I feel like I'm a bit of an 'odd one out' with this one but I've been right into my Celtic history for quite some time now and also know basic knowledge of Druidry and Celtic magick, but was wondering if you can help me with finding additional knowledge on Celtic magick.
I guess perhaps stuff on rituals, spells and other sort of more practical work. Out of interest this topic I plan to put in as much of what I know, another extensive database of Celtic knowledge.
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What is Druidry?For some, Druidry is a spiritual path, a religion, and/or a cultural activity. For others, it can be all of these. Druids were widespread across not just Ireland but worked its way into parts of Britain, Gaul and other parts of Celtic western Europe during the Iron Age. It is unknown as to how old Celtic Druidry is, as there is no trace of written accounts apart from later Roman and Irish writers. No Archeological discoveries have been uncovered to this day that can be connected with the ancient Druids.
Druids were the religious leaders of the Celtic cultures. The word Druid means "Knowing the oak tree" in Gaelic, and rituals were often enacted in sacred groves of oak trees. Druidism involved shamanic practices, in which the druid priests acted as mediums through which the spirits could be summoned and heard. They use methods such as ecstatic dance and trance to enter this altered state of being. As well as acting as Shamans, Druids served their communities as poets, historians, astronomers, astrologers, advisers to rulers, and judges in the event of dispute.
The Druids however, followed not just a single god, but multiple gods and godesses. The Celtic pantheon consisted of a creator god, a mother goddess, and an array of nature gods, whose energies could be found in all areas of the natural world. Central to the Celtic cosmology was a belief in the spirit realm, known as the "Sidhe" or Otherworld, which existed along side Reality. They also believed that people, as well as divine beings were able to move between the two worlds. This is powerfully represented in ancient myths and legends, including the adventures of heroes who travel into the Otherworld, often through a door in the side of an ancient burial mound. In the Christian era, this developed into the belief in "Faeries" or "Little People," who could lead mortals into the magical spirit realm.
Below is a list of more well known deities of the Celtic pantheon:
GREAT FATHER ((All Celtic regions)) *God*
The Lord. The horned god, (Not Satan) lord of winter, harvest, land of the dead, the sky, animals, mountains, lust, powers of destruction and regeneration. The male aspect of creation.
GREAT MOTHER ((All Celtic regions)) *Goddess*
The Lady. The female aspect of creation, goddess of fertility, the moon, summer, flowers, love, healing.
BLODEUWEDD (blod-oo-eeth) / BLODWIN / BLANCHEFLOR ((Wales)) *Goddess*
The maiden form of the Triple Goddess. Goddess of the earth in bloom, flowers, wisdom, lunar mysteries, initiations.
BADB (Bibe) / BADHBH / BADB CATHA ((Ireland)) *Goddess*
Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess in Ireland. Associated with the cauldron, crows and ravens. Life, wisdom, inspiration and enlightenment.
THE CRONE ((Known in all Celtic regions)) *Goddess*
One aspect of the Triple Goddess. She represents old age or death, winter, the end of all things, the waning moon, post-menstrual phases of women's lives. All destruction that precedes regeneration through her cauldron of rebirth.
THE DAGDA ((Ireland)) *God*
Protection, warriors, knowledge, magick, fire, prophecy, weather, reincarnation, the arts, initiation, the sun, healing, regeneration, prosperity and plenty, music, the harp.
The full list of gods and goddesses this is pulled from can be seen below (First link '
Celtic Deities'). As well as the goddess Rhiannon my physical name 'Reanna' is derived from.
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The Sun, the Moon, and the passing of TimeThe sun and the Moon, as well as the passing of time were crucial aspects of ancient Celtic beliefs. Measuring and marking these was a matter of survival as the Celts lived close to the land. Seasonal activities such as sowing and planting had to be carried out at the right time. To the Celts, the cycles of the natural world and the celestial bodies had spiritual significance, and therefore exerted a powerful influence on humanity. A Celtic year is split into two halves; The dark half, and the light half. These two halves reflect the the recurring cycle of birth, growth, and death, followed by renewal and rebirth. All life, whether it be plant or animal, begins in darkness, and all outer actions begin with inner preparation, so Celtic cycles begin with the dark segment. Thus the Celtic year begins with the first onset of winter.
The Celtic year had eight key dates: The summer and winter solstice, the spring and fall equinox, and the four cross-quarter days - the turning points of the seasons' energies. Each of the eight solar festivals and their seasons were associated with particular activities.
In the Dark Half of the year:
Samhain (October 31st) is the single most important Celtic festival, and marks the onset of the dark half of the year. It is considered to be "outside of time," when the veil between reality and the spirit realm is at its thinnest, so divining the future is easier on this day.
Yule (December 21st) is the time of the shortest day and the longest darkness in the northern Hemisphere. the Celts celebrated the rebirth of the sun by burning a yule log.
Imbolc (January 31st) marks the beginning of spring, and is dedicated to the sun goddess Brigit, the patroness of the hearth and home, and of poets and craftspeople. Sowing and planting begins on this day, and it is a time for purification and hatching new ideas.
Oestre (Easter, March 21st) marks the peak of spring energies and renewed growth, when the day and night are equal and in balance. It signals a time of outdoor activities, when you can start to bring into effect the plans that you hatched during winter.
In the Light Half of the year:
Beltane (April 30th) is the second most important Celtic Festival, marking the onset of the light half of the year. As at Samhain, the barriers between reality and the spirit world are thin, so it is another powerful occasion for divining the future.
Coamhain (June 21st) is the longest day in the northern hemisphere, and was celebrated by the ancient Celts as a time of plenty, when the sun is at the peak of its powers.
