Henge Happenings # 110 - Beltane 2016 - Public Edition by Tony Taylor

The Henge of Keltria Henge Happenings

Beltane 2016 - Issue 110 Public edition

Contents From the Editor..................................1 From the President.............................2 Secretary's Report..............................3 Grove Report: GryphonSong Clan........3 Fisher King and Wounded Healer: Nuada Argetlám.....4 Deepening Our Druidic Identity Part III...................9 Review: A ‘Virtual Reality’ Tour Of Ancient Ireland..........11

Druidism for the 21st Century™

From the Editor

Druidic practice. If you've missed the first two parts, I highly encourage you to seek them out in the past two editions of Henge Happenings. They are a veritable Well of Wisdom when it comes to taking your Druidry to the next level – particularly if you are a solitary with no Grove to guide you. While Grove life is deeply rewarding, many of us are left outside the circle – due to a lack of interested co-religionists in our area, family and work obligations, health issues and other obstacles. Being solitary, however, needn't limit your spiritual practice – and Karl's series may be just the inspiration you need. Looking for a good summer read? Check out Mairéid Sullivan's review of an excellent book on Irish spirituality that I'm sure you'll want to add to your Amazon wish list. Finally, there is my own article on Nuada, a god that I've been exploring in recent months. I admit my own perspective continues to evolve, so this article is mostly a snapshot of what I was pondering at that period of time.

Enjoy! And please, consider unveiling your own gems to the admiring eyes of the community. Here in Upstate New York, springtime Henge Happenings, which comes out quarterly, is creeps in with its usual fits and starts. A summery a great place to share your thoughts, poetry, interlude in late March inspires the green shoots to reviews, articles, artwork and more. We 'd love to break through the ground – only to be beaten back showcase your work! by a sudden snow. Spring can be utterly Cover credit: CypressEyes unpredictable around here, the sublime manifestation of Aonghus' trickster nature. That's Henge Happenings part of its beauty, and frustration. Editor: Jenne Micale dulcimergoddess@keltria.org

The Henge Happenings process can be similarly unpredictable. Because it is authored by the membership and friends, I can never know what shape it will take or what gems it will contain, other than what I myself author. But I do know that the gems will be forthcoming for, like any good chieftain, Keltrians are a generous bunch. And being Druids, they are also inspired.

In addition to such necessary components as the ballot and officers' reports, this issue of Henge Happenings is a-dazzle with gems. This is especially thanks to Archdruid Emeritus Karl, who gives the third part of his series on deepening

From the President

initiates-only meeting, ritual, etc.) is currently in development but the dates are set for July 8 and 9. There is a limited number of on-site rooms (suitable for at least double occupancy) so, if you are interested in staying on location, register soon. Double occupancy rooms run for just over $90 for each person per night and includes breakfast and dinner. Single occupancy rooms can be had for about $145 per night. (These are fees for the resort. Modest Gathering fees are in addition to this.) A more detailed flyer will be forthcoming that will provide the specifics of timing, fees and, perhaps, seminar content but, if you know you are coming and want to stay on site, email the Henge Secretary at eibhlean@keltria.org. Walk with Wisdom,

Karl Schlotterbeck President, Board of Trustees of the Henge of Keltria Save the date! Rapidly warming weather (at least where I live) is a reminder that our Annual Gathering is coming. Each year, members gather to serve one another in seminars, to elect officers, celebrate our Keltrian ways, discuss Druidic issues and engage in ritual – not to mention the pure enjoyment of each other’s company. Many of us find renewal at these events and rare opportunities to interact faceto-face with Henge officers and with others of like mind.

Shop and benefit the Henge! The Henge is a part of the Amazon Affiliate program; it allows the Henge to earn up to 4% on anything you purchase on Amazon.

The easy way is to go to the Henge Recommended Reading page as a starting point: http://astore.amazon.com/thehengeofkeltri. Add This year’s Gathering will be held at the that webpage to your favorites and use it whenever Forrest Hills Mountain Resort and Retreat Center you want to go to Amazon. The Henge is also a near Dahlonega, Georgia, with its wineries and part of the Amazon Smile program. If you use gold mines. (If you’d like, you can check out the smile.amazon.com and select the Henge of Keltria resort’s website at http://forresthillsresort.com/ and as your charity, the Henge will then receive a 0.5% Facebook page at donation in support. www.facebook.com/ForrestHillsResort/.) The schedule of activities (seminars, business meeting, 2

Grove Report: Gryphonsong Clan

Secretary's Report - Beltane 2016

Spring and its wildly erratic weather pattern is in full force in the Southeast. As I write this, we’ve seen temperatures swing from highs in the upper 80s down to lows near freezing. It is a constant balancing time for those of us starting our new gardens to protect the young plant-lings from frost overnight and then uncovering them quickly when the temperatures soar during the day. But this time of year is the absolute best for being outdoors for our Rites: The bugs are still a bit dormant and the evenings are clear and still.

