Articles
This is something I was sent on a mailing list that I thought was just great and very true to the spirit of what I believe. It comes from a book called Celtic Blessings by Caitlin Matthews.
The Celtic Blessing of the Nine Elements
May you go forth under the strength of heaven,
Under the light of the sun,
Under the radiance of the moon;
May you go forth with the splendour of fire,
With the speed of lightning,
With the swiftness of the wind;
May you go forth supported by the depth of the sea,
By the stability of the earth,
By the firmness of rock;
May you be surrounded and encircled,
With the protection of the Nine elements.
Response to this from Epona Perry:
"This is one of the reasons the Matthews are not high on my list of authors, though there is much that they write that is useful for Celtic Pagans. Here they take the dhuile system and relate it as another 'elemental' system. While the poem is nice, I dislike the 'elemental' portion. Here's why.
An dhuile (pronounced ahn GHUH-lah or ahn GHOOL-yah) are not elements per se, but are more a system of things which are not components that make up the universe, but rather are things which help one to relate to the universe and understand their place in it. In my mind the 'elemental' or compartmental view of the universe simply cannot fit into any world-view or cosmology of one who is Celtic or a Celtic Pagan. Here is an instance in which a foreign idea is brought into a Celtic frame, but instead of supplementing it and 'Celticizing' the foreign idea, it instead paints a thin veneer of 'Celtic' over a foreign concept and thus destoys the essential 'Celtic-ness' of the original concept of An Dhuile."
Tell me what you think!
Sian Seilbh
Carmina Gadelica
I read Brighid's blessing
Which she gives to her calves and cows,
Horses and goats,
Her sheep and lambs;
Every day and night,
In cold and warmth,
Every day and night,
In light and dark;
Protect from the marsh,
Protect from the cliffs,
Protect from traps,
Protect from the beach;
Protect from harm,
Protect from envy,
Protect from magic,
From north 'til south;
Protect from poison
From east 'til west,
Protect from ill wishings,
And from all evil intention.
My thanks to Fuillan nam Socair for the animal blessing to the left. See my links page for a link to her Paganach Dubh site. The article that follows the Blessing was written by Fuillan.
Ritual Purposes of Lepuses
Fuillan nam Socair
Boudicca teaches us the spiritual value of lepuses (hares/rabbits). To her, the hare was a totem animal. She used to release one at the start of every campaign and she kept one for divination and prophecy telling, as well as an offering to her patron goddess, Andraste (a warrior goddess). All over Europe, the Celts obviously got in touch with hares so quite obviously there must have been a use for them as well.
Other than the obvious possiblilty as a fertility symbol, we can begin by taking a look at where in Celtic art we find lepuses depicted. Quite obviously we find them as symbols of the hunt in art objects along with hunters and hounds, seeing as they were such obvious prey. But looking at mythology, we see that hunts can indicate otherwordly interference, if not a means of passage to the Otherworld, as we see in the Welsh saga of the Mabinogion in which Rhiannon's husband Pwyll was lead to Arawn, the ruler of the otherworld, in a hunt.
We know for sure that lepuses had some form of ritual value to the Celts, other than just for Boudicca. In several places bones and fur of rabbits and hares have been found around Europe, thrown into pits much like the offerings of torcs in Britain. Several bronze hares have been found as well, which even more suggests it importance - especially when offered as an only animal depiction amongst knives and urns. Indications of ritual activity have been found in many of the areas around these findings.
Classical texts don't offer us much light on this subject. . . but Julius Caesar explains that to the Britons, the hare was a sacred animal and therefore not eaten, and Tacitus tells us that the animal was associated with the power of transformation, and he goes on to cinfirm that the animal was indeed used for future telling through its movements, and Indo-European sources say it's an animal associated with the moon. Because of its close connection with the moon, we can guess that it stands for renewal (the moon phases) and fertlility (male and femal fertlility cycles are ruled by the moon). The connection between ebb and tide and the moon could mean an association between lepuses and water, hence strengthening the fertility aspect of the animal, and perhaps the connection with the Otherworld and Otherworld-travel.
Where should a beginner begin?
By Leoghanta
Oftentimes, when one first tries to understand Celtic Paganism, one seeks a straightforward, simple explanation or listing of all the ancient Celtic Gods and Goddesses, their associated attributes, and appropriate rituals or devotions. After all, we want to know whom we should honor and how, right? However, the very nature of ancient Celtic religion as it is understood from archeological, anthropological and folklore studies make understanding the Celtic pantheon anything but straightforward and simple.
One very important idea for any newcomer on this path to understand is that Celtic mythology and the Celtic pantheon cannot be thought of as one would the Greek or Roman pantheons. There isn't a generally agreed upon single set of deities with straightforward names, characterisitics and chronology. This is because the Celtic tribes were spread out and not united into any sort of empire, thus different tribes in different regions developed different pantheons and traditions. Plus, as tribes mingled with one another and fought against each other, traditions and beliefs got mixed and swirled around.
