Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon, my Darlings. Today’s blog post is about how, as I have been deepening into my relationship with the Celtic Venus (which is the heart of my personal practice), I have also begun to work with balancing the energy of Venus with the energy of the Sun! You see, when we look more deeply into Celtic myths and folklore, we begin to see that there are several Sun Goddesses, with more devotion being paid in general to the Sun than the Moon. To be honest, Arianrhod is the only Faery Queen Goddess of Celtic cultures (in her case Welsh Celtic), that I can think of who was historically aligned with the Moon, as her name literally means ‘Silver Wheel’!
Faery Queens from Celtic lore who are Solar in nature include Aine and Grainne from Ireland, Sulis from Britain, and Rhiannon from Wales. Furthermore, Faery Queens who can be seen as having Solar ties without as firm of an outright association as the ones listed above include Guinevere, Iseult, Olwen, and Blodeuwedd. Each of them is a Flower Bride, which has the obvious connection of the Sun being crucial in seeding new life and warming the ground, nurturing the blooming of plants and flowers! In fact, that is often what is cited to be part of why being turned into an Owl was punishment for Blodeuwedd. Not only was the Owl hated by the other birds, which is specifically stated in her tale, but also she was a Flower Bride, the Maiden literally Made from Flowers. Blodeuwedd being made from Flowers meant that she needed the Sunshine to Bloom her Brightest and being turned into an Owl made her a nighttime bird!
Furthermore, it must be stated each of these Solar Faery Queens I have listed in this post are also examples of the Celtic Venus. Aine and Grainne have deep ties to love and romantic energy in their tales, Sulis is a Goddess also associated with holy wells (which means a link to fertility), and Rhiannon holds ties to the Celtic Venus through her Sovereignty Goddess status and maternal energy of love. Flower Brides in general are a specific type of Celtic Venusian Faery Queen, as their stories are intimately linked to romantic love and gaining Sovereignty through love. Blodeuwedd finds her Sovereignty after choosing Gronw, Guinevere chooses love for herself when Arthur does not pay her attention, Iseult chooses the love of Tristan finding Sovereignty through choice, and Olwen is freed from her father’s control due to the love and devotion of her future husband Culwch!
This shows an intimate link between the Solar Divine Feminine and the Celtic Venus, a link between the Sun and Venus in a magickal lens. Finally, I want to state that the Sun is responsible for seeding new life and nurturing the growth of plants and animals, providing warmth and sustenance to the Earth. Venus is the planet of love, providing nurturance, and devotion, and inspiring us to form bonds. Together, they represent the necessity of both warmth and love to create true fertility of the land, of the animals, and of people!
I hope you have enjoyed this short exploration of the Sun and Venus working together to make an impact. What do you think about the relationship between Venus and the Sun? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is a lovely Goddess Gráinne artwork by Shelly Mooney. I found the art on https://talesfromthewood.ie/the-story-of-grainne/.
LINK TO AVALONIAN ROSE FAERY MYSTERIES PATREON: patreon.com/AvalonianRoseFaeryMysteries
Further Reading
- The Mabinogion translated by Sioned Davies
- Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory
- Once and Future Queen by Nicole Evelina
- The Element Encyclopedia of Birthdays by Theresa Cheung
- Celtic Myths & Tales Forward by Jake Jackson, Flame Tree Publishing
- Blood and Roses: A Devotional for Aphrodite and Venus by Bibliotheca Alexandrina
- Fairy Queens: Meeting the Queens of the Otherworld by Morgan Daimler
- Celtic Goddess Grimoire by Annwn Avalon