The Embrace of Heaven and Earth

The Embrace of Heaven and Earth

"The stars speak through the stones. Light shines in the densest matter. Earth and heaven are one. Our physical beings and our heavenly souls are united in the Mystery of Being."
    ___ Philip Carr-Gomm, 'The Druid Tradition'


   The druidic tradition is deeply acquainted with the interrelationship of the apparent and unseen worlds. This interrelational understanding certainly did not originate with the druids, but it was apparent to the earlier magalithic peoples whose stone circles and monuments are now poplarly assigned to the druids. If you ever stood within such a stone circle at night, the relationship between stone and star becomes immediately apparent: in earlier times, when street lighting did not pollute the night sky, the most immediate feature would have been the dazzling stellar canopy overhead. It is unfortunate that our own dazzling technology has diminished the stars with its emissions.

  Even nonscientific people suspect that we are part of something greater and more complex than a merely physical universe. It is not only the nature world that speaks to us of an integral but unseen relationship, but also the everyday mystical experiences that elevate us to spiritual insight. In this, we are no different from the deep ancestors of prehistory. Scientists today discern the heavens with more far-reaching sight than ever the druids could achieve, yet many still fail to see the stars within the stones or the light within matter. The continual embrace of heaven and earth surrounds us all, if we become still enough to perceive it.

"Go out and look at the stars. As you look up, meditate upon the connection between the matter in your body and the matter in the stars."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Constellations of Celtic Symbols

Cow and Bull - Cattle were the staple symbol of wealth for the Celts, and very highly prized; the larger the herd, the higher the status of its owner. In the heavens, the well-known and very ancient constellation of Taurus represents the bull, the prominent horns the proof of his virility.

Horse - The horse was revered by the Celts, whose warriors were superlative horsemen whether riding the animal or using it to pull a chariot in battle. It was treated with great honor as a representative of the goddess, the deity who sustained nthe lives of all who lived upon her, in the particular incarnation of Epona, the goddess of the horse. In the sky the horse is represented by the constellation of Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology.

Hound - Celtic hounds were use mainly for hunting, at least initially. When the culture became mainly agraian, dogs began to be used to guard livestock and the general community - an some may even hav e been kept as pets.  In the heavens, the ancient constellations of Canis Major and Canis Minor. It could be seen in the pre-dawn sky just before the summer solstice, making it an important calendar marker and of particular to the Druids, who were learned in celestial lore.

Bear - As the human population increased and the natural forests decreased, the great bear slowly became less and less widespread through Celtic lands, until it died out in a great many places. There are none left in Britain, yet such is the powerful appeal of the creature that even today it is associated with nobility. Due to its great size, strength, cunning, adaptability, and its ability to stand upright on its hind legs and thus tower over everyone in its vicnity, the bear symbolized power and kingship in ancient times. The legendary Arthur was named for the bear - artos. The ancient constellations of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor - the Big and Little Bears - are circumpolar and used not only to find north, but as pointers to many other stars, which would have made them very familiar and useful in Druidic skylore. The two celestial bears, circling around the fixed point of the Polaris nortern star at the end of the bear cub's tail, provided a stable reference point for everyone at night, especially during the cold, clear nights of winter. (The slight wobble in the earth's orbit known as precession means that Polaris hasn't always been the pole star - even now it's a degree away from true north.)

Eagle - The sight of a magnificent golden eagle, with its huge wingspan - more than six feet in the adult - would have been almost as unusual in Celtic times as it is now. The bird usually prefers treeless terrain, moorland, and mountain, and is extremly sensitive to disturbance.   Lleu Llaw Gyffes, son of the moon deity Arianrhod, fled from Blodeuwedd and her lover in the form of an eagle, until Gwydion the magician restored him to human form. There is an association between the eagle and sun - both are golden in color and seen high in the sky. And, if only because of its size and magnificence, it's likely that the eagle was regarded by the Druids as sacred. In the heavens the Eagle is represented by the constellation of Aquila, which straddles the bright band of the Milky Way.

Hare - The symbol of three hares running in a circle and joined at the ears has been found all the way from the South West of England, through Europe and the Middle East to India. This is believed to be a lunar symbol, and bcause the moon is often considered to be female, it may also represent the three stages pf female life - youth, maturity, and old age. It tells us that the cycle of life is unending; the hares chase each other unceasingly in an elegant and infinitely reassuring image.  In the heavens, the constellation of Lepus the hare sits below the feet of Orion the hunter.

Fox - The fox symbolizes adaptability and the wisdom to know how to use it to best advantage. The fox embraces opportunities and thrives as a result.  Its celestial counterpart, the faint constellation Vulpecula (the little fox) is not of Celtic origin - it was devised in the seventeenth century. It can be found between Cygnus the swan and Aquila the eagle.

Excerpts from the book "The Book of Celtic Symbols" by Joules Taylor