The wise woman, the wiccan, the hedge-witch, hen-wife, and all her sisters are part of the web of life, share in the deep knowledge of elements, plants, animals, and people, and the powers and cycles of the cosmos. The cold-hag [not gendered] has isolated itself from all other influences.
Meeting the cold-hag means, we’re already in a state of coldness, we hunger in our soul, and, sooner or later, realise our isolation or despair.
In this state, all human beings are open to suggestion and are no longer sure what is true. We fail to recognise the true helper’ because our ability to make sound judgments is frozen.
This is a very contemporary individual and communal experience.
In many story examples the cold-hag energy can’t approach until all the personal things or individual aspects are stripped away. THE COLD-HAG IN THE STONE BOAT, an Icelandic folktale, is a dark and brilliant example.
In this one-day workshop we will explore these themes in response to contemporary questions. Using the powerful images the story offers in inspiring and creative ways, we’ll learn how to counter these forces in ourselves and in our communities.