Ali Isaac's Blog: H A G , page 7

The Summer Solstice Brings Change

Loughcrew, with Cairn T in the background © Ali Isaac

Did you welcome in the longest day of summer in any special way? The solstice is just one day, perhaps more accurately, just one moment in which the sun reaches its zenith, its turning point, and begins its descent back through the seasons into mid-winter.

Forgive me, if this old hag finds a connection in that moment. It reminds me of my own journey towards menopause. Menopause is just one day, the final day of a year of no bleeding. Before th...

Join me on Notes

Yaaay! An informal space where we can meet and get to know each other! I just published my first note on Substack Notes, and would love for you to join me there.

Thanks for reading H A G! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Notes is a new space on Substack for us to share links, short posts, quotes, photos, and more. I plan to use it for things that don’t fit in the newsletter, like live photos and videos of ancient Irish sites that I visit, and snippets of mythology and a...

May | The Sovereignty Goddess

SOVEREIGNTY

a noun meaning “the power or authority to rule” 1

Aughnacliffe Portal Tomb in County Longford is unique in Ireland in that it has not one but two capstones © Ali IsaacWho is the Sovereignty Goddess?

She is thought to represent the land, and the divine right to rule over that land. A would-be king was expected to unite with her in order to legitimise his right to the kingship. Feasting would be involved, and sex. Another important feature was the offering of a drink, water or alcohol depe...

April | The Veiled Woman

Awaiting the Imbolc sunrise over Loughcrew, the home of the Cailleach © Ali Isaac

We’re back to Herself, the Cailleach, this month. April should feel like Spring, but this year in Ireland, at least, the Cailleach is not yet ready to relinquish her grip on all she has produced and nurtured throughout the Winter to the Foster-Mother, Brigid.

Who can blame Her?

Like Lugh, the child comes to love the Foster-Mother, and memories of the Birth-Mother grow dim. But Brigid and the Cailleach work together ...

April: The Veiled Woman

Awaiting the Imbolc sunrise over Loughcrew, the home of the Cailleach © Ali Isaac

We’re back to Herself, the Cailleach, this month. April should feel like Spring, but this year in Ireland, at least, the Cailleach is not yet ready to relinquish her grip on all she has produced and nurtured throughout the Winter to the Foster-Mother, Brigid.

Who can blame Her?

Like Lugh, the child comes to love the Foster-Mother, and memories of the Birth-Mother grow dim. But Brigid and the Cailleach work together ...

March: Wise-Woman or Witch?

“Now this is what used to kindle the warriors who were wounded there so that they were more fiery the next day: Dían Cécht, his two sons Octriuil and Míach, and his daughter Airmed were chanting spells over the well named Sláine. They would cast their mortally-wounded men into it as they were struck down; and they were alive when they came out. Their mortally-wounded were healed through the power of the incantation made by the four physicians who were around the well…. another name for that well...

February | Assimilating Brigid

Saint Brigid’s Holy Well, Liscannor, County Clare © Ali Isaac What is Imbolc?

FEBRUARY 1st IS A SPECIAL DAY IN IRELAND; as of this year, 2023, it has officially been declared a national bank holiday, the first and only national public holiday in celebration of a woman in Ireland: Saint Brigid, granting her equal status with her peer, Saint Patrick.

Falling half-way between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, and known on the Irish Celtic calendar as the festival of Imbolc, February 1st trad...

The Floating Castle of County Cavan

CLOUGHOUGHTER CASTLE IN COUNTY CAVAN may appear to float upon the cold clear water of the lake, but its foundations are firmly rooted in the earth of a small, natural island. These days, the ruinous shell of the building and its majestic setting, seemingly far from all things human and modern, is picturesque and peaceful, but in fact, its innocent façade masks a grim and violent history.

Its name derives from the Irish Cloch Locha Uachtair, which means, more or less, 'the stone building on the up...

January | Welcome to H A G

The rugged landscape of the Burren on a wild winter day - built by the Cailleach?. © Ali Isaac

[T]he hag deity known as the Cailleach takes human form at Samhain to rule the winter months, bringing in winds and wild weather. Her very steps change the land… she carries a hammer for forming valleys. A touch of her staff is enough to freeze the ground. [T]he Cailleach is thought to be the mother of the gods, the great cold originator of all things.”1

Katherine May - Wintering

What is the Cailleach Pro...

January: Welcome to H A G

The rugged landscape of the Burren on a wild winter day - built by the Cailleach?. © Ali Isaac

[T]he hag deity known as the Cailleach takes human form at Samhain to rule the winter months, bringing in winds and wild weather. Her very steps change the land… she carries a hammer for forming valleys. A touch of her staff is enough to freeze the ground. [T]he Cailleach is thought to be the mother of the gods, the great cold originator of all things.”1

Katherine May - Wintering

What is the Cailleach Pro...