Lughnasa

Lughnasa

"About the Calends of August Taltiu died, on a Monday, on the feast of Lughnasad of Lug; around her grave from that Monday forth is held the chief fair of noble Erin."
   ___ "The Metrical Dindshenchas," ed. Edward Gwynn (trans CM)

   This feast is often understood to be a celebration of the Irish god Lugh (LOO'kh), but this is not the case. The festival is celebrated primarily in honor of Lugh's foster-mother, Taltiu (TAWL'too), who single-handedly cleared the plains of Ireland of trees in order that agriculture and the grazing of cattle might take place. This necessary work is remembered and honored in the myth of Taltiu. The word Lughnasa (LOO'nas-ah) comes from the old Irish Lugh nasad, or 'the binding promise or duty of Lugh.' On the death of his foster-mother, Lugh caused funeral games to be held annually at Telltown in County Meath. On this eve, the sacred time of harvest is celebrated - a time for harvest suppers and for enjoying all the varieties of food that have been in short supply.
   At another level, Lugh's honoring of Taltiu acknowledges the bounty of harvest and the contract that exists between all living beings and the earth. It is in that acknowledgment that the last sheaf of grain is harvested and honored, to be bound about the churn-dash in the form of a woman sprouting hair and spreading stalks, or to woven into complex shapes as a corn-dolly.

"Make your own promise to the land this evening, as the sun strikes the harvesting earth with its last rays. Meditate upon how you can keep this time sacred in your spiritual practice."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Voyage to the Summer Stars

Voyage to the Summer Stars

"Come let us build the ship of the future
In an ancient pattern that journeys far.
Come let us set sail for the always islands,
Through seas of leaving to the Summer Stars."
  ___ Robin Williamson, "Seasons They Change"


   The sense of being visited by our spiritual allies is strong in many people. The beautiful, potent ones who are our spiritual friends and whose inspiration and encouragement keep us company come to us in moments of solitude and insight, speaking to us of the unseen world that lies on the other side of the veil from our own. This sense of visitation is not alien, unfriendly, or extraterrestrial; it is common, ordinary, and familiar, giving us hope, not fear.
   Our awareness of the region of the "Summer Stars" - that area just within the boundaries of the otherworld - is often very powerful. We may feel, when we enter into communion with our spiritual friends, that we have indeed slipped over the horizon of our world and entered into a new blessedness. The vessel that 'journeys far' is indeed the vessel of the living imagination that exists beyond time and space. As a vessel, it is very ancient indeed, and in its bows have stood many a voyager to the other shore.
   The two-way traffic between ourselves and our spiritual allies is purposeful and creative. The communion between the spiritual voyager and her otherworldly friends is profound, respectful, and reciprocal. Our own voyage to the Summer Stars is taken in company with thousands of human beings who enjoy their lives and who have responsibilities that they are not going to throw over just because they are spiritually inclined. They voyage in order to enhance life, not in order to leave it, returning to speak with soul-friends of the wonders and joys that have been the secret of all mystics.

"Make your own voyage to the Summer Stars to meet your allies."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Holy Day or Holiday!

Holy Day or Holiday!

"The sharp division of work from play and the natural from the supernatural has turned holy days into holidays."
   ___ Jacquetta Hawkes, "A Land"

   For most people, holy days are now just holidays, periods when they do not work, perhaps enjoying themselves in a recreative way. There is little or no sacred element left in holidays anymore; they have become one-way streets, days to be spent solely in gratifying our own needs. In centuries past, holy days were two-way streets; time was spent not only in recreation but also in honoring the Holy Ones to whom the day was dedicated, with some part of the time set aside for spiritual communion, remembrance, and veneration.
   Holy days are days outside mundane time and business, days when we give ourselves time to be present, soul to spirit, with our spiritual helpers. It is important that we celebrate the days that are holy to us, whether they be religious festivals, personal remembrances, memorials for friends and family no longer alive, the two equinoxes and two solstices, the four Celtic festivals, or days dedicated to inspirers and teachers who have changed our lives.
   When spiritual and recreative observances each inform and delight the other, holy days and holidays take their rightful balance in our lives.

"Which holy days do you celebrate? If you could create a special holy day in the calendar, what would it be in aid of, what activities and celebrations would honor it, and on which day would you hold it?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

The Mound of Wonders

The Mound of Wonders

"Whoever sits upon this mound cannot go hence
without either receiving blows or else seeing a great wonder."
   ___ Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, "The Mabinogion"

   Ascending to mounds and high places in order to look out over the land in a divinatory way was a common practice among the Celts. It was especially customary in the days leading up to Lughnasa, when the harvest was in its last week of ripening. It was a method of auguring what the year would bring, as well as an honoring of the land.
    The Mound of Wonders is a place where the veil between the worlds is thin. Prince Pwyll, decides to ascend this sacred seat of wonder in order to take an augury of his reign, and while there he sees a great wonder indeed; a woman in a golden dress riding upon a horse. He learns that she is Rhiannon, a woman from the Underworld, and that she has come thither in order to marry him. Pwyll believes himself to be in receipt of the wonders promised by the Mound, but his subsequent story has enough heavy blows in it to render his prophetic expectations low.
   Pwyll's experience on the Mound of Wonders demonstrates the double nature of seership and prophecy: the thing that is shown often bears an unsuspected barb in its tail. Our expectations of divinatory methods lead us to accept the best and to reject the worst findings of our augury, to embrace the prophesied end but to ignore the rather irksome human means to its achievement. But once we have called out in question to the otherworld, we have to bear the burden of the answer.

