Although the early morning fog had dissipated with the gentle warmth of the sun, as the tribe walked across the small hillocks of grass that dotted the boggy moor they became aware of a gathering mist that began to swirl between them and the world of men. The grey light of this overcast fall day surrounded them like an opaque sanctuary of cloud and dew. The last purple flowers of the heather bushes spread across the rolling hills like a cloak, although their vibrant hue was transformed into a muted earth-tone to match that of the moss-green grass and the amber-coloured leaves of autumn. The tribe moved slowly and diligently through this landscape that they knew and loved so well, each one breathing in the brisk air scented with plants and soil and wood-smoke. The footsteps of the people created a hushed sound, crunching and shuffling along as they walked upon the dried leaves that had fallen to the ground.
Before they knew it, the group had reached the edge of the sacred grove. They paused and waited at the border of this ancient site as the druids, seers, and priestesses who headed up the procession stepped beyond its unseen boundary. Inside the grove, they made a few preparations for the ritual that was to follow. Small white stones were distributed around the edges of the ceremonial precinct and a large branch of oak was placed on top of a central stone altar. After a small fire had been lit in front of the altar, the people were ushered into the grove.
The tribe quickly created a large circle in front of the massive line of oak trees that had served as guardians and door-keepers for centuries. Four shrines that stood in each of the four directions, in front of which they made offerings of food, flowers, mead, and white stones (as well as songs, prayers, and invocations) all year round. A group of druids and priestesses in training walked around the perimeter of the clearing, sprinkling water from a local sacred spring on the heads and feet of all who had come to the assembly. In the center, the chief druid and druid-priestess conferred quietly behind the altar.
The crowd was hushed as they strained forward to hear the strains of the sacred song they knew would soon emanate from between the branches of the grove. The druid closed his eyes and began to chant a sacred text in a deep and resounding voice. His incantation was so resonant that it seemed to reverberate within the bodies and souls of all who heard it. As the druid’s chant continued, the druid-priestess held out her hands and began to sing a haunting melody above his sonorous drone. She sang about the importance of offering respect, gratitude, and devotion to the spirits of the three worlds. The space between the altar and the ring of trees became full of a numinous quality that permeated every corner of the grove. The spirits had come; the Gods and the Ancestors were here.
Everyone in the circle became aware of a tingling sensation that filled them and spiraled all around them. Their breathing became slow and deep as they began to physically manifest their internal connection with the Otherworld realms. Several poets and bards stepped forward to recite the sacred songs which told of the creation of the land and the arrival of the ancestors, as well as the powers of the sages and mystics of old who could foresee the future and shapeshift into different forms. Their sacred words were followed by a ceremony of thanksgiving. At this point, anyone who wished to could approach the main altar to show respect to the great tree that connected the three worlds and the four directions, whispering personal prayers of thanksgiving to the spirits and the ancestors.
When they had finished their devotions, the main officiants resumed their position next to the altar. The druid pulled his hood up over his head and the priestess drew her veil over her face. The pair stood on either side of the altar and called out to the spirits in a hypnotic and sacred chant. Many in the circle felt compelled to close their eyes in order to focus their attention on the sounds of the sacred names. As the electrifying sound drew to a close, the druid and priestess stepped behind the altar. They placed their hands gently upon the oak branch that had been set carefully in the sacred center. Each of them kissed the branch and then stepped back with an air of fulfillment and gratitude.
The druid and priestess joined hands over the altar and took a few steps towards the encircled community. They thanked the gods, the ancestors, and the spirits of the natural world, and after offering a short prayer, pronounced that the ritual was complete. The priests and priestesses-in-training walked around the circle with wooden bowls full of hazelnuts, passed them out to every person in the tribe. The nuts symbolized divine wisdom, and were kept year-round as an amulet. It had long been said that if one kept a talisman from a sacred place, by holding it in the palm of the hand one could be transported back to the powerful energies of that place and time. Perhaps it was true. For it was also said: as it has been, so shall it be — for time only exists in a circle.
