In the old stories of How Things Are, the Old Goddess, known sometimes as The Gatekeeper, appears in one form or another in many cultures. She stands at the fork in the road for us all. She stands guard at the moment of decision. She stops you as your old path ends and before you can choose a new one. She knows that the new path cannot be taken as you are, and that you will never be the same once you have passed her. All things must change for you to continue. You can no longer remain where you are, for that path has run out.
She will strip you of your past, to enhance your future. These are those life-changing moments that turn all of us permanently from who we were to who we become.
She is known by many names. She has been called Kali ma, Hecate or Hekate, Ceredwynn, the Dark Mother, Sheila-na-Gig, and the oldest name of all: The Bird Woman, who image was first scratched onto cave walls in Mesopotamia thousands of years ago.
How many times in your life have you teetered on the edge of decision, unsure, holding on to past patterns and habits, past love or remembrance? Have you longed to do something that you have set aside, fearing what you have to leave in order to take that desired action? Have you known in your heart what you need and want to do, but hold back for fear of losing something or someone?
And who among us has had that one true friend who simply pushed us, who gave us the inner strength to let go and ACT? Some of us are very, very lucky and can count more than one time when our lives turned in this way.
In the Pagan Way, we honor these friends, for they take on the work for the Old Goddess in that moment. They courageously face the possibility that they will lose you in your new endeavor. If we have no such friends, we can address this Old Goddess directly, by whatever name, for guidance and strength.
But look sharply at your friend, for the Bird Woman does not judge. She stands looking at you. She warns you to choose carefully, wisely, and with awareness.
If your decision is to take a path of destruction or decay, one that will wither your inner Life-force, She is there. Her actions are the same: She will strip you of your past, to enhance your future.
She has other, more frightening names: She is the Bone Stripper, the Flesh Eater, Eater of the Dead, The Clawed One. In the beginning, she stands at your birth. She is there at every major decision in your life, waiting without judgement, until you decide. She will then strip you of what holds you back.
If you must walk the path of annihilation and decay, Bird Woman will strip you of those who love you. She will strip away your self-esteem, your goals, your dreams, your ability to live well in the world, and all else that would feed your best self, in order that you may walk in this dark way freely.
If, however, you stand ready to act in a big way for your best self, to grow, to become, and to live beautifully in the world, the Bird Woman is there. She will strip you of doubt, procrastination, boredom, bad habits, and depression. She may strip you of those family members or old friends who would keep you limited. All that has been holding you back must go, so that you may take that next great step.
At your birth, the Bird Woman is there. She tells you that you must let go of your umbilical cord upon which you depend for sustenance, and for breath itself. You must leave the safe, muffled sounds and easy boundaries of your mother’s womb. You let go of the perfect temperature and gentle rocking of your watery universe. You must leave your mother, leaping into strangers’ hands. There is no other way. To remain is to die. The Bird Woman is there, stripping you of the doubt, the fear and confusion of such a transition. Her other name is Strength.
She strips from you everything you think you need to live, so that you may live.
In the end, the Bird Woman stands at your death. Here you must let go again. It happens slowly or quickly. You let go of your belongings. You let go of your strength: You stop doing yard work, vacuuming, cooking, or taking trips. You let go of reading, or watching TV. You let go of your health, and your body becomes an alien shell to you. You let go of your sight and speech. You even let go of your breath, so hard won at the birthing gate. Finally, you let go of your mind.
The Gatekeeper, Bird Woman, Hekate, Sheila-na-gig, Kali ma—She is there. She is always there, taking from you all that you no longer need.
She strips from you everything you think you need to live, so that you may live.
And live again…
Click on my “books by the author” to find “The Mountain and the Shadow” for more on how this Goddess works.