UNDERSTANDING

The ritual forms in this book may look a bit different from what you are used to, especially if you are familiar with Wicca or other neo-Pagan approaches. For example, there is no “casting of a circle” to create an enclosed space and raise a cone of power. Traditional Celtic rituals are open affairs where people and animals wander in and out at will. One reason for this is so that Gods, Goddesses, and Nature Spirits can move through the ritual area as they feel called. Highly formalized magical circles come from Ceremonial Magic developed at a much later date.

Following are some of the cosmological underpinnings of the Celtic ritual form.

Two Seasons

The first principle is the division of the sacred year. For the ancient Celts there were only two seasons: summer and winter—the light half of the year and the dark half of the year, respectively. The dark half began at Samhain, a.k.a. Halloween or All Souls Day, while the light half began at Beltaine, or May Day, as it is known in modern times. These two festivals were the holiest days of the Celtic year, acting as portals between dark and light, between one state of existence and another. They were times of chaos and change when Spirits were said to move freely between the worlds and communication with dead ancestors was most easily achieved.

Both of these festivals were centered around the activities of cows: at Beltaine the cows were sent to their summer pastures in the hills, while at Samhain the cows were brought back to the comforts of the winter enclosure. This ancient movement of the herds is mirrored in the activities of wild animals. We can see it, for example, in the bison who move up and down the hillsides of Yellowstone park in the spring and fall.

In ancient times at Beltaine the departing cows were ritually blessed by passing them between two sacred fires as they left the farm. These fires were supposed to be close enough that a white cow passing between them would have her hair singed brown. Cows were thought of as lunar, watery animals that produced milk—the all-important liquid that would later make butter and cheese for the tribes. By passing the cows through the fires, water and fire were brought together, an act that was seen as a powerful form of magic. The ancient Celts believed that the world was made of fire and water, and wherever these two elements came together, transformation, creation, and powerful change were possible. The High God of Beltaine was the Daghda, and the High Goddess of Samhain was the Mórrigan.

Between Beltaine and Samhain there were two other important fire festivals: Imbolc and Lughnasad. Imbolc happened at midwinter, in early February, and was held in honor of the Great Triple Goddess Brighid, daughter of the Daghda and patroness of the bards and poets, healers, and smiths. It was a milk festival that celebrated the renewed lactation of the ewes and the ceremonial start to the plowing season.

Lughnasad was the celebration of the first fruits of the harvest and was observed from late July to mid-August, depending on when the new grain was ripe. At this festival horses, which were understood to be solar creatures of fire, were ritually cleansed by being driven through living water such as a lake or a stream, and once again fire and water were brought together to empower the world. Horse races and other games of skill and competition as well as great fairs and poetry contests marked the occasion. This festival honored the God Lugh, who was master of every art, and his foster mother, Tailtiu, who can be understood to represent the Earth Mother herself. Tailtiu was honored for her self-sacrifice in providing cleared fields and grain for the tribes.

Three Worlds

For the Celts there were three worlds that existed simultaneously and that were intertwined with each other to make up the whole of existence. The world of Sea, or water, was the Underworld of the ancestors and the sidhe, or Fairies. This world was under the earth but could be accessed through water; hence offerings were dropped into lakes, ponds, wells, and streams as gifts for the Fairy realms and for the honored dead.

The world of Land was the sacred realm of plants, trees, animals, stones, and humans. Some of the inhabitants of this world, such as stones and trees, were especially venerated, because a stone could be half underground and half above ground and thus reside between two worlds, while a tree had its roots in the Underworld of Sea, its trunk in the realm of Land, and its branches touching the Sky realm. Offerings were made to sacred trees and stones to honor their existence between the realms. Deeply rooted trees such as Ashes and Oaks and standing stones that projected from the earth were understood to be liminal objects of power that could help a person travel between the worlds. Rituals were performed in the presence of such trees and stones for this reason.

The world of Sky was the domain of the Sky Gods and Goddesses, of thunder Gods such as Taranis and of the winged raven and crow emissaries of the Triple Goddess of Battle, the Mórrigan. Solar deities such as Belenos and Áine were honored with fire offerings. Lugh and Brighid, who were the master and mistress of the arts and associated with fire and light, were honored at the forge and at the fire altar. Offerings were made to sacred fires to reach the Sky realm, because the fires carried the offerings upward, via the smoke.

For the Druids the symbol that perhaps best encapsulated these Three Worlds of existence was a tree, which could span the worlds, and every tribe had a bíle (pronounced bill-eh), or sacred tree, under which oaths were sworn in the presence of a Druid. Such a tree was simultaneously a church, a courthouse, and a meeting place for elders, tribal leaders, and Druids. The health and luck of the community were tied to the bíle, and the worst thing that could befall a community was to have their sacred tree cut down.

The Three Worlds were also understood to exist within the human form. There were said to be three cauldrons within the human body: the Cauldron of Wisdom in the head, the Cauldron of Motion in the chest, and the Cauldron of Incubation or Cauldron of Warming in the abdomen. The Cauldron of Wisdom in the head can be seen as a reflection of the Sky World of the High Gods; those who inspire us with their wit, wisdom, and skill. The Cauldron of Motion in the chest reflects the beauty and poetry of nature and the sacred land and when fully motivated inspires great works of art. The Cauldron of Warming in the belly is a mirror of the bowels of the Earth, the Underworld; it breaks down, digests, and distributes nourishment and heat to the whole body.

