I cannot say with any surety when I became aware of Druidism as a spiritual path, as a distinct and definite system of faith and belief. In meditation and retrospective contemplation I became aware that throughout my life certain strands of my life brought me to points of understanding and insight, along the way my perspective widened. Collectively these strands became a ‘weaving’ of my consciousness; the recollection and remembrance of things past, the structure and formula of my present, and the dawn on the horizon of my future.

The first time I heard the term ‘Druid’ was whilst I was at primary school in Britain, and aged about seven or eight. Our teacher was conducting an informal lesson on social history, focusing on the origins and meanings of various surnames. It was a very interesting insight into identity and ancestry; providing some credible glances into our past. At this early age I learned that my name was connected to some sort of priestly caste of the ancient Celtic people, although who they actually were or what they did remained a mystery and they eluded me for many years.

I was not raised within any particular religious tradition, although my family was equally divided between Anglican and Roman Catholic affiliations; we never attended any church as members on a regular basis. My mother and father would perhaps best be described as agnostic, and in this light never pressed a particular religious belief upon me. As I recollect, there was always a brooding cynicism toward all elected authorities; the aristocracy, church, government and upper echelons of the military. If anything I was raised to be proud, resilient, independent and studious; within my community craft was commended and admired, the combination of skill, creativity and intelligence was placed above social standing. I was particularly good at artistic endeavors and this was seen as both a ‘gift of God’ and a hereditary characteristic to be treasured and applauded. It was thus that I was more drawn to the lonely pursuit of wild spirituality than to structural monoliths of organized religions. As I grew I searched for God in the fields and lakes near my home, through overgrown grasses of railway embankments, in the constant cold winds whistling in from across the North Sea, and in the ruins of castles and decaying churches.

It was the opinion of my father and his family that a person should possess a skill or craft in life, and so after leaving school I was apprenticed into the construction industry and I worked with a local builder as a laborer but learned the various trades; joinery, bricklaying, plumbing…etc. This lasted only two years and thereafter I decided to apply my creative skills in college and began a study of design. After achieving a Diploma in 1985 I applied for a Degree course at Plymouth University in Exeter, Devon and graduated in 1989. I majored in illustration (the modern equivalent of medieval ‘illumination’) and specialized particularly in the ‘visual-ornamentation’ of poetry and verse. It was in this period of my life that I wholeheartedly accepted a religious vocation, and spent the best part of five years in the spiritual devotions of a monotheistic faith; daily prayer, fasting, reading of scriptures. I was eating, sleeping and living a tradition, and I harnessed my whole being in sacred thought, action and law. Perhaps my motives were badly founded in that I was inspired by the love I had for a beautiful woman, and my desire to marry her… but the gravity and discipline I endured was a worthwhile and beneficial experience, even though I eventually turned to apostasy and sought a more meaningful embodiment of spiritual belief.

Through many questions I came to doubt this One God and his empire. My faith became more than a prayers and rituals; it was perhaps through an introduction to shamanism that I began to comprehend animism, the immanent nature of the divine and myself as a manifestation of an all-encompassing sacredness connected to everything else. For me the revelation of salvation became immersion in the very essence and substance of life… a field of creative energy. But this simple realization came only after many years of study, of primal Christianity, ancient Judaism, the mystical Sufism of Islam, Agnosticism and Gnosticism, Paganism and numerous other threads and strata’s of human belief throughout history. My seminary was the Earth, the observation of nature and humanity, and in the finality I abandoned everything in the simple contemplation of my name and identity.

It was in 2003, on the eve of my emigration to the USA that I began to study my family history and genealogy. It was in all probability an attempt to preserve something of my background in a forthcoming radical life-changing experience to another culture. In the family records office in London I pored over hundreds of thousands of names; a grand testimony of human civilization contained in endless anonymous volumes, of links in ink stretching back way into the unrecognizable past. Here I discovered my great-grandparents and somehow came to the conclusion that my father’s family originated in Ireland, that my name was Gaelic in form and from that I began to understand and explore the notion of the Druids and the spirituality of the Celtic people. My last conversation in Britain was at Heathrow airport in London, purely by accident with an Irish woman who had the same surname as myself; she herself was uncertain about the meaning of the name and I explained to her that its origin was in the Druids of Ireland, and that now people of their descent were to be found in the region of Munster in the West.

It may have been that in the back of my mind, as I flew across the Atlantic Ocean to land on distant shores, I had the ‘Voyage of Maeldun’ or St. Brendan chanting a rhythm. And as my life settled and I began to explore there was the comfort that my ancestors had done just as I was doing; migrating, changing, developing and performing their pilgrimages. Forever searching for the spark of the Divine across the sea and the horizon. In distant lands and in poetic speculation. In dreams and amongst the branches of ancient trees. In songs and myths. Their sacred book was inscribed in streams of water, on rocks and in the cracked faces of their elders, and this I eventually discovered was Druidic Spirituality; the echo of words within the land, the hearts of the people are spoken through their hands as they connect the worlds in labor.

