Canola, Celtic Goddess of Inspiration and Creativity, is another ancient Celtic Goddess whose story comes down to us in very limited form.
One day Canola had an argument with Her lover. Goddesses, being intermediaries between our physical world and the infinite Source of All, feel emotions in a similar fashion to mortal humans. So, like any mortal woman, Canola was upset by their argument.
To calm Her distress, She decided to walk along the seashore and feel the peace and beauty of the natural world. After awhile She heard beautiful, ephemeral music being carried to Her by the wind. She was so enchanted that She forgot her distress over the argument and sat down to listen more closely. She fell asleep as the music continued to wash over Her soul.
Upon awakening, thoughts of Her lover and their argument were gone. Still entranced by the music She searched for its origin. And She found it – offered to Her by the Earth Mother who nurtures and loves all of Her children on land and on sea. She found the source of the music emanating from the carcass of a giant whale laying on the beach. The wind was strumming the notes across dried sinews still attached to the rib-bones of the whale. From the death of one creature, new life would be formed.
When Canola lay sleeping, She surely was able to access the creative inspiration brought to us in our dreams. Now awake and witnessing the gift offered to Her by Mother Goddess, inspiration struck. Canola, with Her creative intelligence and Her love, created the harp, Ireland’s national emblem to this day.
It is believed that the harp reflects the immortality of the soul, the ongoing circle of life. Dane Rudhyar makes the case in a 1922 lecture in New York City, that the original, primeval harp was shaped as a bow, or a half-circle. He states further that the circle represents the unmanifest, the spirit world, whereas the half-circle represents the manifest, the physical world. Through these shapes one understands the eternal cycle life.
Canola, in Her wisdom and Her openness to messages from the One Source, sensed all of this. She created the Irish harp, a special instrument which captures the haunting melodies of the universe. The harp, Her gift to the Irish people continues to remind us all of the eternal nature of life.
Canola is the patron Goddess of musicians and bards. Call on Canola for inspiration in your creative endeavors. She reminds us that the universe is made up of vibration and frequency; that we are all cosmic beings in this great journey of life, death and rebirth.
Sources: http://www.scns.com/earthen/other/seanachaidh/godcelt.html, http://goddessrealm.com/goddess-of-the-moment?id=42, http://amayodruid.blogspot.com/2011/09/feminism-in-irish-mythology.html
Judith’s deck of Celtic Goddess Oracle Cards is available now. 
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Judith Shaw, a graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute, has been interested in myth, culture and mystical studies all her life. Not long after graduating from SFAI, while living in Greece, Judith began exploring the Goddess in her artwork. She continues to be inspired by the Divine Feminine in all of Her manifestations. Originally from New Orleans, Judith now makes her home in New Mexico where she paints and teaches part-time. She is currently hard at work on a deck of Goddess cards. Purchase Judith’s prints and paintings, priced from $25 – $3000 through her website.
feminismandreligion.com 
This makes me realize that I need more music in my life. Thank you Canola, and Judith.
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I don’t like all music ever written. It’s musical theater that makes me happy. The songs and the tapdancing. Now I’m wondering what goddess invented tap shoes. ;-)
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Lovely story. And I do like the color palette you have chosen, Judith. No other colors could have so gently captured the feeling of the harp.
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Barbara C, yes music is really great for the soul. Of course not all music as you mentioned Barbara A but I think it’s possible that music was the first art that humans explored. It’s so ephemeral and yet really touches us in a physical way. Barbara A, let’s see who we discover as the Goddess of Dance.
Herbiznow, thanks for you comment on the colors. Purple and yellow are the colors associated with inspiration. At first I had put down a different color (green I think) for her dress but just had to change it to purple. Plus a sunset or sunrise sky seemed much more appropriate for Canola than a bright day or deep night sky.
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Hi Barbara,
A quick comment. I believe the original Celtic name was something like Cana Cludhmor. I love Celtic myths / old pagan lore, I actually spent 4 years working / leaving in Ireland (I am from Spain) and I sort of got more of an idea of how life was on those everlasting greenfields, centuries ago.
I also like very much modern technologies. I made a video using a Loreena Mckennitt song being singed by a bard Canola in a fantasy environment, I dont claim the song as my own and it has been already assigned to Loreena´s music brand for any ad stuff. Just in case you want to watch it and let me know your thoughts. She is a great artist reviving Celtic lore with her music,… maybe the closest to Canola we get nowadays! :)
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