Celtic and Druid spirituality
The following article is made out of translated extracts from my book (published in Hebrew) – England in search of the Holy Grail.
The Celtic Mystery
The Celts are one of the peoples that dealt with the occult, similar to the Egyptians or the ancient Thracians, except that for them, it was connected to nature and a special type of spirituality, which was transmitted and taught by the Druid priests. Thus, they contributed to the common Human spiritual quest heritage. Celtic spirituality refers to a type of mystery that exists in nature and takes shape in intermediate states, such as the twilight between darkness and light, the dew that is neither rain nor dryness, and the holy mistletoe that is neither a plant nor a tree.
Mircea eliade speculates two planes of existence: one is the mundane, profane and ordinary, and the other is the Sacred and eternal. Every now and then, the Sacred manages to break through and appear in the profane and ordinary, and this is called Heirophany. In the Celtic world, this happens through contact with nature. There are cultures in which the sacred appeared through music, movement, and art (like the Thracians or Greek mystery schools), and there are cultures that focused on the human body, soul, and mystical experience (like the Indians). All these elements also appeared among the Celts, but they were not the main focus. The essence of their spirituality was related to nature, especially to the mystery of the wells and forests.
The Celts believed that in special places in nature—on a prominent hill or in the forest—there were supernatural inhabitants called Siddha. These beings were said to be of two types: tall and shiny ones, and those whose colors change. They are rarely seen because of the impurity of the world. With the advent of Christianity, the Siddhas were depleted in every sense and became what are known today as fairies, gnomes, and other creatures of folklore.
The Celts had a unique kind of worship centered around water springs and wells, a tradition that is very ancient and was later adopted by Celtic Christianity. They believed the water had healing powers and that requests could be made at these sacred sites. Later, the worship of Mary was associated with springs and wells. Most churches dedicated to her had springs or wells with waters purer than usual, typically flowing south. The Celtic goddess of springs and wells, Brigit, became the Christian saint Brigit.
One of the practices of the Celts was digging deep ceremonial pits, often 2-3 meters deep but sometimes reaching 13 meters. They placed offerings, sacrifices, ashes of the dead (including animals), human bones and skulls, urns, objects, and occasionally gold and silver treasures in ceremonial bowls inside these pits. At the center of the pit, a symbolic tree was placed, likely representing the tree of the universe. This practice symbolized a connection between man and the earth, a way to communicate with the underworld, the world beyond, and its treasures. The pits were filled and sealed with stones. Later, ceremonial wells were replaced by living wells and springs.
Trees were sacred to the Celts and were cultivated in sacred groves. The Celts distinguished between different types of trees and often sculpted human heads from wood and stone (also considered sacred), placing or burying them in sacred springs and wells, as well as in special places in the forest. The head was considered the seat of the spirit, leading to skull worship. Sometimes heads were placed in nishes or within the walls of tombs. The skull was seen as a container for a special power, akin to a cauldron, which was essential for transformation. The cauldron was one of their main ritual tools and symbols.
The Celts felt the energies of the earth, similar to the cultures that preceded them, and indicated these energies through symbols such as spirals, circles, and especially a symbol that combines the spiral and the circle. This symbol, which resembles a triangular spiral or knot, is called a triskel. It was one of their characteristic decorations and appears on iron pots, shields, and ritual objects. The meaning of the triskel is that the people must guard the land, which belongs to the tribe and hence to the deity.
According to John Michell, there was no fundamental change in worship and ways of life with the arrival of the Celts in Britain; instead, there was a continuation of the existing tradition. The Druids, however, abandoned the large megalithic sites and returned to sanctifying God in nature. The Stonehenge site is an exceptional case in this context, as it was used by the Celts as a center of religious revival and became a Druid temple.
Celtic Society
Similar to other Indo-European societies such as the Indians or Iranians, Celtic society was divided into classes: warriors, priests (Druids), and peasants. The social structure was based on religious cosmology and democratic idealism. Each clan had its own territory within fixed boundaries, consisting of forests, bogs, agricultural land, and communal land. Part of the land was worked for the ruler, priests, elders, poor, and sick, while the rest was for the families themselves.