The Cauldron of Wisdom was born upside down in all people and was gradually turned upright by training and by divine intervention. The Cauldron of Motion was born on its side in most people. It was the origin of emotions and of poetic art and had to be turned fully upright through spiritual and poetic exercises so as to achieve artistic mastery. The Cauldron of Incubation was the seat of warming, sustenance, and health. Born in the belly and upright in most people, in a healthy person it was said to be right side up, while in a sick person it lay on its side. This cauldron was turned completely upside down at death. These three cauldrons are comparable to three major chakras within the human body. In ancient Vedic times there were originally just three chakras, an example of the close ties between Celtic religion, Vedic religion, and Hinduism.

In the ancient Irish poem “The Cauldron of Poesy,” a composition attributed to Amergin Glúingel (“white knees”), the three cauldrons are described in the following manner:

The Gods do not give the same wisdom to everyone, tipped, inverted, right-side-up; no knowledge, half-knowledge, full knowledge—

What then is the root of poetry and every other wisdom? Not hard; three cauldrons are born in every person—the cauldron of warming, the cauldron of motion and the cauldron of wisdom.

The cauldron of warming is born upright in people from the beginning. It distributes wisdom to people in their youth.

The cauldron of motion, however, increases after turning; that is to say it is born tipped on its side, growing within.

The cauldron of wisdom is born on its lips and distributes wisdom in poetry and every other art. . . . Not every poet has it on its back, for the cauldron of motion must be turned by sorrow or joy.¹

Four Treasures

By tradition the Tuatha de Danann, or the “tribe of Danu,” flew in from the north, bringing their four treasures with them: the Sword of Nuada, the Cauldron of the Daghda, the Spear of Lugh, and the Lia Fail, or Stone of Destiny.

Of the Sword of Nuada it was said that no one could escape it once it was unsheathed. But a sword was not just a battle implement in ancient times. A sword had many practical uses: cutting meat, hacking brush, digging, carving, reaping, and shaping objects. It was a symbol of wisdom, skill, creativity, honor, truth, and discernment. In legends a noble sword uncovered truth and slayed falsehood.

The Cauldron of the Daghda was said to be a magical, inexhaustible container of food from which no one left unsatisfied, and Druids were said to be able to bring slain warriors back to life by dipping them into magical cauldrons of healing. Cups and drinking horns were related symbols that held magical, noble, and nourishing liquids from the Gods and were containers for the magical wisdom of the Otherworld and the mysteries of nature. The legends of the quest for the Holy Grail are a remembrance of these mystical objects.

The Spear of Lugh was said to make its bearer invincible. It belonged to the bright shining God who was master of every art. While Lugh was a great warrior, he was also a magician, goldsmith, harper, healer, and many other things besides. His bright spear symbolized determination, mastery of talents, the growth of wisdom, intense focus on a skill or an art, profound intelligence, the fire of otherworldly inspiration, and the fires of thought and inspiration in the head.

The Stone of Destiny, or the Lia Fail, was the magical coronation stone that roared when the true king put his feet upon it. A “lia” is a worked or inscribed stone, not a rough natural stone. With its base in the ground and its top in the air it is a boundary marker between one world and another, just as the true king must be a bridge from this world to the divine realms. The color of the stone is gray, symbolic of wisdom and knowledge, and a “fail” is an enclosure or protective ring that surrounds and guards the kingdom. Thus, this stone, which was said to reside at Tara and that was later taken to Scotland (and then purloined by the English crown) is an ancient stone that has been inscribed in a sacred and mysterious way so that it guards the kingdom. When the true ruler, one who is a wise and true protector of the land approaches it, it will speak out clearly. Until then, the stone will stay silent, holding its secrets and guarding its power for the rightful king who is to come.

Five Directions

There were as many as twelve directions that were considered significant by the Celts. We know this because there were twelve winds, or airts, that were recognized for their unique effects upon the land and the people.^*1 But for religious purposes there were five major directions found in myths and stories.^†2

The north was the direction of battle and fire; its emblem was the sword, and its creature the eagle. It was the direction of warriors and of Gods. Winds from the north presaged strife and conflict.

The east was the direction of abundance and prosperity. Its emblems were symbols of wealth—good earth, fine clothing, bees and honey—and its creature was the salmon.

The south was the Goddess direction, associated with water and creative arts such as music and poetry. Its creature was the sow, an animal who roots deep into the dark earth for inspiration and sustenance, bringing hidden treasures to light.

The west was the place of history keeping, storytelling, illumination, inner fire, and learning and then passing on the mysteries. It was the airy direction of the intellect. Its creature was the stag.

The center was the fifth sacred direction that completed a ritual space. Its emblem was the stone, its creature the Great Mare of Sovereignty who symbolized the Goddess of the Land. It was the place of mastery and of rulership. Five was the number that implied a sacred whole.

These five directions are mirrored in the Mount Meru of Hindu cosmology, where the four continents are said to be arranged around a mythical central mountain whose roots penetrate the same distance under the ocean as its peak rises to the sky.

While modern Druids of today are actively searching out the ancient proto-Vedic roots that the Hindu and Celtic religions hold in common, we are also turning to intact, living Earth religions such as Native American traditions and Siberian shamanism for clues as to how to revive the ancient European Earth-centered tribal ways. There are many parallels to be found in Native American fire altars, prayers to water, reverence for sacred animals, plants, and trees, and the recognition that women as well as men can be tribal leaders, medicine people, and clergy.^*3 It is an exciting time to be a participant in the Celtic Reconstructionist effort to reconnect with our ancient tribal ways and to honor the Earth and her creatures.