"Go out into the countryside and climb to a high place where you can look out over the land. Ask for an augury of the land for the coming season."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Incubatory Divination

Incubatory Divination

"What is your name?" asked Maeve,
"I am Fedelm, poetress of Connacht," she replied. "I have come from Albion after learning the art of divination."
"Have you the power prophecy called imbas forosna?" asked the queen.
"I have indeed."  said Fedelm
  ___ Tdin Bo Cuailgne (trans. CM)

    Here Queen Maeve of Connacht interviews a prophetic female poet in order to determine the outcome of the battle. Only poets who had trained in the highest divinatory techniques could illumine dark matters that could not be solved by normal means. Imbas forosna (IM'bas for-OS'na) - literally, 'the inspiration of the great sigh' - was one of the "Three Illuminations" or prophetic techniques of divination. Fedelm tells Maeve, "I see it bloody, I see it red." She then prophesies accurately, and in some detail, the valor of the hero Cuchulainn, who will be responsible for laying waste Maeve's champions.
   Imbas forsona is a form of Celtic incubatory divination that can be employed when we need to get more information about things that are unclear to us. By using the technique with modifications, we can attempt to 'dream true.'  Imbas forosna requires well-framed intentions and an ability to remember our dreams. Before sleeping, create an invocation that addresses your spiritual allies and asks for help about the matter in hand; include the instruction that you wish to wake up when the answer has been revealed. Immediately write down any remembrances on waking, bearing in mind that the 'answer' may be in riddling or hidden form. In order to unlock the answer, keep asking yourself how your dream experiences relate to your question. Try this for not more than three nights in succession, as continual attempts to 'work'instead of rest during the night can disrupt sleep patterns.

"Make your own incubatory divination, as outlined above."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Insults

Insults

"Curog and her ladies.... went to swim in the Boyne. When they had had enough swimming and diving they returned to their garments and left. But Eithne did not notice the maidens' departure and it so happened that the magic mist left her."
   ___ "The Fosterage in the House of the Two Pails," from Caitlin and John Matthews. "The Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom."


   The earthly maiden Eithne (EN'ya) served the faery woman Curcog. She was brought up with her mistress and other maidens and lived happily within the feth fiadha (FAY FEE'a), or cordon of invisibility, that surrounded the faery dwelling-place of Newgrange. All was well until a guest, Finbarr, from a neighboring faery hill, came to visit their home.Noticing that Eithne was the most beautiful of the maidens, but disturbed that she was of a different race than he - human rather than a faery - he purposely insulted her. Eithne began to lose her health and confidence from that time forward, and so it was that eventually she began to find life within the faery hill insupportable. She slipped beyond the reach of the magic mist that shrouded faeryland into the realm of mortals. Unable to get back, she died.
   The exclusion that we feel when we are insulted may similarly cause us to become separated from the things that normally support and inspire us, to become depressed or antagonized beyond bearing. Insults, whether they bear a grain of truth or not, cause us to reexamine and sometimes doubt just who and what we are. We can become adrift from our soul's center and slip into a state of uncertainty and destabilization. How can we reestablish ourselves after so severe a knock? We can call upon our spiritual allies to pull out the barb that has lodged in our being and neutralize its effect on our system, so that we can be restored to ourselves again.

"What insulting barbs still lodge in your being? Call upon your spiritual allies to help dislodge them and restore you again."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

The Elements

The Elements

"Of I break faith, may the skies fall upon me, may the seas drown me, may the earth rise up and swallow me."
   ___ ancient Gaulish oath of the elements


   This mighty oath binds the swearer's existence to that of the ancient Celtic elements themselves. We take the elements' gifts for granted: we do not think for even a minute about the air we breathe, the water we wash with, or the earth that sustains our every step.
   But this ancient oath has more ominous and immediate connotations in our age. We have taken the elements so much for granted, disrespected their gifts so absolutely, that we have made it more than possible for the skies to fall on us, for the earth swallow us, for the seas to overwhelm us. As heavy industry pollutes the air, the air quality grows poorer; as the earth heats up from the greenhouse effect, the ice caps begin to melt and the seas rise; as we fill the earth with our unrecyclable waste, the soil itself becomes poisonous and unfertile. We forgot the meaning of this oath long ago, and now we are reminded,
    The broad and  beautiful gifts of the elements are so willing, able, and bounteous. They clothe, nurture, and irrigate the planet, and all its inhabitants freely and blessedly. To keep faith with the elements, we need to make an intentioned effort to sustain the life-flow of our planet by putting our minds and hearts and actions to the uplifting of life. These precious elements of air, water, and earth are the triad of powers that maintain the life of the world. Preserved by the warmth of the sun and these three mighty powers, our earth has heat, light, and life. Without them, it is cold, dark dry and barren.