As I understand it, there are currently over 300 known deities from ancient Celtic belief, and probably many more than that have been lost over time. Yes, there are certain deities that seem to have been recognised in some form over more than one geographical region, like Brighid (Bride, Brigantia, etc.), or Danu, for example, but even they have different characteristics as assigned by various tribes and also appear in differing stories. But even in one Celtic nation, such as Ireland or ancient Celtic Britain, one will find geographical differences in regard to any single God or Goddess.
Unfortuntely, no one can hand out a neat and tidy pantheon list from which we can choose our deities and their attributes for our modern Celtic pagan practices. It just doesn't work that way. Yes, it is frustrating sometimes, but it is also very freeing in other ways. After all, so many of us left Christianity because we couldn't abide the black and white, strict rules of belief about the Divine, so why would we want to turn to another religion with a set of black and white, strict rules about Gods and Goddesses?
Same thing applies to ritual. No one can hand out a definitive guide on exactly what the ancient Celts of any Celtic region did or did not do for rituals. (If someone does claim to have the definitive guide, he/she should be regarded with the utmost skepticism). Books and web site information can only be suggestive, because we don't really know, at least in any definitive way, how the ancestors honored their deities. We can only extrapolate and theorize based on archeological, anthropological, and ancient literature studies, as well as by looking at folk practices that have survived into the Christian era in the six Celtic nations.
So how does a beginner proceed to practice Celtic paganism? I strongly suggest that the first thing to do, rather than worrying about getting rituals right or searching for one source for all knowledge, is to learn as much as possible about theories regarding the ancient Celtic world view and then try to answer the following questions: How did the Celts view the Land and their relation to it? What constituted the Tribe and how did it relate to the Land? What was the daily life in an ancient Celtic community really like? What did the turning of the seasons mean to the people in the community socially, economically and spiritually? What functions did the deities fill in regard to the Tribe's realtionship to the Land? What do the Three Realms of Land, Sea and Sky mean? What are the Four Treasures and why would they be important to the Tribe and thus used in ritual? These are only a few of the many questions that the beginning individual should explore and discuss.
It is because of the tremendous diversity of ideas regarding the ancient Celts, their deities, and their religious practices that some hold the view that this path requires one to become something of a scholar. This does not imply that we must all get our PhDs in Celtic Studies. Rather it means that we must continue to educate ourselves, learn as much as possible, and share that knowledge before we assume we know what we are doing. Undeniably, we will never know for sure that what we are doing is the way things were done in the old days because those days are gone forever.
Most importantly, as we learn more about how the ancients related to their world and their deities, we must ask for divine guidance during our times of meditation and prayer, so that we may develop rituals that are not only pleasing to the Gods, but are of value to ourselves as individuals.
When I pick up a book that says, "Here's exactly what to do because this is just how the ancient Celts did it, and this info has been handed down to me through generations," my internal alarm goes off big time. And well it should. But I greatly value books such as Alexei Kondratiev's "The Apple Branch: A Path to Celtic Ritual", which attempts to help the reader understand the Celtic worldview based on surviving texts and folk customs. He also suggests rituals, which help to explain that worldview, but he makes it clear that they are suggestive only. He also states clearly when presenting an idea that may have very little surviving evidence to back it up. For example, he suggests equinox rituals despite the fact that there is little or no clear evidence that ancient Celts celebrated the equinoxes. However, Kondratiev presents some information that may indicate that Celts did acknowledge the solar holidays. Most importantly, he makes it clear that he is making assumptions and why he is making them, and then he lets the reader decide the value of those assumptions.
Finally, take comfort in the knowledge that this path is not meant to be clear-cut, dogmatic, or precise. Rather, it is a path of continual change and evolution, just as Nature continually changes and evolves. We can't grow when we think we know all the answers. Rather growth comes from always having more questions.
Nine blessings as we all trudge sown this path together,
Leoghanta
I was a listener in the woods
I was a gazer at the stars
I was not blind where secret were concerned
I was silent in a wilderness
I was talkative among many
I was mild in the mead hall
I was stern in battle
I was gentle towards allies
I was a physician of the sick
I was weak towards the feeble
I was strong towards the powerful
I was not parsimonious lest I should be burdensome
I was not arrogant though I was wise
I was not given to vain promises though I was strong
I was not unsafe though I was swift
I did not deride the old though I was young
I was not boastful though I was a good fighter
I would not speak about anyone in their absence
I would not reproach but I would praise
I would not ask but I would give
Cormac mac Cuileannain
King and Poet of Cashel, AD 836-908
From "The Chronicles of the Celts" by Peter Beresford Ellis
Celtic Paganism page