We have gotten a lot of recent activity on the Board email list from individuals interested in our remote learning options for Keltrian Studies. It seems the recent Book of Keltria and Book of Ritual publications have both brought some new visibility to the Henge! We look forward to seeing the new faces and energy this will bring.

Our group is moving into a more international presence with one of our initiates moving to La Paz, Mexico. We will be working over the next year to see if we can maintain good strong energetic connections augmented by what we hope are several live visits back to our Clan family.

Membership overall remains steady and our Council of Elders are busy reviewing and enhancing the excellent body of work in our current curriculum.

We offer a last look at Spring poem by our Clan’s Elder Mother, who has walked an esoteric spiritual path for more than 65 years

Spring Promise Spring – dressing in her gown of green Please note that the office of Secretary will Bringing forth beauty long unseen. be open for election this year for the Board. Please Decking Herself in jewels so rare – consider stepping forward and offering your Or are those raindrops in Her hair? energy and service. We have worked hard to create Lightly She steps forth from Her morning shower what we hope are reasonably organized and detailed procedure guides for handling the regular To preen Herself in a sun-drenched bower. Secretary duties. I am happy to make this Gaily She dons more glory each day document available to any with an interest in And adds to Her beauty in Her slow sweet way. pursuing this position. There are also two Trustee Oh, yes, tis Spring, and young hearts sing positions coming open on the board as well. To the promise of future only Springtime can This will be my last report as Secretary to bring! the Henge. Thank you again for the privilege of – Rhea giving service. May you all be continually blessed Goodbye to spring and hello to the glory of by the Ancestors, Nature Spirits and the Gods. summer. Walk with Wisdom, Important Announcement

GryphonSong Clan

Walk with Wisdom, Strength and Gratitude, Ulchabhan 3

Fisher King and Wounded

Sword and god are bound together in the lore, so much so that the two merge together: the silver sword, the metal-handed deity. While this Healer: Nuada Argetlám chieftain of the gods falls in the second battle of By Jenne Micale Mag Tuired in some versions of the story – understanding, of course, that for the Gods death is The king is not whole, and the land is made waste. never permanent – it is perhaps telling that his He is capable and famous blade disappears strong, still. He bears the from the lore, never to be Sword of Finias that he will borne by another. In other always bear, the unerring versions of the tale, Nuada – blade of the sacred treasure magically restored by Miach that never misses its mark. His – takes the throne of his silver hand is a shining people again after the war reminder of what he has (Rua 17). sacrificed for his people, for the sake of justice, truth, the But Nuada is more protection of the land and its than the killing blade, the creatures. tool that gets the job done or But it also reminds him even the chieftain. He is also of his failures, and does not associated closely with move like his hand of flesh. healing waters, the mist And so, the king is not whole. rising from the river, the The land rejects the hand of well of wisdom. More than man, and the Gods themselves just the wounded king, he is grow hungry for offerings that the wounded healer – a term no longer come. Truth and made famous by justice are no longer enough to psychologist Carl Jung. To heal wounds. know how the blade cuts, one must be cut by it. To Whenever we face East know how to heal, one must – the direction of the sunrise, first be broken. the freshness of the day and the spring, the province of the Chieftain and law-giver wind – we face Nuada Argetlám, the god of the Silver While the meaning Hand. In Keltrian rites, we of Nuada's name is far from designate the boundaries of clear, some have surmised sacred space by calling upon that it is related to the words the past present and future, and for “cloud” or “mist,” (Rua then facing the cardinal 17), while others have linked directions. And mirroring the it to words for “acquire” or journey of sun, moon and stars even “go fish.” Whatever its across the heavens, we begin meaning, it appears clearly with the East, standing in the linked to the Welsh Lludd light of Finias, remembering Early Iron Age swords, illustration by Llaw Ereint (Lludd of the Johann Georg Ramsauer (1795-1874) Nuada's famous blade. Silver Hand) and the ancient 4

Celtic deity Nodens or Nodons, associated with healing shrines (Rolleston 146, Chadwick 73). He may also be the same god as Nechtan or Elcmar, the freshwater god who is the cuckolded husband of Boann of the river (McKillop 137).

