Spiral Journey: Tigh Na Cailleach

It is a delight and honour to take part in the Monica Sjöö Curatorial winter artist in residence programme on Instagram. As part of the programme I will share my experiences, photography and illustrations while embarking on my own 'Spiral Journey' inspired by the writings and art of Monica Sjöö. Each journey is both physical and spiritual and encompasses pilgrimages to ancient and sacred sites in my home country of Scotland and further afield. This third Spiral Journey takes me to Highland Perthshire in search of a secret Goddess shrine...

In search of a shrine

Loch Lyon

The first time I went searching for the Cailleach we had to turn back. I went with my Aunt in late April and the weather was favourable. We hadn’t realised how long it would take to drive along the windy roads of Glen Lyon, never mind the four hours walk along a rough track – there and back. Just over the midway point there is a ford to cross and of course, after a few days of rain, the usual trickle of water was now a torrent. We could not find a way to cross without getting soaked and the daylight was starting to fade. 
 
I am glad we turned back when we did because for the last mile or so the heavens opened and we were soaked to the skin before getting back in the car and driving home in the dark. The Cailleach had tested us, but we would return in summer.
 
I decided to make the next trip alone and I did so just before the blue full moon in August. So, for the second time I drove along the winding roads of Glen Lyon, parked the car, climbed over the locked gate and made my way along the rough shepherd's track which hugged the banks of Loch Lyon.
 
I was making my way to a special place of pilgrimage – a small shrine called Tigh Na Cailleach which means 'house of the old woman' in Gaelic. It is somewhat hidden and not very well known which is exactly how locals want it. Both times I made this journey I met only a few walkers, and the odd mountain biker, who were all keen to chat and share what mountain they had just traversed but not one of them had heard of the shrine. The shepherds, who I am sure must be aware of it, have no time to stop and chat, they only nod or wave as they hurry past in their 4x4s. I often felt tempted to ask for a lift but shied away from the idea.
 
Although it was still summer the day was wet and from my vantage point I watched as great low hanging clouds rolled over the mountains bringing down squalls of rain and wind – it was not the most comfortable walk but I was determined to find the shrine and commune with the great goddess, give her my offering and ask for her blessing. I was also not used to walking such a long distance alone and I must admit I felt a bit uneasy about it. Still, it was comforting to know that there were shepherds working nearby and a few walkers about.
 
No one was going to the shrine but me. By the time I got to the ford it was easy to cross – especially because this time I brought along my grandfather’s blackthorn shillelagh – for traversing bodies of water and protection. Before I crossed the ford I asked the Cailleach permission to step into her realm and ask for her protection. Often in Scottish folklore, a river crossing is symbolic of stepping into another realm.
 

The stone family of the Cailleach

From the ford I trudged up the track hurriedly as I was excited about finding the shrine. The track wound on up beside a river, which I had to cross again a couple of times before finally I turned a corner and there it was – the humble, stone-built, turf-roofed sheiling I had been searching for. A sheiling is a seasonal shelter, usually built in remote upland areas in the Highlands and they can be big enough for people to sleep in or small enough to store food and materials.
 
This sheiling however has the special purpose of housing the Cailleach and her family in the winter months. A cluster of weather-worn stones, each representing a member of the Cailleach's family, with the Cailleach herself placed at the front, sat outside their house ready to greet me.
 
For hundreds of years (if not more) the inhabitants of this glen have engaged in this old ritual in which the stones are taken out of their dwelling each year at Beltane where they will sit the summer though until Samhain when they are placed back inside for winter. Who exactly preforms this sacred ritual is not widely known. Locals are apparently rather cagey about giving too much information to curious outsiders, afraid that the site will become sort of tourist trap. When I think of the Fairy Pools of Skye, I can understand this - although, given the fact that the site is so remote and requires a wearisome four-hour trek and the crossing of several slippery fords, I hardly think this is likely. It seems to me that only those who truly value the shrine will be committed enough to make the pilgrimage.
 
