My book ‘The Sovereignty Year’ * (linked to the Sovereignty Essences**) describes the facets of the Goddess for each of the 4 solar stations of the year and the 4 quarter-days between. In the book the facets are given Celtic or Arthurian names, but each has a resonance worldwide.
Spring Equinox (20/21st March)
The archetype in Arthurian Grail legends is Kundry where she is described as a wild woman, an ugly crone who challenges Gawain. She also appears in Wagner’s ‘Parcifal’ in a similar role. The name ‘Kundry’ itself is derived from the German for ‘news’ or ‘information’ (Kunde). Indeed although depicted as an ugly woman she is also described as wealthy and learned.
In many Celtic tales she is referred to as the ‘Loathly Damsel’ whom the hero is often required to kiss. When he does, her ugly form will then dissipate and she is transformed into a beautiful woman. As a facet of Sovereignty (the Goddess of the Land) any aspiring king or knight must embrace her in her worst aspect in order to have the authority to rule. This can also been seen as a need to love the Land in winter, which allows the flowing season of spring to appear!
The Loathly Damsel also appears in the folk songs, like ‘King Henry’first recorded by Steeleye Span in 1972
In this song ‘King Henry’, Henry is challenged to do the ugly crone’s bidding, which he does, to the letter, and is rewarded.
“Take off your clothes now King Henry
And lie down by my side,
Now swear, now swear you King Henry
To take me for your bride.
Oh God forbid, says King Henry,
That ever the like betide,
That ever a fiend that comes from hell
Should stretch down by my side.
When the night was gone and the day was come
And the sun shone through the hall,
The fairest lady that ever was seen
Lay between him and the wall.
I’ve met with many a gentle knight
That gave me such a fill,
But never before with a courteous knight
That gave me all my will”
This type of ‘challenge’ made to men is present in many cultures and many legends and reflects the ancient tradition of women holding the power and ‘ownership’ of the Land. In Egypt, for example, the pharaohs only ruled by the power of Maat – the goddess of judgment and balance. If he did not meet her requirements, he did not rule.
It has only been since the balance between male and female was lost, that men have taken over that role of ruling and ownership alone and in the process have tended to subjugate and denigrate their role to bolster their own. Regrettably many religions, business and goverments continue to regard women in this lowly way.
The energy behind the goddesses of the Spring Equinox epitomises knowledge, challenge, teaching and destiny.
Kundry is regarded as a guardian of tradition and has no qualms of getting down to do the most difficult of tasks. She has clarity and compassion, but is also thought of as wrathful or ‘black, indicative of the amount of power she wields, rather like Kali of the Mahavidyas and Hindu mythology.
Kundry represents the voice of the Earth and therefore the voice of Sovereignty. When approached in the right way she has much to teach much about how we approach experience. One way is to embrace everything and look at life as a play of the Elements, another is to study theories. One way is to know things intellectually and the other to know things from the center of our being. This reflects the duality of the spiritual path, a recognition of the balance of male/female within.
The Spring Equinox energy also has close links with serpents and dragons, with all the mythology that both entail.
Visualisation from’ The Sovereignty Year’
Kundry’s Dragons
1. Begin by settling your body into a comfortable position.
2. On each outbreath relax your body
3. Imagine yourself in a small clearing within a wood, surrounded by trees with spring flowers bursting from the ground beneath your feet.
4. Follow that pathway before you and begin to walk into the wood.
5. The further you go, the more rugged the ground. You come across a stream that is running very fast.
6. Centre yourself, and ask for help from the Earth elemental energies, to enable you to cross the stream.
7. Before you, stepping stones emerge from the waters and you can then safely walk across.
8. Continue following the path until you come to a place where a veil of ivy bars your way.
9. Sweep away the ivy and you see before you a tree stump, framed by two other trees.
10. As your vision clears, you notice that there is a silver dragon entwined around one tree and a gold one around the other.
11. On the tree stump you can see a hologram of moving and changing lights and energies, and you draw nearer for a closer look.
12. In the ever-moving spherical hologram you see people, places, the future and the past.
13. Centre yourself once again, closing your eyes.
14. When you open them again, the hologram has changed to a view of far-off galaxies that move to engulf you.
15. Concentrating on the trees around you, you become aware of the dragons speaking to you.
16. Stay here for a while. Listen first to the gold dragon, then the silver. Listen to what they say and look closely at anything that is offered to you.
17. When you are ready to leave, thank the dragons and see them merge before your eyes and dissolve into the galaxies and stars.
18. You find yourself, once again, on the shores of the fast running stream. The stepping stones are still visible, but as you use them to cross over, they disappear from sight.
19. You retrace your steps to the clearing in the wood, noticing the beauty of the flowers.
20. Stay still for a few moments and then bring yourself out of the visualisation.
* Hardcopy version of ‘The Sovereignty Year’ is available from:
greenmanshop.co.uk
*PDF version is available from TreeSeer.com
** Essences are available from: greenmanshop.co.uk
dragonsmeet 