And indeed, Nuada himself appears to have a deep connection with prosperity – whether its lack in the time of war, or its restoration when the king, made whole, takes his throne again. Drawing back the curtain of time, Nuada's most ancient ancestor may have been the ProtoIndo-European Xáryomen, according to the reconstructed pantheon of Ceisiwr Serith. Xáryomen's name survives in Irish lore as Éremón, the first Milesian king of Ireland – and perhaps, in a larger mythological sense, the first human king. Éremón and Nuada are kingship, whether its manifestation in a human figure or in a divine concept. In a similar sense, the name Xáryomen denotes community identity itself, connected to the tribe-name arya, which survived in Irish as aire, the word for free people, and a suffix similar in meaning to the English --ness (Serith 52). He is not, it must be emphasized, the God of racism

His sword comes from Finias – also spelled Findias or Finnias, meaning “bright white fort” (Kondratiev 82). Celticist James MacKillop describes the sword as allowing “no victim to escape,” which appears to be its major magical quality (136). Unlike Keltrians, Alexei Kondratiev places the sword – and perhaps Finias – in the north, connecting it with such functions as “battlevalor and championship.” However, finn may denote the bright and blessed light of the rising sun, giving the city and its treasure the essence of prosperity rather than war – and turning the warrior's blade into the mythical sword of light (MacLeod 93).

The Temple of Nodens at Lydney Park. Poto by Jeff Collins, public domain. 5

or Nazism, however corrupted the concept of “Aryan” may have become in modern times. Rather, Xáryomen – “the quality of being free people” – is a manifestation of the laws of society: in effect, justice and the right order of things.

people of themselves, as well as several lines of kings (McLeod 125). In a larger mythological sense, this first king is the ancestor of the tribe – another indication of his identity as Xáryomen.

While the interaction of many of these divine, kingly pairs – Nuada and Lugh, Odin and Together with the head of the pantheon, the Tyr, and ultimately Xáryomen and Dyéus Ptér – Sky Father or Dyéus Ptér, “he enforces justice and ensure the harmonious function of right order in oaths are sworn by him. He enforces contracts. society, this is not always the case for their human Through him, the wealth of society is circulated equivalents. Éber Finn ultimately challenges and is among us,” Serith explains (52). He also governs slain by his brother Éremón, just as another mythic both marriage, a form of social contract that binds king of Ireland – Mug Nuadat, whose name means not only lovers but their tribes, and healing – the “servant of Nuada” – is defeated and slain by his restoration of physical being. In short, Xáryomen brother Conn, or “head,” (Rees and Rees 101). represents the right order of things – for the Interestingly, Mug Nuadat is the ancestor of the individual, the human society of which they are kings of southern Munster, associated with music part, and the cosmos itself. and prosperity, in comparison to the warlike realm of northern Conn. Nuada is, yet again, associated Interestingly, in Serith's reconstruction, with prosperity – and failure at war. Xáryomen doesn't operate alone; he is paired with Dyéus Ptér – just as Eremon is paired with his The Fisher King brother and rival king Éber Finn, the Welsh king Lludd with his wise brother Llefelys, and Nuada Like Tyr, Nuada lost his right hand (or with his successor, Lugh. sometimes arm) to an enemy – in his case, battling the Fir Bolg champion Sreng,who apparently Beyond the Celtic world, Indo-European survived the encounter and retired with his scholar Jaan Puhvel finds echoes of Nuada in the remaining people to the Western province of Roman Mars and the Germanic Tyr, Tiw, Tiwaz or Connacht. The smith-god Goibhniu crafted Saxnote, both deities that warded and protected the Nuada's famous silver hand, replacing the one he land, ensuring prosperity, peace and justice within. lost in battle. Despite this, his mutilation made him With his silver hand, Nuada bears more than a unfit for kingship. His people chose Bres the passing resemblance to the sword-god Beautiful, a half-divine, half-Fomhoire God, to Tyr/Saxnote, who sacrificed an arm as a safeguard lead them – resulting in penury for both the land for an oath that bound the wolf Fenris. The patron and its people. god of the Thing, or law assembly, Tyr witnessed oaths – although, ironically, he broke his own to In later myths, Nuada is made truly whole bind the wolf. It's this oathbreaking that likely by the healing-god Miach, who found the severed renders Tyr unfit for the kingship, at least of the right hand, connected it to the stump and chanted later Germanic pantheon – an echo of the spells for three days, ultimately resulting in the mutilation and disqualification of Nuada. chieftain's complete physical restoration (Kondratiev 186). However, this act spurred the Nuada's children include the mountain jealousy of Dian Cécht, Miach's healer-god father, goddess Echtga, associated with Slieve Aughty in who ultimately killed him – and scattered the County Galway, son Tadg Mór of the Hill of Allen, herbs that grew from his body so that no one could ancestor of Fionn mac Cumhaill (MacLeod 55), cure all ills. In some senses, that miraculous and – through another set of sons – the Irish healing appeared to violate natural laws – 6

