Celtic Wicca

By

Myrddann

Used with permision.


Celtic Wicca is the use of Celtic Pantheons and Celtic knowledge with Wiccan philosophies.

CELTIC WICCA

Celtic Wicca today is a very powerful blend of religious thought, philosophy, and magic derived from many sources both old and new. Celtic Wicca refers to all variations of Wicca which derive the majority of their mythology and ritual from Celtic Druidical sources. The other attributes which are common to Celtic Wiccan Traditions are intensive study and use of elemental and tree magic; deep respect for fairy folk, tree spirits, elementals, and all of nature; and preserving the importance of traditional Celtic values such as honor, courage, truth, strength, wisdom, and eloquence. The great heroes, heroines, kings, and queens of the Celts were as noted for their skill as musicians, poets, singers, dancers, artisans, and wise leaders as they were for their strength, courage, and skill at arms. Although there is still much debate about evidence of Celtic Matriarchal societies, the women were apparently treated with much more respect than they are today. Celtic women were capable of becoming warriors, blacksmiths, priestesses, military generals, and/or rulers in their own right. Celtic Wicca today is a combination of Druidism, Hinduism, pre-Celtic Fairy Faith, and many other sources, but it is based on the ancient, proto-IndoEuropean tribal religions. The basic concepts of worshipping the creative entities as a Goddess, Mother Earth, (the goddess of birth, plants, and creation) and a God, Father Sky, (the horned god of death, animals, and the hunt) through ritual practice is as old as religion itself. The earliest traceable sources are proto-Indo-European tribes near the Black Sea and Sumerian mysticism near what is modern day Iraq, but traditional myths sometimes put Wicca's roots in religions practiced by the seafaring empire of Atlantis. The pentagram is a symbol of virtue and self restraint which has come to be accepted as the primary religious symbol of most branches of Wicca today. Celtic Wicca often uses it even though it's origins are not Celtic. Some Sumerian traditions speak of the Elder Gods as being visitors from a star system in the pleides constellation. When asked where they were from, the Gods simply pointed to the star. Thus the pentagram became a symbol of our covenant with these gods to guard the ancient portals against the destructive forces from other realms who would destroy or subdue this world. Today Celtic Wicca uses the upright (a single point upwards) pentagram as a symbol of adherence to the Wiccan Rede. This is essentially the same five pointed star that the Freemasons chose to put on most of the national symbols of the United States of America. They realized that it represented spirit maintaining control over the other four elemental energies of earth, air, fire, and water within as well as without. This does not imply that we try to subdue natural forces, but rather seek to find ethical means of guiding them both without and within. We use the original interwoven form of this star as a symbol of our certain knowledge that people can and should use the will of their spirit not only to lead elemental forces for constructive purposes, but also to channel all natural urges and emotions into healthy avenues of expression. We don't try to suppress sexual urges, anger, etc., because that is unhealthy and self destructive. Instead we give our passion to our mate (or the healthy search for one), our anger to injustice, our fear to wise precautions, our sadness to our mother Goddess who soothes it and uses the energy for healing, and our loving joy to all the world! Separation of life energies into seven distinct elements was taught and practiced by the proto-IndoEuropean tribes. Such elemental separations were implied in Sumerian Mythology, but the credit is usually given to the Indo-European descendants, the Greeks, who publicly discussed such mysteries at length. The Celts, also descendants of these IndoEuropean tribes, appear to have kept the original beliefs in the seven elements of earth, sea, stone, cloud, wind, sun, and the Gods or spirit, but due to their love of teaching things in sets of threes, they often spoke in terms of sea, land and sky. Today Druids and Celtic Wiccans use systems of 3, 5, 7 or 9 elements, but the basic principle and magickal uses are the same. Sumerian and Egyptian mysticism had an influence on Celtic Druids as their explorers and colonists traded culture with others, but the degree of this influence is unknown. The earliest written accounts of a spring ritual mating of the God and Goddess, while inhabiting the bodies of a priest and priestess to ensure fertility and prosperity for the year was in Sumeria and the pentagram almost certainly comes from there. The Greeks were often neighbors to the Celts and were very interested in Sumerian and Egyptian mysticism, so this was probably one of the major sources of such cultural exchanges. Druidism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Teutonic Religions, Elusinian, Orphic, and Roman Mysteries and many others, developed concepts of reincarnation from their ancestral, proto-IndoEuropean religions. Reincarnation was viewed as a means of learning and growing until no further lessons from this environment were required. The Druids generally taught that it was much more likely to be reborn in a direct descendant. It is uncertain whether this implies some form of belief in genetic memory or whether they simply thought it would provide a more convenient environment for the soul to continue their education. Druids also believed in transmigration into animals or trees even after having lived a human life. Many modern Wiccans believe that transmigration would be counterproductive in most cases (there are exceptions to everything), but consider it likely that plant or animal forms may have been used as a stage of growth for developing the spirit prior to the first human incarnation. Buddhism is an evolution of Hinduism and most anthropologists believe that they both evolved from the same pre-historic IndoEuropean religions as Druidism, so there should be no surprise that we have much in common with them. I am proud to say that modern Wiccans accept what wisdom they can learn from many sources including Buddhist and Hindu teachers. The more I learn about Hindu teachings of Dharma, Karma, and many Gods and Goddesses with a single divine source, the more convinced I am that Hindu teachings have directly or indirectly contributed nearly as much to what is modern Wicca as the teachings of the ancient Celts. In the areas of philosophy, ethics, and reincarnation, Hinduism and the ancient Vedic scriptures are a more direct and far older source for what we teach than any other that can be documented. Even the oldest dates ascribed to the poetic rendering of the "Charge of the Goddess" in Aradia are quite recent compared to these ancient texts. Besides, the original form given by Aradia would be considered completely outside of what most Wiccans consider acceptable ethics or how they interpret the Wiccan Rede, but Hindu teachings of ahimsa (non-harm) are in perfect accordance with them. Buddhist concepts about dharma, karma, reincarnation, and progression through multiple lifetimes are also generally accepted by Wiccans except that we usually have a more joyful and optimistic view of life than that portrayed by some Buddhist teachers. Some Buddhists seek to reach enlightenment in order to escape the painful cycle of life and death. We consider life a great privilege rather than a necessary discomfort and we enjoy life tremendously, but we also seek enlightenment in spite of the fact that it will bring new challenges on some other level and end this cycle of reincarnation that we enjoy so much. Many different religious and magickal traditions have contributed over the centuries to the various folk religions we loosely term "Wiccan", but the basic concept of coming closer to our loving God and Goddess through living in harmony with nature and all aspects of ourselves remains the same.