"Consider each of the elements as you use them. When washing your hands, lighting a fire or stove, taking your first breath of fresh air, walking to work, stop and be thankful for their gifts. Bless them and pray that they be preserved in peace, so that human hubris may not invoke the ancient oath upon our dear planet."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Exile

Exile

"Exile, like memory, may be a place of hope and delusion. But there are rules of light there and principles of darkness... The expatriate is in search of a country, the exile in search of a self."
   ____ Eavan Boland, "Object Lessons"

  One of the strongest sorrows of the Celtic world was exile from one's own country. To be banished beyond the ninth wave of the shore was to lose touch with the integrity power and belongingness of the and. Another form of exile came to the Celtic peoples in the Christian era: the self-chosen exile of Christian service in foreign lands. This was known as 'white martyrdom' to those who endured the pain of exile.

   Unwilling exiles need the completion of their native land to make them whole. They are always longing for it - indeed, they will reproduce it,  living in a ghetto created by memory and regret - and are ever suspicious of anything the new land has to offer. When the darkness of exile's night passes, the light of expatriate dawn can arrive. The new land and the immigrant can begin a fresh relationship in partnership, and (though the old country is never forgotten), the new homeland can begin to bring nurture, support, and joy in all possible ways to the welcome guest.

"From what are you exiled (for example, home, customs, people, places)? What new opportunities surround you now?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Mattews]

Journey to the Heart of the Labyrinth

Journey to the Heart of the Labyrinth

"Spiralling towards the centre,
We know that we have come to the centre
of where we are."
  ___ Philip Carr-Gomm, "The Druid Tradition"


   The old Cornish midwives of the southwest tip of Britain used to have a flat stone into whose depths a spiral labyrinth was carved. Expectant mothers about to give birth would be encouraged to trace this spiral pathway in order to help the birth. By tracing it over and over with their fingers and reciting certain secret prayers, they could help the long gestation of the child draw to its close. It was believed that the practice would clear any obstacles standing in the way of an easy birth and bring the child forth from its long months in the dark.

   The correlations between the birth process and our own spiral circuit with the labyrinth become clearest when we trace the route of our life to date. In order to begin our spiritual journey, we must first be born from the heart of the labyrinth: the mysterious womb. As children we know our origins; as adults we begin to forget, so we have to painfully take the path home in unknowing, coil by coil. For many of us, the heart of the labyrinth, the goal of the spiritual journey, is anticipated as a place of horror: a stalking place for Minotaurs and other beasts. But though we may expect to find all kinds of alien and external influences lurking there, we find on arrival, nothing more than ourselves.

  Only by treading the turning, spiraling coils of the labyrinth of our lives can we come to perfect understanding of what lies at the center. It is as familiar to us, as dear and memorable, as the road that leads homeward.

"Meditate upon the different phases of your life in roughly seven-year intervals. Write down the qualities, discoveries, and themes of each phase. Arrange each of these phases around the paths of a labyrinth, noticing which paths and themes come close to each other."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Mother Right

Mother Right

"They bound themselves by the sun and moon that the possession of the [Pictish kingdom].....should be held by the right of the female rather than that of the male progeny to the end of the world."
  _____ Geoffrey Keating, "Forus Feasa ar Eirinn"

   In our times, a reconsideration of the role and status of women has brought us into new relationship with mother-right,
with a proper acknowledgment of the gifts of the feminine. For men and women this has been a rediscovery of a secret inheritance, for our connection with the mother-country of the soul has been fractured. Our society has been (and for the most part still is) patriarchal; things are ordered from the masculine point of view, generally for the benefit and enhancement of masculine privileges. That which partakes of the feminine has been marginalized and neglected - including not only the lives of women but also the feminine side of male nature.

   A whole new way of living, and valuing things comes into focus when we consider the mother-right. The hidden side of our nature, the side that intuits rather than reasons, the part that views things from the inside out rather than from the outside in, can come into play when mother-right is allowed to function normally. That does not mean switching patriarchy for a matriarchy, for each of these extremes is as unbalanced as the other. Rather, it means allowing the side of our society and individuality that has been recessive to take its rightful place. This recognition of the feminine quietly acknowledges the intrinsically royal nature of mother-right, which speaks as sovereign from the depths of the mother-country - a land that still waits to be fully rediscovered and restored.

