Beyond Your Comfort Zone, part 2

In the first installment of this series, I spoke about how working with the dark goddess nurtures us. We pass into the shadow and it is there that we learn about ourselves in a deep way. We take what we have learned with us, as we step into the light again, transformed. Go ahead and go back and read that post. I’ll be here by the fireside, awaiting your return.

In this post, we’ll get more deeply aquainted with two of my favorite Dark Goddesses. We’ll take an underworld journey with Hela. Then, we’ll stride across the battlefield with the Morrighan. Take my hand and come along with me.

Hela, Norse Queen of the Underworld

I once wrote a musical meditation called “Journey to the Shadow Goddesses.” When I take people on this journey, I always feel the need to start with Hela. She’s so very special to me, and I think it’s because she’s so misunderstood. All the dark mothers are, but Hela especially. She is the daughter of the trickster god Loki and she was born with a half rotten and half beautiful face, and some say a glowing eye.

The story goes that the gods didn’t understand her, and found her to be monstrous, so they rejected her. Odin cast her out of Asgard, but in turn made her Queen of Helheim, the underworld deep beneath the world tree where non-warrior souls would go to rest. To me she symbolizes the growth and the strength that can come from hardship. She gives gifts of hardship that make you stronger, that help you grow. But she also takes things away from me; things that I’m ready to release.

When I meditate on her, she says to me, “Give me your poison, let me take it away”. Usually that “poison” is self-abusive thoughts, the “not good enoughs” that go so deep and so far back into my past that they were never truly my words. They were words that came from when I very young.  Now those words play like a broken record over and over in my mind and soul.

Through meditating on Hela, I have learned a deep release, a detoxification. I also go to her when I’ve been victorious in saying “No, I don’t believe that anymore”, or if somebody else tries to give me judgement or harsh criticism.  Through Hela I have the power to say, “I don’t believe that, it’s not true.” I believe that outer validation is important, that we as humans need that, but it’s very important to validate yourself as well. I think that’s another lesson of Hela.

I invite you to meditate on her. Some of her symbols are apples, wolves, coldness (I connect her with cold stone), snakes, and poison bottles. Put some of these symbols on your altar and think upon her.

Here are some shadow work prompts I associate with Hela:

• What are the “poisons” that you allow in your life?
• Are there any physical poisons that you can release from your life?
• Are there any mental poisons that you can release?
• Are there any emotional poisons that you can release?
• If so, is there something nourishing or nurturing that you can replace them with?

Here is a song to listen to while asking yourself these questions:

Three Faces of The Morrighan

Nine years ago, I went to a friend’s house for a Samhain ritual. I was going through a rough time and was in a lot of emotional pain. That night changed my life forever. The priestess who led the ritual was Stephanie Woodfield, an author and an expert on the goddess Morrighan. It was by no coincidence that I would meet Stephanie during this time in my life, as it was through her that I was introduced to the Morrighan, the first dark goddess I’d ever meet.  To me, Her triplicity is not about cycles, but about a process.

Badbh (pronounced Bive) is the one that shakes you and wakes you up and helps you to realize that you need to make a great change in your life. Transformation must take place for you to find your authenticity and your sovereignty.

Once you’ve come to that understanding, Macha takes over. She’s the warrior goddess, and the one that helps you fight the pain and hardship that you must move through to get to the other side. She helps you to find the strength within yourself, the knowledge, and the wisdom.

Once you have faced it with Badbh, and you have worked through it with Macha, you reach Anu on the other side. Anu represents the nurturing, the growth, the truth within, and the joy in finding out what you’re made of.

Two sayings come to mind when working with the Morrighan, and with Badbh especially. The first is the cheesy but true saying, “When you face it, you erase it”. On my next album, called “Deeper Waters”, I’m working with my band on a song called “The Crone” which embraces that saying, “When you face it, you erase it”, inspired by Badbh and the understanding that she awakens within you.

The second saying is “Let go or be dragged”. Badbh was trying to get me to let go of something that I was holding on to. She dragged me, shocked and stunned me and made me afraid until I was willing to let go. When I let go, I was able to move into the peaceful warrior self that I would become through Macha, and with the newfound self-nurturing, growth and relief of getting through it all, I was able to take in the energy of Anu.

If you are anywhere near the northeast coast of the US, I strongly urge you to attend the Morrigan’s Call Retreat in Connecticut, which takes place every June. It is run by Stephanie Woodfield and several other priestesses who are dedicated to the Morrighan. I had the joy of performing there for a couple of years and partaking in the rituals, and it was a transformative experience. The community is warm, loving and some of the best friends that I have ever had. I also highly recommend Stephanie Woodfield’s books and artwork that are dedicated to the Great Queen.

Here are some shadow work prompts regarding the Morrighan:

• What is a truth within you that you need to face?
• How can you start to take action to move through the problem?
• Where in your life do you need to be a warrior?
• And where in your life do you need to find self-nurturing?

This next song is one I wrote in honor of the Morrighan (from my Wings album.) It describes my experiences working with her. I hope that if you meditate upon her, journey with her and delve into shadow work with her the same as I have, that you will receive the same blessings, nurturing and growth that she provided me.  

In the concluding installment of my series, we walk awhile with another dark goddess: Hecate. Then we’ll bring it all together to consider the magic you can find outside of your comfort zone.

If you would like to learn more about working with the Crone, I highly recommend an online ritual called “The Crone Cawll” led by my dear friend Matooka Moonbear. You can learn more at this website: https://matookamoonbear.com/

For more articles about goddess magic, please visit the Pagan Song Book of Shadows.

For more information about Jenna Greene, including her collected articles here on Pagan Song, her bio, and links to Jenna’s sites on the web, check out Jenna’s page on Pagan Song.

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