Celtic pagan goddesses were an integral part of the religious beliefs and practices of the Celtic people, who inhabited parts of Europe during the Iron Age and Roman times. The Celts worshipped a pantheon of deities, and goddesses played a significant role in their spiritual traditions. One prominent Celtic goddess is Brigid, who was associated with various aspects of life such as healing, inspiration, poetry, and smithcraft. She was highly revered and even absorbed into Christian tradition as St. Brigid of Ireland. Another goddess, Danu, was regarded as the mother goddess and was associated with the land, rivers, and fertility.
Another goddess, Danu, was regarded as the mother goddess and was associated with the land, rivers, and fertility. The Morrigan, sometimes depicted as a trio of goddesses, was a powerful figure associated with war, fate, and sovereignty. Her presence was often seen as both terrifying and awe-inspiring, as she was believed to grant victory to her chosen warriors.
Rubik's Cube Shape Mods
In this section I will present some Rubik's Cube twisty puzzle shape mods which all have the classic 3x3x3 core mechanism in the inside but from outside they seem to be something else. These puzzles on the attached picture have all the same internal core mechanism, though they have different shapes and solutions.
To solve these you have to learn a new algorithm which rotates the centre pieces. On a classic cube you don't have to worry about the rotation of a centre piece because the faces have solid colours, but in these cases the centre piece can be textured.
Turn two centers 90 degrees at the same time:
F Clockwise, U Counterclockwise : ( M' U M U' ) x 5
F Counterclockwise, U Clockwise : ( M' U' M U ) x 5
To turn the U center 180 o : ( R U R' U ) x 5
Or do the T-Permutation twice:
( R U R' U' R' F R2 U' R' U' R U R' F' ) x 2
Mirror Cube
The Mirror Cube (or mirror blocks) is probably the most popular 3x3 variation out there. Reflective gold or silver stickers cover the pieces of this shape shifting cube. While on the classic Rubik's Cube six colours marked the solved state, in this case you can tell by shape and heights. A face is solved when it's flat and all pieces are on the same height with nothing sticking out. In solved position the distance between the core of the cube and the particular faces varies. Once you have found where a piece belongs you have to solve it the same way as the Rubik's Cube. There are 2x2x2 and 4x4x4 Mirror Cubes as well.
Ghost Cube
The Ghost Cube is an iconic and very difficlult shape shifter. In the solved state you have to first misalign the layers to make it fully functional. What makes it confusing at the first sight is that the solved state we want to achieve is not a cube, but a cube with the slightly shifted layers. It is recommended to familiarize yourself with this shape before scrambling it completely and trying to solve it.
Windmill Cube
The Windmill Cube is a 3x3 cube, but cut diagonally on the white and yellow faces, rather than horizontally like the rest of the cube. It is what is known as a supercube, which means that center rotation matters. So, what that means is that if one of the red, green, blue, or orange (on a windmill cube) centers are rotated by 90° in either direction or 180°, that would not be considered solved.
Fisher Cube
The Fisher Cube was made in the mid eighties by Tony Fisher and it was his first custom puzzle. Maybe this is the first Rubik's shape mod ever, so we're talking about a real classic. It has a perfect cube shape but basically it's a Rubik's Cube twisted 45 o around a central axis, making 4 edge pieces become centre pieces, 4 centre pieces become corner pieces and so on. If you can solve the classic 3x3x3 you can't have problems with this one, just pay attention to the parity.
Picture Cubes
Applying custom stickers on the cube can make it a new challenge. These cubes are known as picture cubes. This Earth Cube for example is not just a Rubik's Cube but some kind of jigsaw puzzle too, where you can put the pieces next to each other only if you have some serious geographic knowledge. Usually you have to orient the centre pieces if the stickers have patterns using the algorithm presented above.
YJ Heart Puzzle
A heart shaped Rubik's Cube can be a nice Valentines gift to a puzzle maniac. On the picture is a YJ Heart Puzzle, which has a very good quality, it moves smooth and is cheap (5$) and it doesn't have any stickers on it. The only annoying thing about it is because of the symmetric heart shape namely the opposite pieces are so similar in height and shape that you don't even know if you put a piece in the right spot or not. You need a microscope to distinguish two similar pieces. This little detail can make the whole puzzle hardly to enjoy.
