For the Rest of Us

Chatting about The Truth (tm), spirits of place, and real life Sheelas! The Pope of Fig Island by Charles Eisen

These curious stone sculptures found, oddly enough, on and in churches, among other places, have delighted, shocked, and confused people for ages. Boldly exhibiting her vulva, the Sheela na Gig has, and does, make an impression. Does she make the impression her creators intended? What was that intention, and how has our understanding of her changed (if we understand her at all)? Let's explore...

A rapidfire list of a few gay Greek divine liasons and then a reading of a poem of Sappho, followed by a fragment of another poem, translated by Julia Dubnoff (link below). Happy Pride! https://www.uh.edu/~cldue/texts/sappho.html

A short little chat about some things I left out of the talk. A connection between the goddess Leto and Isis! If you'd like to read the story of Iphis and Ianthe, here's the link: Ovid's Metamorphosis, Book IX: Iphis and Ianthe https://ovid.lib.virginia.edu/trans/Metamorph9.htm#483366551

Exploring the story of the FTM gender transition of Leucippus (mentioned in the Abbot episode) in more depth, including the rite of passage that was associated with it, the Ecdysia of ancient Crete. Check out the substack for the transcript. Celoria, Francis, The Metamorphoses of Antoninus Liberalis: A Translation with a Commentary , Routledge, 1992 Lampsas, Giannis, Dictionary of the Ancient Worl...

Chatting about the Great Mother and things that didn't make it into the episodes.

The continuning saga of Kybele, now with her self-castrating gender expansive priests, the Galli. Were they transgender? Who were they, really, and who was she, their goddess? We track their journey from Phrygia all the way to the end of pagan Rome. In Search of God the Mother: The Cult of Anatolian Cybele by Dr. Lynn E. Roller, 1999. Kybele - Mother of the Gods: The Goddess Project Podcast  by Dr...

We peer into pre-history at early evidence of the Anatolian goddess Matar/Kybele, whose presence may have been discovered in this ancient egalitarian society. Or, maybe, was this society a matriarchy? What do the findings say? Thumbnail image: Seated Woman of Çatal Höyük, located in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, Turkey. In Search of God the Mother: The Cult of Anatolian Cybele b...

A change in chat strategy followed by the reading of The Violent Death of Maedhbh.

A guided meditation up Cnoc na Riabh to Queen Maedhbh's cairn and, perhaps, to somewhere deeper than what meets the eye.

An exploration of one of the heroes of the Táin Bó Cuailgne (The Cattle Raid of Cooley), Queen Maedhbh of Connacht, said to be the driving force of the war between Connacht and Ulster. But was she? And what's more, was she successful? Is she a soverignity goddess, or simply an Irish heroine? Want to hear or read the Táin?  The Tain by Thomas Kinsella Fireside, a podcast by Kevin C. Olohan ava...

A tale recorded by monks in 14th/15th century Ireland concerning the magical gender change of a particular abbot. What is the significance of the story, and are there others like it?

In this guided meditation you will walk a path across a bog, meeting the Hag in her wild domain. This guided meditation was inspired by the Seana Mhach bog trails outside of Costelloe.

The post-show chat where I ramble about my thoughts on the Cailleach and add things I may have left out.

Fáilte. In this episode I discuss the impetus for this podcast series as well as what to expect in future episodes.

We explore the lore behind the ancient creatrix of the Celtic Isles, The Hag (an chailleach). Sources Include: The Book of the Cailleach: Stories of the Wise-Woman Healer by Gearóid Ó Crualaoich Irish Stories and Songs: II. The Old Woman of Beare by Kuno Meyer https://www.wildernessireland.com/blog/hag-beara-irish-myths-legends/ Mythical Ireland YouTube channel by Anthony Murphy, in particular the...