Author Archives

I'm an artistic, creative, somewhat eclectic person with a huge passion for painting, dance,sunsets,travel,friends and life in general. Being an artist is an exciting path with which to journey through life.

• Badb, Goddess of Life and Death by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on September 27, 2017 • ( 13 )

  

  With the ongoing occurrence of huge hurricanes, floods, mudslides, earthquakes, possible nuclear war and more in both the US and worldwide it seems that the wrath of the Goddess has been awakened. I felt the need to revisit the Celtic… Read More ›

• Corra, Celtic Serpent Goddess by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on August 23, 2017 • ( 9 )

  

  Even though snakes never inhabited Ireland, as in the rest of the ancient world both the serpent and the dragon were ancient symbols of life, fertility, wisdom and immortality for the Celts. Ancient Celtic ornamental work is entwined with serpents and… Read More ›

• Inanna, Queen of Heaven & Earth Brings Gifts, by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on July 26, 2017 • ( 16 )

  

  In the early 1990’s I discovered the compelling story of Inanna, the ancient Sumerian Goddess, translated and retold in the book, Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Kramer.  I was inspired to create a series… Read More ›

• Star Tree – Star Goddess by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on June 28, 2017 • ( 22 )

  

  In a world where humans were small and nature was big, surrounded by forests of trees of immense size and stature, it’s not surprising that the ancient Celts came to hold trees as sacred. Like many others, the Celts revered… Read More ›

• Shapeshifting Goddesses by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on May 21, 2017 • ( 7 )

  

  Magic, divine intervention, shapeshifting – what do these things offer the modern mind, concerned with time clocks, definitive proofs and skeptical disbelief? Yet to the ancients, shapeshifting was a well known tale, found in stories and mythologies across the world.

• A Return to Light by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on April 22, 2017 • ( 11 )

  

  Spring is here in the northern hemisphere and with it the return of light in the yearly round of seasons. Today is Earth Day. Flowers bloom, new seedlings emerge and birdsong fills the air. As the cold and dark of winter… Read More ›

• Darkness and Light by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on March 22, 2017 • ( 21 )

  

  “Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light.” – Theodore Roethke “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot… Read More ›

• The Celtic Otherworld, by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on February 22, 2017 • ( 8 )

  

  Did the ancient Celts believe in heaven and hell?  Not exactly – because of their belief in reincarnation they did not identify a particular place that one went to after death. Instead the Celts believed there to be a home for their supernatural… Read More ›

• Triple Goddesses in the Celtic World by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on January 25, 2017 • ( 21 )

  

  Many neopagans and modern Goddess worshipers mistakenly equate the triadic nature of some Celtic Goddesses with the Triple Goddess concept first popularized by Robert Graves in his book, The White Goddess. Graves stated that Goddesses were frequently found in triplets… Read More ›

• The Reindeer Goddess by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on December 18, 2016 • ( 31 )

  

  Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere is the day of the least daylight and the longest night. Long before Christmas our Northern European ancestors celebrated the Winter Solstice, the moment that heralds the return of the sun and with it… Read More ›

• Murder at the Rummage Sale: Book Review by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on December 15, 2016 • ( 12 )

  

  Murder at the Rummage Sale (Albany, NY: Imagination Fury Arts, 2016) by Elizabeth Cunningham is a mystery novel with a style and depth of thought that offers not only the fun of figuring out “Who Dun It”  but also gorgeous… Read More ›

• The Bird Goddess by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on November 23, 2016 • ( 12 )

  

  Birds soaring high above the earth reaching for the heavens have long inspired humans as links to the divine realm. Birds fulfill various functions in world cultures and religions – from playing a central role in creation, to birth, to… Read More ›

• Tailtiu, Celtic Earth Goddess of Endurance by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on October 26, 2016 • ( 8 )

  

  The Celts were fascinated by the number three – triple designs, images and triadic ideas. The Goddesses and Gods who related to the mysterious rather than the mundane nature of life were always worshiped in threes. Unlike the Greek triple… Read More ›

• Elen of the Ways by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on September 28, 2016 • ( 17 )

  

  Dawn follows darkness; shining day gives way to starry night – cycles of change and flow. Elen of the Ways is She who guides us on these paths of change.

• Killing Us Slowly by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on August 24, 2016 • ( 13 )

  

  Killing us slowly with your rules. Killing us slowly with your technology. Killing us slowly with your bureaucracy. Killing us slowly…….

