From the Cauldron Born: Exploring the Magic of Welsh Legend & Lore

by Kristoffer Hughes

Overview

The tale of Taliesin and the magical cauldron of Cerridwen speaks from the heart of the Celtic Pagan tradition. In From the Cauldron Born, you are invited not only to read the story but to live it. You are invited to resonate with the magic of the witch mother Cerridwen and her cauldron of inspiration. You are invited to become Taliesin, the prophetic spirit with the radiant brow. You are invited to awaken to a lucidity of spirit born from the archetypes of sacred myth.

Join Kristoffer Hughes on a yearlong journey of rituals based on one of Wales's most profound legends. With deeply transformative exercises and lyrical wisdom, you will experience beauty and knowledge, imagination and creation as never before.

Praise:
"If you are captivated by the exploration of Welsh and Celtic myth, Kristoffer Hughes's in-depth, scholarly work belongs on your bookshelf."—Ellen Dugan, author of Seasons of Witchery

"In this book, Kris Hughes takes up his Druid's staff and guides us through the winding paths of the tale of Taliesin with insight, learning, and inspiration so that we too may drink the magical brew in the cauldron of Cerridwen and emerge transformed."—Anna Franklin, author of The Sacred Circle Tarot

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738734644
Publisher:	Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Publication date:	12/08/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	312
Sales rank:	943,385
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Kristoffer Hughes (Wales) is Chief of the Anglesey Druid Order, a Mount Haemus Scholar, and a member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. He is a teacher, writer, workshop leader, and guest speaker at Pagan conferences, camps, and festivals throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, and North America. Hughes worked professionally for His Majesty's Coroner for over thirty years. He is a Welsh language television presenter and actor. He's the author of From the Cauldron Born, The Book of Celtic Magic, As the Last Leaf Falls (previously titled The Journey into Spirit), and Cerridwen, as well as the creator of both the Celtic Tarot and the Yuletide Tarot. Visit his Facebook page for news and events. You can also visit him at www.AngleseyDruidOrder.co.uk.

Table of Contents

Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction xiii

Part 1 The Cauldron Born 1

Part 2 One Tale of Old, Thrice Retold 25

Part 3 Unravelling the Mystery 45
Divine Intoxication: The Three Blessed Drops 51
Cerridwen’s Cauldron: The Womb of Enchantment 65
Morfran Afagddu: The Dance of Darkness 83
Creirfyw: The Heart of Beauty 93
Tegid Foel: Nobility and Strength 103
Morda: The Key to Liminality 111
Cerridwen: In Search of the Witch Goddess 127
Gwion Bach: The Heart of Transformation 161
Taliesin: The Prophetic Spirit 197
Conclusion: A Template for Transformation 217

Part 4 Stirring the Cauldron: Ritual and Practise 221
Afterword 253
Glossary 255
A Guide to Welsh Pronunciation 263
Bibliography 267
Index 275

Editorial Reviews

"This book, like its subject, the story of Taliesin, is multilayered, magical and potent." —Penny Billington, Author of The Path of Druidry

"If you are captivated by the exploration of Welsh and Celtic myth, Kristoffer Hughes' in depth, scholarly work belongs on your bookshelf." —Ellen Dugan, author of Practical Protection Magick & Witches Tarot

"In this book, Kris Hughes takes up his druid's staff and guides us through the winding paths of the tale of Taliesin with insight, learning and inspiration so that we too may drink the magical brew in the Cauldron of Cerridwen and emerge transformed."—Anna Franklin, author of The Sacred Circle Tarot

"The story of Cerridwen and Taliesin can be heard from the bones of Britain itself. Kris acts as your guide through this seminal tale of the Island of the Mighty, a tale you won't just read, but will become a part of, with each turning of the page. Highly recommended."—Damh the Bard, Pendragon of the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids.

"Kristoffer presents a transformational Welsh legend to a worldwide audience and the connection through the magickal elements of tending to our own cauldrons.It is refreshing to see a modern interpretation of the tales of the Welsh Gods & Goddesses that blends the scholarly with the visionary."—Kimberly Morgan, author of Understanding Wicca and High Priestess, and the editor of Deosil Dance: A Journal of Paganism in the 21st Century

"A book such as this is a rare gem, encouraging deep explorations of personal and universal truths in a style which is immensely readable and enjoyable and which beguilingly leads the reader into deeper and deeper spiritual territory."—Claire Hamilton, author of Tales of the Celtic Bards

From the Publisher