Tribal affairs were discussed in large assemblies held in special, often sacred places, such as near a tumulus, in a hill complex surrounded by a rampart, at ancient megalithic sites (predating the Celts by thousands of years), or in special forest clearings. These gatherings included games and local markets, with the largest assemblies occurring during calendar celebrations. The Celts celebrated eight main holidays aligned with the solar days (the solstices and equinoxes) and the midpoint dates between these days, symbolizing the sun’s position in the sky and the seasons.
Celtic society followed a combined solar and lunar calendar, as in megalithic times, viewing time as cyclical. The wheel of the year held significant meaning, based on eight key days that represented the yearly cycle, forming a kind of wheel.
The Celts were skilled ironworkers, crafting iron chariots, weapons, pots, and artifacts. Their society was akin to a warrior aristocracy, similar to Greece in the second millennium BC. Objects found in common graves indicate groups of heroic warriors who believed they would attain victory in the world beyond after death, similar to the Norse Valhalla. The ideal for the Celts was to be a warrior among warriors, dying surrounded by friends, poets, and a hundred slain enemies. Their belief in reincarnation helped them overcome the fear of death, making them fearlessly brave.
The Celts were very religious, living in deep connection with nature and the universe. They highly valued individuality, often saying, “Difference is the condition of everyone and everywhere.” They revered the state of transformation, loving intermediate states and seeing them as gateways to other worlds. According to Greek and Roman writers, the Celts respected a person for who they were, not their origin, with a saying: “A person is better than his origin.”
In addition to family ties, the Celts had the social institution of “soul mate,” where each person sought a spiritually close individual to whom they could confess. They believed, “A person without a soul mate is like a body without a head.”
Celtic Gods and Goddesses
Before the Celts came to Britain, there were prehistoric matriarchal cultures that revered Mother Goddesses. The worship of the ancient Mother Goddess left a distinct mark on Celtic religion, evident through various goddesses such as the aforementioned Keridwen. Sovereignty over the land was tied to the feminine principle. The king was symbolically married to his kingdom in a ceremony where he received a libation (ritual pouring of a drink) from his bride, the sovereign. Sovereignty could appear as a sad and ugly old woman, symbolizing a desolate and bloody kingdom. However, if the rightful claimant to the kingdom kissed her, she would transform into a beautiful girl, revealing herself as such (if the ruler loves his kingdom and his people, he can turn it into paradise).
The ancient Mother Goddess was a supreme being connected to all aspects and cycles of life. Contrary to common belief, prehistoric times had an ancient monotheistic conception that connected to the power of nature, what Margaret Murray calls “the horned god,” or to Mother Earth. The goddess had many faces or aspects. She controlled life and was responsible for both birth and death. She embodied both passion and altruism and could appear in the form of animals such as a bird or a frog, all aspects of her.
With the arrival of the Celts in Britain, the various manifestations of the Mother Goddesses became separate goddess figures. The Indo-Europeans, including the Celtic tribes, brought with them a patriarchal society and warrior male deities. They adopted earlier male deities such as the Horned God, who embodies the power of nature and appears in the form of horns in prehistoric petroglyphs (rock paintings) around the world. In Celtic culture, he appears as Cernunnos (the equivalent of the Greek God Pan), and alongside him are other important gods representing different aspects of the male principle.
Here are the main Gods and Goddesses of the Celtic Pantheon:
Brigit
Brigit was the goddess of Britain, associated with the Isle of Avalon. Her worship continued even into the Christian era, transforming into the veneration of St. Brigit. In the Celtic period, eight fire ceremonies were held in her honor each year, which became the main Celtic holidays. She controlled the cycles of life, and therefore it was believed that she existed within humans.
Brigit is the goddess of the moon, sun, and fire, as well as springs and wells. She is the mother of the elements, the heavenly woman of the soul, and the daughter of Dagda (the good god associated with the cauldron of plenty). She is responsible for arts and crafts. The name Brigit is similar to Bride, and some say it is derived from the root brig, meaning “exalted.” She was the goddess of sovereignty, well-versed in poetry and occult wisdom. She had two sisters, also named Brigit, who were associated with the art of healing and craftsmanship (together they constituted a triple aspect of the goddess).
