Sophie-David
The last remaining Major for our Study Group to introduce, The Sun, personified in Lleu, is a triumphant and joyful end to our apparently random sequence. A blonde man with a pure white shirt and a long passionate orange cape emblazoned with a symbol of the sun, raises his sword to the sky as his golden white horse rears with energy beneath him. Lleu celebrates at the edge of a small circle of sacred standing stones, set in a verdant green field. In the distance a golden sunrise emerges through the trees, and below the sun the Land glows with orange and yellow.
From the observer's viewpoint as the horse rears, Lleu's sword exactly pierces the Sun through its centre, and its rays wrap around the weapon. His sword appears to be the conductor of solar energy from which Lleu draws his power. Lleu's horse is the instinctual vehicle of his life energy or libido, and is a beautiful embodiment of grace and power. For me, the Sun is a key card of integration, a celebration of the extension of consciousness as the Fool or Hero is about to complete a cycle of the Majors, and the horse itself is an internal power animal without equal. As Anna-Marie Ferguson describes in A Keeper of Words, page 105:
I feel a particular connection to this Welsh god, for the fay people of my mother's family have the name Llewellyn, a word combining two solar gods together, Lleu meaning "Shining One" and Belenus or Bel meaning "Bright or Brilliant One". The name is made famous by a succession of historical leaders: Gruffudd ap Llywelyn, the only native Welsh king to rule over the whole country; Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, Llywelyn the Great, perhaps the most successful Welsh king, who reigned and died in peace; and Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last Welsh Prince of Wales, defeated by Edward I of England.
Lughnasa, the summer festival of Lleu which celebrates the first harvest, is at this point the only public pagan festival I have had the privilege of attending. It was led by my daughter and her husband, and it is a fond memory from last year.
From the observer's viewpoint as the horse rears, Lleu's sword exactly pierces the Sun through its centre, and its rays wrap around the weapon. His sword appears to be the conductor of solar energy from which Lleu draws his power. Lleu's horse is the instinctual vehicle of his life energy or libido, and is a beautiful embodiment of grace and power. For me, the Sun is a key card of integration, a celebration of the extension of consciousness as the Fool or Hero is about to complete a cycle of the Majors, and the horse itself is an internal power animal without equal. As Anna-Marie Ferguson describes in A Keeper of Words, page 105:
I am reminded of Gandalf's horse Shadowfax from The Lord of the Rings.The horse is a symbol of progress and wisdom. The Faery horses of the heroes were able to cover great distances in short periods of time. Often these Otherworldly horses were able to speak, passing on knowledge to their riders.
I feel a particular connection to this Welsh god, for the fay people of my mother's family have the name Llewellyn, a word combining two solar gods together, Lleu meaning "Shining One" and Belenus or Bel meaning "Bright or Brilliant One". The name is made famous by a succession of historical leaders: Gruffudd ap Llywelyn, the only native Welsh king to rule over the whole country; Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, Llywelyn the Great, perhaps the most successful Welsh king, who reigned and died in peace; and Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last Welsh Prince of Wales, defeated by Edward I of England.
Lughnasa, the summer festival of Lleu which celebrates the first harvest, is at this point the only public pagan festival I have had the privilege of attending. It was led by my daughter and her husband, and it is a fond memory from last year.