Things I’m Putting Back Inside My Head (Autumn, part 3)

©2022 Michael Raven

As I laid in bed last night thinking about what I have written, I am not sure that I’m happy with the tone and flavor of Part 1 and Part 2 have had. The core concepts are fine, it’s the rest of it that doesn’t sit well with me. Either too flip or too scholarly.

And that, my friends and readers, is why I don’t do this stuff anymore. I have difficulty finding a balance when it comes explaining my thought processes in these matters. And the previous two posts have been a bit manic as a result as I try to not come off as a know-it-all and still show that I’m not just full of hot, imaginary air.

Taking a step back…

I am just going to say that the Autumnal Equinox is observed as a significant event (as is the Spring Equinox and two solstices) in many cultures across time, and the Celts were not an exception based on what writing and archeological evidence we have at our disposal. Likewise, the general trend in prehistoric Europe has been to put these events in a ordinal relationship with the Earth, e.g., there are generally four directions and each of these astrologic events tended to correspond with those four directions in a consistent sunwise/clockwise pattern in the Northern Hemisphere. The direction West is most commonly associated with Autumn in this scheme, followed by North=Winter, East=Spring, and South=Summer.

Furthermore, there are stories about the Tuatha Dé Danann, the group of people from which my patroness (The Morrigan) is associated, which indicated there are four “treasures” that they brought with them to Ireland when they “invaded” the land. Each of these four treasures is associated with a direction based on one of the stories that survived. It so happens that The Dagda’s Cauldron is associated with the West. The cauldron is also associated with bounty and, while I am not 100% convinced that the period was post-hunter/gatherer that the stories came from, there is an element of the agricultural harvest and bounty which is also framed as an autumnal event.

If I am trying to be internally consistent WRT keeping things in alignment with The Morrigan, The Dagda seems like a valid candidate to put into this position.

There. Less rambling and more direct.

Unless I am suddenly compelled to continue this series of thought experiments, I think I’ll keep the reorganization of my brain a more private affair. My main fear is that it would show off the maelstrom of my mind instead of being an interesting series of posts for my readers, and I think it proved to be a bit of a chaotic disaster in the end. I finished some of my primary thoughts, but I don’t know that it is all that worthwhile for anyone to read.

Thanks for suffering through. Now, back to the usual program.