Meeting the Cailleach
I have always loved winter, snow, and colder weather. My seasonal depression shows up in the summer months - I would much rather bundle up and walk outside on a chilly day than trudge through a muggy summer swelter. My wife (who grew up in southern Florida) and I always joke that our ancestors passed along opposite temperaments to us when it comes to the climate and the weather we enjoy. Her Asian and Pacific Islander ancestors gifted her with a love of warm, sunny days and tropical temperatures. On the other hand, my Scottish and northern European ancestors made sure I would thrive in rain, snow, and cooler climates. I grew up in Missouri and love nothing more than watching a thunderstorm roll in from the porch. Luckily for our marriage, we call the Midwest home and throughout any given year (or month…or week), we can experience all points on the weather spectrum.
Though jokes about my genetic predisposition to a cloudy day are made in good fun, I spend a lot of time considering what else my foremothers may have passed down to me. I have researched the spiritual practices of the ancient Celts and continuously find ways to integrate pieces of their belief systems and rituals into my own life. But even with years of reading about the Celts and the Picts and the Vikings, it wasn’t until recently that I learned about the Cailleach.
One of my favorite podcasts of 2023 was the BBC’s Witch. In it, host India Rakusen spends 13 episodes exploring the historical and modern meanings of the word “witch,” and how ancient practices, historical witch hunts, and modern trends shape what it means to be a witch (or be called a witch) in today’s world. In episode two, “Natural Magic,” Rakusen talks with a modern pagan about Scotland’s goddess of the mountains, of the wind and snow, of the wild highlands, of weather and time and winter.
I was immediately entranced. I sought out stories of the Cailleach - they are not easy to find. I found Rachel Patterson’s book The Cailleach and read it while celebrating winter with my close friends. As we gathered together for a celebration of light and warmth during the coldest time of the year, we held a ritual to welcome the light that returns with the winter solstice. During the ritual, we set intentions for the coming season. One of mine was to learn more about the Cailleach and embrace my cultural connection to her and everything she represents.
Winter weather came late to the Midwest this year. Our first true winter storm of the season hit this week, after a record-breakingly warm December. I woke up this morning to several inches of perfect snow: the kind perfect for building snowpeople, snowball fights, and coating the bare trees in the most beautiful covering of shimmering white.
One of the legends of the Cailleach says that when it snows in Scotland, she has left her white cloak out to dry on the rocks, covering the hills and glens in snow. Today, I thought of her cloak as I donned my coat, hat, gloves and scarf, laced up my boots and headed out for a walk.
I love how the world sounds different when it’s coated in snow. The way sharp city noises are dulled and I become attuned to the sounds of nature: the shimmer of ice-covered twigs, the soft honks of geese huddling together on the pond, the satisfying crunch of my boots. I wandered around the park near my home for about an hour, listening and watching and marveling at the frosty scene that engulfed me. I love the feeling of the cold flakes on my cheeks, and pausing in my walk to just take in the world around me with wonder. Being outside in a snowstorm is a lovely meditation: I can hear my breath and see my breath and hear the wind and see the snow blowing through the trees and feel intimately connected to the world around me. I understand why the ancient Celts understood weather like this to be the workings of a powerful and mysterious goddess. Winter, and the natural cycles of the seasons are truly divine.
The more deeply I delve into a spiritual practice tied to the seasons and the ever-changing natural world, the more I come to understand and honor the beauty in the world and in myself. I encounter the divinity of the world in every snowflake, raindrop, ray of sun, breath of wind, clap of thunder, and bolt of lightning. The Cailleach, goddess of weather and change, can be present for me here in the Midwest, just as she was for my ancestors.
