Dana, or Danu as many know her, is the Primal Irish Mother Goddess, and the Matron of the Tuatha De Danann. She is the head Matriarch of the Irish Pantheon and is considered by many to be the Celtic representation of the Earth Mother Goddess found in many other Myth Cycles & Pantheons (Gaia, Hera, Juno have all been linked to her).
Having read the NOD chapter on Dana, and looking at the three outlined general orientations to seeing her, I need to answer these questions:
What way, or ways of seeing Dana, makes the most sense to your own sensibilities? What is being 'tended' or needs 'tending' in your life? How can you open yourself up to Dana as a way of being tended?
First of all, let us look at the three ways of seeing Dana/Danu and evaluating each one.
The first way of looking at Dana/Danu, is that she ''...IS the Land, in both its most literal sense, as well as being the energy that is 'behind' or within the land; the very essence that enlivens the natural world.''
And that by perceiving Dana/Danu this was ''...may be a way of relating to the sensuous earth as aliving experience''.
So this way of perceiving Dana/Danu, The Mother Goddess principle, is that she IS the Earth on which we live, as well as the living energy within it which exists in all living things on this planet.
This way of looking at her probably mostly connects her to the 'Gaia' principle. That she is the Earth- Mother Earth- but also that every living thing on the Earth, whether Plant, Mineral, Animal etc is made up of Her also. We call her Dana/Danu to personify that energy and to give the Earth a more humanazied image which enables us to connect easier with her.
Something we can more easily recognize and understand because we cannot truly grasp the idea that the Earth itself is alive and has a consciousness.
This way of seeing Dana/Danu is one which requires us to form a bond with the Earth on which we live and to connect to the Goddess through our care of the Planet and the actions that we take to tread lightly upon her. To connect with Dana/Danu in this form is to spend time in Nature, feeling her close by going to her sacred places and by feeling apart of the greater web of life by realising that we are a small speck of her Energy and that everything we see, touch, feel, hear and smell, is part of Her.
The Second way of seeing Dana/Danu is the idea of what the NOD article calls DanaSpirits.
This is the idea that every living thing on this planet has a soul and conciousness just as we do, though it may display it in different ways. It is the idea that Dana is the conciousness that exists in all of these things. She is not a separate entity with Her own conciousness. She IS the conciousness in all of us.
This is perhaps a little harder to get our head around. She is the Creater then, but not a separate energy that creates and feeds the energies of all that lives on the Earth. She is not the Earth on which we live, but she is the conciousness that exists within EVERYTHING on that Earth. She cannot therefore be personified.
This makes it harder for us as humans to 'see' her, and form a relationship with Her. We can connect to the Bee, the Flower, the Tree.... which are formed from her Conciousness, but she is not the Mother. She is the Soul of the Mother, but not the Body. The Light, but not the Flame.
The third and final way of seeing Dana/Danu given in the article, is the idea that She is like the Tao or Chi from Eastern traditions. The Force from Star Wars if you will. She is the energy. ALL energy. An energy force that we can call upon and use, that we can direct for our own will. An energy that we are made up of, both molecularly and consciously.
Again this way of looking at Dana/Danu can be difficult for Pagans who believe in the Balance of the Force if you will- that yes, this Energy DOES exist. But it is not solely Female. It is not Dana/Danu alone.
A large number of Pagans, and I am one of these, see the Force, the Chi, the Tao, the Awen, The Nwyfre... whatever name you give it, as being made up of both the Feminine and Masculine energies. The God AND the Goddess. Not one of them alone. Because of this reason, I would find it very hard to see the energies of conciousness, matter, soul and of Life as being solely Dana/Danu.
So which way DO I see Dana/Danu as?
I think it is a combination. I think the first way of seeing Dana/Danu, as the Earth itself and the energies with which we are all made. She is the Mother Goddess to me, and she is personified by the Earth. She is also present within all the energies, alongside the God principle, in every living creature, stone, tree, ocean etc. This is the way that makes the most sense to me.
What is being tended, or needs tending in my life?
I would probably say my confidence. It has always been something which has needed tending of the years. Nurturing, to help it grow.
My role as a Priestess and a leader of Celtic Moon is something which I think is currently being tended by the Mother Goddess in many different forms.
How can I open myself up to Her as a way of being tended?
To continue to connect with her through Ritual, through Meditation and through my personal Spiritual practice. By spending time with Her in Nature (the Woods, Sacred Sites, Sacred Wells etc) and connecting my Soul energies to her Primal Earth energies.
It is the bond, this connection, that helps all of us to be nurtured, to grow, to be tended and cared for to help us to gain confidence and maturity.
May the Mother Bless & Teach us all.
Blessed Be.
Breaca
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