Brigit is associated with nourishment: the cows and herds she protected produced abundant milk, her supply of food was inexhaustible, and her feast day is February 1st, known as Imbolc, which is associated with the beginning of spring and the onset of lactation in sheep. She is the guardian of the family and oversees childbirth.
Cerridwen
Cerridwen is the goddess of change, renewal, surrender, old age, and death, and she is the mistress of the cauldron guarded by nine maidens, who are the guardians of truth and justice.
Cerridwen has the power to change shape and become an animal. She knows the secrets of stones and plants—there are nine medicinal plants she uses for potions and ointments, and nine trees associated with her. She accompanies souls, heals them, listens, prophesies, and communicates.
Cerridwen is perhaps the most important of the goddesses in Celtic mythology. Her name is composed of the word “Cerd,” which in Irish and Welsh means “arts” (akin to “Cerdo,” meaning artist in Spanish), and “Awen,” which means inspiration or holiness. Hence, Cerridwen is the goddess of the arts of inspiration, especially the art of poetry, which was the most developed spiritual form in ancient times, combining prophecy, wisdom, and supreme epic ability.
According to the writings of Taliesin, the legendary bard, she was a sorceress who lived on the shore of Lake Bala, called Llyn Tegid in Welsh, in the region of Penllyn, Wales. She lived with her giant husband Tegid Foel, whose name means “Tacitus the Bald.” Together, they served as the “watchers of the lake.” Baal served as a male deity of the lake, while Cerridwen was the “Lady of the Lake.” The couple had two children: a beautiful and successful daughter named Creirwy, and a son named Morfran, who was called Afagddu (“completely dark”), known for his ugliness and penetrating gaze.
Despite her extensive knowledge and skills in herbs and magic, Cerridwen struggled to concoct a potion that would make her son smart and beautiful. After many attempts, she finally devised a formula that required the potion to be cooked and stirred for a year and a day under continuous supervision. However, fate intervened, and her helper Gwion accidentally drank the concoction, becoming the poet Taliesin, while Morfran remained unchanged.
Cerridwen herself was not described as beautiful. In “Taliesin’s Romance,” she is depicted as a distinctly unplayable character: a dark and lame, shrieking old woman covered in ash, agile, with a big mouth and a patch covering her left eye. This description suggests that Cerridwen mainly represents the figure of the old goddess of wisdom and death, but she also had other faces.
In his book ‘The White Goddess,’ Robert Graves connects Cerridwen with the White Goddess, who embodies the three main goddesses of nature: the earth goddess responsible for the seasons, plants, mountains, and water; the queen of the sky associated with the sun, moon, and stars; and the goddess of the underworld, responsible for the bowels of the earth, sediments, death, and wisdom.
The triple image of the goddess represents the three periods of the cycle—birth, life, and death—and appears in three colors: white for the virgin goddess, red for the goddess of love, war, and motherhood, and black for the old goddess of death and wisdom. The white encompasses both the red and the black, hence the primary reference to her as the White Goddess. This cycle is symbolized in the central goddess symbols: the three phases of the moon—waxing, full, and waning—connected to each other.
Cerridwen’s name is also associated with the word ‘cardo,’ the hinge of the door, and thus also with Cardea, the goddess of the central axis for the Latins and Romans, who determined the direction of the four main winds of the sky. In fact, Cerridwen is the one who oversees the two giants, “Mania” and “Penya,” who revolve Grota, the fearsome millstone of the world, directing its power.
According to another version, the word cardo in Old Spanish describes a pig, one of the three distinct faces of the triple goddess: a pig, a mare, and a goat.
Cerridwen’s character is intimately associated with the cauldron, the central tool of transformations, found in every household as well as in the witch’s house. This cauldron dominates the central features of transformation. Cerridwen represents wisdom and transformation, herbs and nature, poetry, sorcery, inspiration, death, revival, and renewal, serving as the object of appeals for those seeking balm and help in these areas.