• Boann, Celtic Goddess of Inspiration and Creativity by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on July 27, 2016 • ( 13 )

  

  Boann, Celtic Goddess of Poetry, Fertility, Inspiration, Knowledge and Creativity was one of the Tuatha De Danann (People of Danu). She was associated with the 70 mile long river Boyne in Northeast Ireland and its source, the Well of Segais. … Read More ›

• Olwen, Welsh Flower and Sun Goddess by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on June 22, 2016 • ( 6 )

  

  Olwen (pronounced O-loon), Welsh Flower and Sun Goddess is most probably an ancient Goddess whose original stories and power have been lost to us. Her name means “Golden Wheel,” making Her the opposite of the powerful Sky Goddess, Arianrhod who… Read More ›

• Blodeuwedd, Celtic Flower Goddess by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on May 25, 2016 • ( 10 )

  

  Blodeuwedd, also known as the Ninefold Goddess of the Western Isles of Paradise, was a Goddess like no other in the manner of her birth.  She is one of the main figures in the Mabinogion, the Welsh cycle of stories… Read More ›

• Niamh of the Golden Hair by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on April 27, 2016 • ( 4 )

  

  Niamh (meaning ‘bright’ or ‘radiant’) of the Golden Hair, one of the Tuatha de Danann and daughter of Mannanan mac Lir, Celtic God of the Sea, was Queen in the land of Tír na nÓg (pronounced Tear na Noge), the… Read More ›

• Our Enchanted Bosque by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on March 23, 2016 • ( 21 )

  

  I live in New Mexico’s largest city, Albuquerque. As a Goddess Worshiper, one of the things I love about New Mexico is the easy access I, a city dweller, have to so much natural beauty. I feel Her beauty and… Read More ›

• Arduinna, Gaulish Goddess of Forests and Hunting by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on February 24, 2016 • ( 18 )

  

  Arduinna, Gaulish Goddess of Forests and Hunting is one of the many Celtic Goddesses who is associated with a particular region or body of water.  She was worshipped in the heavily forested regions of the Ardennes, located in what is… Read More ›

• Mor, Celtic Goddess of Sun and Sea by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on December 23, 2015 • ( 18 )

  

  Mor is an ancient Celtic Goddess of the Sea and the Sun, bringing to mind the shining days of summer and the abundance of the harvest. Yet in a typical Celtic paradox in which opposites exist as one whole she… Read More ›

• Dahut, the Once and Future Goddess by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on November 25, 2015 • ( 14 )

  

  Dahut Ahes, Breton goddess of Love and Sensuality is a Celtic Goddess whose origins are obscured by patriarchal tales which cast Her as wanton and depraved.  By weaving together the tales as they are today with an understanding of the… Read More ›

• Chlíodhna , Celtic Goddess of Beauty, the Sea and the Afterlife by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on October 28, 2015 • ( 4 )

  

  Having spent the past year and a half immersed in the study of Celtic Goddesses, I am intrigued by the sharing of many of their attributes, symbols, and associations – shape-shifting, magical birds, and apple orchards in the Otherworld to… Read More ›

• Canola, Celtic Goddess of Inspiration and Creativity by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on September 23, 2015 • ( 6 )

  

  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… Read More ›

• Artio, Celtic Goddess of Wild Life, Transformation and Abundance by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on August 26, 2015 • ( 15 )

  

  Artio, Celtic Goddess of Wild Life, Transformation, and Abundance, is one of the more obscure goddesses in the Celtic pantheon.  She is often shown with baskets of plenty and surrounded by animals.  Artio is frequently depicted as a bear. Her… Read More ›

• Rosmerta, the Great Provider – a Celtic Goddess of Abundance by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on July 22, 2015 • ( 15 )

  

  As we near August 2, known to the ancient Celts as Lughnasadh or Lammas, examples of abundance are everywhere.  Gardens and farms are in full bloom with some crops ready for harvest and others very near.  Lambs born in spring… Read More ›

• Grainne – Sun Goddess/Winter Queen by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on June 24, 2015 • ( 9 )

  

  In the ancient Celtic world the Goddess was the One who expressed Herself through the many.  Grainne is such a one. She is both Winter Queen/Dark Goddess, nurturing seeds through winter, and Solar Sun Goddess, welcoming the rebirth of spring. … Read More ›

• Mary Magdalene – A Woman of Power and Vision by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on May 27, 2015 • ( 16 )

  

  Who was Mary Magdalene? The first thought of many today is that Mary Magdalene was a repentant prostitute. But was she? Until the third century, Mary was considered an “apostle.” Mary as an apostle posed a threat to the early… Read More ›

• The Gift of Life by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on April 29, 2015 • ( 19 )

  

  Life – a precious gift I so often take for granted.  Events of recent weeks have turned that blatant disregard into profound gratitude. I began keeping bees about three years ago.  My first two years were unsuccessful.  But last year,… Read More ›