Pagan Portals – Airmid | Chapter 6 by Kelle BanDea

Airmid as Ally

There is much, I believe, that we can take from Airmid’s story, especially for women and AFAB people. As well as her roots within Irish myth, Irish herbal medicine and Traveller folklore, she speaks to herbalists and healers everywhere and can also represent the plant world and the greening of the land. In this chapter, now that we have explored her cultural context and role as an Irish deity, I want to look more broadly at the archetype and history of the figure of the (usually) female folk healer and how Airmid’s story can be worked with in this way, because in our current political climate in the West, Airmid can be a powerful feminist ally.

I just want to stress, while this chapter focuses on what is typically termed ‘women’s health’ and reproductive justice, it is still relevant to men – you likely have people in your life that the subjects in this chapter affect, and of course, we are all in this together!

Airmid’s tale of gathering the scattered herbs has parallels in other cultural mythologies, indicating either a shared root or a widespread idea that occurs across cultures. Scholar P MacCana shows how similar myths can be found as far away as Tibet and China and suggests that these myths ‘had the additional effect – and perhaps objective – of cementing the control of the professional practitioners, in this case the medical specialists, over their own proprietary domain of learning^{^[1]}.’

Elizabeth A. Gray agrees, stating that the purpose of the story of Dian Cecht, Miach and Airmid is to identify Dian Cecht as the supreme healer, who ‘defines the limits of medicine.’ Thus his

‘superior’ skills take precedence over Airmid’s herbalism, and he frustrates her efforts to both heal her brother and gather and catalogue all of the herbs^[2].

It’s certainly possible then to read Airmid’s story as one which tells of how the folk healer was marginalised by the emerging professional healer class, trying to assert their authority over the folk traditions of herbal healing. Added to this is the distrust of the female healer in particular, seen in the reference to women’s herbal contraceptive potions that are mentioned in Chapter 3. When we consider that the myths were written down by elite men and clergy, it is indeed possible – if not likely – that there may have been a deliberate attempt to marginalise ‘peasant’ folk healers and females in particular.

‘Women’s medicine,’ dealing with reproduction – including contraception and abortion, menopause and menstruation was often reviled by (male and supposedly celibate) medieval clergy, seen as something almost demonic. According to the notorious witch-hunting manual the Malleus Maleficarium, ‘no one does more harm to the Catholic church than midwives.’ And although midwives themselves were not disproportionately murdered in the witch hunts, those accused of witchcraft were often accused of crimes such as causing impotence, infertility, miscarriage and infanticide, in a recurring theme. Women’s reproductive medicine – in other words, women’s attempts to actually control their own bodies – came over time to be seen as sinful and evil and something to be stamped out. And although there is no mention of this in Airmid’s tale, we know from the reference to herbal contraceptives being condemned by clergy around the same time the Cath Maige Tuired was written, that this was an existing issue of the time.

Airmid’s herbal knowledge would have included this specifically reproductive healthcare – it’s not too much of a stretch to suppose that this is one of the reasons Dian Cecht, the professional, male physician, chose to interrupt and scatter that knowledge. In the Traveller version recorded by de Bhairduin, it’s notable that the seven herbs specifically mentioned in conjunction with Airmid are nearly all popular in both past and modern herbalism as ‘women’s health’ tonics. Cowslip is particularly associated with women, especially female beauty, nettle, burdock and yarrow are all commonly used in the treatment of PMT and/or as tonics for the womb, red clover is a common herbal treatment for peri/menopause and as starwort is listed in the Irish sources as bringing on menstruation, it likely had a place as an early abortificent, though this was probably dangerous in untrained hands given its toxicity. And according to the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, wood sage could also be used to bring on menstruation.

Airmid’s herbs, then, all have or had a place in the herbal and folk tradition of women’s health. Before modern medicine became as evidence-based as it is now (in the best-case scenario), women’s health was often overlooked or subject to patriarchal ideologies, and many women were safer going to a herbal healer than to a doctor who may have quickly diagnosed hysteria and offered an unnecessary hysterectomy or lobotomy! Even today, studies show there is a gap in women’s health; most studies and medication trials are performed on men, and funding is lacking for problems dubbed as ‘female’ and female pain is often dismissed and not taken seriously, even amidst growing rates of chronic illness and chronic pain. Issues like PMT and perimenopause are used as fodder for misogynistic jokes and are under researched, even while women suffer with often debilitating symptoms. It is hardly surprising if many women turn to herbal or complementary medicine in the face of these challenges, and for centuries, the female folk healer has filled that gap.