The elements of early Celtic reli gion are revealed to us in tantalizing glimpses through the discipline of archaeology, as well as writings. Celtic ritual seems to have taken place in outdoor settings, including sacred woods or groves, hills or mountaintops, plains or clearings, and near bodies of water. Great quantities of offerings have been discovered in watery places, a practice begun in the Bronze Age. Our modern custom of throwing coins into a fountain and making a wish may be a survival of these early Celtic traditions.
The Celts believed in three cosmic realms that were similar to those found in shamanic cultures around the world. Sacred ceremonies and religious assemblies often took place at sites where two of the three realms converged. Sacred trees or pillars (known as a bile in early Ireland) may have been set up inside temples or at the center of tribal territories to symbolically mark the presence of the World tree at the center of the sacred locale.
In Celtic religion, the world of nature was extremely important. All the elements of the landscape – hills, plains, groves, bodies of water, trees, plants, animals, and birds – were considered to be sacred and possessed a hallowed, numinous quality. Sacred hills or mounds were frequently connected with ancestral or divine figures, and bodies of water were associated with gods or symbols pertaining to healing and the acquisition of Divine Knowledge. Birds and animals possessed a variety of sacred or symbolic qualities, and the same was true of the trees and plants. Certain creatures appear in the myths to herald a divine encounter or to lure people toward an important spiritual adventure.
One of the most important aspects was the belief in a sacred Otherworld, believed to exist near or around our world at all times. It could most easily be accessed at certain sacred places and at certain times. The Otherworld was the source of wisdom and skill, as well as other aspects like healing, fertility, abundance, and protection. In Ireland the Otherworld was called Tír na nÓg (‘The Land of Youth’), Tír Tairngire (‘The Land of Promise’) and Mag Mell (‘The Land of Honey’). In Britain it was known as Annwfn, as well as Avalon (‘Place of Divine Apple Trees’).
The number three was very sacred, reflecting the importance of the three cosmic realms. It may also have symbolized concepts associated with life, death and the rebirth of the soul. Sacred encounters or challenges often involve three attempts or episodes. Celtic society was comprised of three main groups of people, and there were also three types of holy or esteemed people: druids, bards, and seers.
The druids were teachers, judges, magicians, healers, and ritualists who trained for up to twenty years. The word druid comes from two root words meaning ‘strong’ (with related meanings of ‘wood’ or ‘tree’) and another meaning ‘to see, hence to know.’ The title ‘druid’ may therefore mean something like ‘Strong in Wisdom’ or ‘Knowledge of the Tree.’ One of the native words for a poet was fili, which comes another root word meaning ‘to see’ (referring to the poet’s gift of prophetic vision). Qualified or gifted women also served in these roles, particularly the role of the seer. We know that there were women leaders, warrior-queens, poets, and physicians, and may have also served as druidesses and priestesses.
In later Irish and British sources, certain types of traditional knowledge were organized in groups of three known as ‘triads.’ When Saint Patrick asks the Irish hero Oisín what sustained his people during the earlier periods of history, the hero replies: “The truth that was in our hearts, the strength that was in our arms, and the steadfastness of our tongues.”
In this day and age, we are moving away from our roots and our origins, egged on by the illusory marvels of technology and the promise of the blessings of purely material wealth. Our connection with the wisdom of the past, as well as with the Earth, with community and tradition, are being sacrificed. If we can shift our focus back in time and space and move into our center, slowing down to breathe deeply of the natural world around us, we will be able to embark upon a journey of reconnection with the things that really matter.
These are sacred things that can actually sustain and nourish us, which exist in a whole and integral state in spite of our emotions, attachments, and projections, and which also have the power to transcend the cycles of time. One step towards remembering this place of centeredness, this connected place of being at home within ourselves, is to listen for the voices of the ancestors: ‘We are here, we are here, we are here….’. In truth, the ancestors and their wisdom have never left us; it simply remains for us to open our hearts and remember.
Reprinted with permission from the forthcoming book Exploring the Divine Feminine in Ancient Europe
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