The story remains unfinished; it is constantly unfolding, forever growing; through birth, life, death and reinvention.

What interests me regarding this path is that it raises more questions than provides answers. It cannot be a safe spirituality for lost or wandering lambs, it requires a strong heart, self-inspired faith and fortitude. For in the end we must all surrender to our own individual fate, take responsibility for our actions, existence and embark to unknown lands. Thus it is that the essential characteristics of my ancestors were strength, courage, virtue, honesty and integrity. Through this course I desire a greater sense of navigation into the deeper recesses of my own character, to find a bond with similar souls and minds, and with rigorous application to blossom into a fully spiritual and developed human being.

Much has been discussed of the origins, practices and roles of the Druids in history. We understand them as figures in an ancient world, as practitioners of law, religion, art and poetry within Celtic society. How does this benefit us now, and how can we define the spiritual path of Druidry within a modern context? A modern Celtic scholar, Searles O’Dubhain has identified five key and integral aspects of a modern practitioner, and this profile gives a solid working foundation for the pursuit of Druidry as a religious faith. The Druid passes through three distinct phases in their personal evolution, firstly a state of wonder or questioning, secondly an arrival at understanding, a sense of peace and harmony, and lastly a sense of accomplishment and awe, a realization of the greater sacred.

1) The Scholar. Enquiry is the beginning of true knowledge. The foundation of the self is realized through an investigation and understanding of tradition, myths, systems of belief, culture, organization and methodologies of the ancestors. Thoughtful reflection becomes the essence of purposeful action and quantifiable realization.

2) The Poet. Creativity is the effect of inspiration, within any mode of operation. The illumination of the mind provokes a physical manifestation in which an understanding can be reached regarding a question possessed. Poetry is a process of discovery, valuable insight, charged with wisdom.

3) The Philosopher. The evaluation of qualities, quantities, states of being and purpose is active regard. The action of identifying the mechanics of nature, life and the cosmos provides the necessary information to understand ourselves and our role as human beings.

4) The Judge. Understanding balance and harmony, the key to justice is to be obligated to a truth greater than ourselves. The measurement of all things is by the will of truth.

5) The Doctor. When all levels of existence are perceived as one whole, and all the strands of life are revealed as being of one garment; then the perception is elevated to understand the sacred. There is seen to be no differentiation between subjects, only energy in varying degrees of intensity, and the energy flows like water. The infinite, ever eternal, without ending, supreme bliss. The subject enters the flow of life fully aware, and cognizant. Truly only a reflection of nature, of the great spirit.

Oran Mor: The Great Song, The Song of Birth.

Moladh daoine is dó is moladh an neach do-ní a gcruthoghadh
(Praise of people, and you, is praise of the spirit that does the creating)

The beginning of the journey of wisdom is a step from the ocean of birth onto the shore of existence. The first consideration is of yourself, who you are, and then your relationship within the world. As the Poet has said; “Am gaeth far na bharraige… (I am the wind across the sea…). This is understanding the dynamics of your inner momentum, the ideals which constitute your core of being. There may be one, or several, but the weight of your core existence is the keystone of individual character, and the anchor of integrity will allow for the development of a true knowledge.

In transpersonal psychology and spirituality the core ideal/s of individuality represent the North Star, by which we navigate through life. It is nourishing, sustaining and guiding, a measurement by which we can ascertain our sense of place, time and appropriate conduct. To recognize a core ideal we should ask ourselves some key questions; what human qualities do I value most, such as peace, love, harmony, honesty? What is the summit of my ‘best self’ or the greatest exhibition of quality of consciousness? What aspect of my life am I most in direct contact with? What are the peak spiritual experiences of my life, the beautiful epiphanies of realization?

In the Druidic and Celtic spiritual path the core ideal/s may be selected from traditional values; piety, vision, intelligence, courage, integrity, perseverance, moderation, fertility, creativity… and many more. The morals, ethics and virtues outlined in a traditional text like the ‘Testament of Morann’ or the ‘Instructions of King Cormac’ provide inspiration enough to begin. However, this is serious work on the self, it is the deepest contemplation of your primal essence, consideration of your most refined spirit.

Coch Anam: The Soul Shrine.

“Man is not himself only… he is all that he sees; all that flows to him from a thousand sources… he is the land, the lift of the mountain lines, the reach of its valleys…” - Mary Austin.

In the Celtic tradition the soul shrine is the sum total of the body. From a cosmological standpoint the body is composed of all the elements of the earth; the blood is the waters, the bones are the mountains, the brain and mind are the sky, the breath is the wind and so forth. The body has three aspects; crabadh or soul trust, devout observance and will. This represents the spirit of a being. Creideamh or consent of the heart, the body of a loving nature which seeks connection, it is physical action in space. Iris or faith, a pledge or intention of the mind, thought and purpose. Thus in primal Celtic thought the human is mind, body and soul which if correctly coordinated and in complete accord provide a beautiful sense of harmony.

