Original image by Laura Sheridan
There are no mistakes in the shaping of who we are under the Goddess Morrigan; we step out onto the proverbial battlefield, uncertain, untested, but willing to prove ourselves in Her eyes, hungry for the recognition we all crave, to be worthy; worthy of The Morrigan, worthy of the call, worthy of the trust that She has placed in us. Unfortunately, this can be the first downfall. Tempestuous, ravenous, and determined, it is easy to become single-minded and arrogant. It is even easier to be interpreted as conceited by others, even if that was never the intention. But between the expectation of others, and how we expect to be perceived is a gulf of misunderstanding.
A situation demanding an energetic shift, the absolute necessity of change, requires a paradigm shifting chain reaction that all begins with a simple moment of combustion; the Universe pokes the proverbial bear. It is reflected within the Goddess Morrigans' own mythology, which often creates a conflicted response within people, and some generally strange analysis of those myths. The Morrigan is known to incite and provoke responses in people (such as Badb inciting Cuchulainn) and even cause War; such as within The Cath Maige Tuired when Lugh is instructed to undertake battle. The analysis of this behaviour showcases more about the people reacting to the text than anything, with some desperately seeking to distance The Morrigan from Warfare, claiming it's all about Sovereignty instead, and others demonizing Her, and arguing that She creates warfare to toy with humans and give her own existence meaning. I personally find both of these interpretations insulting towards The Great Queen, and over-simplified to boot.
Warfare, historically, is incited from periods of unrest and leads to massive political and socio-economic shifts within a culture. Massive leaps in scientific and biological knowledge have also been birthed from War. It might be unfortunate, but it is what it is. War is change, and death. Bloody, violent, and terrible, as the result of the terrifying side of human nature, but change none the less. Change is inevitable, natural, and necessary; it is a primal and unstoppable force; ultimately nothing has permanence.
image by Pati-Velux
The Morrigan is that force incarnate, given form and shape by Human expectation and perception. Warfare is the most dramatic example of the tumultuous conflicted nature of humankind, so violent it cannot be ignored, reaping so much life into the next realm that entire communities are affected, and the ripples flow out touching the consciousness which connects us all through the spiritual ecosystem. We all feel acutely when our lives are threatened, or in the face of our own mortality, and when confronted by War, real war, it is difficult for most to be apathetic.
In following the Morrigan, I have noted this chain reaction within my interactions with others, albeit it on a far smaller scale than The Goddess inflicts (obviously.) I have dubbed this "being a poker of shadows," and now consider it a fairly integral part of being a Shadow Priestess - as I have discussed before.
This is where just by existing, or discussing a topic, or embodying my authentic self, I bring forth the shadow of a person at war with themselves. That is not to deny accountability for my own shadows or mistakes and blame anyone else for my errors. Those exist. I am aware of them, I have no need to deny them, as I work through them, or in the case of mistakes, learn from them. But there is a fairly regular pattern whereby I cannot discern or balance my part to play versus the (usually venomous) reaction of some people. It brings the War out to the surface, and then there is usually no reasoning with the reaction, at least, not in the time of releasing at least.
For some, resolution will never come, because they refuse to ride out and meet their shadow on the inner field of battle. Whether by fear, or hubris, or simply denial, they crow the old adage of inculpability: they are not to blame, no never to blame.
So they remain the same, those never to blame.
Tempting the Universe into action.
They seek to remain as they are, untouched by the primal force which comes for us all, fighting the inevitable. The Morrigan does not suffer stagnation, and if you are called, this is how you will, ultimately, end up proving yourself.