March 2020 prepares us for the arrival of Spring, and helps to hone our instincts for the road ahead. This month, the mystic energy of the Celtic Goddess Sheela Na Gig opens and strengthens our intuition.
Sheela na Gigs (or Sheila na Gig) are the name for the stone carvings found throughout Ireland, Great Britain, France and Spain that depict a nude female figure exposing her vulva. They are often found over doorways in rural churches, and as a part of the architecture, much like gargoyles or saints. Scholars widely disagree about the origin and meaning behind these figures, with most Christian philosophy stating the Sheela na Gig is a warning against lust and evil.
However, a more likely and logical theory presented by scholars Joanne McMahon and Jack Roberts is the Sheela na Gig carvings are the remnants of pre-Christian religions and beliefs, “incorporated from previous structures into early Christian buildings.”
As a Goddess figure, Sheela na Gig is seen as the Divine and Lustful Hag, the Dark Crone Goddess, and the definitive epithet of the feminine mysteries of life and death. Her skeletal body, huge grin, and gaping yoni can take many people aback. With Her strong, bony fingers, She stretches her vulva wide, letting that sacred passageway spill the secrets of the universe. She is the doorway, the gateway to the unseen. Sheela Na Gig acts as the bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds, her yoni the opening to the mysteries of the universe. She holds the power of universal and interdimensional wisdom, as well as intuition and oracular knowledge. Sheela Na Gig is the laughter and passion of existence and she upholds the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
She is a visceral Goddess, grounded in earth and centered in sky. Sheela na Gig is the portal that helps you to develop and strengthen the connection to your intuition, including expanding magickal abilities such as clairvoyance (seeing), clairaudience (hearing), and clairsentience (feeling). Within Her womb, She holds the answers you seek - you just have to pass through Her door.
Her yoni acts as that doorway, a power center, an intuitive tool, and an invitation to pleasure. As She is a Yoni Goddess, any activity of our genitals (menstruation, childbirth, self-pleasure, intercourse) is under Her care and a way to align with her wisdom and power. To tap into your inner Sheela Na Gig is to connect with your yoni as your personal center. Your yoni is your portal, your connection to life, to pleasure, and to holiness.
The fierceness, fearlessness, and bluntness of Sheela na Gig has turned Her into a feminist symbol in modern times. Sheela reminds us of the many facets of being female: we sweat, we shout, we rage. We love, we mourn, we laugh in the midst of sorrow. We create life from blood and pain. The patriarchal dominance of our society has misused us, abused us, betrayed us into believing that these natural parts of our bodies and our minds are something to be ashamed of. Sheela na Gig inspires frank talk of our bodies functions, our bloodiness, our sexual desires, and our stains while teaching us to honor these pieces of ourselves as holy.
March 9th 2020: Full Moon in Virgo
This Full Moon brings the need for organization- of home, relationships, emotions, and thoughts. It’s almost Spring and the desire to clean up and clean out is high this week. While the Spring Clean is a wonderful idea any time of year, be careful not to overdo it. This lunar cycle may bring up unresolved fears and past guilt, and you’ll need your strength to process these emotions. Don’t rush the process, but rather recognize the fear, acknowledge the discomfort, and prepare the things you need for your healing.
Connect with Sheela Na Gig this Full Moon to strengthen your intuition. The goal is to flow through this week, not muscle through it, and you’ll need to trust your instincts in order to make order out of chaos. Sheela Na Gig reminds you of the wisdom gained by your life experiences, and can align your third eye so you can see your next steps clearly.
March 24th 2020: New Moon in Aries
This New Moon adds a fiery push to all your spiritual and intuitive activities, as well as your desire for life transformation. You may be working on building a new path for yourself, discovering new loves and hobbies, preparing for the rebirth of Spring. This lunar cycle activates impatience, excitement, and a sense of empowerment that can you have you running at full speed when your pace should be a leisurely jog.
Sheela Na Gig is the doorway to initiation, and working with Her this New Moon will remind you that divine doors don’t shut. The lesson here is to take your time. Your healing and transformation cannot, and should not be rushed. You will step forward onto your new path when you are ready, and there is no time limit. Spend some time this lunar cycle performing divinations and meditations with the aim of charting your way forward. Remember to flow with your intuition instead of forcing it to show you things you aren’t ready to see.
Sheela na Gig Correspondences
Energy: the unknown, the unseen, mystical energy, pride, good fortune, opportunity, Akashic records, protection, magick, strength, authority, dreams, life-death-rebirth, feminine mysteries, sexuality, sensuality, intuition, divination, protection, galaxies, meditation, microcosm-macrocosm
Colors: black, purple, blue, silver, green, blood red
Crystals: galena, black tourmaline, amethyst, black jasper, clear quartz, stilbite, garnet, obsidian, jet, rainbow hematite, red barite, hematite, sulphur quartz, silver, diamond, dravite, any found stone
Fragrance: ether, violet, lavender, vetiver, oak moss, lavender, cayenne, cinnamon, clove, grass, cypress, moss, copal, spikenard, helichrysum, mugwort
Offerings: coins, rocks, raven / crow feathers, prayers, breath, bodily fluids (saliva, menstrual blood, etc)
Resources:
SHEELA NA GIG Guiding Goddess Oil (limit quantities, available only during March 2020)
eCourse: Rituals of the Dark Goddess with Priestesses Brandi Auset and Kimberly Moore
eCourse: The Wild and Sensual Woman with Priestess Brandi Auset
Video: Meghan Rice - Sheela-Na-Gigs of Ancient Britain
Video: PJ Harvey – Sheela Na Gig
Article: Sheela na Gig by Carol P. Christ
Celtic Women's Spirituality: Accessing the Cauldron of Life by Edain McCoy
The Encyclopedia of Religion by Mircea Eliade
Opening the Field: Irish Women, Texts and Contexts by Patricia Boyle Haberstroh (Editor)
The Sacred Whore: Sheela Goddess of the Celts by Maureen Concannon
Sheela na gig: The Dark Goddess of Sacred Power by Starr Goode
The Sheela-Na-Gigs of Ireland & Britain by Joanne McMahon and Jack Roberts