Because we are of the earth and reflect its principal mechanics we must be in harmony with it. Everyday the totality of the body yearns for Nature, to revel in its glory. The path to a secure connection to nature is through communication, and this occurs in two principle ways; active involvement which is participative and responsive, and passive contemplation through meditation, reflection and is nourishing.

Active communication occurs not as a recognizable language, but in observation and interaction through the development of senses. The first and most important sense is visual narrative, and I call this the ‘rainbow perception.’ We see through cones and rods of power in the eye, all colors, forms, distances, shades. This is the science of light and suffice to say here that it is enough to simply be aware of this faculty, to be aware of and use it. To be ‘sensual’ is to fully experience the world we live in and belong to it. I mean sensual as ‘sense-all’ and to explore and regenerate all of our faculties of perception. The eco-psychologist Dr. David Cohen has estimated that we possess over 50 differing senses with regard to nature, many of which have become dormant due to our advanced technological lifestyles. These particular senses lie within the realm of the intuitive, instinctual and primitive; the inheritance of our ancestors.

As a technique of communication within the context of Druidic spirituality, meditation is a passive exchange of energy. The most effective of this type of meditation is the ‘Two Powers’ (see link below) in which an individual draws energy from the sky, and the earth/waters, replenishes and restores inner balance, function and internal order to initiate a greater spiritual strength, and draw inspiration. The Two Powers energize what are seen within Celtic tradition as three internal ‘cauldrons’ which correspond to the anatomical cavities of the body; the cranial/spinal, the pleural/thoracic, and the abdominal/pelvic. This purification of the generative, vital, and spiritual energies is similar to the Daoist concept of the three Tan-Tien fields, but in the Gaelic tradition according to the Cauldron of Poesy the primary purpose is to engage within the stream of life, being poetic inspiration.

The totality of these attribute enables the manifestation of a dynamic creative inner force which greets each and every life experience as a building block for future growth. Standing close by a tree is a passionate revelation, a short walk opens a rain-storm of inspiring energy, and as William Blake says;

“To see infinity in a grain of sand, and eternity in an hour.”

Inspiration of Memory

Tri caindle forosnat cach n’dorcha: fir, aicned, ecna. (The three candles of illumination in darkness: truth, nature and knowledge.)

Perhaps the single most defining characteristic of Druidic practice throughout history is memory. The act of memorizing vast tracts of information might be said to be a reflective imitation of Nature herself, who has no books, scrolls, or stone tablets; only the memory of characteristics, forms and structures. She then repeats these codes into ever new and complex creations, again and again. This is like the traditional Gaelic saying; “Who is the birth that has never been born, and never will be?” This is the tuirgen (plur: tuirgente), the circuit of births or the circle of creation. In his glossary, Cormac defines this as; ‘the birth that passes from every nature into another… a transitory birth that has traversed all nature… through every wonderful time down to the end…” Memory can therefore be seen within the context of Celtic spirituality to be both subjective (in the mind) and objective (existing outside of our experience). For comparison I quote the concept of the collective sub-conscious of memory and myth offered by Carl Jung, where we all inherit the thoughts, rituals, and patterns of life of all our ancestors. The other is the statement by Krishna in the Baghavad Gita:

“I have been born many times… and many times you have been born… but I remember my past lives, and you have forgotten yours… although I am unborn, everlasting, I am the Lord of all, I come to my realm of nature and through my wondrous power I am born…” - BG 4:5-6.

Combined, these fragments of information point toward the Druid belief in reincarnation, and the transmigration of the soul, where the spirit retains a memory of a previous form and travels into another, birth, life and death are merely physical manifestations of being. The point of liberation from this cycle of repetition is simply being aware of it, having knowledge and illumination of processes, and of recollection to the farthest limits.

The triad above (three candles) indicates that we begin in darkness. Our primary state of perception is blindness, not knowing, oblivious to anything around us. We are senseless, groping around until we begin our search… and it is like a seed beginning to sprout within our mind, and our first action is to light our darkness and to see with more clarity. This initial process involves three states which then expand; the experience of common knowledge or that which we know as being around us; the ordinary truth. Experiential knowledge or that which we learn by the process through our common senses, fire is hot and therefore burns… do not touch it. Investigative knowledge or that which we attain through comparison, conjecture, evaluation, discussion, theory…ect. These three primary means of experience are typified into the most common forms of Druidic practice called ‘Imbas forosnai’ or illuminating wisdom, ‘Dichetal do cheanaib’ or experience of fingertips, and ‘Teinm laegda’ or burning song. These practices are used to step into the lake of memories, of intuition, dreams, instinct… to travel within the microcosm then outward to the macrocosm, and understand all connections, meanings and perceptions.

Imbas Forosnai.