mirroring the death of the Greek demigod Asklepios, who was struck down by Zeus for bringing the dead back to life.

meaning of Nuada's name as “fisherman,” Puhvel identifies Nuada as the template for the Fisher King of Arthurian legend – whose maiming, like that of Nuada, brought barrenness to the land and calamity to its people (180). He is also perhaps emblematic of the aging king, who can no longer lead the war band and must give way to the next generation.

Although restored, Nuada steps down in favor of the polymath champion Lugh as the people revolt against the Fomhoire during the second battle of Mag Tuired. In Rolleston's version of the tale, the valiant Nuada is slain by the magical eye of the Fomhoire king Balor, slain If Nuada is indeed the same as in turn by Lugh, who then achieves the kingship of Nechtan/Elcmar, Boann's spouse, he bears other the Tuatha de Danann (117). associations as well. He guards the well of wisdom – the Grail? – but is hoodwinked by his own wife, Portions of Nuada's story echo the Welsh who lays with the Dagda. The Dagda in turn sends tale of Lludd and Llefelys, in which the land – Nechtan on an errand, and then holds the sun still under the rulership of Lludd – is beset by three for nine months until Aonghus Og is born, so that plagues: a devastation wrought by magical allit seems only a day has passed. There is a curious hearing beings called the Coraniaid, which echo in the Arthurian tale of the Fisher King, who resemble the Fomhoire; a terrifying scream uttered is wounded in the genitals – his very manhood – by warring dragons each May Eve that left the for sexual transgressions, according to some land and its creatures barren; and a giant who stole versions of the tale. all the food in the king's court (Rees and Rees 46). Just as Lugh's leadership rids the land of the There is no indication that Nechtan ever Fomhoire and allows Nuada to retake the throne, discovered the adultery, although he had a so Llefelys' advice helps restore the land, vengeance of sorts: When Boann went to the Well permitting his brother to rule: The wise brother of Segais to purify herself, its waters rose up and poisons the eavesdropping Coraniad, entombs the destroyed her body, creating the river. Nechtan is dragons and arrests the giant, who then makes thus connected to fresh water, courtesy of his link restitution and becomes an ally of the king (Puhvel to the Well of Wisdom and the river goddess. So 179).\ was another God, with what appears to be a related name: Nodens, known in both Britain and Gaul, Drawing on these myths and the possible and who had a famous riverside temple along the Severn. The Wounded Healer Built around the year 364, Nodens' temple included a healing center “where invalids were visited by the god or one of his sacred dogs of healing in their sleep,” according to scholar Nora Chadwick (171). Imagery within connected the deity to the

Medieval scene from "Perceval." 7

sun, water and dogs (MacLeod 42), reflective of both the temple's location and its healing practices. (Perhaps coincidentally, Nechtan's wife Boann has a mythic association with dogs – or at least her lapdog, Dabilla.) In function, the temple on the Severn resembled shrines to the Greek healer-god Asklepios, whose own myth is echoed in that of miraculous healer Miach.

death. It is the surgeon's knife and the sword of light that fends off disruptions of sacred order. The Fisher King and the wasteland, it must remembered, could only be healed by Percival's questions, which brought the truth to light. In another story, Manannan's cup – a version of the Grail – is broken by lies and healed by truth. What, then, is the sword that no victim can escape? “Not hard,” says the poet. “It is truth.”