The Triple Goddess and the Moon
The moon has a mysterious power over water and a connection to the woman’s cycle, making it a universal multifaceted symbol related to goddesses and the cycles of life. The goddess rules over birth, life, and death, and thus she appears as three figures: maiden, bride, and old woman. The Celts left behind many statues of figures with three heads, and legends often feature three old women or maidens. The goddess is benevolent but also merciless, embodying both light and dark aspects. This duality reflects the moon’s two sides, one dark and one bright. The moon is part of a tripartite system along with the sun and earth, symbolizing birth, life, and death. Night symbolized death and day symbolized life, while the changing times of day represented the cycle of death and rebirth.
Cernunnos
Cernunnos is the male manifestation of Earth energy, which is otherwise female. He is the lord of animals (both domesticated and wild), the source of fruit, grain, and money, and the god of fertility and abundance. Cernunnos is sometimes depicted with a snake that has a stag’s head, and a small figure of a man with an erect penis. He often appears wearing a “torc”—a coiled band of precious metal usually worn around the neck or held in the hand. He is also seen sitting in an oriental posture (as was customary for the Celts), holding two snakes in his hands.
In a famous artifact called the Gundestrup Cauldron, found in a Celtic ritual pit in Denmark, a figure of Cernunnos known as the Celtic Buddha can be seen. He sits in a meditative position, holding a snake in one hand and a torc in the other. Cernunnos’s connection with snakes led to the creation of the magic egg used for prophecy called Anguinum. This egg was said to form from the spit and excrement of angry snakes, accumulating on the shells of marine snails. The resulting “egg,” round and the size of a small apple, was used by those in charge of prophecy among the Druids.
Lugh
According to Julius Caesar, the greatest of the Celtic gods is the one called Mercurius, most likely referring to Lugh, the Irish god. According to most scholars, the meaning of the name Lugh is “the light.” Lugh is the messenger of the sun and is considered life-giving, aiding in fertility and medicine. Sometimes he is identified with the sun itself, embodying the solar hero archetype who fights and defeats darkness every day.
The Irish Lugh is described as “possessing and versed in many arts.” In Welsh, his name is “Llew,” and an older form of these names is “Lugus,” which is the linguistic source of city names such as Leon and Lyon.
Lugh is a warrior with a miraculous spear, an otherworldly dog, a king, and a savior associated with truth-telling. His holiday is celebrated on the first of August (1.8), marking the harvest festival.
Dagda
Dagda is the good, mighty, and omniscient god who took the goddess of war (who is also the goddess of the earth) as his wife. He met her in one of her most well-known roles, standing in the river and washing the heads and limbs of those about to fall in battle—ensuring victory for their people. The couple had a daughter, the goddess Brigit.
Dagda controls the weather and the crops, and in this role, he is identified with the Roman Silvanus, the god of forests, vegetation, and tillage. Dagda is the great and good father, responsible for abundance and fertility.
Dagda has two special accessories: the first is a club whose one end kills and the other brings back to life (reminiscent of the Ankh, the Egyptian symbol of life), and the second is a cauldron that aids him in his role as the ruler of the world beyond. The cauldron plays a central role in the feast of the otherworld, constantly cooking and never leaving anyone unsatisfied.
The Cauldron
One of the things that characterized the Celts was their ability to process metals and create tools. Blacksmithing was considered a magical craft. Their greatest achievement was the creation of large cauldrons made from various metals, such as iron and bronze, that were superbly decorated. The cauldron was a ritual vessel adorned with symbols, figures, and mythological creatures. Its color was mostly black, a color often identified with female deities (especially Cerridwen) and the female principle of procreation and change. At the same time, darkness was associated with the class of warriors, the world beyond, and the god Dagda.
The holy cauldron is not just an object but also a concept and a way of life that represents transformation, cooking, combining elements, and creating something new through fusion and permutation. The cauldron serves as a melting pot where all ingredients are combined for mutual fertilization and enrichment. For example, in a story circle, everyone “throws” their story into the cauldron at the center, resulting in a collective story that enriches the participants.
