Today’s Goddess…not really a Goddess at all.

This deck that I use for these daily readings is interesting. There are some interesting bits and pieces that pop up in here, like figures that aren’t really Goddesses but nonetheless wiser or important. I guess that for me it is just interesting to see some of them turned into Goddesses. Today’s “Goddess” is one of those. In fact her information in the oracle deck is interesting and I’ve had a hard time trying to see how it fits with the story that she has. So this might be weird or interesting…we’ll see. Today’s Goddess is…

Oonagh

“There is no need to hurry or force things to happen. Everything is occurring in perfect timing.”

So let’s begin first with a little of who Oonagh is. Her name is pronounced OO-nuh and is also something seen in writing as Donagh or Una. As great as she is in her stories, Oonagh is not a Goddess. She is actually a Faerie Queen ruling over the Daoine Sidhe. She is said to have been married to both King Finvarra and later Fin MacCool. Because she’s not a Goddess information and attributes for Oonagh are left to what is in myth about the Tuatha de Danann, who King Finvarra ruled over, the Daoine Sidhe and the faery mound that Oonagh is said to inhabit in Knockshegouna in Co. Donegal in Ireland. It’s safe to say that for the most part she is tied to the local land and legend there and her stories and myths that are farther reaching are minimal. When the Milesians defeated the Tuatha de Danann most of them decided to leave Ireland however, in legend, King Finvarra decided to stay and some members of the Tuatha decided to stay with him. They are the ones that became the Daoine Sidhe. They remained in Ireland, living underground, as part of a truce that the King arranged with the new ruling magickal race. These underground dwellers who lived in the mounds across the land became known as the faery folk and their stories would become the faery legends that we know now.

So, back to Oonagh. She is described in myth as being the most beautiful woman on earth. Her hair is golden brilliant and is so long that it sweeps the ground. She wears a silver gossamer dress that is decked with dew drops that sparkle in the light. In one of her stories with Fin MacCool she helps use her practical problem solving and cunning skills to help him defeat giant Cucullin. Oonagh tells Fin to lie in a cradle that she has made and pretend to be his own son. Meanwhile she bakes 21 cakes, 20 with a nail in them and one without. She also sets to making some curds and whey and explains to Fin what he will need to do with them. Cucullin, as a powerful giant, was rumored to carry all his power in his middle finger of his right hand. Without this finger he would be like any normal man and without his strength and powers. Cucullin is out looking for Fin and arrives at their home at two o’clock one afternoon, something Fin was able to predict with his ability to see the future by putting his thumb in his mouth. When Cucullin arrives Oonagh tells him Fin is not there and has gone away. She asks if he’s ever seen Fin and he says he has not; she beings telling him how much stronger, bigger and greater Fin is. Cucullin is not terribly impressed. Oonagh then asks the giant to do some things for her that Fin isn’t there to do including picking up the house and turning it to face a different direction, foundation and all, and breaking apart some rocks nearby to let a water way flow to the house (the “rocks” turn out to be a mountainside). Cucullin does these tasks and returns to the house to wait for Fin. Oonagh asks if he’d like something to eat and she gives him one of the cakes. He bites in and complains that he has broken two if his teeth. She then tells him she’s forgotten that only Fin and their son have the ability to eat these cakes because their teeth are so strong. She gives the cake that doesn’t have a nail in it to Fin in the crib and he eats it with no problem. Oonagh then urges Fin to get up from the crib and demonstrate his strength (now, keep in mind that he is a full grown man in appearance but meant to be the infant of a great giant). Fin asks Cucullin if he has the ability to squeeze water from a stone. Cucullin is given a white stone to squeeze and he is unable to draw any liquid from it. Fin cleverly switches the stone for a piece of curd when Cucullin isn’t looking and proceeds to squeeze water for the “white stone” himself. Cucullin then realizes that if this is the strength of the infant son, imagine the strength of the father! But he looks at Fin somewhat suspicious and asks to see his teeth which were able to eat the cakes with ease. Oonagh tells him that her son’s teeth go quite far back so he’ll need to stick his finger in far in order to feel the boy’s strong teeth. Cucullin gets his fingers in farther and farther and at a moment when Fin was able he bit down on Cucullin’s middle finger, destroying the giants power and strength, rendering him a mortal man. It is said that all of this would never have been possible and Cucullin’s defeat wouldn’t have been had were it not for Oonagh’s great cunning and quick wit.

This is where the stories, which are few, of Oonagh and the message that the oracle gives with her become confused. The oracle says that Oonagh represents the energies of being gentle and easy, not making sudden movements, using slow and steady progress in projects and relationships, and overall not forcing yourself to do things or rushing to do things in a time that isn’t natural for you. It seems that this is in an effort to tie the movement of the Tuatha de Danann, a slow and steady regression underground rather than fighting or fleeing, to the idea of not doing things that are forced or done in a time that isn’t naturally fitting for us. While I can see this and I can find some merit to that connection, I personally thing that her wit and ability to find creative ways to solve problems both big and small is more fitting.

So let’s combine those for today. If you’re working on a project or even dealing with a relationship that is challenging to you, do not force yourself to do or feel something that isn’t there. Instead, take the time to do what Oonagh did for Fin and find some creative ways to work with the situation so that you can move through it with ease. Yes, she used trickery and cunning to do what she did, but considering that the alternative was Fin’s most immanent untimely death, she did what she had to do to save them both. What do you need to do and what is holding you back? What other ways can you find to deal with your situations that are troubling you that will help move you forward but without adding more stress? Do you need to just sit back for now? It might more of a time to “go underground” and think of a clever plan rather than taking rash and quick actions. Do what is important to you and do it with conviction, but also remember that your life’s purpose and your life’s work is not part of a race. Do what you need to do in the time that is naturally right for you.