If Nodens and Nuada are one and the same – which seems likely – why is this god associated Works Cited with healing shrines, rather than Miach or even Dian Cécht? Chadwick, Nora. The Celts. New York: Penguin Books, 1997. Several explanations spring to mind. In the ancient world, a common method of magical Kondratiev, Alexei. The Apple Branch: A Path to healing may have involved offering a replica of the Celtic Ritual. New York: Kensington afflicted body part to a healing well. Silver hand, Publishing Corp., 2003. anyone? As the guardian of the Well of Wisdom, he is also the guardian of the world's knowledge – MacKillop, James. Myths and Legends of the a useful quality in a physician, who must draw on Celts. New York: Penguin Books, 2005. both observation and information in making a diagnosis. And in a world in which the health of MacLeod, Sharon Paice. Celtic Myth and the king reflects on the health of the land and its Religion: A Study of Traditional Belief, people, who better to ask for healing than the king with Newly Translated Prayers, Poems and himself? As the defender of sacred truth and the Songs. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & right order of things, the divine king also ensures Company, Inc., 2012. that the physical body reflects that right order. He witnesses our oaths, and keeps his oath to us as Puhvel, Jaan. Comparative Mythology. Baltimore: healer and defender: a gift for a gift. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987. But the most compelling reason is a modern one, sprung from the wisdom of Carl Jung. Many of those who seek to heal have themselves experienced debility, weakness, injury. Nuada knows the qualities of a good leader because of his failures at leadership; similarly, he becomes a healer through his own wounding. He knows when to step down from a position of authority and ask for help – a form of wisdom hard-won, and familiar to anyone who has suffered a severe injury or illness, whether in mind, body and spirit.

Rees, Alwyn and Brinley. Celtic Heritage: Ancient tradition in Ireland and Wales. London: Thames and Hudson, 1961. Rolleston, T.W. Celtic Myths and Legends. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1990. Rua, Aedh. Celtic Flame: An Insider's Guide to Irish Pagan Tradition. New York: iUniverse, Inc., 2008. Serith, Ceisiwr. Deep Ancestors: Practicing the Religion of the Proto-Indo-Europeans. Tucson: ADF Publishing, 2007.

And to come full circle, to the blade of the shining sword of Finias, whirling in the East: It is more than the sharp edge that brings injury and 8

Deepening Our Druidic

our communities. What follows are some of the activities that can help do that.

Identity, Part III

Karl Schlotterbeck, MA, CAS, LP

In terms of the larger environment, one of the activities of this phase is to carefully watch the changing position of the sun – each day – in its rising, its noontime station, and its setting, along with the quality of light throughout the seasons. This is an apt symbol here since the sun is at the center of our solar system and, for many of us, its light (quality and quantity) has an impact on our mood and functioning.

President, ArchDruid Emeritus These activities are derived from a curriculum of disciplines developed for the “Invisible Druid Order.” (See previous issues of Henge Happenings.) The previous activities would have required Druid students to attend to the land around them, to develop skills in poetry and divination, and to engage with the Otherworld, as well as take specific actions at various phases of the moon. Thus, this third stage assumes the student to have found a voice, disciplined the mind and opened to relationships with the spirit world. At this point, expectations change somewhat to focus on the Druid as a center of values in relationship with the communities around him or her. This was not intended to establish a position in which one is recognized as a Druid, but to be an individual whose deep Druidic values find expression in constructive causes that reflect the individual’s values.

To become acquainted with the values at the core of our being, we explore such questions as: What means the most to me right now? What has always meant a lot to me? What is most important to me? What do I love? What makes life worth living?

The primary symbol for this phase of study is the center point of a circle. The individual is the center; the circle of the horizon is the extent of the known world; and the space between holds all the visible and invisible entities with whom we are in relationship. Similarly, there is a center within each of us that we only gradually discover through life that encounters a horizon in our contact with the environment – and within that circle are all the psychological forces to which we are all subject. If we don’t know what’s inside us, we will be unable to clearly discern what’s going on around us for we will fail to see the relationship between our own perceptions and issues and how we are able to be present to those outside of us. However, the Druidic disciplines were not intended to be "Two Druids", 19th-century engraving based on a theoretical or therapeutic, but to create more conscious relationships with our values and with 1719 illustration by Bernard de Montfaucon 9

In what situations do I feel nurtured, blessed or cared for? Generally speaking, these are usually the things in life that make our hearts come alive and, if we neglect them, we often fall into stress or depression. On the other hand, when expressed artfully, they can be sources of renewal for us and inspiration for others. Building on these values, the student is asked to articulate a personal theology, using the following questions: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Why are we here on earth? What is the nature of our being? How should we live? What is our proper relationship with Nature? 5. What is our proper relationship with the Otherworld? 6. How should we treat one another? What purpose do our relationships with others serve? 7. Is there something we owe the Otherworld? 8. Is there something we owe Divinity? 9. Is there something we owe one another? 10. What is your Druidic mission?

