For the May Day is the Great Day
Sung along the Old Straight Track
And those who ancient lines that Ley
Will heed this song that calls them back
-Jethro Tull ~Cup of Wonder~
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My matron goddess archetype, Elen, is linked to Beltane and is mistress of travel and earth's ley lines. Reader, please forgive my self indulgence here. What follows are gleanings from sites about her and will be of most interest to those who share my names (actually Helen, but I go by h~elen, ~elen~, elen~a, etc) or are interested in her deep connection with the mysteries alluded to in the song "Cup of Wonder".
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Elen is an elemental spirit who rules over the energies of nature. She reveals herself in both her solar fire aspect as Helen of Troy and the watery and lunar Elen, traversing moonlit forests and sea, guardian of sailors. As a British Venus, Goddess of Gardens, she is Flower Bride of Beltane. Welsh and Irish revered Elen as a star goddess. Alex Langstone in his book St Bega and the Sacred Ring equates Elen to the Irish St Bega, and a star in the constellation Lyra, a beacon of light to those who seek the ancient wisdoms. In "names for your baby" books the name Helen means "light".
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~In modern...metaphor we might say Helen represented... the ‘Astral Light’, both as lifeforce and astral energies, as well as the leys and waters which transmitted them... More specifically she was also a symbol of the serpentine path of the more subtle ‘Earth energy’, as it weaved its way across the landscape vitalising the environment...~ source: Dionysian Underground
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~As the Green Lady, (as my colleague Chesca Potter and myself named her) she peeps out between the trees in forests and woods... At her Holy wells... she is guardian of the underground pathways that carry the sacred waters. As ‘Elen of the Ways’... she is the guardian of the ancient track ways, the Leys, the kundalini currents in nature, and as the Horned Goddess, she leads us to the first track ways, the migratory tracks of the reindeer~ source Mirror of Isis
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As St. Helena, she found the ‘true cross’ on one of her many ‘pilgrimages’, just as the goddess Elen always returned to her ‘sacred tree’ after her many ‘travels’ along the ‘ways’. Europe’s most central ley line the ‘St Michael and Mary’ line passes out of Palestine through Rhodes, on through Greece and Italy, on through both St Michael’s Mounts (Brittany & Cornwall) and across Cornwall, with its own St Helen tradition, and Ireland. Here she leads us to the lost Shamanism of the isles of Britain, across Scandinavia, Russia, Iran, India, Mongolia, China, Siberia, across the Bering Straights into the Americas...
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The Lady gets around!
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The Brits call her "(H)elen of the Roads". When the Romans arrived in Britain, they, under the guidance of the Roman Empress, St. Helena, built their own roads on top of the old straight tracks of the leys that they found there. Roman roads in Britain are called Sarn (H)elen, and these were remarkably straight on - the "Old Straight Track" indeed.
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~The Celts associated straight paths with magic and the Otherworld, the paths that fairies took from one mound to another, the straight path of a magical spell, and the spirit flight of the shaman. It is significant that Elen is first beheld in a dream, then goes on to build a network of magical roads across Britain. Some associate these with ley lines, the ancient trackways that are said to join together ancient sites, such as tumuli, burial mounds, hillforts, stone circles and so on. It is possible that Elen is the guardian of these, or perhaps she is the guardian of the paths of dreams and visions... Some say that the tracks we call ley lines are spirit paths... Certainly, many people have experienced strange things on the Sarn Elen...~ source Anne Franklin
~The Welsh Saint day of Elen of the Hosts is May 22nd, connecting her to Spring, around the time of Beltane. Saint Helena's (Romano-British) feast day is August 18. A wise woman told me that the actual feast day of Elena is May 2 (Happy Birthday, Gigi! ;) and I too was born on the 2nd day of another month, but so many on my mom's side of the family were born or died on the 22nd day, incl. her (b.Aug 22, d. Dec 22) My mom's name was also Helen, my grandmothers' too. I'm the latest in a long lineage of Helens. This used to distress me (who wants to be a Jr.?) but now of course I'm honoured to share Her name:-)
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~During ancient times, the Dragon power that flowed through the leys was thought to build up in the Spring, and wane in the Fall, which led to the festival or harvest days of the Celts. These rites, representing fertility, were observed at Beltane, or the beginning of Summer, and again at the ending of fall or Samhain, at which a ritual involved killing the Dragon...~ source Bella Online
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With the advent of Beltane, around the 1st of May, the spirit of the trackways opens the season of travel. Whether your paths be physical, mental, spiritual or astral, may She light your way.
Tarot of the Week: Queen of Wands
Elen in her fiery solar aspect!
Vala tarot (dragon leys at her feet) Rider tarot empress of solar fire
I know a woman who embodies the Queen of Wands (Leo fire sign) and Elen as well has similarities to her own matron deity, Diana; also she evokes Elen as she goes on her frequent hikes and journeys, backpacking through Europe. Shaundell is someone I admire, feel a kinship with, and is an inspiring influence in my life.
Some descriptions of the Queen of Wands:
...a lady with an independent and passionate nature... freedom-loving, lively, often creatively gifted... powerful force for good... prefers the countryside to the town and appreciates the diversity of nature (Jonathan Dee's interpretation of the Italian Tarots)
...sunny disposition, accomplished, graceful and gracious, as fresh as a spring morning... patroness or adept of the fine arts and sciences... (Renaissance Tarot)
...honourable... exuberant about everything she does... passionate about things she believes in... temperamental behaviour infuriates even those closest to her... quirky, free spirit... staunch loyal friend... waterfire, heart and soul (notes jotted down from mixed sources)
...generous spirit, burning passions and intense desires... Behaves spontaneously and has a temper.... inspires others... Love of happiness (Mary Greer)
Animal Tarot by Paula Gibby
At Gigi's birthday party on Walpurgis night, Laurie showed us her fanciful new tarot deck where all the wands are volpe - foxes, vixens. Here's the Queen of Wands:
Beltane Blessings of good cheer to you - yes, I do mean You!
