Cerridwen, Keeper of the Cauldron of Rebirth, is a Chthonic and shapeshifting Goddess from the Celtic/Welsh regions. She has arrived to allow us entry into her Cauldron, full of inspiration, regeneration, and the deepest knowing that she can bestow upon us. Cerridwen teaches (and requires) an acceptance of what must come now for each of us that leads to what comes next.

Correspondences & Lineage

Born of The Cauldron

Welsh goddess Cerridwen had a son that she wished to bestow all knowledge upon as he was born ugly, concocting a potion that a helper (Gwion) would stir for a year and a day. He splashed his thumb with three drops at the end of the year and a day, and because it burned he instinctively put his thumb in his mouth. He became a knower of all things.

Gwion knew that Cerridwen would be coming for him.

Thus, the great chase began, whereby Gwion would shapeshift, and Cerridwen would follow suit to catch him. Gwion turned himself into a piece of corn and Cerridwen turned into a hen that then ate him. But because he had the power of the potion, from her great cauldron, he was rebirthed from her womb as Taliesin the great Bard and poet.

The Great Connection

In all stories and myths, there is a great connection to what lies beneath it for us to find within. As Cerridwen begins to chase Gwion through the seasons (the last being harvest season and grain), it is a story of life, of death, and rebirth. Through our own seasons, we will follow this same cycle.

The Shapeshifting

The shapeshifting and the chase is a means through which I understand the initiations of becoming. An initiation is both a beginning and an ending. We become an adept at one thing but must change, learn, and grow into something else. We do this many times in our life. Our womb journeys are on repeat, pushing us forward in our unique power of becoming fully connected to our essence as witches.

The Symbolism

Witches are also adept at being multilingual, we can read words (which are but symbols) that bestow power upon comprehension of their deeper meanings. The same can be said for other symbols, like the sacred sow. Some say that Cerridwen translates to white sow but knowing that the sow was historically revered in Celtic mythology symbolizing fertility and fecundity of earth. The sow and grain are both great symbols of abundance and fertility speaking to the ability to grow and flourish in a cyclical rhythm much like the phases of the moon. We also know that those who were sow keepers were said to have inherited great powers and knowledge of the earth. Of all the things, knowledge is power.

An Experience ~ Kaycee

In my own personal journey, I am working with spider and it occurred to me upon waking up one morning that one of my favorite stories as a child was Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White (1952). A spider weaving her web encouraging the pig (and discouraging humans that would slaughter him) with her messages in the web. The major themes are the cycles of life, death, and transformation. Such synchronicity bubbling up into my awareness allowed me to connect with Cerridwen and the transformation we are all being pushed toward.

She focused my attention back on my own practices, encouraging a switch from an ever-present push towards the societal status quo of productivity back to where my own soul spark will do the guiding. A part of reweaving into who we are meant to be is being internally connected. At first she provided the keys to the gates, practices to reinforce the connection. Then she required I be born of her Cauldron. As you traverse your own journey with Cerridwen, I am sending you extra love!

A candle & a Key,
Kaycee

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