"Meditate upon the feminine within your life. Revisit the mother-country of the soul where the feminine's holy and regal nature is recognized."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit " by Caitlin Matthews]

Overthrowing Illusions

Overthrowing Illusions

"Each man is in his spectre's power
Until the arrival of that hour
When his humanity awake
And cast his own spectre into the lake."
   ____ William Blake, "Each Man is in His
Spectre's Power"

  Long before Freud and Jung, William Blake coined the word spector to signify the illusory self that, by its appetites and desires, overrules and dictates to the true self. The illusory self becomes our personal image, the projected likeness we want others to see.
   The specter is fed by our patterns of appeasement, by our fear of authority, by our need to our essential humanity to the core of our being, to the soul within us, and clarify by the soul's mirror what constitutes self and illusory self. In everything we do, we need to determine whether we are acting out of the core of our integrity or at the dictates of the specter.
   Where mind and heart, reasons and compassion are separated, there Blake's specter roams hungry and unchecked through our life. Casting off our illusory self is an act of maturity that strengthens the light of the soul. Acting out of our own heart, rather than out of projected self, we come once more to the true likness with which we have been endowed.

"What is the specter raging through your life? What false projections of your soul are showing on your screen this week? Meditate upon what life would be without the support of those projections. Search for your true, authentic self."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Off Days

Off Days

"Many a time I wish I were other than I am,
I'm weary of the solemn time;
of the little fields;
of this brooding tale."
  ____ Alistair MacLean, "Hebridean Alters"

   Some days the very thoughts of having to go to work, having to go about our accustomed duties, having to process our tasks and meet our commitments conscientiously just make us want to scream. It is especially hard to continue working when everyone around us is enjoying vacation. The sense of dissatisfaction can become almost intolerable. Sometimes we just wish we could be somewhere else, far enough away that we would not even glimpse the furniture anymore. When things get this bad, it is time to have a free day or two, time to do something uncharacteristic and spontaneous.
   But sometimes these feelings of dissatisfaction are a symptom of something more important than the need for a temporary break or holiday. When divine discontent strikes, this feeling often will not go away until we have taken radical action. When we ignore our spiritual mainspring, when our power is neglected, minor illnesses and depressions serve as the body's escape route.
   Being in an intolerable position - whether in our job or in a relationship - can also drain our power. Depression, involving an involuntary loss of vitality and appetite for life, is often a strong symptom of power loss. When power is waning or absent, it is essential to discover what is draining the battery and deal with it quickly, before our vital energy is gone. Continued powerlessness leads to low self-esteem, which in turn leads to diminished physical and spiritual nurture.

"Are you just needing a break, or are your feelings of dissatisfaction symptomatic of a more profound need for change? Reconnect with the things, places, and people that give you energy and rekindle your appetite for life."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

The Perfect Partner

The Perfect Partner

"I demanded a strange bride-gift such as no
woman before me had asked of a man.... a
husband without meanness, without jealousy,
without fear."
   ____ Tain Bo Cuailnge, Irish Text


   In this quote Queen Maeve of Connacht enumerates the qualities she seeks in a husband. She cannot choose a mean husband, she says, because of her own generous nature; as long as a man is without fear, she is satisfied. She concludes that a jealous husband would not be of service to her either, since she is known for never being 'without one man in the shadow of another' - meaning that her successive lovers might be seen as an encumbrance to a jealous man!

  What are the qualities of a perfect partner? These will vary from person to person. The qualities that most people seek are loving trust, faithfulness and commitment. But in any relationship, we must determine the nature of the contract from the outset, so as to avoid disappointment. If we later learn that our unspoken expectations are beyond the prospective partner's ability to fulfill, then we have only ourselves to blame for not making them clear enough earlier.

  The perfect partner is generally the one who complements our own qualities, not the one who is the exact equivalent of ourselves. To have an exact counterpart would become very boring after a few weeks. The differences in a relationship often prove to be its strengths, while the similarities can become bones of contention, especially if the competitive element enters the relationship. In the presence of unhealthy competition, mutual respect soon falls by the wayside.

"What are the qualities of a perfect partner according to your personal criteria?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Imagination

Imagination

"Imagination is the faculty of the soul."
    ____ Caitlin Matthews - "Singing the Soul Back Home"


   Our imagination is the eye of our soul, the retina of the psyche where-on are reflected the truths that our soul experiences. To be without contact with our imagination is to be truly blind.

  The imagination perceives the imaginal realm, the reflected image of the otherworld that we cannot see with our physical eyes.   Our imagination is commonly stimulated when we make connections based upon this perception: like a ready needle that piece of fabric and emerges through the other side of another piece of fabric, pulling them together, so does our imagination penetrate the veil between the worlds and show us likenesses of what is eternally true. For some people, these perceptions are very vivid and accurate; for others, they are misty or short-sighted, though they provide a glimpse of something very important.

  If we begin to honor the imagination as a faculty of the soul by taking our problems and dilemmas (as well as our visions and desires) to its threshold, we will be asking the soul for a wider view, a solution that we cannot personally envision but that will enrich our lives.

