In Ireland, wisdom was symbolised by the salmon who feed on the hazelnuts from the trees that surround the well of wisdom (Tobar Segais).
According to Poseidonius and later classical authors Gaulish religion and culture were the concern of three professional classes—the druids, the bards, and between them an order closely associated with the druids that seems to have been best known by the Gaulish term vates, cognate with the Latin vates (“seers”).
The Celtic celebratory cycle begins in October with the celebration of Samhain, which is the Celtic New Year. The ancient Celts Feel free to comment or reach out to me directly if the need arises. The name druid means “knowing the oak tree” and may derive from druidic ritual, which seems in the early period to have been performed in the forest. They had a great love of learning but it was a yearning for wisdom not necessarily knowledge. the day, the last apples were picked, and the year began It is the first quarter day discussed by the heroine Emer in the Tochmarc Emire. The greatest discovery was that the heart of Celtic spirituality was simply living the life, following the Way, travelling the journey in the everyday ordinariness of life –the pain and the pleasure, the heartaches and the hopes, the disappointment and the dreams. ‘I bind unto myself this day the strong Name of the Trinity.’ It is a living awareness that God the Father is FOR us, God the Son is WITH us, and God the Holy Spirit is IN us. They were rural, tribal, always on the move people, ‘pagani’ and as such they were different to the Roman church which identified with the dominant power of the cities. life for the planet. Our own Midday Office – Theresa’s Bookmark is another good example ‘Let nothing disturb thee.. alone God suffices’.. Northumbria Community Trust Safeguarding Policy, A Good Friday Communion Meditation – John 19:28-30.
Hild, Brigid, Ebba. This process of identifying Celtic deities with their Roman counterparts was known as Interpretatio romana. By the early 7th century the church had succeeded in relegating the druids to ignominious irrelevancy, while the filidh, masters of traditional learning, operated in easy harmony with their clerical counterparts, contriving at the same time to retain a considerable part of their pre-Christian tradition, social status, and privilege. [45] According to Cassius Dio, Boudica's forces impaled Roman captives during her rebellion against the Roman occupation, to the accompaniment of revelry and sacrifices in the sacred groves of Andate. Religion practiced by ancient Celtic people. its counterpart, Beltane beginning the light half. in honor of Brighid or Brid (pronounced They were also magicians, as Irish magic is intrinsically connected to poetry, and the satire of a gifted poet was a serious curse upon the one being satirised.
when tribal people celebrated with joy the vivid colors
We again have food for our tables; bread to feed our physical bodies, beer to quench our thirst, and hope to feed our souls. Ireland were extinguished and relighted from the one
It was a time of release; a time to let
Harvesthome. Our ancestors had as much closer relationship with the land than we do today, and a plentiful harvest meant the difference between life and death in some instances. Trevor Miller reflects on Celtic Spirituality.
Barry Cunliffe stated that "the Greek and Roman texts provide a number of pertinent observations, but these are at best anecdotal, offered largely as a colourful background by writers whose prime intention was to communicate other messages. Alban Arthuan ("The Light of He also claimed that they were responsible for officiating at human sacrifices, such as the wicker man burnings.
I call upon the ancestors of the North, the direction of Ulster and where the power of Earth originates; the fourth element of the alchemical tradition; earth is the essence of grounding and stability; the element of the nature of balance.