While I’m not going to suggest medicinal treatments here, this is something you might want to explore further for yourself. If so, why not call upon Airmid to help and guide you?

Taking Tea with Airmid

Whether you believe in Airmid as a deity, an ancestral ally or an archetype in your own subconscious, this simple ritual and visualization can help you use your imaginary powers to commune with her. Arrange your altar – or build a temporary outside altar, using pebbles, leaves and petals – and light some incense or candles to her. Mindfully prepare a cup of herbal tea in your space (set up your tea things beforehand)

To help you invoke Airmid’s presence, you may like to play music or a soundscape that makes you think of her, adapt the guided meditation from the last chapter, or close your eyes for a moment and either visualize or sense her presence. Once you get a sense she is with you, greet her and pour her a cup of tea, too. Then, out loud or in your mind, ask her any questions you may have, or simply talk to her about what’s going on for you. To listen for her answers, don’t force this, expect to hear a voice, or let your own inner voice tell you what you want to hear! Simply stay mindful and aware, tune in to her presence, and see what naturally arises. You might like to have a notebook with you to take note of any strong impressions or sensory experiences that arise.

When you are ready, thank her and sense her presence leaving. Close down your space and pour the tea into the Earth or a house plant. You might like to take particular notice of your dreams that night.

Airmid can also be called upon, I believe, as a powerful ally for reproductive justice. The herbal knowledge she represents includes herbs once used to both aid and prevent fertility, for hormonal balance, genitourinary issues and for early abortion (I can’t stress enough here; please don’t try this at home.) At a time when reproductive rights are being attacked in the West, particularly in the US, Airmid is a champion for our rights of choice and sovereignty over our own bodies.

Reproductive justice is not simply about the right to legal abortion, though that is perhaps the best-known aspect of it. Sadly, the abortion rights movement itself has its roots in often racist and eugenicist policies; a power-over, top-down approach rather than a grassroots one that centres individual people and their sovereignty. Reproductive justice rather centres individuals and communities that are marginalised and have been denied access to their reproductive rights; not just abortion but also the right to fertility aid, to choose not to have children, to adequate healthcare during pregnancy, miscarriage or termination, to policies that support poor and marginalised families and mothers to meet their basic needs, and also to not be forced into abortion (which is a major problem within domestic violence and human trafficking, as well as instances where women are coerced by families or spouses into terminating female foetuses in favour of male.)

The ‘witchcraft as resistance’ movement is growing increasingly popular, with the idea of ‘hexing the Patriarchy’ becoming its own pop culture meme. It is based however in very real concerns, reproductive justice among them. Below is a spell designed to help in the fight against oppression, calling on Airmid as an ally.

Items you may wish to gather:

A small bowl of water (for healing and renewal)
Fresh herbs or dried herbs (especially healing ones like rosemary, mugwort, or basil)
A candle (green, white, or black work well, but any will do)
A stone or object that feels grounding to you

Ritual Steps:

Prepare the Space
Find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed. Place the bowl of water at the centre, the herbs before you, the candle to the side, and your grounding stone in your hand or nearby.
Centre Yourself
Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and say:
“I stand in the circle of earth, air, fire, and water. I am steady, I am strong, I am free.”
Invoke Airmid
Light the candle and hold the herbs over the flame (or simply in your hands if you cannot safely burn). Speak:
“Airmid, healer of herbs, tender of life,
I call upon your wisdom and your power.
Guard the body, guard the womb,
Guard the right to choose.
Shield us from the oppressor’s hand,
And let no chains bind our freedom.”
Bless the Waters
Sprinkle the herbs into the bowl of water, stirring gently. Imagine the water glowing with protective energy. Dip your fingers into it and anoint your forehead, heart, and womb (or lower belly). Say:
“By leaf and root, by water’s flow,
By Airmid’s grace, our power grows.”
Direct the Energy
Hold your stone (or place your hands over the water) and visualise a strong barrier rising, blocking harmful laws, hateful voices, and unjust power. Imagine, too, a green current flowing outward—healing, empowering, and protecting all who need reproductive freedom.
Close the Ritual
Thank Airmid:
“Airmid, I thank you. May your healing continue,
and may your protection hold strong.”
Extinguish the candle, knowing the flame still burns in your spirit. Place the stone on your altar and hold it for a few minutes each day that week to focus on your intention. Pair the ritual with simple actions for justice you can take: petitions, donations, protests, etc.