“how to make a deal with Morrigan wicca”
I know there’s a character called Morrigan in a game. I’m not a gamer, so that’s about all I know about that. But the fact that the searcher added “wicca” to the phrase tells me he or she was looking for the goddess, not the game character (it also tells me the searcher probably doesn’t know much about Morrigan or Wicca, but that’s another topic for another time).
So, on the off chance this person visits this blog again, let me try to answer the question. How do you make a deal with Morrigan?
You don’t.
If you need something from Morrigan (or from most – though not all – of the old goddesses and gods), ask. Ask nicely. You don’t need to debase yourself or offer lavish praise – the Battle Goddess has a strong and healthy sense of self and she doesn’t need you to go on and on about how great she is. You, on the other hand, probably need to remind yourself that this is a powerful goddess you’re addressing, not your next door neighbor.
Be polite. Offer her food and drink. Not because you’re trying to bribe her – as though the Lady of Sovereignty could be bought with a glass of wine – but because you’re trying to be a good host.
Ask for what you need. Remember that in prayer as well as in magic, fuzzy targets yield fuzzy results. Be as specific as you can while focusing on the ends, not the means. Remember who you’re talking to: is this something that requires the attention of a goddess? Or is this something you need to take care of yourself?
She may answer, or she may not. Every time I’ve asked Morrigan for something, she’s responded. Not always in the way I imagined or would have preferred, but always in a way that worked.
And every time, Morrigan has asked something of me in return.
Read the stories of our Celtic ancestors. The model you see over and over again isn’t one of negotiation as we see it today, where two parties write out a book-length contract with every contingency specified in advance. Their deals were far more open-ended: I do something for you and you in turn will do something for me, that I will choose at some point in the future. You are honor-bound to give me what I ask even if it is far in excess of what I gave you.
Deities in general and Morrigan in particular aren’t interested in negotiating contracts. She wants what she wants. If you obligate yourself to her she will have what she wants, one way or another.
Morrigan is neither capricious or cruel – she’s never asked me for anything I couldn’t give her, or that I felt like I shouldn’t do. She has asked for things that were difficult and time-consuming – and she continues to do so.
She is a goddess. I am a Druid and a priest. We fight in the same army, but she is a general and I am a junior officer. We are not equals and we do not bargain as equals.
How do you make a deal with Morrigan? You ask for what you need – and you prepare yourself for service towards her Great Work.
The game character Morrigan is actually loosely based upon the Goddess. Funny enough, in the course of the game you do wind up making a sort of deal with her (she is a Witch in the game) The character herself is strong willed, knows what she wants, and is a the strong will survive type. Not an unflattering portrayal if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteAs for the rest of your post, quite well spoken indeed. It has always perplexed me when people pray to the Gods and simply just *expect* their prayer to be answered with nothing given in return or thanks. Absolutely perplexing.
Anyway, I ramble, great post as usual. I always enjoy posts like these.
I always find the whole concept of "making a deal with deity x" to be kind of odd. The phrase "making a deal" has implications, as you've pointed out in this post regarding power dynamics of the two parties and the relationship of the two parties. First is seems the relationship is at least approached as if the two groups have fairly equal power o perceive each other to be equals of some sort. Secondly "making a deal" to me, implies an adversarial nature. There's the idea that there needs to be a specific contract written out about exactly what is expected and how it will be delivered because one group doesn't really trust the other. I don't know if I would ask a favor from a God I didn't trust or whom I was unsure of my ability to deliver on the price.
ReplyDeletePerhaps this is all baggage on my end though from being Christian, as the idea of "making a deal" with almost any non-human being brings me back to the phrase "making a deal with the devil". There's probably a whole essay in me somewhere regarding what making a deal should be about, when it's appropriate with Deity or spirit (if it's appropriate), and whether monotheists have co-opted the whole making a deal terminology to mean that one thinks he or she is getting what he or she wants without loss to self when really a being has tricked them into service against their will. I further wonder if this association is something many pagan converts from monotheism struggle with or if it's only about my own personal journey for meaning.