The Number Three

Three, and multiples of three (three, six and nine) were held as very potent figures. The tripple Goddess... The triskele for instance; three curving lines ending in a counter-clockwise spiral represented the three worlds.

The Three Worlds

- Sky; the equivalent of heaven, or the Upperworld (Summerland) the world of the Gods and higher spirits (ancestors)

- Land; the Earth, or this world (Annwn) Where the physical world is manifested

- Sea; the Underworld (Abred) where life ends and is reborn

Celtic encumpases many worlds in beliefs, Irish, Welsh, Breton and Scottish. For instance, in the Mabinogian there are many stories of Pwyll and his adventures with the Celtic Gods and Goddesses. The understanding of how the world came to be, and how one attains spirituality from this life into the next, and the Circle Of Being.

*Circle of Being*

In this system, two primary existences are contemplated. God, or the Great Sprit, and Cythrawl. God representing the principle of energy and life, Cythrawl representing the principle of destruction and nothingness. Cythrawl, is also better known as Annwn; Chaos. God, as the Great Spirit; Order.

In the beginning there was nothing but God and Annwn. God spoke his name out loud which created the 'spark' of life, or the Manred - the primal substance of the universe. All was conceived as the microcosm, or the atoms from which all matter is and that God is a part of - the All. The totality of being is now what this is represent, by three (there's that three again!) concentric circles. The innermost circle is where life itself sprang forth from Annwn, known as Abred. This is the stage of struggle and evolution - the life experience itself. The next outer circle is called Gwynfyd - Purity. This part of life is pure, rejoicing and all knowledgeable, having attained a spirituality over 'evil' - in other words the spiritual plane. The final, outermost circle is called Ceugant, or Infinity, or the All. This area, although a part of all the worlds and the other circles is inhabited by God, or the All, alone. Since the All is part of everything that is, we are all a part of 'God', but do not attain the same level as 'God' since the energy manifest in All is to great to be comprehended all at once on any plane.

