This week on Wheel of Wonder, as the episode falls between Ostara and Beltane we're going to speak about the second and third branches of the Mabinogion involving Branwen and the Welsh embodiments of the goddess: Virgin, Lover, Crone. The virgin in this case is a pure hearted woman not owned or enthralled with any partner, but self-sovereign and in control of her own life, ready to pursue her own destiny. The lover is also the mother in this Welsh point of view. The crone is as always the woman of courage and Wisdom living her own life by her own rules, with so long a life behind her and death as an obvious future friend that she no longer needs to follow rules of custom that don't make sense to her, or don't serve her plans. Your eccentric old Auntie or Grandma. Blodeuwedd, Branwen/Rhiannon, and Arianrhod/Cerridwynn, will be the goddesses of the hours. One for each hour if all goes well.
The photo above and to the right is a picture of the plant meadowsweet, from the Internet site Wildflowers of Ireland, with pictures by Zoe Devlin. Scotch Broom, Oak, and Meadowsweet were three of the nine herbs and flowers from which the May Queen Blodeuwedd grew in Welsh Legend.
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