Gwyn, the Guardian

We may be familiar with the term guardian as denoting a protector. It may be a sentinel or teacher who watches over a group of others or it may be a parent or custodian who has a duty of care to their child. In this respect Gwyn ap Nudd was the Underworld Guardian of our ancestors spirits. As referred to in the Mabinogion, God appointed Gwyn a duty of care ‘to set the spirit of the demons of Annwn, lest this world be destroyed', signifying the dead required their own protector - the 'demons' being their awakened fears. This is explained more sympathetically in the Black Book of Carmarthen where in a dialogue poem Gwyn ap Nudd carefully allows Gwydneu Garanhir to find out he is dead. As a shared subject in a Wilfred Owen's poem, Dulce et Decorum Est, when a soldier in the Great War learns of his own death in meeting the enemy he had killed earlier, it is conceivable the recently departed may not be aware they are dead until they discover it. This may then raise the questions, would we feel terror to realise our own death? And if so, wouldn't we prefer to be told sensitively?

The comfort offered by Guardians can be psychological as well as physical, but every situation isn't in requirement of help. Making an assessment of when assistance may benefit can be done through Gwyn, the Guardian. Working through the Gwyn programme can help you objectively decide when to assist and when not to interfere.

To be in control of how we assess each situation can enable us to improve our sense of judgment. We can be there for others when we are most wanted and we can be in a more effective place to respond. The reward for our self development can enable others to respect our weighed out level of opinion.

As you proceed with this part of the Gwynvyd Method you will work with Gwyn, the Guardian in order to improve your ability to assess a situation more accurately. To begin, you will:

1. complete a task with no assistance.

2. answer a series of questions honestly.

As the work you do is personal to your development it must be undertaken personally. The questions that are asked of you must therefore be asked of yourself.

The Task:

A path working - Close your eyes and imagine you are about to take a journey as described to you. There will be things to observe and situations to consider. As they arise you may decide how you might respond, if at all.

You are walking from where you live to where you will meet a friend for coffee.

You leave your home with a spare plastic shopping bag and start to walk down your road.

You have plenty of time before you are due to meet your friend.

On the other side of the road you see a broken bottle by the tyre of a parked car.

It is starting to rain and you watch puddles appear around your feet as you are walking.

There are people passing you and rushing to get out of the rain.

You notice a worm has been washed on to the pavement and is trying to reach the safety of a nearby garden.

You walk to where the nearest bus stop is and wait inside the shelter.

There is a young girl waiting for a bus and an older man who isn't but who appears to be hanging around watching the girl.

When the bus arrives the young girl discovers she hasn't enough bus fare. The older man is still watching.

The bus journey is short and you arrive just as the sun comes out.

You see a silver bracelet on the ground which must have just been lost. No one seems to have noticed it.

It is Saturday and busy and you still have plenty of time before you meet your friend.

There is a Police Station near the shops and a number of waste paper bins. A dog is tied to one of them and it is struggling.

You see the dog's lead is too long and that it can enter the road where the traffic is busy.

You meet your friend at the coffee shop and notice that they have been crying.

You see the time and know you are expected at another appointment but your friend is still upset.

How you may have responded to the above situations is right by you if you are satisfied with your responses. If you are not then consider how otherwise you may have responded. What qualities of guardianship do you have in overlooking the interests of others? Could you be a 'model citizen', ie a guardian of others?

Allow yourself time to think about this. When you are ready, ask yourself one of the following five questions and then become conscious of your answer:

The Questions:

1. Am I in need of protection?

Do you expect another to look after you? Do you turn things down because you are afraid of risks?

We are aware of measures to protect us from terror, diets to protect our health and legislation to protect our privacy, but our sense of personal freedom may depend on our attitude and behaviour. Could you be less reliant on another? Could you regard trying something new as an opportunity?

Wearing heavy armour may prevent a quick escape.

2. Should I look after others?

Do you feel you care for anyone? Do you feel protective to those without your skills or abilities?

We may protect those with less strength or ability than ourselves and we have services and organisations to protect us, however, we can all witness circumstances that could benefit from intervention if no one else is present. Could you assist in a situation that might benefit from your help? Could you manage the welfare of another who may depend upon your skills or abilities?

The cost of our consideration is the time we take to think.

3. Should I always offer help?

Do you help others before they help themselves? Does it help you to help others?

Not everyone is in need of assistance, but there are periods in our life we need more help than at other times. We begin to learn from our parents and are dependent on them until we progress to our independence, however there may be occasions of vulnerability when our recovery may benefit from help. Could you care for another till they can care for themselves? Could you look after another’s interests without making them entirely yours?

We may not always need to call on someone, but we may still benefit in knowing they are there.

4. When might I not offer help?

Do you assist others when it is unsafe to? Do you assume roles that are not yours to perform?

To be there for another is admirable as long as it is calculable. There is no necessity to risk a life, especially if others are better skilled to do the job properly. If we take a risk we might first gauge the effects of our intervention. Could your effort assist or could it make things worse? Could you be better prepared if an unsafe situation arose?

Though life is free to give, its cost is high to take.

5. Could I be more caring?

Do you quickly get angry with people? Do you object to others not thinking like you?

Whilst there is tighter legislation to protect our safety, we might largely benefit from observing a general duty of care. Could you make allowances for other people? Could you consider differences as simply other points of view?

To not care less is to be less human.

Well done! You may continue to phrase your own questions or if you wish, return to this area again later. Alternatively, you can enter another area of the Gwynvyd Method.

Gwyn ap Nudd

Ancient British God & Hero