Somewhere around the age of thirty, I was introduced to the Goddess in all her many forms and all the inspiration her manifestations offer to people for creativity, wholeness, love of the earth, and radical inclusion of all life in our interconnectedness.  Most particularly,  I loved Cerridwen, Welsh Goddess of Inspiration, Transformation and Poetry -- and her magic cauldron.  

            Like so many of the images of feminine power, the cauldron has been demonized as the site of evil potions -- eye of newt and all that.  But it's much more useful to understand the cauldron as the vessel that supports the sacred alchemy of the creative mind.  Anyone who has done any kind of creative work, understands the process of choosing inspired elements, "mixing" them together and transforming the lot into something brand new.  (And there's also the issue of the transformational process that happens in the artist as well -- but that's another discussion).