The long days and short nights bring a whirl of external activities. Shortly before Summer Solstice, on 18th June, was the feast of the goddess Danu, for whom I have a special devotion. I consider her the local goddess since it is said that her tribe, the Tuatha dé Danaan, landed in what became known as Erin, in the mountain bounding the parish I live in. I think of Danu as the Crone of Crones, the Grandmother Goddess over all. Over a period of spiritual discernment I perceived her as matron over what I call The Age of the Crone.

Slieve Anieran, or the Iron Mountain, overlooks Ballinagleragh and Drumshambo in County Leitrim, and it is atop this mountain it is said their ships of silver and gold landed. But they burnt their boats and stayed until they disappeared into the sídh after the Second Battle of Moytura when the Milesians defeated them. The Bronze Age had truly arrived I suppose. Perhaps this was when Danu's feast day was on the wane and Solstice celebrations came to the fore. The Grand Old Woman, the gift giver, began to be less valued. New gods and goddesses came to be worshipped.

But she is still very present in the land, in our rivers and our memory. She may be the Great Mother when you look her up. However, I experience her as the Great Grandmother. The oldest and wisest crone of all. She is the abundant donater. In that respect, she is the great matron of those who are in the age of retirement or semi-retirement.  While we do have our ailments and may need naps to steward our energy levels, there is still a great deal we can contribute.

The Age of the Crone is one where we can donate our time, wisdom, and what energy we have to spare. Our great gift is having the long view. Like Hekate, we can see the past, know the present, and have very firm hunches about the future. The word donation is derived from Danu's name after all! It's all about the flow of plenty.

Yet I also suspect that Danu, the gift giver, would have us sharpen our discernment. Discernment is that keenest ingredient in any cornucopia.  In this uncertain age, discernment is often in short supply. Anger, contempt, suffering: all these we see in abundance. But discernment is like the reaper who winnows out the chaff and retains the kernal of truth and wisdom. Discernment is a gift for perceiving the need from desire, the suffering in the outbursts of hatred, the self-service in caring gestures.

Danu is the river of life. She is also the river of love that will smooth the stoney bed, re-shaping them. She is the matron of the wildlife who live from and in the river's habitat.  They, too, play a part in changing its course over time. The otters and beavers, the rats and trout, the lone heron swooping through Her glen - these are her Beautiful People, too. The moss and lichen are all part of the trophic cascade that is community. So, too, are we Her Shining Ones.

 

Let it Flow! The wisdom and discernment of Danu, may She bestow these gifts to us all.