Awen
- A Personal View
©
Imbolc 2006 by Ceridwen Seren-Ddaear, A.D.
The
Awen I sing,
From the deep I bring it,
A river while it flows,
I know its extent;
I know when it disappears;
I know when it fills;
I know when it overflows;
I know when it shrinks;
I know what base
There is beneath the sea.
~~ Taliesin ~~
For me, the very word itself has a certain cosmic “ring”
to it – conjuring up in my mind’s eye visions of ancient
groves of trees with moonlight streaming through them, or standing stones
on a hilltop, or stately Druids celebrating the magick and sovereignty
of Earth, Sea and Sky…
There is a wealth of information about Awen on the Internet and in many,
many books on the subject – and yes, they all describe what it
“technically” is, where the word comes from grammatically,
etc., but I feel there is so much more to this wondrous phenomenon…
Let’s start off with some examples of what is out on the web regarding
this subject (sources for these are at end of article):
“To discover what Awen is, we should first look at what the word
means. The feminine noun, Awen, has been variously translated as 'inspiration',
'muse', 'genius', or even 'poetic frenzy'. The word itself is formed
by combining the two words, aw, meaning 'a fluid, a flowing', and en,
meaning 'a living principle,
a being, a spirit, essential'. So Awen may be rendered literally as
'a fluid essence', or 'flowing spirit'…”*
~~~~~~~
“The word “awen” means “inspiration” in
Middle Welsh, and in Mesopagan Druidism it represents the primal sound
and light caused by “the” Supreme Being pronouncing “His”
name to create the universe. Mesopagan Druids have a great deal of metaphysical
theory based on this and related triplicities — most of it coming
from the early Unitarian preacher and prolific forger of ancient manuscripts,
Iolo Morganwg (who pretty much created Mesopagan Druidry to begin with)…The
word “awen” is used by some modern Druids as a Celtic equivalent
to the Sanskrit word “aum,” intoning it when doing trancework,
thusly: “aah-ooo-enn...” “**
~~~~~~~
“The Awen is a not genuine symbol of Druidry, but associated with
several modern groups. Awen in the Celtic language means means "inspiration,"
or "essence," and refers to spiritual illumination. The three
parts of the Awen symbol represent the harmony of opposites- the left
and right rays symbolizing female and male energy; the center bar their
harmonious balance…”***
~~~~~~~
“Repeatedly referred to in the bardic writings is lore relative
to the origins of its alphabet, its relationship to trees and the secret
name of God…Writing was invented by Einigid the giant, son of
Alser, for the purpose of recording praiseworthy deeds. They were first
carved on wooden staves called coel bren. The first three letters were
obtained by Menw the Aged, who observed light falling in three rays…This
is the sign known as Awen, which is said to be the name by which the
universe calls God inwardly. The Awen is said to represent the letters
OIU, from which all the others are obtained. The O relates to the perfect
circle of Gwynvyd, to the mortal world, Abred, and the U to the cauldron
of Annwn. They relate to earth, sea and air; body, mind and spirit;
and love, wisdom and truth. The word Awen also means not only this combination
of letters but inspiration and soul as well…”****
~~~~~~~
From these examples, we can get a pretty fair idea of what constitutes
Awen, but as I read these, the  following
questions come to mind:
What does Awen feel like?
Is it related to the imagination?
How does one know when one is having an Awen experience?
Is it primarily a random, spontaneous thing?
Or can it be “channeled” by conscious intent?
Is it reserved mainly for poets, writers, artists, teachers, magicians,
etc.?
Or can anyone access this mysterious power?
After meditating on the above questions, I will share some of my own
opinions, conclusions and experiences with Awen…
For me, Awen is the source of creativity. There is no limit to the number
of ways it can manifest in our lives:
It can come to us dramatically and radically – as in the Tower
card of the Tarot, which shows the lightning bolt of awakening striking
the self-imposed prison of our fears, doubts and insecurities –
freeing us from our own limitations and blasting our outworn beliefs
– blinders coming off – opening us to a fresh and expanded
perspective – just as the figures falling from the Tower eventually
land in the garden of The Star (the next card in the Tarot sequence)…
Or it can come to us as gently as a wisp of Aeolus – the wind
that whispers in our ear when we are quiet enough to hear it…
Or it can come to us as amusingly as two kittens playing at our feet…
It can also come to us when we are in meditation or a magickal working
as a sense of euphoric connection with the All That Is – that
moment when we get a glimpse of “the larger picture” of
reality – that part of us that “knows” what our role
is in this life, and “knows” our place in the Universe and
our inherent divinity…
It can come while we are driving our car, riding in a bus, daydreaming
at work, doing the dishes, or doing any other mundane task that becomes
“automatic” – freeing our minds to wander and leaving
an opening for Awen to sneak through like grass through a crack in the
pavement…
Most often for me it comes when I am out in Nature – walking in
the woods, dangling my feet in a stream, sitting on the rocky shores
of the sea, riding a horse, or tending my garden…
Sometimes it flows like a raging river rapids, and sometimes it trickles
like rain off the roof…
Generally when it happens to me, my first response is: “Whoa,
where did THAT come from?” But then I try to stay in the moment
and fully imbibe the experience, like sipping a fine wine – getting
the most out of it – and then afterwards, I always send a “thank
you” to the Universe for the inspiration. I find that when one
shows gratitude for this wondrous blessing – for that is what
it is to me – then the Universe “responds” by sending
even more Awen!
When we “channel” this mysterious force, we often feel compelled
to manifest it in some physical form, such as writing a book or poem,
or trying to capture it in a work of art, or in a piece of music –
with the same urgency that we feel when we try to remember a significant
dream and want to record all the details before it fades away…
Once we are touched by Awen – and I believe anyone can be touched
by it – it seems that we are never quite the same. A profound
change takes place deep inside our soul – a new awareness that
inspires us so much that we cannot even conceive of returning to the
pre-Awen state! Instead, like one who tastes the Ambrosia of the Gods,
we seem to want to taste it again and again – and to inspire others
to find their own way to taste it as well…
* * * * * * *
Sources and Credits:
*From: Awen - The Holy Spirit of Druidry by Greywolf
of the British Druid Order
http://www.druidorder.demon.co.uk/awen.htm
**From:
Symbols of Druid Identity by Isaac Bonewits
http://www.neopagan.net/DruidSymbols.html
***From:
Altreligion – Druid Symbols
http://altreligion.about.com/library/glossary/symbols/bldefsdruidry.htm
****From:
The Awen by Katinka the Broc'h
http://www.druidry.org/obod/druid-path/awen.html
Jen
Delyth - http://www.kelticdesigns.com/
- Image used with permission
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