This means ‘the illumination of tradition’ or ‘inspiring wisdom.’ A method of receiving insight through spiritual perception. The ancient form followed a peculiar ritual of chewing on the raw flesh of an animal, formulating an incantation on the palms, then being enclosed in darkness to await the spark of an answer to a specific question. In modern Druidry this is achieved through meditation, reflection, concentration, or simply deepened thought. The cosmic mind may be seen as an ocean or lake, a well-spring, or other source of water, the fish within the water are thoughts swimming about. Concentration in darkness is the vehicle by which an individual arrives at the body of water and catches a fish which represents the wisdom of illumination he/she has been seeking. In Shamanic terms it is a form of journeying for a resolution or result. The hero Fionn Mac Cumhail achieved all of his wisdom by tasting the salmon caught by the Druid Fintain.

Dichetal do Cheanaib.

The dictionary definition is ‘extempore incantation’ and the earliest scholars suggest that this type of divination involved the use of the fingertips; dichetal is cognate with the term digital, from Latin digitus meaning finger (or toe). Typing without rhythm, cracking open the nuts of wisdom, or incantation on the knuckles are other descriptions. Ancient Druids used this method to divine the inner energy of something, to understand internal rhythms, messages, problems, or blockages. In this sense it might be seen to be akin to the methods of pulse diagnosis in some traditional forms of healing, such as Ayurveda in which the principle activities of internal disease are recognized simply by touch and sensation. Similarly the touch can locate energy in most objects, the energy translated into an image in the mind and then vocalized by the practitioner. Sometimes a Druid would employ the use of a stick, wand or staff as the point of contact and transmission of energy-information. When fully developed this form of divination can be of immense help in investigative, curative, and correctional modalities.

Teinm Laegda.

This is ‘illumination by song.’ Another term used is ‘chewing the pith’ and essentially is a means of decoding the internal essence of a thing through song, chant, mantra (fonn in Gaelic) or poem. It may be seen as a form of ‘echo-location’ of the type used by animals such as bats or undersea creatures like whales as a guide in darkness or low visibility. Modern science tells us that sounds behave much like water waves, and can move through matter such as air, and on a molecular level may be able to pass in some way through any object, thus sound of any kind is a form of energy capable of being harnessed for any intention or purpose. The essence of teinm laegda might be summarized as vocalized illustration of the heart.

Conclusion.

The Druid is urged to develop and cultivate all of their faculties, senses and perception to the greatest extent possible. With these attributes he/she can investigate any matter of concern or interest. The three illuminations suggest a triad of ways that an individual can assume a greater sense of inspiration; using the mind/thought through meditation, the body, hands and feet for manipulative research, and the voice, hearing, vibration through songs of understanding. The validation of their effectiveness can only come from personal practice and experience, such techniques can never be learned thoroughly from books or manuals alone.

Shamanism in Gaelic Culture by Iain MacAnTsaoir: http://users.raketnet.nl/lyonesse/files/shaman-gaelic.pdf

Divination and the second sight, Gifts of the Gaels by Iain MacAnTsaoir: http://nemedcuculatii.org/library/Divination%20and%20the%20Second%20Sight.pdf

Imbas Forosnai by Nora Chadwick: http://www.fhaoil-choin.org/imbasforosnai.htm

The three illuminations, Searles O’Dubhain: http://www.summerlands.com/crossroads/library/awenimba.htm

The Soundry: http://library.thinkquest.org/19537/

The Song of Amergin: http://www.amergin.net/songofamergin.html

The Ogham Tract (from the Auricept na n’Eces): http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/ogham.html

The (ADF) Two Powers Meditation: http://www.adf.org/rituals/meditations/two-powers.html

The Cauldron of Poesy, translated by Erynn Laurie: http://www.thunderpaw.com/neocelt/poesy.htm

The Colloquy of the Two Sages (from the Book of Leinster): http://perso.orange.fr/sejh/keltia/colloquy.html

The Instructions of King Cormac (translated by Kuno Meyer): http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/cormac3.html

The Testament of Morann (translated by Fergus Kelly): http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/morann.html

May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun, And find your shoulder to light on,
To bring you luck, happiness and riches, Today, tomorrow and beyond.

~Irish Blessing

In the Irish folk tradition the butterfly or ‘an Féileacán’ is the spirit of a departed person who returns to visit their favorite place; in the 1814 Parochial survey of Ireland an old Granny was heard to say to a youngster chasing and attempting to catch a butterfly "How do you know it is not the soul of your grandfather” It is a common belief that the souls of the dead return as all manner of animals, and insects. Even up to the 1600’s it was against common law in Ireland to kill a white butterfly because they were believed to contain the souls of dead children. In the Irish myth ‘The Wooing of Etain’ (Tochmarc Étaín) the heroine is turned into a butterfly by a jealous rival:

“Conaire Mór was a descendant of Etain, the most beautiful woman in the world. Etain was a Danann and the second wife of Midir, son of Dagda. Midir's first wife Fuamnach, became jealous of Etain's beauty and grace, and using a hazel wand turned Etain into a butterfly, and drove her away from the magic palace with gusty wind. The wind blew the butterfly to many parts of Ireland, until she arrived in Ulster. Here, the butterfly fell in the cup of Etar's wife. Etar's wife drank her cup and unknowingly swallowed the butterfly, where she later became pregnant with Etain. When Etain was born, she became mortal, without any memory of her former life as a Danann…”

In Scottish Gaelic the butterfly is known as Dealan De or ‘The Fire of God’ and meaning the flame, light or gold of the divine, or the ‘brightness’ of the Gods. The Gold-fly was indeed considered a sacred sign from the heavens, and if seen fluttering near the corpse of a recently deceased person it was regarded as a good omen, that the individual was on their way to celestial bliss. Another reference to this is the ‘tiene-dhe' which describes a stick of fire (referring to both the butterfly and the flame) which is used to light all manner of sacred community ritual fires, the hearth, and as a guide to the recently departed… using the lighted stick to usher them out of the house through the window to the sky.

Other aspects of Gaelic belief in combination with observations of the butterfly as a human soul are its symbolism as the power of transformation, inspiration and creativity, and eventual rebirth. It is thus used in an iconic manner in rituals surrounding conception, labor, birth and nurturing children.

For the most part the butterfly is seen in a positive light within Celtic culture. Like many societies throughout the world it is revered for its capacity in metamorphosis; echoing beliefs in reincarnation and the transmigration of the soul. Perhaps the one singular exception to this is an old Scottish belief that red butterflies are the souls of witches seeking general mischief.

Failte ort fhein, a ghrian nan trath
Ag siubhal ard nan speur;
‘S do cheumaibh treun air sgeith nana ard,
‘S tu mathair aigh nan reul


(Greetings, Sun of the seasons, as you walk in the high heavens; with your strong steps upon the high void you are the joyous mother of the stars.)

- Carmina Gadelica.

Here is a small vision, a basket of sparkling jewels. Each one is carefully collected and preserved then set within a volume barely a hands breadth in stature. The rhythmic echo, the ebb and flow of these traditional Gaelic prayers, invocations and native songs glide effortlessly across the pages and enchant the reader. These assorted gems come, by virtue of a Celtic scholar Alexander Carmicheal, from his historical collection of verses called the ‘Carmina Gadelica.’ As a whole they represent the ancient oral tradition of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, as old and translucent as sea foam. Alexander Carmichael, was a Scottish civil servant born in 1832 and educated at Greenock and Edinburgh. He spent the greater portion of his life working and traveling amongst the shy, reserved and insular Gaels of the Isles, of Arran, Uist, Skye and Oban. His passion for Gaelic poetry, prayers, customs and traditions, much of which still remained amongst these isolated communities in his time, inspired and delighted him.

Yet before Carmichael the verses only remained floating within the minds, and drifting from the lips of these reclusive folk. Content with traditional crafts, farming, fishing and celebrating the seasons of their life. Alexander Carmichael came and saw an eclipse of the old ways. With a passionate and dedicated vision he began collecting and preserving this tradition, what he envisaged as an important legacy of Celtic culture that could not be allowed to wither away. Eventually his efforts were published in two volumes in 1900, the mellow and matured heritage of generations. Despite his death in 1912 a further two volumes were published in 1940, and a fifth in 1954. Surprisingly many of the islanders never desired that their verses be recorded in print. Yet, had Carmichael never been so bold we may never have experienced the pleasure and refined joy of these spiritual dedications, or have opportunity to see the profound and ecstatic insight of a beautiful people. The delicate voice may well have disappeared, drifting into an ocean of silence like a rare mist.

Here are 64 of those miniature visions, as whispers from the past recited as cycles of time in eternity, in honor of the infinite. We experience the ages of life, craft, skill and pride of work, the heart and hearth, wonders of the natural world, omens, sorrows, lamentations, the solitary prayers of wanderer’s across a sandy shore; songs of the soul that pierce the ordinary and illuminate deeper mystery, the magic and the miraculous. From dawn till dusk these prayers honor, marvel, and evoke a tranquil reflection of life, love and community. But, this is a community in the greatest possible sense; it is the communion of souls within the mansions of the cosmos, of the sea’s crashing and flowing, a broad perspective of sky, the brilliant sun and reflective shadows of the moon, a glorious king enthroned, divine maidens, fair spirits, the multiple blessings of birth and the tears of death… like birds we fly across limitless clouds of inspiration to a land of milk, honey and gold, holy angels are the guardians, sacred herbs are the remedy for our ills.

124 pages provide a lifetime of contemplation, glowing mantra’s to embolden the soul, seed-words for meditation, security in a silvering age, a taste of sweet senses and more than a few reasons to burst into melodic song… the song of a dancing sun on our lips!