Lughnasadh (July 31st) is the feast of Lugh, the sun god who distributes riches in the form of crops and wild food. This festival traditionally marks the start of harvesting, and it is the time when you can begin to reap the rewards of the ideas that you germinated at Imbolc.
Mabon (September 21st) marks the end of harvesting, when day and night are equal. At this time, the Celts stored food in readiness for winter, and gave thanks for a bountiful harvest. It is a time for seeing the positive side of what you have, and for identifying those aspects that could have germinating potential for future personal development.
The moon also having a great influence on the Celts as a visual representation of the passing of time, the moon is also recognized from the earliest times as having a powerful effect on human activities, as well as the natural world. The Lunar cycle affects the emotional side of human nature - feelings, instinct, receptivity and imagination - and determines those human activities that will be most effective at a particular time. Four phases of the new moon are distinguished and celebrated: new, waxing, full and waning moon.
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The Animal RealmTo the Celts, animals were considered to have unique set of qualities that relate to the affairs of humans. They were seen as powerful spirit helpers and sources of guidance, healing and guardianship. Hunting any animal was seen as a sacred activity, and was ruled by a strict code of respect for that animal's place in creation. Celtic Shamans wore the skins, horns, feathers, claws, bones, and teeth of particular creatures in order to obtain access to those creature's powers. They were reputed to have the power of 'Shapeshifting," through which they could temporarily transform themselves into the animal. The shaman would then use the animal's energies to help locate or hunt certain species, or to address matters affecting the tribe's health and spiritual well-being.
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Plant lifeTrees, shrubs and plants had an important place in Celtic spirituality. They provided shelter and protection, tools and weapons, food and fuel. They were therefore crucial to survive in everyday life, and this was in turn integrated with spiritual life. Sacred oak groves were the setting for much shamanistic ritual. Each particular type of tree and shrub was recognized as having its own unique energy, which was expressed as an individual characteristic that could relate to human personality traits. The tree energies were consulted or evoked in times of need.
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Ley LinesLey lines are straight lines of energy that flow across the land, and major power points in a landscape usually lie at the junction of two or more Ley Lines. These energy lines were known to ancient peoples, and they often coincide with ancient trackways. There is a long tradition in Ireland, for instance, that there are invisible 'Faery paths' running between the various power places, and no one would dream of building on them. Stonehenge and Glastonbury lie on the most significant European ley line, St Michael's Ley.
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DivinationThe Druids were masters of Divination in the Celtic world. They used a wide variety of Divination methods, including Illumination, cloud reading, bird divination, reading the bone, and dream interpretation. To the Celts, divining was not just a method of predicting the turn of events - it also brought understanding of the present situation; indicated the factors in the past that had led to it; and revealed the inherent tendencies in the situation that might influence future developments. The individual or the tribe could then choose the most appropriate action to take. Today, too, divining should not be seen as merely a passive process, but as a way to expand awareness and gain empowerment. It is about working in harmony with the flow of energies in the environment, rather than against them.
Illumination, "Imbas Forosna," also known as enlightened manifestation, was a specialized shamanic form of divination practiced by Druidic initiatives after long years of training. The initiate spent up to three days in a darkened chamber, undergoing sensory deprivation in order to create altered states of consciousness. At the end of this time, the initiate would suddenly come into the light and begin speaking spontaneously. Whatever words were uttered would then be interpreted by another Druid. A closely related method, illumination by song or "Tenm Laida," involving prolonged chanting. This was an alternative method of producing the trance like state required for bringing back information from the realm of spirits.
Bird Divination was one of the most widely used Celtic methods, aspects of which have continued into modern times. Druids use bird divination in a similar way to cloud reading, and interpreted flight patterns, groupings, species, and songs in order to investigate the prevailing energy patterns. Feather augury is a branch of bird divination that can still be used easily today. Here are some colors and markings of feathers, and their meanings:
White: Purity and birth
Black: Transformation
Red: Fortunate opportunity
Brown: Mastery of the elements
Gray: Peace of mind
Green: Growth, new development
Speckled: Spiritual guidance
Yellow: Friendship
Reading the Bone involved heating or cooking the shoulder blade of an animal, which produced patterns of cracks and other markings on the bone. These markings were then interpreted by a specialist in this particular method of divination.
Dream Reading was another key divination system of the Druids. The most revered Druidic method was the use of "Incubatory Sleep," which took place in temple chambers especially reserved for the purpose. An individual with a question about past, present or future would present it to a Druid initiate. Initiates would then perform purifying rituals and sleep on their back with a large stone on their abdomen. On waking the initiates reported their dreams to a specialist Druid for interpretation.
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Of course, all this information is just a Scraping of what is out there!
and also less barbaric too since there were Apparent sacrificial rituals which involved the sacrifice of a human...Greek and Roman writers frequently made reference to the druids as practitioners of human sacrifice, a trait they themselves reviled, believing it to be barbaric. Such reports of druidic human sacrifice are found in the works of Lucan, Julius Caesar, Suetonius and Cicero. Caesar claimed that the sacrifice was primarily of criminals, but at times innocents would also be used, and that they would be burned alive in a large wooden effigy, now often known as a wicker man. A differing account came from the 10th-century Commenta Bernensia, which claimed that sacrifices to the deities Teutates, Esus and Taranis were by drowning, hanging and burning, respectively (threefold death). I still have to question the reports of Druidic human sacrifice as this sort of information has been written by external cultures.
For now though, I hope this has been yet another interesting read
Always happy to elaborate on anything and questions are always welcome.
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Links ~
'Celtic Deities'
http://www.wicca.com/celtic/wicca/celtic.htm'Druid'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Druid'What is Druidry?'
http://www.druidry.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=PagEd&file=index&topic_id=1&page_id=8'Celtic Oracle' by Gerry Maguire Thomson
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