"Meditate upon a dilemma or creative project, actively allowing the imagination to provide perspectives, solutions and answers. These may come as visual images or nonvisually (as in sudden insights and intuitions) provided immediately or over the next few days. Record your findings and test them for truth and helpfulness, without discounting what you experience."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Irritations

Irritations

"I went to the hill and I got it.
I sat on a knoll and I sought it.
And if I would get it, I would leave it.
Since I did not get it, I took it with me.
[A thorn in the foot.]
    ____ Scots Gaelic riddle

    There is no surefire way to avoid irritations, no magic formula that will ease them out of our way. They arrive without warning to plague us, and we have to get on and deal with them. Some of the tiresomeness can be alleviated, however,iIf we see many of our irritations as reminders of neglected areas of our live.  The laws of cause and effect set in train a whole series of actions; similarly, undone actions have effects upon our lives. The things we neglect return to plague us: from the overdue car service, to the dental examination we keep meaning to have; from our failure to reply to an important letter, to the long silence we have meted out to a close relative. Breakdowns, aching jaws, lost opportunities, aggrieved friends, and irate family members suddenly loom large in our schedule, nearly overturning everything we had planned.

   The universe has its own way of getting our attention and making us attend to what is important. Sometimes little irritations that go untended become larger ones. A thorn in the foot can be removed, but if gangrene sets in, the whole leg may have to be removed. The little irritations may bite and worry us, but they certainly do not take kindly to compromise or neglect.

"Review the irritations that you have currently; trace back their root cause, where possible, and find any connections between your negligence and their arrival. Act swiftly and appropriately if particular irritations seem to recur frequently."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

The Language of Birds

The Language of Birds

"Birds.....now represent the continued presence of the past..... [which is] evoked by the singing, whistling and calling that fell into millions of ancestral ears and there left images that we all inherit."
   ___ Jacquetta Hawkes, "A Land"


   The Celtic peoples held birds in high esteem, as the mouthpieces of Spirit. Their flight and calls were widely used in divination. The term 'language of birds' is used to mean the secret knowledge that runs beneath the web of words; it implies an almost magical intelligence that does not depend upon the help of any kind of human communication system. It is innate, subtle, coded knowledge that we can somehow understand.

  The idea of the unchanging song of the birds singing in our ears as well as the ears of our ancestors conjures a potent image of the continuation of life - an inheritance so subtle that we must immerse ourselves in the sound birdcall in order to enter into its richness. The oracular calling of birds speaks directly to our hearts, bypassing our minds; it is a mode of divination that both we and our ancestors had to learn - an unchanging language of meaning.

   The little songbirds who make the sweetest song, the crows and ravens whose raucous call is most vocal, the estuary and marsh birds with their lonesome sound, the hawks and owls shrieking and signaling - all have their own language and special symbolism, essential elements of our living world.

   If we wish to understand the flight and calling of birds, we must listen, near dawn or in the late afternoon, to their song; and listening, enter a place of stillness within in order to comprehend their message to us.

"Listen to the singing of birds today, at dawn or twilight. Meditate with a clear mind and listen to what you are told."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Let's not forget the birds who have been silenced in the

ongoing Gulf disaster and in other other areas affected

by oil drilling around the world.

S.

Appropriate Prayer

Appropriate Prayer

"Hear my faith-cry for them who are more thine than mine. Give each of them what is best for each. I cannot tell what it is. But thou knowest."
   ___ Alistair MacLean, "Hebridean Altars"


   This carefully worded prayer by a Scots minister is a good all-purpose appeal that does not overbalance the scales one way or the other; it neither neglects to remember those in need nor sets out to bring satisfaction to the pray-er.  All too often our prayers are upped in favor of our own envisioned goals for others, rather than merely bringing their needs to divine attention.

   When our words are combined with strong intentions,we make a magic that we cannot begin to realize. Intentions are the pathways of desire, and when words travel along them, they go as spirit messengers to their source. If we frame closely worded requests with a particular end in sight, we cease to pray-ers and become sorcerers instead.

  If someone is indeed dying, for example, it is not helpful to him to offer prayers for his full recovery to health. This might only lengthen a life that he is ready to leave. We might more appropriately pray for his general well-being and comfort. And prayers for someone's harm - appeals such as, "I wish she'd drop dead" or "I hope he chokes on it" - follow the same pathways as our other prayers (and just as effectively as many have found to their cost).

   Our prayers should not harm the world; nor should they attempt to tie up the threads of other beings and their soul-circuits for our own solace or satisfaction.

"Examine for harmful content any prayers, words, and intentions that you have uttered this day. Ask your spiritual allies to neutralize or defuse any inappropriate prayers that have passed your lips. Create a general (and harmless) prayer for common needs."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Making Love With Life

Making Love With Life]

"How can we make love?
It is making us ---
Every second,
Every minute,
Every hour."    
   ____ Carole Bruce, "The Beloved Sequence"


   Life embraces living in a playful creative process in which we are not the controlling agency, but rather a beloved partner. Once we glimpse the action of love in our lives, we can never again live with disrespect, complaint, or displeasure. The yeast of love bubbles up through our hardening crust, leaving little holes filled with life-giving air, escape route to the heart of ecstasy.