Woad (Isatus tinctoria/I. indigotica)

In his memoirs of the Gallic wars against the ‘brutish Western Pagans’ Julius Caesar draws a conclusive observation of the tribes he encountered in the south east of Britain in his principal invasion;

“Omnes vero se Britannii vitro infuciant.” (All the Britons die themselves with woad).

In addition to its historical use as a dye and a medium for tattooing, woad also has a long tradition as a herbal medicine. Also called Da Qing Ye in the Chinese pharmacopiea, it is a powerful antibacterial and antiviral; containing the essential compounds Indican and Isatin B. This makes it suitable and effective against most common bacterial infections, particularly those originating from staphylococci, pneumococci and meningococci. Another scientific study identified another antimicrobial substance in woad called tryptanthrin which is effective against dermatophytes, which are fungi that cause skin diseases such as ringworm. Woad may help with a variety of conditions such as influenza, meningitis, encephalitis, and common skin disorders such as warts, and athletes foot. As an anti-inflammatory it increases phagocytosis (the pathogen destroying capacity of white blood cells), thus aiding the elimination of infections.

The recommended dosage of the powdered herb is 2g, 4-6 times per day.

In the Judgement of Cormac Mac Airt, a historical Irish tale, Woad or glaisin plays a key role in the restoration of justice; When Cormac, the rightful heir to the throne of all Ireland was a boy, he lived in Tara in disguise; for the throne was held by the usurper Mac-Conn, so that Cormac dared not reveal himself. There was at that time a female ‘Brewy’ or peasant named Bennaid whose sheep trespassed on the Royal Domain and consequently ate up the Queen’s valuable crop of glaisin (woad-plants) which were used for dying cloth. The Queen instituted proceedings for damages, and the question came up before the King for a decision. The King, who after hearing the evidence decided that the sheep should be forfeit in payment for the loss of the glaisin. “Not so.” Exclaimed the stranger-boy Cormac, who was present. And who could not restrain his judicial instincts and inheritance. “The cropping of the sheep should be sufficient for the cropping of the glaisin; the wool for the woad, both will grow again.” “That is a true judgement.” Exclaimed all, “And he who has pronounced it is surely the Son of a King.”

The author’s main thesis in this work is that despite the rigorous machinations of time and decline, combined with the constraints and demands of modern technological life and historical events which radically and sometimes violently altered and affected Celtic communities, that a pro-active spiritual framework can be created, instituted and evolved based on traditional beliefs and cosmology. This book emerges with others in a like vein as a proposal toward the reinstitution of a natural spiritual foundation for individual and communal life, and thus seems a valid modern trend for serious speculation and social experimentation. Such movements stand in opposition to the materialistic objectivist worldview which holds sufficient and sometimes excessive appropriation as the necessary objective and instead offer and promote a social tribal dynamic which holds human experience and perception as the most valued commodity.

The author fulfills a desire amongst many who until recently have been content with the genealogical research of their ancestors but are now pursuing a greater and intrinsically more viable understanding of their cultural and ethnic identity. Amongst those there are some who are exploring a radical reorientation of their spiritual life, and intent on adopting and absorbing distinctly identifiable traits and traditions that existed in pre-Christian Celtic lands. This was one of the first books written in that mold; and now part of a movement which has grown into what is now termed ‘CR’ or Celtic reconstructionism. This movement is not only concerned with the preservation of key aspects of the culture such as language, myths, dress and religion but also with their specific detail orientated performance within a modern context. The Apple Branch was written before the emergence of the CR movement, is now somewhat rejected by certain individuals but without a doubt certainly inspired many in their search for establishing a new cultural and spiritual dynamic in their lives.

By his own testimony the author begins with a romantic and partisan account of Celtic history and people. For me, this story is perhaps one of the most enchanting, passionate and thought provoking articles on this subject I have ever read. From the earliest Greek observations through Roman dominance of Gaul, the conversion to and effects of Christianity up to the present remnants of the culture exemplified by the ‘six nations’ of Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man. Kondratiev sees two historical ‘golden ages,’ and anticipates a third which he terms Keltia in which Celtic civilization has not only survived but is blossoming with a renewed vigor.

In the four remaining chapters the author recreates a framework of sacred ritual, activity and observance through a process of careful extrapolation; analyzing and exploring historical Gaelic texts for illuminating fragments of information. In chapter two, ‘Drawing the Circle’ he offers a foundation for future development. The importance of space, time and ritual in conjunction with language, and present a fully reconstructed Celtic ceremony based around the four sacred directions, their meaning and benefits. He establishes the Celtic worldview and cosmology in terms of cyclical events.