In the cauldron, carefully selected components are collected, stirred, separated from their original forms, and mixed together. Through a long cooking process, they transform into something entirely new. A process, entity, or idea is born from this fusion.
The ancient Celts had several sacred objects, as mentioned in Irish mythology: the Stone of Fal, which screams when a lawful king sits on it; Lugh’s spear, which promises victory to whoever holds it; Nuada’s sword, from which no one can escape once it is drawn; and Dagda’s cauldron. These objects later appear in Christian mysticism and in the stories of King Arthur. The cauldron grants wisdom, knowledge, inspiration, and the ability to change shape, allowing a transition from this world to the next.
Druids
The Druids were the priestly class of the Celts, responsible for preserving the religion, history, laws, learning, and science of their people. They were wise individuals with special talents who wandered between settlements and villages, not bound to any specific place. They formed powerful priestly brotherhoods that guarded the sacred traditions with great care.
Julius Caesar was the first to use the word “Druid.” According to one interpretation, the name originates from the Celtic word “Derwos,” meaning “truth.” Another explanation suggests it comes from the combination of the Celtic words “Dru,” meaning tree (mainly oak), and “Wid,” meaning to know. Thus, literally, the Druids are those “who know the wisdom of the oak tree.” In modern Irish, the term “Druadh” has come to mean sorcerer.
The Druids were considered miracle workers. According to legends, they knew how to move stones with the power of thought, change shape, and prophesy. Additionally, they were astronomers, mathematicians, and healers, knowledgeable in the laws of nature and the spiritual reality behind physical phenomena. They studied geometry, sacred music, numbers, and crystals. People of the ancient world believed that the Druids learned their knowledge from luminaries such as Pythagoras or Zalmoxis, or alternatively, that they were the ones who taught these figures.
To become a Druid, a person had to undergo twenty years of apprenticeship and study. It is known that they had no written language in the usual sense, relying instead on memorization. This rigorous memorization required extraordinary brain activity. Alongside their studies in mathematics, astronomy, music, and a special type of abstract symbol writing related to the natural world, they activated dormant parts of the brain associated with telekinesis, telepathy, clairvoyance, and more. Classical writers testified that Druids had unusual abilities, such as levitation, raising the dead, controlling the weather, wandering unseen, passing through time barriers, and other feats. These abilities, linked to the activation of dormant brain centers, explain the sacredness the Celts attributed to skulls and recall the abilities of the Indian rishis.
The uniqueness of the Druids’ spiritual school lay in their deep connection to nature and the use of its forces for spiritual progression. For the Druids, man was a microcosm of the macrocosm, and once the frequencies were synchronized, man could experience nature and the universe profoundly. They believed that forces in nature, such as the sun and stars, could be harnessed by man, allowing him to become a superhuman, transcending the laws of nature. This was the essence of their magic.
Externally, the Druids connected the Celtic people with their many gods, managed religious ceremonies, and engaged in community roles such as law, advising the king, teaching, philosophy, and science. They held judicial authority, which some say exceeded that of the leaders, and legends claim they could stop wars.
The first stage of Druid initiation included a profound and fearsome experience, where the apprentice entered a lost world likened to the outer darkness of space. This initiation took place in a dark, underground, enclosed room or cave. Those who withstood the test were considered reborn into a new life. The apprenticeship continued through several intermediate stages over twenty years, one of which included learning to become a rhyme poet—a “Bard.” While every Druid was also a Bard, not every Bard was a Druid. Among the Druids, there were individuals, mainly women, who specialized in prophecy and were called Ovates. At the end of their training, a Druid became a shaman, priest, poet, philosopher, judge, and prophet.
Classical writers compared the Druids to Indian Brahmins, Pythagoreans, and Babylonian astronomers, claiming that they had a deep understanding of nature, including which plants could kill or heal, and a knowledge of spells and magic. They were philosophers and theologians who studied both sublime and hidden things. Julius Caesar, who spent much time among the Celts in Gaul, wrote that they knew the size of the earth and the universe, the movement of the stars, and the nature of things. They had power and authority over the eternal gods, taught the immortality of the soul, and believed in reincarnation. Caesar claimed that Druidism began in Britain and that their philosophy originated there.