When I visited the shrine I could see that some people had been there to give offerings: quartz stones were placed in and around the shelter, a wooden bowl of water was placed on top of the turf roof and there were remnants of petals and leaves placed at the ‘feet’ of the Cailleach. I was pleased to see that the shrine was still so respected.

The Goddess of Winter

The Cailleach plays a prominent role in ancient Scottish, Irish and Manx mythology and she is seen frequently in folk tales. She is the Goddess of winter and shapes the landscape with weather and stone. In Scottish folklore she has been described as a giantess and is said to imprison Brìghde, the Goddess of spring so that she might bring about the winter. It is also said that she and Brìdghe are in fact the same entity, who transforms with the changing of the seasons.
 
For this lonely glen however, the legend goes that the Cailleach and her family were seeking shelter and the kind inhabitants of the glen offered them refuge. While the Cailleach and her family stayed, the glen was blessed with fertility and abundance. When it was time to leave the Cailleach offered the people a gift. In return for their hospitality, she gave them the stones which can be seen today. For the glen to remain fertile, the stones must be brought out each Beltane and returned every Samhain – which the people have done faithfully to this very day.
 

My offering

When I reached the stones I had planned on meditating, but the weather was such that it made things a little uncomfortable. The Cailleach was washing her glen today, giving it a thorough clean and I realised on the way back that she had cleaned me too. I gave her my offering – a small Hindu goddess statue to sit in the stone wall, as well as a piece of rose quartz and stone from the beach. I sat a while with the stones and felt at peace.
 
On my way back down the glen, I picked up a piece of reddish quartz and asked the Cailleach if I could take it. When I rounded the corner, a bright rainbow appeared right on the slopes of the hill. I knew she had given me her blessing. The stone now sits in my car for protection (and I have a feeling this helped me get it passed its MOT a few weeks later).

The Zine 

I decided to make a zine to document this very special Spiral Journey and weave in a bit of folklore and symbolism. It is constructed from old typewriting paper and illustrated with a fineliner. The cover is a piece of pink card. The design on the front features a fairy cairn and the word Cailleach written in Ogham script while the back features a spiral motif, these were all painted with gold watercolour paint. On the inside of the cover I have drawn some owls and my trusty pack and shillelagh. Owls are associated with the Cailleach and the Gaelic name for owl is cailleach-oidhche - old woman of the night.

The full zine story can be read below:

Front cover

Inside front cover

the title page is printed on tracing paper

One day in August I decided to make a pilgrimage to pay my
respects to the Cailleach - the Great Cosmic Mother Goddess
by visiting a very sacred place...

Tucked away in a remote Scottish glen this place is
not easy to reach and requires a long trek
through the hills on foot.

When I came to the ford I kneeled and asked the
Cailleach permission to cross over into her realm.

Once I crossed the ford a fairy house appeared in
front of me - I could have sworn it was not there before.
In front of the dwelling stood seven cairns.

As I approached, to my utter astonishment, the cairns sprang
to life, rearranged themselves and showed me their merry little
stone faces. They began to run and dance about before
running up the mountain path...

I realised the enchanted cairns were showing me the way to
Tigh Na Cailleach - the ancient shrine I had been looking for.
I quickened my pace and followed them.

At last - there it was with its family of stones waiting outside to
greet me. Relieved and weary I took off my pack and gave my ᚠ runestone
as an offering before sinking into a deep meditation.

When I awoke from my trance I realised with surprise that the Tigh
had grown enormous, the stone family had gone and strange markings
appeared on the doorway.

'They must have gone inside,' I thought to myself, thinking I must
have drifted into an enchanted sleep. As I approached the Tigh, two fairy
guards appeared by the entrance.

They let me enter without a word - only bowed their heads as I passed.
Inside it was pitch black apart from the light of a fairy procession who played haunting
fairy music and danced in circles. I watched, enchanted...

I do not remember what happened after that nor for how long I lingered
in the Tigh. I was awoken on the open hillside by an owl dropping three
coins onto my lap.

I picked them up and saw that these were fairy coins. I realised with excitement
that the Cailleach had given me her blessing and it was time to return home.

End page

My pack and trusty shillelagh 

Back cover

The rainbow of the Cailleach