   The British mystic and poet Thomas Traherne wrote, "Place yourself in the midst of the world as if you were alone, and meditate upon all the services which it doth unto you." This is a good place from which to experience the world as lover. It helps us turn round our self-centered view of life and shows us receptive areas wherein we engage most deeply with life. If we make a practice of coming from this place - from the sense of world as lover - our core instincts will be kindled and we will know how to respond to our lover without rehearsal or preparation.

   Making love with life is a revolutionary way of living, because it involves our loving reciprocation rather our defensive, self-shielding mechanisms. We must abandon those mechanisms, letting go of our personal control and defensiveness when we are with the lover so that love's creative and liberating influence can be free to work. Although this is a playful way of living, it is also seriously intent, insightful and intuitive.

"How does life make love with you? How do you make love with life?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Conspiring with the Descendants

Conspiring with the Descendants

"Thou shalt be in league with the being of the future, and the generations to come after shall be at peace with thee."
   __ Joanna Macy, "World as Lover, World as Self" 

   In what way can be in league with the beings of the future, or conspire with them? Meditate upon your parents, sense them as though they stood behind you. Now visualize their parents behind them, and theirs behind them. Go back as far as you can from knowledge, and beyond that imagine the lines going back as far as you like. Be aware of all the good things you have inherited from your ancestors. Now come forward from past times to your own time, aware of the tributaries of blood that flow into the river of your own veins. Now visualize your descendants in from of you, and their children and their children. Go as far forward in time as you like, imagining future generations. Be aware of all that you bequeath them. Expand your meditation to include all the beings of the future - the many different species of life forms. What is their expectation of you? What can you do to bring peace between you?

   Many people live their lives in fear of an all-powerful deity who they believe will zap them for bad behavior; they are like children who tiptoe around a cranky parent for fear of arousing his temper. How would it be if instead we lived our lives envisioning our descendants, the beings (of every species) of the future? How would it be if we regulated our decisions and life-style with them in mind? Instead of living fearfully or distrustfully, instead of trying to cut corners and steal a march on our forebears, how about living with our descendants in mind?

"What most practical wisdom from your own life would be you bequeath to your descendants?  Try the meditation suggested above."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Ancestral Bequests

Ancestral Bequests

"Alienated ancestors gather, drawing close
To our bicker and complaints, to knock at aggrieved hearts
Their plaint to our ears is 'restore, restore."
   ___ Caitlin Matthews, "Avebury Easter"


   We have many ancestral inheritances that contribute to our condition. Some are genetic and highly visible; others are not so obvious but are still part of the ancestal bequest - the unfinished business that members of our ancestral family have put off until it comes seeping out in our own lives.

   Many deep, atavistic, or unwelcome urges that have lain dormant within our family line are activated when we reach a certain age or condition of maturity - when we are trying hard to put our life on that right track to purposefully avoid legacies of failure, fear, anger, or control. There often comes a point when we have to consciously decide not to buy into the negativity of past scenarios and expectations but to turn towards the illumination of the heart.

  The ancestral bequest can be cleared when we stand back and look into the issues that have been haunting our family line. The ability to recognize ancestral failures and expectations for what they are is exceedingly helpful. With that ability, we can acknowledge that our ancestors, like us, were vulnerable, frightened, and attached to their unfinished business. It is not our part to blame them, but rather, in our amending, to leave out hatred and revenge; it is not our part to recreate spirals of exclusion, but rather to pray for the ancestors to be released and to attend to our own lives with the help of our spiritual allies.

"Looking into your recent family history, what issues show signs of being ancestral bequests rather than personal problems?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Following Our Path

Following Our Path

"Whence do you come and whither do your journey?"
"I journey on my own errand."
         ____ Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, from "The Mabinogion"


   When Pwyll (POO'ilh) first encounters, and is questioned by his future wife, Rhiannon (Hree-ANN'on), he gives her a polite but noncommittal answer as to his identity and purpose.

   It is not wise, after all, to disclose too much about yourself upon any first meeting, unless you have a clear idea of the other person's intentions. As it turns out, Pwyll and Rhiannon are traveling the same road, for she has come from the underworld at the express purpose of marrying him. Discovering and following our own path is something that is our personal business; it is not something that one person can do for another. We each have to make our own contract with Spirit, rather than existing as an unwitting signatory to someone else's previously drawn-up contract. We have to read all the fine print before we sign, learning everything we can about the obligations and commitments before showing our hand. Spontaneous response and heartfelt enthusiasm are not good bases for decision making.

   When we search for our spiritual path, we need to reassess, consolidate, and recommit our spiritual focus - and check contractual details. It is all right to change course as we seek the best way to Spirit; it is equally all right to stay where we are - as long as we realize that compromising our truth is dangerous.