This brings us to the God and Goddess aspects. They are a manifestation of the All, so that we may work with and communicate with the All. They also honor thier ancestors as in the Celtic tradition, which includes family and ancient ancestral roots.

Celtic History Its Effect on Modern Paganism

Brief History on the Celts

The appearance of the Celts has been a topic of discussion, or argument, amongst scholars for many years. Most agree, however, the first recorded time period was around 600 bce. Although some will insist the Celts have been around since the eighth century bce.

In either case, Celtic peoples were leaders in the art of forage. The Iron Age was of extreme advantage to the Celts who's warrior personalities caused them to create many powerful weapons that would prove imposing to the Romans. The swords were much longer and heavier than the Romans', the shields stronger with an incredible display of artwork.

Caesar wrote of many encounters with the Celts, mostly with a biased tongue, but since much of what we know of the Celts, other than archeological, is what the Romans and the Christians scribed. Caesar and Posidonius were most famous for their tales of the Celts. One such tale described a horrible shout that came from the Celtic warriors during battle that took the Roman soldiers by surprise and scared them right out of their sandals.

There was also reports that the Celts fought naked, without fear, and without armor. Allusions have been made to the fact their nakedness in battle was a form of supernatural protection and that many of the young warriors were trained in the magickal arts. This ritual of warring in the nude continued to be practiced by the Scottish highland clans during the times of William Wallace. Celtic woman were held in high regard. Though there were no recorded women that became kings but there were women who were rulers, such as Aife and Maeve of Ireland. Many women were trained as warriors and fought alongside the men.

Celtic Beliefs and Practices

According to archeological and written history, there is strong evidence from the Celtic burial grounds that the belief in reincarnation was a tenet of their religion, which led to a lack of fear of death. It was believed atonement for sin was carried out in the next life in punishment, but there is little evidence supporting the belief in sin by the Celts. The Druids had a definite view in the after-life, that the soul passed on from this life to the next.

Further archeological evidence showed a ritual practice of dedications were made to Roman gods along side with the Celtic deities. Since the Roman's literary work describes these practices, we have an accurate list of Celtic Gods and Goddesses by name. There was little evidence, however, of one common God or Goddess among the Celtic people. Lugh, perhaps the best known throughout the continent in Britain and Ireland of that period.

Other well known gods were Epona, or the 'horse goddess'. Normally pictured with a woman on horseback, occasionally accompanied by a foal, Epona represented fertility, abundance, the Earth and animals. Apparently she was the only Goddess that was honored by the Romans as well as the Celts. Many other Goddesses were shown in the form the Mother, or the Matronae pictured normally as a triad (mother,maiden,crone) and frequently carrying infants, baskets of fruit and cornucopiae.

Some of the Goddesses were depicted as consorts of the Gods, such as Rosmerta, who accompanied Mercury, or Nantosuelta accompanied by Sucellos - Many of which are pictured on a number of monuments especially in Gaul. One of the most common Gods in Celtic and Gaulic history was depicted as a bull. One such example is a carving on the face of an altar found in Paris. A bull with three horns or cranes against a backdrop of a tree with spreading branches. The bull symbology is also very strong in literature such as the Tain Bo Cualnge and other various Irish writings. The bull represented strength and virility, but as now is known, the bull was not exclusive to the Celtic beliefs.

A bull symbol was also found on the Gundestrup Bowl right alongside a picture of a human but horned god. This picture is believed to be the God Cernunnos, or the 'squatting god'. Cernunnos has been translated as 'the horned one' and 'the god with the head of the deer' as the horns are shown parallel to the deer shown standing to his right onscribed on the bowl. Cernunnos also retains the attributes of the more common bull symbol.

Many of the Celtic gods were linked in some way to the Roman gods. Drawing from their pre-Iron Age European rituals, the Celts appeared to have sought protection, guidance and comfort during stressful times. The Celtic gods retained human type faults and egos, many of whom were usually depicted as having human bodies - which the Romans found somewhat humorous since they believed the gods to be something more than human.

Celtic influences on modern Wicca

In 1954, Gerald Gardner proclaimed himself a witch when the last of the witch laws were repealed by England. Gardner studied under the likes of Aleistor Crowley and Doreen Valiente, incorporating various rituals, beliefs and secrets from the Golden Dawn to re-new the ancient ways of Wicce. Wicce or Wicca is an old Saxon word for 'wise'. Wicca eventually became the catch-word 'witch', meaning to twist or bend.

