Incite – verb - to stir, encourage, or urge on; stimulate or prompt to action.
My Beloved and I went away for a day to get some ‘us’ time for our Anniversary. And low and behold ‘It’ happened. The news of the US Supreme Court ruling hit. I had a feeling it was coming soon. Still, until it is ‘official’, it is not. Now it is official. To be honest, we started getting riled up and then decided, that for the next 24 hours (us taking our trip) we would stay off of social media and focus on us. Couple care. And now here we are, back to reality so to speak. On our return, we stopped in a small town and had brunch. There it began. Over some tasty vittles, we created what we are calling ‘INCITE’. It is created to be used as a talisman*.
As we started discussing and dreaming into what we wanted and needed, we found these thoughts to be remarkably similar. For this Working, I have enlisted my Beloveds help with it. For many reasons. You see, she is extremely intelligent and has a depth of knowledge into areas I do not. She can see my blind spots easily. Has a great working knowledge of the Ogham. She also happens to be female and has a vastly distinct perspective on all ‘this’. She will be adding her thoughts as we get into the Ogham.
I needed to do ‘something’. And what I happen to do best is metal magic. There needed to be some action. While we are about action, I want to take a moment and speak to that. For me I like to focus on controlling the controllable’s. If I cannot change something, I look to see what I can change. What do ‘I’ have control over and focus on handling that. I got this thought that ran through my mind as I was thinking about this. ‘Are you gonna do something? Or just stand there and bleed?’ (Great line from Tombstone). For the front, or the back depending on how you want to wear it, it has three spears chiseled in. They are pointing in different directions. I see this as there being multiple types of action to be done. Action! It’s just not one action item. Multiple spears for multiple action items. There are also crossed spears which add to a level of protection, guarding. There is the one center spear that is above the others. You! There is ONE thing that you can do and will do. I have two mental pictures that I envision with this forging. One, a mustered host! ‘The mighty Morrigan, whose pleasure was in mustered hosts’, ODRAS From the Metrical Dindshenchas. It is about a group of people. With sameness of mind. Joining together. With a singular focus. A mustered host! And two, ‘There is over his head shrieking / A lean, nimble hag, hovering / Over the points of their weapons and shields: / She is the grey-haired Morrigu’ from the The battle of Magh Rath. It’s about action. Together. Unified. These are the thoughts and emotions I will be using as I forge the front of this.
Let me be clear. I am angry. Almost a white heat furious. I feel betrayed by a country I served,
and still serve to this day. I see dominoes falling in a direction I do not like. In my bones I feel the wrongness of it. One does not have to be female to have righteous rage about this. I have a wife. I have daughters. I am enraged to the point that tears are streaming down my face. This is me acting. This is my WORK! My Work is providing others the tools for them to do their Work. And make no mistake, this is a tool fitting of magnificent work! Weapons are not just sharp pointy things.
Now, let's get to the back of the talisman and the Ogham part. The following is written by my beloved Julie. You can find her on social media here.
Hey everyone, Julie here. Sam asked me to chime in with my interpretation of our Ogham stack ‘Incite’. To set the stage, here’s what I experienced during the magical discussion he mentioned above: The time for weeping in silence is done. Take respite from your madness (rage) and heal your wounds. Gather your strength, nourish your body, summon your courage, and prepare to turn that grief and anger, the outrage, into ACTION. You are ready.
The feda we chose are Ceirt (Quert), Ailm and Ruis. These are NOT fluffy bunny let’s-all-hold-hands-and-sing energies we are tapping. This combination is not for the faint of heart and is not to be used lightly or casually. It is a ‘Ready, Aim, Fire’ mustering of the troops, or your spirit. (BTW, all references to 'battles' etc are metaphorical.)
Ceirt: READY. ‘a shelter of a wild hint’ or lunatic. This gives us a place to settle our rage or madness, a place to order the chaos into something we can use. Connection with the Energies beyond the mists can help quiet our minds so we can prepare to fight. It is a place of ‘healing, restoration, renewal and nourishment’ (Daimler), so it reminds me of that place of ‘Fulacht na Mór Ríoghna,’ where Irish warriors would gather to rest, eat, clean their weapons, and prepare for the next battle.
The tree associated with Ceirt is apple. Beyond obvious nourishment, apple is also often
used in divination, so it represents that connection to Divine voice or Direction from Deity, Ancestors, etc. It is said that Merlin, when in a fit of madness, would sit under an apple tree. Madness can lead to powerful magic if the chaos can be focused into a direction. That’s what I envision Merlin doing while taking that respite, riding that wave of lunacy until it is contained, readying himself for the next magical battle.
We all have been feeling that chaos of late, haven’t we? And the recent happenings in the US especially can either lead us down into full madness or incite us into action. (In this I am not talking about mental illness; please seek professional guidance if you need it.)
Ailm: AIM. Inception, ‘beginning of a calling’. That pause between the death of something and the birth of something new. The rush of ‘epiphany… the a-ha moment’, where your purpose becomes clear and you are inspired to take action, to move forward. This fid represents Awen to me, that Breath of Spirit that breathes life into all things. It feels very initiatory to me, a beginning, on the threshold of something life-changing and powerful.
If you’ve ever shot an arrow (or gun), a ‘pause while you aim’ concept will be familiar to you.
This space, or pause in time, can feel like an eternity sometimes, when it’s usually only a split second, albeit a very important one. It’s the inspiration between thoughts and actions, the bridge between the righteous rage (or crippling grief) and the movement toward action. A lot of magic and divine direction can happen during this moment. Allowing that Hand to help us aim is stepping into the initiatory cauldron of inspiration.
This moment of epiphany can feel like terrifying elation, as contradictory as that sounds. When all the (chaotic) pieces fall into place and you suddenly realize the purpose of this moment and your sovereign place in it. The chaos is now channeled and ready, the arrow is aimed.
Ruis: ACTION. Redness, glow of anger. This is the fid of action, the loosing of the arrow. Ruis is that ‘fire in the head’ frenzied passion that can be powerfully positive, or totally devastating if out of control. But remember we have taken the time to ready ourselves and aim our energy, guided by our Divine helpers.
Remember that scene in Blade Trinity, when Abigail’s friends have been brutally slaughtered and she is paralyzed, curled in a ball of grief and anger. Blade incites her to ‘Use it. Use It. USE IT!’ She screams a primal scream and It. Is. On. The righteous battle begins, the arrow shoots straight and with deadly force. This is Ruis in aimed action.
I imagine the red-streaked face of a warrior in the midst of battle. Strength was gathered in Ceirt, when we were making ready. Courage during Ailm, when our initiatory purpose was made clear and our aim steady. Now we don’t have to fear losing control, as our fury is now directed toward justice.
Again, this collection of feda is not to be used lightly. Remember actions beget consequences. I think it’s time others remember that too.
Here is a link to the shop where you can get one.
Sam here: I would like to leave you with a final thought that helps me in times of challenges. It is a line from the Second Battle of Moytura. ‘And you, Morrígan,’ said Lug, ‘what power?’ ‘Not hard to say,’ she said. ‘I have stood fast; I shall pursue what was watched; I will be able to kill; I will be able to destroy those who might be subdued.’
*For entertainment purposes only
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