"If you are oriented on your path by a set of rules not of your making, or coasting along with a contract you have not fully consented to, ask yourself what strongly held beliefs that course is ignoring or causing you to change or diminish."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

The Divine Feminine

The Divine Feminine

"There was an Old Woman lived under the hill
And if she's not gone, she lives there still."
   ____ traditional British rhyme


    Feminine and masculine are the left and right hands of God. We have only recently begun to remember the divine feminine and to respect her again, but she has never been far from us. Earth herself reminds us of the living presence of the feminine principle as she unfolds her many faces through the cycle of the year. The Old Woman who lives under the hill is the oldest grandmother of us all: our very substance derives from her; and as we trace her many aspect through the seasons, we appreciate the different gifts with which we are endowed.

   As a young girl in spring, she is innocent; playful and delightful, she responds to beauty with joy. When our hearts are in springtime mode, we are filled with clarity and truth, in touch with our integrity. In Maytime, when blossom's heady scent of desire is in the air, she reaches the borders of womanhood and looks with desire upon the beloved of her heart, rejoicing in the song of summer's freedom. When our hearts are in summer mode, we have power and self-confidence.

   In autumn, she become mother, fierce protector of all that she loves. In autumn, we reflect this face as our creative vision is fulfilled. When winter comes, she strips bare the bough, clarifying each soul. But many do not choose to know her now, for she grows thin and gray. Yet she is ever stronger, as ice and snow cover her with a new mantle.

   Those who fear the Old Woman's features never kiss her or call upon her wisdom. But she welcomes all, calling us to look again and find in ourselves the reflection of her wisdom. She calls us to realize that she is in every part of the universe, that the earth is but our most immediate mirror of her features. Her truth, beauty, compassion, and wisdom are in every place, in every face.

"Meditate upon the divine feminine."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

The Familiar Road

The Familiar Road

"Mony an ane speers the road he hens weel."
[Many a one inquires about the road he knows well.]
   -_______Scots Proverb


  Our anxiety to know that we are on the right road and performing life's actions in the correct manner often leaves us a long way from our destination. This syndrome is found in perpetual students who are always taking courses, and in those who take every known therapeutic aid even thought their health is good. It can be caused by an excessive perfectionism, a longing for approval, or by sheer blind doggedness.  A lack of confidence or validation often prevents us from realizing the obvious: if we perpetually seek some outer approval for our actions, we will never consciously walk our own road.

  A Welsh proverb that complements this Scots one tell us that 'he travels fastest who takes the road that he know';  in other words, the path of least resistance yields speedier results. Swimming against the tide is hard work, requiring more energy than we may have to give out, exhausting us before we arrive. If we can recognize the tides of our own life, we will begin to move with their flow with grace and ease.

  Of course, it is not always of benefit to only and always take the road that we know best. Choosing the predictable path, never exploring the byways or parallel tracks that could enrich our journey, may lead to complacency and a dull demeanor. But it is good, on the predictable path, to get in touch with our own power and purpose, to not always be seeking the approval of someone else.

"What destination have you already reached (and yet are still struggling to attain)? Where are you swimming upstream in your life?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Goddess of the Door

Goddess of the Door

"Dark is the night, far is the dawning.
Sing for the shining of light on the way!
Hearken, be ready, attend to my calling,
Sing all you guardians who wait at the door."
   ___ Caitlin Matthews, "Midsummer Song"


   One of the ancient names for the island of Britain is the Island of the Strong Door, a title that is associated with Merlin's magical defense of the land. Another guardian, the Goddess of the Door, is discernible within the story of Merlin as a distinct archetype who works in association with her prophet. When he is still a little boy, he prophesies the history of Britain, ending with the appearance of the goddess who come to close the door of the aeon. At the end of his life, Merlin's sister, Ganeida, takes over his prophetic role. She builds an observatory with seventy doors and windows into which he retires.

   The ancient Goddess of the Door turns the key of prophetic inspiration in those whom she appoints to the spiritual guardianship of her land. The task of prophet of the land passes from man to woman to man to woman down the ages, every time the Goddess of the Door turns her key. These prophets successively enter her service as guardians of the door, becoming the timeless singers at the threshold between the worlds.

  The Goddess of the Door stands at this nexus point between the world for all people, regulating the flow of sequential time in our world and rejoicing in the timeless knowledge in the otherworld. She gives us each prophetic insight that enables us to guard our own boundaries and thresholds.

"Visualize and visit the place between the worlds where understanding and insight come to you. Greet the guardians there, and find one who will instruct you to guard your thresholds."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Inalienable Rights

Inalienable Rights

"Three indispensables of a nobleman are: his harp, his blanket, and his cauldron."

   ___ triad from "Laws of Hywel Dda"



    Under most modern laws of distrait - whereby goods are removed from a household in compensation for debts unpaid - there are certain articles that cannot removed. These usually include the items by which the householder earns her living, the tools of worker's trade, the bed, and the means to make food. In the triad above, from the Welsh legal code formulated by King Hywel Dda (HOO'wel THA) in the ninth century, we discover that the three indispensable objects of the nobleman are the harp by which his bard entertained him, the blanket that kept his body warm in bed, and the cauldron that heated his food. Today, these items were probably be equivalent to the television set, the bed and the stove: means of entertainment, sleep and food.