the land, protection of trees and the establishment of just communities. To that end, Druid students can support organizations with their values and can write to their political representatives to express what they desire to see in their community. Seasonal observances can naturally flow out of solar observations across the course of a year, and artistic expression (painting, drawing, singing, for example) can further bring the values of a Druidic identity into the world. Finally, not all of our teachers should be human. Nature itself is the primary and final teacher for all of us. To that end, many activities of these disciplines ask us to engage with creatures of the visible and invisible worlds and, during this phase, a “Teacher Tree” is selected to regularly visit, establish a relationship and discover its wisdom. The student’s progression through the three grades (Bardic, Ovate and Druidic) shows a shifting focus on the land, the spirit world and the community, all the while developing poetic and divinatory skills. The objective of this type of Druidic disciplines is to develop individuals who know who they are, what they value, and how to use such knowledge to navigate the world around them.

As you may have guessed, these questions are not intended to lead to some dogma or generalized set of theological principles, but to a code of life for the individual based on an evolving consciousness of that individual’s values. Beyond that, we might benefit from wrestling with questions about our deepest yearnings – what we yearn to know, to do, to bring into the world and to be. This phase is not, however, all about self-reflection, for the outcome of these reflections is intended to bring those values into the world through involvement in community activities and causes that express Wood squill, by Jenne Micale them. For many of us, that would include care for 10

A ‘Virtual Reality’ Tour

have become transparent. O’Brien’s meticulously sourced guidelines ease her reader through deep memory recall to create a personal record via a Of Ancient Ireland unique immersion in Irish mythology, history and A Book Review by Mairéid Sullivan literature, across time to the root of Ireland’s most ancient tradition – a joyous celebration of an Mairéid is a a long time “friend of Druids.” This intimate relationship with the land, sea and sky. review was originally published on “Tinteán,” http://tintean.org.au. Also check out her work at We now know that Ireland has been settled Maireid.com and GlobalArtsCollective.org. for more than 10,000 years, and that stone monuments such as Newgrange pre-date Egyptian Lora O’Brien. A Practical Guide to Irish Spirituality, Wolfpack Publishers ISBN10 monuments. Legend has it that when Ériu, Irish 095749940X: RRP: $31.86 Goddess of Sovereignty, surrendered Ireland to the Milesian poet Amhairghin around 500 BCE, she Beauty and asked that he acknowledge the sovereignty of the personal land by giving the island her name, Ériu. Ancient sovereignty – Irish cultural wisdom flourished on respect for the every moment land, scholarship and learning. Being based on the spent in elegant tradition of personal sovereignty, Irish acknowledging cultural tradition thrived on respect for the beauty is an act of mysteries of every-day life. The “longing” for liberation: It is the open-hearted Spontaneity and Wildness in the act of breaking celebration of beauty in the natural world thrives down the walls that in music, dance, poetry, story and love for separate us from conversation. It’s all in the Craic. beauty that truly releases us to experience freedom. The Digital Age is a great equalizer because it encourages innovative thinking. The term Silo has emerged as a useful metaphor to highlight isolating systems – from business practice to religious practice. The argument is that those who work in a “siloed” environment operate in isolation, and are forced to adopt and promote narrow concerns that stifle personal growth and innovative thinking. (We now know that learning promotes healing.)

As Lora O’Brien herself stated: You don’t have to be Pagan, or New Age, or Magical, or Spiritual, to read this book. You don’t even have to be Irish. To get the full benefit, you do have to be open minded, willing to learn something about yourself.

When I began my exploration of ancient Irish heritage, back in 1991, I had to hunt through the work of several authors to piece together my overview of the history. In this single book, we now have a Lora O’Brien has developed THE perfect comprehensive introduction to this diverse history. visualization guide to bridging imagination and logical thinking: long-standing Irish cultural ‘silos’ I’m interested in how we can intentionally shift 11