However, the Celts only arrived in Britain in the second millennium BC. If the origin of Druid spirituality is from Britain, it suggests an even older source unrelated to the Celts. Consequently, some spiritual traditions link Druid wisdom to Atlantis, given the presence of stone circles and impressive megalithic remains in Britain that predate the arrival of Celtic culture.
Poetry Bards
Part of the training of a Druid priest included becoming a poet—a bard. However, one could also study bardism as a standalone subject, focusing solely on becoming a bard. Poetry was seen as an opening to the unseen worlds, similar to Ethiopian kana poetry or Japanese haiku. The bardic curriculum included rhyming forms, composition, storytelling, grammar, ogham (wooden script), philosophy, and law. This initial study period lasted seven years, followed by another seven years devoted to more specific studies.
The role of the bard was to memorize and recount the history of the people, the land, and the race. They preserved the essence of the nation and conveyed it to the people and the king. Their recitations included oaths sworn, battles won, extraordinary events, and the connection of the tribe to the holiness of the land, mountains, springs, rivers, and hills. They also focused on the worship of hidden life in nature, animals, and ancestors. Ancient writings from the bardic tradition, particularly from Wales and Ireland, date back to the 12th century, though they are based on much older sources.
When the Romans conquered Britain, they allowed the bards to continue their tradition but waged a bitter war against the Druids. The Druids were seen as a threat, while the bards were not. Consequently, much of Druidic wisdom was hidden within the songs and stories of the bards and remains there to this day. Bardic schools continued to exist in Ireland until the 17th century.Top of Form
Modern Druids (Neo-Druids)
Classical Celtic culture disappeared from Britain during the Roman period and from Wales and Ireland with the arrival and establishment of Christianity in the 5th-6th centuries AD. The Druid center in Anglesey was conquered and destroyed in 70 AD, leading to the disappearance of the spiritual schools. However, in the last 300 years, there have been attempts to restore the faith and spiritual path of ancient Druidry, reinventing it as a nature and magic-based religion called “Neo-Druidism.” In recent years, several New Age movements similar to Neo-Druidism, such as Neo-Paganism and Witchcraft, have also emerged, but these are newer.
The new Druid movement was initiated by John Aubrey, the discoverer of the Avebury stone circle and a well-known antiquarian, in the 17th century. He believed that the stone circles were connected to the Druids and was likely a member of a secret and ancient Druid order called “The Grove of Mount Haemus.” His student, John Toland, called a gathering of Druids from all over the British Isles and founded the oldest Druid order that still exists, “The Grove of the Mother,” established in 1717 on the day of the equinox.
The next significant figure in Druidism was William Stukeley. In addition to being Aubrey’s successor in exploring and discovering the Stone Circles, he succeeded Toland in leading the Druid Order. These individuals believed that ancient Druidry was sent by God to earth to prepare the ground for the appearance of Jesus and Christianity. They claimed that Druidism centered on the worship of one monotheistic god, represented by the principle of light and embodied in the sun.
In 1834, the Order of the Mother Grove split into the Ancient United Order of Druids and the Ancient Order of Druids. Today, there are several Neo-Druid currents, but the differences between them are minor. The main idea is to engage in love, healing, and, unfortunately, also blessing and cursing. It is estimated that there are about 12,000 Neo-Druids in Western Europe, particularly in England.
What Does It Mean to Be a Druid?
In Druidism, the first step is creating an altar, a sacred place dedicated to a specific deity or power. This space can be in the house or garden and is meant to be fenced off as a sacred area, both physically and temporally. The purpose is to relate to it, feel it, sanctify it, and perceive it as a gift from the divine, with our reverence and admiration serving as our gift in return. Hedging the space helps achieve this.