  We have become used to the possession of certain inalienable rights life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, among others, in our modern world. These are rights that we take for granted, that are enshrined in constitutions and maintained by the law of the land; and yet even within civilized societies there are many who do not enjoy their rights. The poor, the disadvantaged and others who live on the margins of society need the actions and voices of those who honor the commitment to the inalienable rights that we should all enjoy.

"If you could only take three things from your house right now, which would they be? Of all your basic, inalienable rights, which do you most cherish?"

[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Protecting the Animals

Protecting the Animals

"Keep them from harm,
Keep them from jealousy,
Keep them from spell,
From North to South."
   ___ early Gaelic blessing (trans CM)


   The protection of domesticated animals was an important concern to our ancestors, who relied upon the strength and life-giving nurture of animals in the daily round. In our own time, the protection of animals takes on other connotations, involves other responsibilities.

    The ancient prayer above was uttered to protect beasts from straying, from theft, from natural dangers; it was never intended to protect them from imprisonment in factory-farms, from circumscribed lives of great misery, from transportation in long-distance trucks, or from fearful mass slaughter. The protection of domesticated animals today is something that everyone can be practically involved in by their choice of food, by their active campaigning, and by their boycotting of methods that are cruel and unnecessary.

   Regarding those animals that are used as guinea pigs in laboratory testing of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and diseases, we have less justification for their ill-treatment and more responsibility for their care. The torture of any living creature is abhorrent; one does not have to be a bleeding heart to witness the pain involved in this work. Finding other alternatives to the laboratory testing of animals will perhaps remove the onus of cruelty from their human kindred in the near future, but not until more humans use their voices to protect the animals who have no voice.

"Make your own prayer and blessing for animals and for those who are involved in their welfare."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Reinaugurating the Grail Quest

Reinaugurating the Grail Quest

"I sometimes think that now, in our day, the Grail Quest has been
reinaugurated.... This time the difference is, it isn't only men who will ride out."
   ___John Moriarty, "Turtle Was Gone a Long Time"


   In an era when the Wasteland spoken of in the Grail legends seems an ever-present possibility, the time is dawning when all beings who are attuned to the well-being of life must step forward to be the questers of this generation: to go seek and find the Grail, to bring its gifts of spiritually restorative for different people, this may be different things. What is the quest today, and who becomes a quester? The quest is the solutions that embrace all levels of existence - not the material would only, but also the otherworld whose spiritual impulse beats beneath the pulse of the manifest world. The questers are drawn from all walks of life, men and women of all generations who long with all their hearts for the world and all that is in it to be healed, whole, and in harmony. They are not idealists who simply meditate and dream, they are strivers who long for this restoration more than they love their own lives, who are willing to endanger themselves. They are rising up now in every land, working in a variety of ways, but always keenly aware of how important is the reconnection of our own world with the other. The Grail itself is a bridge that links both worlds and that, by the agency of the questers, is able to dispense its healing to those places that need it most. This healing is the living currency of the otherworld, streaming between the worlds in a flood of creative ideas, technological solutions, and more mature ways of living. This quest awaits all who feel the world's pain as their own.

"Where is the Grail in your spiritual quest?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Pillars of Society

Pillars of Society

"The three ruinations of a tribe: a lying chief, a false judge, and a lecherous priest."    ___ ancient Irish triad


   In Celtic society, the chief was known by this truth and generosity, the judge by his equity, and the priest by his sexual continence. When state, legislature and church fail, then the land and its people are at risk. The condemnations cited in the above triad do not strike us as old-fashioned, since our newspapers are still full of stories of the failure and falsehood of our own leaders. The corrupt politician, the bribed judge, and the abusive priest are still common characters in our society.

  Corruptions of office may have become more commonplace throughout the world, but there are still many who uphold the dignity and honor of the oaths befitting their position.

  Nothing less than the overhaul of all public institutions is now needed if suitable candidates for office are to be inspired and called forth to act on our behalf if we hope to continue to find leaders worthy of their calling who will not fail under the burdens of the office or fall into temptations of the office, we all must pay serious attention to the need for change.

   The oaths of public servants and ministers represent sacred binding contracts between a people and their gods. The chief or the politician is contracted to the spirits of the land; the judge is contracted to the spirit of truth; the priest is contracted to the guiding spirits of the universe. The breaking of such contracts brings great unhappiness to all.

"What are your personal criteria for those whom you elect to public office? What changes do you feel are necessary to public institutions?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

The Month of July

Month of July - the hay is apt to smoke.
Ardent the heat; dissolved the snow;
The vagrant does not love a long confederacy.
    ___ anon. Welsh poem

July brings us to the height of summer. This month's meditational themes include opening the ways, the goddess and the feminine, holidays and wider horizons, the world as lover, recommitment to promises and vows, and secrecy and privacy.