Oran Mor, The Great Song of Creation, Part 1 by Iona Jenkins

Celtic myth tells of the Oran Mor, the Great Song of Creation that upholds life itself.

I remember my sense of wonder and excitement when I first stumbled across this concept in The Mist Filled Path, written by Scottish/Irish/American shaman Frank MacEowen. I began an immediate quest to discover more, but internet searches produced very little information, and as there were no books available relating only to the Great Song, I concluded that perhaps information had been passed down verbally by Bards, slowly receding into the mist as Christianity became more established in the British Isles. Each time I mention the Oran Mor to someone else, they too become energised and enthusiastic, as if they sense the magic reawakening. MacEowen, who certainly encountered it on his own Mist filled Path, wrote:

“The reason we find no evidence of this Celtic Creation story, is because it is a living story – A story that waits for us to remember. In other words, no matter how hard we look, we will not find the story outside ourselves. We have all been woven into the story, it is our story, and it continues to unfold.”
p.113, The Mist-Filled Path, Frank MacEowen, 2002 New World Library

Beginning my own quest to gain some personal experience and understanding of the Great Song, I discovered my first reference to Oran Mor in Irish mythology. The Tuatha de Danaan were a mystical race who came to Ireland from the sea. Some say they were saved from the dying land of Atlantis, whilst others speculate that maybe it was the land of Lyonesse before it sank beneath the waves. Whatever their origin, these were the shining people of the Goddess Danu, who in keeping with her nurturing spirit, lived as evolved human beings, in peace and harmony. The Dagda, their first Father Godlike King was a wise musician, magician and Druid who possessed not only a magical cauldron of plenty, but also an oaken harp that only he was able to play. And people said that such a harp must belong to the Oran Mor, the Great song of Creation. Within it were three strains of music described as Songs of Lamentation, Songs of Joy and Songs of Sleep. Personally, I would also like to interpret the 3^rd strain as Mystical Peace.

It is also said that poets, musicians and composers create from the sound of the Dagda’s Harp playing to them from stars twinkling across the vast vaults of space. And in considering this myth, the Dagda’s image is of a balanced masculine, a ruler capable of nourishing and inspiring the Tribe, resulting from his connection to the Mother Goddess Danu. To create such a balanced masculine, then, means reinstating the equal power of the feminine since it is in his relationship to the Goddess that the Dagda was so abundant, and harmonic with Spirit, Land and Tribe.

I first became aware of Oran Mor in my own story, when I lived in London, where I spent many a contemplative hour in the green sanctuary of Kew Gardens which was only a short drive from my home. I offer a quote from my former published writing:

“This early spring day was breezy and comfortable for walking, but too cool to take off my coat. As usual, I sat on one of the many memorial benches, concentrated on my breath, and allowed awareness to blend into nature all around me. It was then, I registered a strong impression of the wind coursing through branches of Scot’s pines, towering high above my head. I had heard it many times before, though it had never entered my consciousness in quite the same way. It was one of those magic moments when time seems to stand still, as awareness refines and expands. The wind, the moving branches, the rustling of spring flowers, the sunshine appearing, then suddenly vanishing in blue skyscapes ever changing, in the drift of white clouds. Then, a water ripple from a duck splashing in the small lake, a peacock cry, the space above the clouds where my soul could soar to almost touch the stars even in broad daylight………. As I continued to listen to those Kew pines, I began to experience a deep resonance with this wind music, that seemed to exist not only outside in the Garden, but also inside me. I placed my palm against my chest and felt my heart beating with the sound of my life. This wind song had no words yet, but the sound combined with the effect of sunlight bursting intermittently through sky gaps left by scudding clouds brought me a vision of a harp with rippling strings …. The garden, had brought my magical child back to me, enabling me to listen with my heart again.”

Page 22-23 To Sing with Bards and Angels, Iona Jenkins 2022, O Books

Part 2 tomorrow

Iona Jenkins M.A. is the author of TO SING WITH BARDS AND ANGELS – A Journey into the Creative Heart, published by O Books. A former teacher, counsellor/psychotherapist/hypnotherapist turned writer, mystical poet and philosopher in retirement, Iona enjoys working with change and growth through creativity as well as exploring the Avalon Mysteries from her connection to the sacred sites of Glastonbury. Her path of Art and Soul draws inspiration and wisdom from nature, land, legend, the arts, and living by the sea on the south coast of magical Wales. You can find out more about her on http://www.ionajenkins.com