Mastermorphix
The pillowed Mastermorphix is another classic 3x3x3 mod. There are 4-coloured and a 1-coloured versions too. This puzzle has 4 triangle shaped centre pieces (originally corners on the Rubik's Cube) which don't have to be oriented like all the other pieces. If you reach the last layer and one corner piece remains unsolved then go back to a triangle centre piece and rotate that so you can finish the solution of the Mastermorphix. Probably you will have to use the algorithm presented at the beginning of the page to rotate the last centre piece.
3x3x3 QJ Dodecahedron
This 14-sided puzzle has 2 pentagon and 12 trapezoidal faces. It is produced by QJ and it changes shape with every move. It's common with the classic 3x3x3 that you don't need to orient the centres. There are two triangle shaped corners which don't need to be oriented either. The interesting thing about it is that there are some four-coloured edge pieces. This puzzle is certainly a nice collection piece.
Axis Cube
The Axis Cube or also known as Axel Cube is a very intimidating looking mod when it is scrambled (as you can see on the first picture of this page). In solved position it is a cube, but it changes shape with every move. In this case you have to orient every single piece, there are no exceptions.
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Epona was a goddess associated with horses, fertility, and abundance. She was often depicted as a woman riding a horse or accompanied by horses, symbolizing her connection to these animals. Horse imagery was significant in Celtic culture, and Epona represented the nurturing and protective qualities associated with these animals. Blodeuwedd was another important goddess in Celtic mythology, primarily associated with flowers, love, and transformation. She was created from flowers by the gods and married to a mortal prince. However, she later betrayed him and faced a curse, symbolizing the consequences of her actions. These are just a few examples of the many Celtic pagan goddesses worshipped by the ancient Celts. Each goddess represented different aspects of life and nature and held immense significance in the religious and spiritual beliefs of the Celtic people. Their worship and mythology offer insights into the rich spiritual traditions of the Celts and their deep connection to nature and the divine..
Reviews for "The Celtic Pagan Goddesses and the Equinoxes: Celebrating Balance and Renewal"
1. Emma - 2/5 stars - As someone who is not familiar with Celtic paganism, I found this book to be very confusing and hard to follow. The author assumes a certain level of knowledge from the readers, which left me feeling lost and frustrated. Additionally, I felt that the writing style was very dry and academic, making it even more difficult to engage with the material. Overall, I was disappointed with this book and would not recommend it to those who are not well-versed in Celtic paganism.
2. Michael - 1/5 stars - I picked up this book hoping to learn more about Celtic pagan goddesses, but unfortunately, it didn't provide the depth and insight I was looking for. The information provided was surface-level and lacked any real substance. I also found the organization of the content to be haphazard and confusing. Moreover, the writing style was dull and lacked the passion and excitement that should be associated with such a fascinating topic. I would not recommend this book to anyone seeking a comprehensive and engaging exploration of Celtic pagan goddesses.
3. Sarah - 2/5 stars - I was really disappointed with "Celtic Pagan Goddesses" as it turned out to be more of a rehash of general information I had already read in other books. The author didn't bring any new insights or perspectives to the table, and I felt like I was just going through the motions while reading it. Additionally, the book lacked any personal anecdotes or stories that would have made it more relatable and interesting. If you're new to Celtic paganism, you might find some value in it, but if you're already familiar with the subject, I would give this one a pass.
4. John - 3/5 stars - While "Celtic Pagan Goddesses" does offer some interesting tidbits of information, I found the overall tone of the book to be too biased and opinionated. The author's personal beliefs and interpretations overshadowed the objective exploration of the subject matter. Additionally, I felt that the book lacked a comprehensive approach to the topic, as it only scratched the surface of the rich and complex world of Celtic pagan goddesses. If you're looking for a more well-rounded and unbiased perspective, I would suggest seeking alternative sources.