Lady of the Cauldron

Lady of the Cauldron: Exploring your Hag Identity as Keeper of the
Cauldron of Life

In Celtic mythology the cauldron has many layers of meaning. At its most
earthy it stands for the spirit of hospitality, which was seen in
pre-modern communities as a sacred duty to other human beings, whether
friend or stranger. In the Celtic Otherworld there is a never failing
cauldron which provides to each what each most desires. Let us think
then of the cauldron as a symbol of generosity in providing the stuff of
life to sustain body, mind and spirit.

The cauldron image reminds us of the need for continuing nurturing - of
ourselves and others.

But cauldrons like all good things bring danger and destruction if not
attended with care, or if improperly used (for selfish greed or gain).

In one Celtic tale of Doomsday the Hag of the Cauldron brings about the
end of the world when she lets the cauldron of life, death and rebirth
boil over till the whole earth is submerged and nothing is left alive.

This cautionary tale is telling us that we are in danger of creating a
wasteland, within or without, when we neglect or misuse our life energy.

The cauldron in world myths is always a vessel of transformation - from
raw to cooked, from death to life and life to death, from ignorance and
lack to wisdom and enlightenment.

Siberian shamans had to undergo a rite of the cauldron in which they
were reduced to bare bones before being reborn as enlightened beings.

Celtic warriors killed in battle were thrown into a cauldron of rebirth
to be born anew (but could not speak - at least in everyday terms).

In Welsh mythology the keeper of the cauldron is the goddess Ceridwen,
who boils up the cauldron for a year and a day to distill the essence of
wisdom. Her son, the bard Taliesin, received his gift of inspiration
from the cauldron of Ceridwen.

The wisdom of the cauldron takes many forms. It finds expression in
creativity of life or work, in hospitable habits to those we meet, in
everyday renewal or transformation (for example, is anybody or any
activity the better for our involvement?

The core meaning of the cauldron in myth is the life force, the
perpetually renewing life energy in which we need to immerse from time
to time if we are to stay in touch with our vital selves.

Each of us cooks our life with whatever ingredients are to hand and
whatever energy and skills we put into the cooking. Sometimes our lives
simmer contentedly, bubble joyfully, and
sometimes we boil over with anger and resentment.

We sometimes try new ingredients to enrich the mix. At other times we
feel a need to simplify the recipe, to let go some of the ingredients we
once thought essential.for 'the good life'. We have times of stirring
attentively and cooking to perfection. At other times we may let the
cauldron boil dry and life seems meaningless and used up until we get
the life juices simmering again.

Here is a guided meditation to help you explore how YOU attend to the
cauldron of life:

Relax your muscles and settle into a comfortable position, but sit as
upright as you can without feeling rigid.

Breathe quietly in and out,

in and out letting go of the stresses and strains of the day

Now you are beginning an inner journey to check out the state of your
vital energy,

You wander about a while on the surface of your life, letting pictures
come up of the people and things that concern you at the present time.
Then imagine a cauldron (or casserole dish or wok if cauldron seems too
archaic) in which the ingredients of your life are continually mixing
and shifting, bubbling or stagnating.

Stand over your cauldron and take a deep breath. Breathe in whatever the
cauldron is giving off - what positive and negative feelings and
thoughts are coming up from your present life mix?

Be open to the emotions you have about people and situations in your
life.

Observe the delights, the good feelings bubbling up. Observe the
resentments and pain and guilt simmering away below the surface, (' IE I
thought she was my friend but she let me down. They turned down my plan,
poor me, I never get anything right, I'm going to give up trying. Why
did I get ill like this? Why me?')

When you have gazed into your inner cauldron and slowly taken in what is
being continually mixed and stirred and cooked in there, you are
becoming an honest witness to your own life.

Let the cauldron tell you how you are doing on the wisdom road

Where are your energies going? (is it in directions you need to take to
be whole, or are you feeling stuck, frail, frustrated?)

What is spoiling the taste of life, suppressing the good odours, for you
at present?

What is giving off a positive aroma of life at present?

Is your cauldron of energy bubbling or stagnant, half empty or half
full?

Who and what are good for replenishing your life energy? and what is it
that drains away your life energy?

When you look into your cauldron of life and see clearly what is mixing
and cooking there, you are becoming a bit more ready for trying out the
transforming powers of the cauldron. But how can you transform your
anger or fear or timidity?

Try this Zen Buddhist practice used by Charlotte Joko Beck

Forget the thinking and just be the anger, the tension or vibration.
When you do that you're not trying to change your anger. You're just
being with it, totally. Then it is able to transform itself you're
learning to be less caught by every passing thing that goes on in your
head.

The anger gets a little weaker, a little less demanding

The observer is beginning to grow

Or try this exercise (repeat it often during times of distress):

Breathe in the poisonous fumes coming up from your inner cauldron (fear,
hate, self pity, powerlessness). Feel their heaviness and darkness being
drawn into your every pore. Then breathe out brightness and warmth and
light the poisonous fumes transformed into good odours. Breathe
in...breathe out... taking in the bad energy, sending out the positive
energy

Start with a personal situation, but extend the transforming practice to
friends and others suffering like you. (Gradually, over time, you can
extend the transforming practice to include 'enemies', so that you can
eventually breathe in the dark heavy feelings and breathe out lightness
and cool radiance towards even those who have long been your bugbears).

Picture now the positive areas in your life where you are fully drawing
on your cauldron of inspiration.

Where are the creative sides of your life currently?

In the work you do at home or outside?

In your ways of relating to people?

In any forms of self expression that are truly you work or leisure,
talk or thought, planting trees or making a garden?

Stir your cauldron till the bubbles of inspiration rise to the surface.
Keep on stirring till pictures come up of what really absorbs you, what
you have it in you to do and to be at this time in your life. Stir till
you are clear where you now need to channel your energies

Before you leave the cauldron ask this final question?

Who is the lady of the cauldron, if not you? Is there a mythical Wise
Woman hovering by the cauldron, who you hope will solve your problems
and give you her secret recipe for wisdom?

If so, let her figure merge into your own, till you are one. Remember
you are the stirrer of your own cauldron. You are the breather who must
take in the heaviness and darkness and transform them into something
better. So how are you doing?

It is now time to leave your cauldron and reflect on whatever insight or
inspiration you have gained on your inner journey. Come back, stretch
yourself to your fullest extent, and vow not to neglect the Lady of the
Cauldron - who is you.

By Noragh Jones 1999





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