"Your pain and sickness
Be in the earth's depths,
Be upon the grey stones, F
For they are enduring....
Be upon the clouds of the sky,
For they are the rainiest,
Be upon the river's current
Cascading to the sea."
-- Scots Gaelic prayer for healing (trans. CM)
A common treatment of illnesswes in Celtic tradition involved invoking the help of the elements - the sky, the earth, the sea - to disperse illness harmlessly. For mysterious or persisting conditions, the patient would seek out a sacred site and ask for spiritual assistance from the guardian of that site - a saint, spirit or deity. This custom still endures throughout the Celtic countries, where it is believed that pilgrimage to a sacred site, in conjunction with prayer, is a sure form of assistance. On arrival at the site, the pilgrim makes a 'turas' (sunwise curcuit) around the perimeter, with prayer or invocation. If the site is a well, then the pilgrim takes the waters and anoints the afflicted part, again very intentionally and prayerfully. Then, if a tree hangs over or near the well, it is customary to time a piece of cloth to a branch and pray, "I leave a portion of my illness in this place." As the cloth fades and withers in the sunlight and wind, dispersing in the elements, so fades the illness.
Applying to the wider web of the universe, to the spiritual sources of help, is an eminently sensible course of action: the powers of spiritual allies - from the great elements to our own personal helpers - have a wider influence than those of doctors. Their power to transform pain, disorder and infection into health is miraculous.
"Ask your own spiritual allies to help heal your infirmities."
[From Caitlin Matthews' "The Celtic Spirit"]
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