So I came to post a blog today about how I am slowly coming back into my "warrior" training. My youngest son's third birthday will be coming up soon and in typical "Celtic" fashion, threes seem to be what inspire my actions. It took three years for me to start losing the weight and getting back to training after my first child and apparently, it will once again prove to be the magic number after my second.
A few months ago I took a step back from the Pagan community. I found myself being sucked into arguments that, in the end, were taking more energy than they needed to be. I found myself becoming jealous of my friends' successes and hating myself for not having the time to work on my own goals. I had to put my personal and professional life before my spiritual "self" and so I retreated. I can't say as I regret it though I do miss it from time to time.
With that said, I do find it funny that my returning blog will come down to a topic that apparently became drama filled in the Pagan community not too long ago. Bullets for The Morrigan. This discussion essentially boils down to two sides. Those who follow The Morrigan focusing on Her Warrior aspects and those who want to follow Her for everything but that aspect. As the title of this blog references being a Pagan warrior, I'm sure you can figure out which side of the coin I fall in that regards.
Without going into much detail, I believe there is no way to split The Morrigan from Her warrior aspect. While She is absolutely a sovereignty Goddess, my personal connection to Her has to do with the importance of War in a Warrior Aristocracy that was common, if not the standard, for Celtic language speaking tribes. The way to achieve "supreme power" for the ancient tribes was War. Even today in our own culture, First World countries are such because they are well prepared and trained for war. The definition of sovereignty is "to have supreme power or authority." In this light, Sovereignty and War go hand in hand. In this light, Her sovereignty comes from Her battle ready strength and prowess which She inspires in Her warriors.
So, bullets and The Morrigan? Many of you may have already read my blog on the Zombie Apocalypse, so my first thought is "I need every bullet I can get" and "I'm not wasting my ammo when there are better alternatives." In my personal practice, a blessing request from Her makes more sense. I have blessed my guns in a similar fashion to what is found here. A blessing upon my bullets made equal sense in that regard. This way they are still in use, but She has hopefully touched them in some manner. I wear a knife that has been blessed by Her as well and therefore holds that significance for me outside of my other knives.
Onto the question at hand, are bullets an acceptable offering for The Morrigan? Of course they are. If you, like I, connect to The Morrigan in Her warrior aspects, then modern tools of warfare are a fitting offering. Then again, I believe blood and blades are as well as any other weapons that one is willing to part with. I would venture to even call them sacrifices made to The Morrigan as such would be giving up, to their deity or deities of focus, something one finds of personal value. What would be more valuable to a Warrior than their trade tools? The pro vs anti-gun discussion is essentially irrelevant as are the politics of "modern day mass shootings." One is blaming the tool for the user's actions. Knives, swords, batons, bombs, long guns, hand guns and bullets are simply tools of the trade for a warrior. Like a spell is a tool of the trade for a magic worker. In the wrong hands, innocent people can get hurt, but in the right skilled hands, they can save lives.
If you follow The Morrigan as a warrior Goddess then you do so with all that comes with it. No ancient tool is any more acceptable in war than a modern tool. War evolves and our tools evolve with that. War has not disappeared from our planet therefore that aspect of The Morrigan is just as relevant today as it was to our ancient ancestors. To respect the Warrior Goddess and the sovereignty She exhibits, is to respect all that comes with fighting in a war: blood, blade and bullet.