In chapter three ‘Cycles of Earth and Sun’ the solar and earth festivals are explored within the context of human life as a microcosmic representation of ever-revolving periods of time, the alternation of seasons, summer and winter and the ‘garland’ of eight feasts composed of Samhain, the Winter Solstice, Imbolc, the Mid-Spring equinox, Bealtaine, the Summer Solstice or Mid-Summer, Lughnasadh, and the Autumn Equinox. Kondratiev fully explores the physical and spiritual meanings and dimensions of each festival with reference to original texts such as the Carmina Gadelica, mythic tales, epics and traditional lore.

In chapter four ‘Cycle of the Moon’ he adopts the song of Amairgen Gluingel Mac Mil found in a medieval 12th century Irish text called the Lebor Gabala Erin or History of Invasions as the basis for monthly observances and reflections. This is reinforced from the archeological evidence provided by the Calendar of Coligny (a Roman era bronze artifact detailing solar and lunar changes) to create a 13 month lunar year.

Chapter five, ‘Cycle of the Tribe’ incorporates the celebration of conventional days of Christian Saints within the Celtic tradition, but adopting them within a greater spiritual purpose and as a reminder of the concrete historical reality of Celtic communities. Invocations and remembrances that resonate as living embodiments of the past, much like an anchor which holds the sway of the soul.

The question remains; is this book of any value outside of a marginal section of society interested in Celtic spirituality and ritual reformation? Even from an academic standpoint the author provides a valuable insight into the traditional faith and beliefs of the Celts in Western Europe, the author being a graduate of Columbia University majoring in anthropology and linguistics and a respected authority of Celtic culture. For me on a personal level the text enabled me to understand and integrate a natural sense of rhythm in my day to day life, to completely comprehend the fundamental ebb and flow on both macro and microcosmic levels. This was especially enriching within my working life; the constant repetition of tasks takes a radical shift away from a perceived boredom to a mantra-like reasoning. This is not a book of fantastic fiction or regurgitation of dreamy myths, more of a glowing cultural paradigm which challenges the reader to make a shift in consciousness. The Apple Branch is offered, dare you accept it?

"After all, what was the whole wide world but a place for people to yearn for their hearts' impossible desires, for those desires to become entrenched in defiance of logic, plausibility, and even the passage of time, as eternal as polished marble...?" Richard Russo.

1)Oh, they stretch from the black north to the red south, crackling ancients… the solidified spine of a primal snake god, and often on the Auroran plains I catch a glimpse of them in the space between dead houses full of corpses. They appear like a vision, an intoxicating spectral answer to a feverish prayer. On stormy days or in the dry frozen season they stand silently, shrouded, molded and welded to the liquid swirling skies, a haphazard marriage of elements… and then at dusk a sliver of light marks the borders of heaven through which a multitude of spirits migrate onto the slopes… gushing and spitting insensibly in fierceness and anger.

2)Dark cursed clouds move across the peaks, and lightening stikes, thunder roars as a black bear spirit emerges from its cavern of a thousand moons. His throat is the bellow of abysmal chaos, and it becomes a ghost that crawls up my back, hanging like sharpened blades of gloom on my shoulders… then flying around my skull to pierce my deepest thoughts… a muddy pale mood flowing through my mind, shattering and splitting in two… irrationality insanity pulling me down to shattered glass across the hard earth, scrambling naked through tough clumps of greasy grass. Purple beetles drag me down, chattering in a lost language:

3)Blistering, peeling, burrowing deep… fire-worms crawling and sinking into the core of my thoughts, provoking a fever of irrational thoughts, bleeding senses into the atmosphere, sucking and swallowing, gorging their existence on mine… until they are fat, globulous grubs, thick and full of my essence, and only then they slither into the crevices between my joints and catacomb themselves in cocoons, enwrapped, mummified into hard, cancerous lumps gestating and embryonically squirming before cracking open into velvet laced black moths feasting on my flesh, flettering, whisping, shadows… blinding my sight, my skin erupting into purplish bruised, then rotten fruit. Then, leaving webs of fine silk, woven around the organs, strangulating, petrifying into marbled specimens without blood or life.

4)Two thousand miles across the desolate plains the rush of an orange sun is heard emerging from the oceans lips. At first only a light gold dust speckles the drowsy, dusty earth… then saffron, then brilliant sparkling white, evervescent bubbling symphony of new life, the song of birds pierces the dark, my dense immoveable notions are broken by a gasp of air… the thick tremulous curd of my death forms to create bones, blood, flesh, and hair… a reborn skin senses the fragrance of creations touch. Standing, sentrified as energy flows up through bare soles to the heart, now electrified and buzzing… to the invisible star in the center of all the cosmos.

"Modern urban dwellers are cushioned, to and extent, from the rhythm of the seasons, from the immediate effects of good and poor harvests and of the health and fertility of flocks and herds.........in any pre-industrial and rural society, the association of communities with the natural environment and their dependance on it are both close and direct."