O'Brien writes: our perception: break limiting habits by seeking Ancestry is important to the Irish. As out original perspectives; intentionally far back as we can tell, who you were choreographing our habits – our diet, the style of the son of or daughter of was an our living space, the clothes we wear; rethinking inherent part of your identity. The everything we can design for ourselves; leading to annals are full of long lists. … There intentionally shaping the impact we have on our is barely a mention of man or woman community and environment. without referencing who they were a child of. … Skip ahead now to modern Irish rural experience. When We have a lot of historical revision and reI visit the small village of County thinking to do, and Lora O’Brien’s Practical Guide Clare where my mother’s family is is filled with enhancing essential survival skills: from, I always have to introduce taking control, learning how to hold your own in a myself as a member of that family. … crisis, methods for building resistance to I have a free pass into most social exploitative relationships. In other words, Lora occasions or situations, simply because their grandparents knew my O’Brien has a gift for quietly guiding her reader grandparents. … the chances are high toward a stronger grounding in personal that if you are looking for a family sovereignty. connection, and in roughly the right area, and you are polite and The guidelines are very well organized, as follows: respectful of people’s time and • Part 1 World of Earth: Ancestry; Ancient energy – they’ll go out of their way Places; Sacred Cycles to help you out (17). • Part 2 World of Sea: The Sidhe; Gods & We know so much more about our own Goddesses; Otherworld Journeys heritage than we realize. On page 38, O’Brien • Part 3, World of Air: Magical Craft; introduces the first of several expertly guided Literature; Priesthood & Community meditations: Close your eyes. Are you warm The work begins with an exploration of the enough? Are you well covered? Your concept of ancestry. To go forward, we need to body may get a little chilly as we go. understand what is behind us, what has built us, Are you positioned comfortably? where our foundations lie: Good, then let’s begin.

–

The immigrant’s heart marches to the beat of two quite different drums, one from the old homeland and the other from the new. The immigrant has to bridge these two worlds, living comfortably in the new and bringing the best of his or her ancient identity and heritage to bear on life in an adopted homeland. Former Irish President Mary McAleese.

What follows is a guided tour of your own family history, drawing upon deep-memory recall of cultural rituals and practices, from birth – and you’ve written it all down yourself. Just to give a hint of insight into O’Brien’s style, in Chapter 2, page 43, our exploration of Ancient Places begins at home: Where do you live? Take out your Record and describe it. Now, pick one of those plants or trees 12

on your local list. Something physically convenient, and interesting to you, something you feel comfortable with, that is familiar. Go and sit with it. Look at it, really look at it. Notice how the leaves are shaped, how many there are on each stem, what patterns they form… While you are up close and personal, reach out and touch it. …Now find somewhere by the plant or tree that you can settle down as comfortable as possible. If you want to lie down, go for it. Close your eyes. Put your hands in your lap, or on the ground – palms up, not touching anything. Close your mouth, and breath steadily through your nose … While you’re there, all relaxed and open, sure why not see if there’s anything else you can feel or perceive? …you will be sheltered and accepted at that point by the plant or tree you have chosen, or has chosen you. Step into the protection, so to speak. Allow yourself, your own energies, to mingle and blend a little with the natural energies that particular piece of flora is emitting. … If you’re doing what I’ve written here, more or less, and your doing it with an open heart and an open mind—you are doing it right. There’s now way you can be doing it wrong because whatever you’re feeling and experiencing is what’s right for you at this time and place.

or less’. That’s because I have a plan, and we are currently on track with that plan. And at this point in that plan, it is genuinely ok to figure out where your own boundaries are, and what is right for you. …We’re now going to take a journey to meet the spirit of the plant… Close your eyes. And another expertly guided meditation follows. An examination of historical legal tracts from 700 shows how “supernatural powers” were documented. Jumping ahead to Part 3, Chapter 7: Magical Craft, here are excerpts from pages 162165: 'Féth Fia, or Féth Fiada is a ‘magical mist,’ one of the powers of Druidecht (Magic, or Druidry). The term refers to protection by supernatural means, especially transformations or concealment. There are many, many examples of it in the tales, with Druids being the main creators or bringers of the mists, but even St Patrick was a dab hand at it too by all accounts. In a gloss to the old Irish law text Uraicecht Becc, the ‘Small Primer,’ Druids are defined as those who perform the Féth Fia, or the aisdinecht, ‘prophecy’, the latter of which we’ll get to in a while now. ‘From the 700s, there’s a law tract called Bretha Crólige, ‘Judgements on Blood-Lying,’ which describes druids sending power ‘across the border into the midst of the host so that they enter not the territory to do damage.’ This seems to describe the battle and physical protective functions and work of the Druids, but it seems to me that ‘the border’ may also represent idircheo, the ‘between mists’ place where the magic happens. … This ability to penetrate the mists, to see and perceive what is really there, is