The sacred place is often a circle, inspired by ancient stone circles like Stonehenge. The circle can be drawn in the sky, in the clouds, among the trees, or on the ground. It is an area of peace and harmony, a sanctuary distinct from the outside world. Movement around the circle is usually either counterclockwise or clockwise. The circle symbolizes the sky and the movement of stars, the sun, and the moon.
The circle is charged and sanctified through rituals involving incense, holy water, sounds, and fire. It incorporates the four elements and four directions, representing the earth while also evoking the sun and moon. This sacred space invites the individual to look upwards, towards the sky. Most circles in Druidic practice in the UK align the four elements with specific directions: earth in the north, air in the east, fire in the south, and water in the west.
In addition to the circle, neo-Druidism includes creating another sacred place known as the inner grove, sometimes supported by an outer grove. The inner grove is a personal, meditative space, often visualized or created in nature, providing a deeper connection to the divine and the natural world.
In essence, to be a Druid means to cultivate sacred spaces, honor the natural elements, and engage in rituals that connect one to the divine, nature, and the cosmic order. It involves a harmonious relationship with the world and a deep reverence for the mysteries of existence.
The Inner and Outer Grove
A grove symbolizes the abode of the gods and, in ancient times, was dedicated to the holy mistletoe, a type of plant that exists in an intermediate state between a tree and a plant. The grove represents a magical world distinct from our own. In addition to the outer grove, there is an inner grove, which appears in various legends and exists in a different realm of reality.
Druid priests sought to connect with the essence of trees, interpreting their wisdom. In ancient times, trees were not always considered friendly, and part of the Druids’ role was to appease the spirits of the trees. Trees could cause unease, as depicted in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.” Trees, ancient and long-lived, are extensions of the earth, repositories of memory and wisdom, having witnessed much more than humans.
Forests contained dark, sacred places, as well as springs, wells, and ponds where the Celts placed wooden carvings. These figures were often abstract, merging representations of the phallus, other body parts, or simply faces, carved from wood or sculpted from stone.
Some open areas in the forest, known as clearings or nemetons, were considered sacred and were typically surrounded by oak trees. Young apprentices training to become Druids conducted their studies in these nemetons.
The Celts were a forest people with a special relationship with trees. Eight trees were considered noble: linden, alder, willow, oak, beech, hazel, apple, and yew. In addition to these, there were eight “simple” trees and eight fern trees. Each tree corresponded to a letter in the ancient language called Ogham.
The Role of the Inner and Outer Grove:
- Outer Grove: A physical space, often in a forest or a designated natural area, used for rituals, ceremonies, and education. It serves as a sanctuary and a place to connect with nature and the divine.
- Inner Grove: A metaphysical or symbolic space within the mind or spirit, used for meditation, introspection, and spiritual connection. It represents a deeper, inner world where one can commune with higher wisdom and the essence of nature.
In Druidism, the groves are central to spiritual practice, symbolizing the interconnectedness of all life and the profound wisdom held within nature. They provide a framework for understanding the world and our place within it, bridging the physical and spiritual realms.
Arthur as a Celtic prototype
Arthur may have been a historical figure, a British leader from the 6th century AD, or he may not have existed at all. However, his significance lies in being a mythical hero, an eternal sun warrior. He is the most popular and important of the Celtic solar heroes. Arthur represents the human warrior hero who transcends and connects to the sun god archetype, a central motif in Celtic stories. The key to the Celtic mysteries is the combination of the spiritual with the physical, and the reliance on the imaginary and the changes of form. This mystery is embodied in the character of Arthur.
Ancient Celtic legends that gathered around his name inspired the medieval romances of King Arthur. Arthur’s commemoration in British place names is a local version of the connection to Lugh, the sun god, and other Celtic heroes.
Arthur’s character is also based on another ancient Celtic archetype, the shaman, represented by Merlin. According to legends, Merlin is the last great druid priest, a man born from the union of humans and demons, an expert in transformation, and a master of the forces of nature. He is said to have established the stone circle at Stonehenge by lifting stones into the air and flying them into place. Merlin, a seven-year-old prodigy, amazed the druid priests by destroying a pair of water dragons. He becomes the sage and guide of humanity in its attempt to understand the worlds beyond.
