Awen

After scrapping my first attempt at this week's letter I was frustrated, fuming and stomping around the orange grove. In my frustration I was ranting, "Oh come on, that was good stuff, I learnt so much from it. Why won't it work into a blog?" I finally calmed down and started making dinner. An errant thought flitted through my head, "Awen" ( I heard Ah-when). I dismissed it, never heard of it before. It kept on, louder and louder. I don't even know this word, amen? Arwen? it just kept bugging. Then this morning I made time to go through my emails. In there, waiting patiently, was the weekly thoughts email for our Pagan Blog Project. Imagine my surprise when I found the word Awen! I'm not crazy...ok maybe I am, but I am learning, sometimes the hard way, how to learn to listen to that inner voice!




The symbol for Awen is /|\ it represents the 3 foundations of Awen: To understand truth. To love truth. To maintain truth.

To me, working with Awen is something I strive to do at all times! Truth. An easy concept by definition, hard to do in action. Sometimes truth is the hardest thing to give, harder still to accept. But to live in truth is of utmost importance. But what IS truth? This is something that we must all learn for ourselves. My idea of truth may be someone else's idea of falseness and vice versa. I must follow what I believe is truth and be accepting of those who don't see my way as they should be of me. Awen is knowing, sensing and feeling it in your essence and true being, it is the freedom to accept one's nature.




As an aspiring musician I like that Awen is also a source of poetic inspiration! The story is told of Gwion Bach, tender of Cerridwen's cauldron for a year and a day whilst it was brewing. On the last day, 3 drops burnt his finger. Doing what we all do when we get burnt, he put his fingers in his mouth. He was instantly bestowed with the 3 gifts of; poetic inspiration, prophesy and shape-shifting. Cerridwen killed him (the contents of the cauldron were meant for her son) by turning into a black hen and eating Gwion as he shape-shifted into a grain of wheat. From Cerridwen's womb Gwion was reborn as Taliesin, with the ability to compose perfect impromptu verse. (cool!)




It is said that we may be contacted by the cauldron of Cerridwen by singing or chanting. Awen manifests differently to each individual who seeks it. I don't know how Awen will manifest for me, but I will look for it in my daily life and know the truth of it, to the best of my ability!




I welcome your thoughts on this blog! Hopefully it makes sense to you and it's not all rambly (as I have a tendency to do!) and you are able to get something out of it for yourself! Blessed be ♥