I can hear the scoffing of crabby old Pagans all over the world at what I just wrote. No, I haven’t gone soft with my advancing years. ‘Just do what’s right for you’ is not an excuse to make shit up and call it Druidry, or Witchcraft, Wicca or Shamanism, and it most certainly is NOT an excuse for laziness. Please note that I have bracketed the above with – ‘If you’re doing what I have written here, more 13

essential. …The next time you are in a crowd of people, or a social situation, begin to practice doing two things. The first is to make yourself invisible. In a story called Altromh Tighi Dá Medar, the Fosterage of the House of the Two Vessels, we see Manannán Mac Lir as High King of the Tuatha De Dannan, and he teaches the Féth Fia as a protection for the Pagan people in the face of the Christian society growing up around them. They can become invisible to humans. …I mean the kind of fading out, becoming unobtrusive, unseen… You can achieve ‘invisibility’ by creating a mist around yourself which hazes people’s view of you, … Learning to fully control yourself is an incredibly difficult journey, but in the long run, far easier than trying to control every other person or event around you. …

each has a right to exercise free will and free speech within the law, and that government has a role in acknowledging and supporting the personal sovereignty of every citizen. Instead, we find ourselves turning a blind eye to problems that will not go away. The good news is that there are creative solutions! For those who haven’t got time to follow Lora O’Brien’s practical guide to journaling, simply reading this book is an excellent immersion in the wide-ranging attributes of the heritage – and a lot of laughs too! Mairéid Sullivan is a lover of music and laughter. She is a singer, dancer, poet, and songwriter, an enthusiastic filmmaker, and a life-long student of history. She was born on a farm in the Bantry township, West Cork, Ireland.

The second thing to practice, again in crowds or social situations, with people you are not very close to, at first – is the ability to see through other people’s mists – to see, to perceive what is really there. Some of that is basic awareness training. …this is the origin of the ‘glamour magic myths – becoming more noticeable, changing how you are perceived by others. But does anybody in that room blend in? Do another pass round the room. Is there anyone you didn’t notice the first time round? Do it again. And again? Some of it is body language, so a good grounding in the psychology of body language would be a great place to start with this. I’m sure you don’t need me to find you a book on that. Google is your friend. The dream of a free society is based on the idea that all people are equal in common law, that

Fossil rock by Jenne Micale 14

What are the hallmarks of Keltrian

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We celebrate the Gods and Goddesses of ancient

Steer your browser to Ireland. http://www.keltria.org/contact.htm to find out all This is accomplished through our rituals and sensing the different ways you can reach us! their inspiration in our lives. The Keltria-L E-Mail List provides a We revere the Spirits of Nature. discussion arena to share ideas, questions, answers and a chance to get to know other Keltrians. NonThis is also achieved through ritual and awareness of members are welcome to subscribe as provisional their messages received as we move though our daily subscribers for six months. routines. While many Keltria members practice as We Honor our Ancestors. solitary, we do have an assortment of groves and As with our Gods, Goddesses, and Nature Spirits, our study groups across the country! These include: Ancestors provide us with guidance and • GryphonSong Clan and Olde Stone Grove, encouragement. both in the Atlanta, Georgia, area We respect all life and do no harm without • Slaibh Anam Druid Grove Study Group in deliberation or regard. Durango, Colorado It is wrong to kill or maim without reason, regard, and • Garrán an Eich Órbhuí (Grove of the Golden Horse) in the Syracuse, New York, necessity. We place the responsibility of choice firmly in the hands of the individual. region The virtue of an action is judged by the action itself, • The White Oak study group in Raleigh, North Carolina the intention behind the action and its outcome. An individual determines their own ethics based on • The White Cat Grove study group (currently on hiatus, but pondering self-respect and consideration of others. resurrection if there's renewed interest) in Justice is sought through restorative measures. Binghamton, New York Justice is best served not by reward or punishment, • Garrán na Talún Cáiliúil - Grove of the freedom or confinement, but in the efforts towards Famous Land study group – in Sanford, FL restoring the health of broken relationships.

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We gain knowledge and develop wisdom by learning what we can and teaching what we are able. Our purpose in life is to grow and evolve in wisdom.

We encourage people to follow their own paths. We do not have the “one, right, only true way.” The Website: www.keltria.org Henge of Keltria provides a framework for selfexploration and choice. E-Mail: Please email the Henge Office at We endorse the growth and evolution of The Henge henge-office09@keltria.or of Keltria and the membership. The Henge of Keltria is prepared to accept new, proven Also, search for Henge of Keltria on Facebook, or scholarship even if it alters core practices. We apply for membership to the Keltrian Druid recognize the importance of an individual’s evolution and provide guidance when requested. discussion group.