Gardner, in his attempts to continue the religion of Wicca, embodied the beliefs of the Celts, Taoism, ceremonial magick, Jungian, and even Jewish Kabbalahic rituals in forming this neo-Wicca.

To say that Wicca is wholly based on Celtic or Indo-European beliefs is obviously inaccurate. However there are, from each part, necessary components in the modern day Wiccan beliefs. Can one be Celtic and Wiccan? Sure. But if you wish to say you follow only a Celtic religion, such as Druidry, then you cannot be Wiccan. Although there are many similarities between the Celts and Wicca, there is enough of a difference to have separate beliefs.

The elements in Wicca (fire, earth, air and water) were not referenced in Celtic or Druid beliefs. Their representations of the elements were the three worlds: The Sky (Air), The Sea (Water) and The Land (Earth), which were also known as the Otherworlds - Upper World (sky), Middle World (Earth) and the Under World (sea).

Although many of the Gods and Goddesses Wiccans use today are generally known as Celtic gods, this does not mean Wicca is exclusively Celtic. Modern Wicca is more eclectic - borrowing many rituals and beliefs to add to the religion as needed. That is one of the great things about Wicca - its ability to adapt and conform to each individual.

Celtic Symbols

There were many symbols sacred to the Celts. The number three was evident in many of their spiritual practices, for instance, the three worlds:

The Middle World or Earth (Land)

The Celts determined that the rise to the Summerland was by accessing the Sky, while entrance into to the Lowerworld or Underworld was admitted through the Sea or by mounds known as Sidhe (shee). The underworld was a place of rest to await and be reborn. The Celts did not believe in an all-evil entity.

The Tryskele

The Tryskele was a representation of the importance of the number three. In this form it too represents the three worlds and the travels to the outer spirit.

The Spiral

The spiral was found on many Dolmans and gravesites. Its true meaning is not known for sure, but many of these symbols were found as far as Ireland and France. It is believed to represent the travel from the inner life to the outer soul or higher spirit forms.

The Celtic Knotwork

The intricate Celtic knotwork is prevalent in many tapestries, paintings and buildings. It represents the never-ending life cycle and is a form of protection against negative or unwanted forces. It is believed that the knotwork was placed on warrior's shields to entrance or confuse the enemy on the battlefield.

The Three Rays

A Druid symbol for the three worlds and the sign of divinity. Used especially in modern Druidry.

Trees

The trees were also held very sacred by the Celts and Druids - especially the Oak. The Oak represented the World Tree which ties all three worlds together. It was believed if you climbed a great tree to the uppermost branches you could touch the Upperworld. If you found a way to climb into the tree below the roots, it was a passageway into the Underworld. The Oak also was revered by the Druids as a steadfast and hearty tree which represented the immortal soul. The theory is that the word Druid came from the Gaulish word drue which meant 'oak' and adis which meant 'wise'.

Below is a chart for moon/tree phases and their corresponding magickal properties, for herb magick.

Tree Magickal Properties

Birch Protection of children, purification, creativity

Rowan Healing, personal empowerment, divination

Ash Prosperity, protection, healing

Alder Spirituality, teaching, weather magick, duty, mental prowess

Willow Romantic love, healing, protection, fertility, magick for women

Hawthorn Fertility, peace, prosperity, binding

Oak All positive purposes, magick for men, fidelity

Holly Protection, prophecy, magick for animals, sex magick

Hazel Manifestation, spirit contact, protection, fertility

Vine (Property depends on type of vine)

Blackberry - Prosperity, protection, sacred to Brid

Blueberry - Spirituality, dream magick

Grape - Fertility, inspiration, prosperity, binding

Thistle - Courage, protection, strength

Ivy Healing, protection, cooperation, exorcism

Reed Fertility, protection, love, family concerns

Elder Exorcism, prosperity, banishing, healing

The Cauldron

The Cauldron was a symbol of rebirth and knowledge. On the Gundestrup Cauldron, an ancient Celtic artifact found in the Netherlands, artwork on the bowl shows a number of dead warriors waiting in line to be dipped into the cauldron and brought back to life. It is also a symbol of the Goddess Cerridwen and is often confused with the modern-day stereotype of witches on Hallowe'en.

 

 

 

 

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