Miranda Green identifies the close proximity that ancient Celts had with their environment. It was essentially a life that involved a close ineraction with nature. With foliate and zoomorphic designs Celtic artists took much of their inspiration from the plant and animal world to produce some of the most fantastic and original art in history. The Celts percieved supernatural forces in all natural phenomena to the extent that every tree, mountain, rock and river was seen to possess its own 'numen' or individual spirit. The sanctity with which elements of the landscape and natural phenomena was beheld further led the Celts to venerate animals dwelling in the land, and further becoming the objects or elements of elaborate rituals and the center of profiund belief systems. In some cases animals became the link between the ordinary and the divine sacred, or otherworld.

On the most basic level, animals (in Celtic mythology) are tied into fertility and vitality, as Lars Nooden points out. They also become channels of communication to the realms of the Gods and spirits. The origins of these beliefs may be shamanic. Certain animals are associated with specific attributes;

1) Boars represent fertility, wealth and courage.
2) Salmon represent knowledge and wisdom.
3) Snakes (and dragons) represent strife, trouble and infertility.
4) Birds represent prophetic knowledge, skill of for-seeing the future.
5) Horses, cattle and pigs (all domesticated animals) represent fertility, assurity, personal wealth and status.

The Celts firmly believed in rebirth and reincarnation as demonstrated by the story of Fintain and the Hawk of Achille. Some Celtic people believed that the soul of a person may be reborn as a very small animal, sometimes a fly or worm. Druids believed that the tiny and humble wren was the reborn soul of a human and was considered sacred, called 'Droo-in.'
In Christian Celtic myth the four evangelist (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) are represented as animals; the winged man of the incarnation, the majestic lion, the sacrificial calf or ox, and the ascending eagle.

For me, the epitomy of the relationship between the Celt and the animal world is summed up by a 4th century AD monastic scribe, idly writing a poem in the margin of a manuscript ( a Latin commentary on Virgil) in which he compares himself and his pet cat:


"I and 'Pangur-Ban' my cat,
Tis a like task we are at:
Hunting mice is his delight,
Hunting words I sit all night.

Tis a merry thing to see
At our tasks how glad are we,
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind...

...So in peace our task we ply,
Pangur Ban my cat and I;
In our arts we find our bliss,
I have mine and he has his."

Conclusions:

More than anything the Celtic view of animal life reminds us that we should perservere in maintaining a working relationship with the natural world order. Perhaps we are not 'the dominant species' but simply one element of a greater whole. We must repsect animals as beings with inherent souls and/or spirits, that can enhance our appreciation for the universe, our dialog and communication with the Gods, ancestors and spirits. If we take the life of an animal in order to preserve our own let it be done with dignity and due respect. All creatures should be awarded the honor that is due to them by reason of their simply existing.

Jain Zazek, The Art of The Celts.

Joelle Miller, Symbolic Meanings of some of the Animals Appearing in Celtic Art (From Celtic Myth and Magic by Edain McCoy):
http://www.joellessacredgrove.com/celtic/animals.html

Lars Nooden, Animal Symbolism in Celtic Mythology:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~lars/rel375.html

Miranda Green, Animals in Celtic Life and Myth:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415185882/002-8556887-1631258?v=glance&n=283155

"Sco-aoise mise do'n daraig, Bha nafhallain ann sa choinnicli, 'S ioma linn a chuir ini romham, 'S gur mi comhachag bhochd na sroine."

(Ancient-ness upon me is that of the oak . . . whose mossy roots spread wide: many a race have I seen come and go: and still I am the lonely Owl of Srona.) - Donald Finlay, 1590.

The lonely owl that drifts through the night of our dreams in the Celtic tradition is the totem bird of the crone Goddess, and it bears her name; Cailleach oidhche (pron: Kayl-uck oheeche). As such it symbolizes the powers of darkness, hidden wisdom, detachment, metamorphosis. The owl is a hunter, dwelling in the shades of moon-light, perceptive, silent and swift. Throughout many cultures it is feared for its connection to death, its haunting voice is reminiscent of the lament of mourning. To encounter an owl at midnight might be a prophecy of loss or bereavement, but certainly she isa reminder of life, age and the eventual scythe of time... the harvester of souls.



Others connect the owl, particularly the snowy or Cailleach Bhan (pron Kayl-uck ban) or 'the Auld white wife' with storms, thunder, lightening, hero's and love maidens. On the Island of Arran she was believed to be the herald of both the morning star or Reul na Maidne and the evening star or Reul na Fheagair; opening the gates of life and light, and later closing the curtains of the day with patience and serenity.



Whatever the belief, it is certainly a mystical experience to be walking out at night and feel the soft, silent flutter of an owl flying above our head... an almost imperceptible rush of power like muted lightening, and then gone... into the velvet mist of darkness, like a whispered prayer in the wind.



The Colorado Raptor Education Foundation was created in 1980 to promote environmental literacy, preserve injured or un-releasable raptors (hawks, eagles, falcons, owls), increase nature awareness and promote respect for wildlife. They actively train, educate and hold regular programs and seminars around their conservational efforts:

http://www.usaref.org/