On the table beside me the mobile phone starts to buzz, shaking itself with silent vibrations. I glance down and see its the Goddess Morrigan calling. I stare at it for a what feels like a minute but is really only a few seconds before making a decision.
I let it go to voicemail.

So, here's the story. I replied to a post in my social media circles recently and a group moderator approached me to make a post out it because they felt there was value to my perspective. The initial post dealt with a persons concern about engaging with the Irish Goddess of Battle, Poetry, Prophesy and oh so much more. The Morrigan is a powerful figure in the lore of our land and the existing living pagan beliefs of today. This is the Goddess who gives the Dagda a foretelling of the imminent Fomorian invasion, and then promises to take the valour from the kidneys of its leaders. The Goddess who later turns up with two fistfuls of blood having done exactly as she swore to. The Goddess who caused the sky to rain fire upon the Fomorian armies, observed the entire war, and brought it to a close by composing her poetry over the battle field. This is only the smallest example of the Morrigan's influence on Ireland's past and nothing compared to her influence in the world around us today.
This is my story of meeting the Morrigan and of personal sovereignty.

 Today in questions from my community we have this amazingly awesome, if slightly complex question.
'What are the duties, responsibilities, of being the Bard?' or 'What does it mean when someone steps into a bardic role.'
As anyone who is in my social network will know, I really love a good question. The kind that brings about a deep discussion and gets the mind firing. For me a question is an open invitation to exchange ideas and share perspectives and that is something that I really value. I will have all the time I can spare for a well thought out question.
So lets talk bards then. The first thing that comes to mind when general folk think of the word bard is either William Shakspeare, known in some literary circles as The Bard, or if your me... a D&D player class who is all about entertaining. The show and dance, the mischief and magic. A jester or jongler out to make their living by tumbling, juggling, or prat falling. What I was intrigued to find in my exploration of ancient Ireland was something all together different to my preconceptions.

"I am a bad patient."
We all know someone who uses that line whenever some period of illness falls upon them. Heck it may even be you, yourself reading these words. Of course there are many variants on the theme of 'bad patient', but given a recent spat of illness I have been working through, let me share with you what I mean when I use it.
I have had the opportunity to consider what the term means when I apply it to myself and how I have been raised in an environment where my value as a person has become twisted up with my visible productivity or masculinity.