In this final episode of 2025, we journey into the deep winter realm of the Cailleach: ancient creator, storm mother, and crone of transformation. Through story, mythic reflection, meditation, and song, this episode explores solitude, sovereignty, aging, creative power, and the wisdom of seasonal rest.

The episode opens with an original myth inspired by the many incarnations of the Cailleach across Celtic lands. She appears as sculptor of mountains, shaper of storms, and guardian of winter stillness. The story traces her creation of the land, her relationship with Brida (who will later become Brigid), and the moment when time and the coming of spring ask her to release her reign...

Following the story, we explore the historical and mythological roots of the Cailleach, her presence in the landscapes of Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Iberia; her association with stone circles, mountains, animals, storms, and winter; and the ways her image has shifted over centuries of retelling. This episode offers a reclaiming of the Cailleach not as a malevolent hag, but as a sovereign force of nature and a bearer of deep feminine wisdom.

A gentle, open-ended guided meditation invites you inward, into the crystal cave beneath the mountain, to rest, to dream, and to listen deeply. The episode closes with “Mother Winter,” an original lullaby to the grandmothers, written and performed by Bronwyn. This is an episode for slowing down, honouring age and experience, and remembering that there are seasons for both labour and rest.

Resources:

• Visions of the Cailleach (Sorita d'Este and David Rankine)
• The Cailleach: Bearer of the Seasons (Gearóid Ó Crualaoich)
• Pagan Portals: The Cailleach (Rachel Patterson)
• The Lament of the Old Woman of Beara (original text in old Irish from 1337 but you can read a more modern translation here https://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/beare.html )
• And if you really want to delve deep, you can take an entire course on the Cailleach through the Irish Pagan School, found here: https://irishpaganschool.com/p/cailleach-lore )

Journal Prompts:

1. Where am I being asked to slow down or rest at this time of year? What about in this season of your life?
2. What wisdom has age, experience, or hardship already given me and how might I honour it more deeply in my life?
3. Where might rest itself be an act of creation in my own life right now?
4. What am I ready to step away from or allow to recede, like winter giving way to spring?

In this second episode of Journeys with the Goddess, we step into the deep, quiet dark of late autumn and meet Cerridwen: Welsh goddess, witch, mother, cauldron-bearer, and keeper of transformational wisdom.

Together, we explore her ancient story - the cauldron brewing for a year and a day, the chase across land, water, and sky, and the birth of Taliesin, the first Merlin of Britain and mystical Welsh bard. We touch into what her myth teaches us about patience, initiation, creativity, and the deep work that happens in the dark.

This episode includes:

• A brief introduction to Cerridwen’s origins and her place in Welsh myth
• A full retelling of her mythic tale
• A guided journey to meet her on the shores of Llyn Tegid
• Reflections on how to work with her energy during the darkening season
• An original song inspired by the Awen and living the creative life: “Cauldron of Your Flame”

Cerridwen’s magic is subtle, earthy, and ancient - the kind that grows quietly under frost, waits beneath the stillness of winter water, and emerges when we listen deeply.

I hope this episode supports your own creative unfolding and offers a companion through these shorter days: a reminder that inspiration is not lost in the dark; it is brewing.

Resources to explore Cerridwen further:

Books:

Cerridwen: Celtic Goddess of Inspiration by Kristoffer Hughes

Pagan Portals: Cerridwen by Kristoffer Hughes

The Mabinogion

The Tale of Taliesin

Websites:

https://druidry.org/resources/cerridwen

https://celt.ucc.ie/published/T109000.html

https://www.learnreligions.com/cerridwen-welsh-goddess-2561677

Journal Prompts:

What creative seed is quietly ripening in you (one that needs darkness, slowness, or rest rather than action)?

What old identity, belief, or habit is dissolving right now? How can you honour the ending rather than rush through it? (Reflect on November as a season of sacred composting.)

Where in your life can you allow yourself to shapeshift, gently and instinctively, into a new form?

What creative projects are drawing you to work on them and how can you make more room for creativity in your own life this season?

Cerridwen Incantation (by Kristoffer Hughes)

"Cerridwen divine, your Awen by mine!

Awaken, arise, your wisdom to shine!

Cerridwen wise one, keeper of seeds,

Arise, I beseech thee, witness my deeds!

Cerridwen Sublime, by Awen Divine,

Awaken, arise, your magic be mine!"

If this journey spoke to you:

• Please follow and subscribe wherever you listen.
• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help this work reach others on their path.
• Share this episode with someone navigating their own season of transformation and creative renewal.

The next episode on the Cailleach will be released on the last Friday of December.

As the veil thins and Samhain approaches, we step into the shadows with The Morrígan: goddess of sovereignty, prophecy, and sacred rebellion.

In this first episode of Journeys with the Goddess, we remember her as the fierce feminine force that rises when the old must burn away to make space for the new to emerge…

In this episode:

• The ancient myth of The Morrígan and the Dagda and how her power and prophecy shaped the Second Battle of Moytura.
• The deeper meaning of destruction as a sacred act of renewal.
• A guided journey to meet The Morrígan and receive her message for your own transformation.
• An original song by Bronwyn Claire Asha, inspired by the goddess’s story
• Reflections and small rituals you can do to honour her this Samhain.

About the Show: Journeys with the Goddess is a monthly podcast by Bronwyn Claire Asha (singer, storyteller, and sound healer). Each episode follows the turning of the seasons and explores a mythic goddess through story, meditation, and music as an invitation to meet the Divine Feminine as a living force within yourself.

New episodes released on the last Friday of the month.

Resources to learn more about the Morrigan:

Books: Pagan Portals - The Morrigan by Morgan Daimler ; The Book of the Great Queen by Morpheus Ravenna; The Morrigan: Celtic Goddess of Magick and Might by Courtney Weber.

Websites:

https://irishpagan.school/the-morrigan/

https://sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/aigw/aigw01.htm

https://celt.ucc.ie/published/T300010.html

https://www.citywitch.co.uk/the-celtic-goddess-the-morrigan/#a-ritual-to-the-celtic-goddess-the-morrigan

Journal prompts:

1. What in your life is asking to be released, burned down, or transformed — not out of destruction, but to clear space for truth? (Reflect on what The Morrígan showed you about endings and sacred fire.)
2. Where in your life have you silenced your own anger and what might that anger be trying to protect, reveal, or heal? (Consider how rage can be holy when guided by heart and integrity.)
3. What vow or commitment did you make to yourself? How will you commit to this in action in the coming months? (You may even want to write it out on a piece of paper and burn it on Samhain Eve.)

If this journey spoke to you:

• Please follow and subscribe wherever you listen.
• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help this work reach other seekers.
• Share this episode with someone walking their own path of transformation.

Connect with Bronwyn: Website: www.bronwynclaireasha.com

Instagram: @bronwynclaireasha

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bronwynclaireashamusic