With each passing day, the world spirals deeper into chaos under the weight of the most unsuitable and morally bankrupt president the United States has ever elected. In nearly every aspect of life—from politics to economics to technology to the environment—the world as we knew it is gone. We find ourselves caught between chaos and creation. We are in liminal times.
Creation stories worldwide depict the emergence of order from chaos. Geological evidence shows how Earth has repeatedly destroyed and recreated herself over eons. It’s a hard truth that for something new to arise, the old must first break down. Yet that breakdown is never easy.
In these challenging days, we can gain an understanding of our own time by reflecting on mythological stories. Celtic mythology offers wisdom from both War and Love Goddesses.
The Cauldron of Life is associated with both Badb, Celtic War Goddess and Branwen, Celtic Goddess of Compassion and Love. Badb’s Cauldron of Life illustrates the interconnectedness of life and death. It plays a crucial role in the final chapter of the Celtic Welsh tale, The Children of Llyr, from The Mabinogion Tetralogy by Evangeline Walton. Here, Branwen and her brother King Bran play significant roles. This story reveals a time when the Old Ways of the Goddess, a loving and protective deity, were being replaced by a new order ruled by angry, hierarchical gods—a time like our own, when one world order is breaking down and another is emerging.
Yet in our modern era, it is the principles of non-violence that offer our best path to a loving world. Make no mistake—this non-violent response is not a sign of weakness, especially when paired with the fierce determination of a War Goddess
Let’s first explore the lessons of Badb, the Celtic War Goddess and Fate Weaver of Ireland. Badb Catha (bod KA ha), one aspect of the Celtic War Goddess Triad, the Morrigan, embodies fury, rage, and violence. She brings war, death, and chaos, but also enlightenment, life, and wisdom.
Badb’s Story
Badb is the Washer at the Ford, cleansing the bloodstained clothes of those about to die. She is often depicted standing on one leg with one eye open and one closed—this stance often signifies a curse but can reflect her connection between the human and spirit worlds. While she heralds the end of our current mortal condition, she also promises new life. In this beautiful Earth, life and death are inextricably linked; one cannot exist without the other.
On the battlefield, Badb appears as a hooded crow, shrieking to inspire battle frenzy in her warriors and fear in their enemies. She also took the form of a wolf, wandering among the dead. As a scavenger, she consumed the flesh of the fallen, allowing her to absorb their spirit essence and guide them to the Otherworld for rebirth.
Though often seen as an old woman, Badb could also appear as a beautiful pale woman, described as pale and red-mouthed. The colors red and white are associated with the Otherworld, with red symbolizing passion, vitality, and courage, while white represents purity, light, and enlightenment.
Badb reflects our negative patterns and unloving thoughts, gifting us the ability to release ancestral burdens while fiercely embodying our passion for a loving world with vitality and courage.
She is associated with the boiling Cauldron of Life, which signifies life but is also believed to bring destruction if it overflows. For the ancient Celts, life and death were intertwined; Badb’s overflowing cauldron destroys the world so it can be reborn anew.
Part 2, the conclusion of this article which explores Branwen’s role in chaotic and changing times, publishes tomorrow.
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Find Judith’s Celtic Goddess Oralce deck on her website. Click here.
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“Yet in our modern era, it is the principles of non-violence that offer our best path to a loving world” – This is my perspective and it is based on my relationships with animals etc – nature – where I see the principles of non – violence acted out. War goddesses seem to be a contradiction in terms to peace making – breakdown is occurring – but the use of violent overthrow backfires every single time.
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Sara,
I hope you can read the conclusion to this article tomorrow to discover how I feel the energies of the two goddesses can work together. Violence is most definitely not the answer as it only perpetuates more of the same in the end. I think often goddesses associated with war are ones who represent both the dark and the light side of existence in a way that war gods never do In a world of duality there will always be both.
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Hmmm I think light and dark are part of one whole Judith – your excellent paintings seem to be splitting the two – just my opinion.. after a night of being blasted by machine gun fire – FUN on 4th of July….
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I also think that light and dark are two sides of the one whole of existence. Guess I didn’t make myself clear in the article.
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Thank you for this wonderful post Judith! The Cauldron of Life is such an important and powerful symbol for us in this world today!
This year at Wild Ginger Witch Camp we worked with the Goddess Cerridwen to call in a powerful, protective and life-giving cauldron cast from iron and steel and formed by fires that come from the womb of the living Earth. We spent time in a guided meditation calling down a star which we charged via Doreen Valiente’s Charge of the Goddess, we danced a spiral dance and lit each other’s candles as symbols of our stars/witchlight.
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Diane, The Wild Ginger Witch Camp you mentioned sounds wonderful. I’d love to learn more about it. The Cauldron of Life is really an important symbol for sure. I love how it appears in different ways in so many different Celtic Myths. Discover its role as connected to Branwen in the 2nd half of this article tomorrow.
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Beautiful, Judith, your words and the portrait of Badb, Washer at the Ford–the river we cross between life and death and life.
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Elizabeth, Yes that river which illustrates the eternal connectedness of life and death.
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I really loved this piece, Judith, about Badb and the Cauldron of Destruction and Creation, so relevant to our present predicament with the country in freefall under the current presidency. Your post put me in mind of a book I’ve recently come upon, though not yet read, APOCALYPSE by Lizzie Wade, that posits apocalypse itself with its enormous destruction, as an opportunity for change and a better society. She cites numerous apocalypses that humanity has weathered and survived in this vein. https://www.amazon.com/Apocalypse-Catastrophe-Transformed-World-Futures/dp/0063097303 All food for thought in these incredible times.
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Sally,
The book you mention sounds very interesting. Sounds like Wade is exploring the same thoughts I have been tossing around in my mind. I hope you have a chance to read the conclusion to this article tomorrow which explores the myth surrounding the destruction of one world era and the creating of a new one. Thanks for reading.
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