powerful goddess figures. Whether in the natural, cultural or individual context, their role is to catalyze change through the transformative power of darkness, to lead through death into new life. A Dark Goddess of nature, particularly in Scotland, is the Cailleach, a name that came to mean “Old Wife”, but which is literally, “Veiled One,” an epithet often applied to those who belong to hidden worlds. To this name is often added Bheur: ‘sharp’ or ‘shrill’, for she personifies the cutting winds and harshness of the northern winter. She was also known as the daughter of Grianan, the “little sun” which in the old Scottish calendar shines from Hallowmas to Candlemas, followed by the “big sun” of the summer months.”
She is depicted as a crone with the teeth of a wild bear and/or the tusks of a wild boar, or she is seen as a one-eyed giantess. Her appearance, frightful as it sounds, makes sense, as she is the guardian spirit of reindeer, swine, deer, wild cattle, goats and wolves.
On November 1, a festival known as 'Reign of the Old Woman Cailleach' is celebrated annually in the Celtic countries (in Ireland it is known as 'Day of the Banshees'). ‘The End of Cailleach’ is also observed. It is held on the eve of Imbolc (Jan. 31 or Feb. 1), This fest signals the start of Imbolc and the end of winter.
Thalia Took, author and artist of the incredibly gorgeous Goddess Oracle Deck, says this about The Cailleach: “ Getting the Cailleach in a reading indicates a time of winter. Peer into the darkness to find the old and ancient bones. What do they cage? What new thing can they support? Is the Cailleach holding beautiful Spring captive, or will time transform the Hag into Spring Herself?”
What does this mean? Again, this is another goddess telling us to take time to look deep within, to face our darkest fears and realize our darkest desires. Only then can we begin to grow and flourish. We must first face the darkness of winter before we can bask in the light of the spring.
To observe The End of Cailleach at the end of January/beginning of February, prepare an altar or table with a bowl of snow (or freezer frost!) as a symbol of Cailleach. You can place candles around the bowl or in the bowl. Use red, orange, and yellow candles to welcome the sun. You can do this before your Imbolc ritual, or find a way of combining the two if you so choose. For Cailleach, I would use ice blue and dark blue candles, as well as black and white. Give thanks for the time of introspection, as well as the gift of life during the long, cold winter. Give thanks for the release of Brigid, so spring can come.
Foods:
Root vegetables
Irish soda bread
Preserved meat, such as ham
Roasted Winter Vegetable Soup (Zedral Z)
1 small winter squash, peeled, seeded, cut into chunks
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
2 gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4-5 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, or ½ teaspoon dried
4 tablespoons oil (olive, Canola, etc.)
Salt and pepper to taste
Homemade vegetable or chicken stock (or store bought), or water
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In an oiled roasting dish, combine the vegetables. Toss with oil, rosemary and salt and pepper. Roast for 40-50 minutes, until vegetables are fork-tender and the flavor has intensified.
From here you can either transfer the vegetables to a soup pot with 5-6 cups of warm stock and puree with a hand mixer, or use a blender to puree the vegetables and broth together in a blender. You may reserve some of the chunks of potato, carrot and squash for the soup, or puree it all until smooth. Reheat gently.
Irish Soda Bread - recipe from Cooking by the Seasons by Karri Ann Allrich
2 cups unbleached all-purpose (AP) flour
4 tablespoons (T) sugar
1 teaspoon (t) baking powder
½ t baking soda
½ t sea salt
1 cup currants
1 T caraway seeds
1 free-range egg
½ cup canola oil or melted stick margarine
2/3 cup milk or almond milk
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a round cake pan with stick margarine. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, currants, and caraway seeds. Whisk together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, and milk. Pour into the dry ingredients and combine with a wooden spoon, until moistened. Batter will be a bit sticky.
Mound the batter onto the pan, forming a rounded-shape loaf in the center of the pan. Smooth out the surface as best you can. With a sharp knife, cut an equal-sized cross into the center-top surface, about ½ inch deep, and sprinkle lightly with flour.
Bake on the center rack for 25-30 minutes, until the loaf is a golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack and cool before serving.
Cut the bread into wedges and serve in a basket, with plenty of butter or margarine.
