The Sacred Lore of Tradition

The Sacred Lore of Tradition

"The songs of our ancestors are also the songs of our children."
     ___ Philip Carr-Gomm, The Druid Way


    The true meaning of tradition entails the handing over by one generation to another the sacred lore by which life can be lived.
The sacred lore of tradition is a living, moving thing, flowing like water from one age to another, reforming itself from one generation to the next, adapting to the needs of the new. Each one of us is a tradition-bearer, though we may not think of ourselves as such. But when we need the sacred lore of tradition - when a family reunion comes along, when death hovers close, when the community gathers together - a sense of unworthiness, a suspicion of fraudulence, a foreboding of inauthenticity shadows our steps. We reach for the ancient song of our ancestors and falter because we have not personally rewoven the sacred theme into our own time, place, and living. We are often driven to borrow the traditions of other people because our own have been mislaid or forgotten.
     Without us, the children will have no songs. Without our humble efforts to grasp and transmute the sacred lore that descends to us, there will be no tradition. Before that fate comes upon us, let us silently ask the ancestors for help. Pray that the song of the sacred lore may be sung, that we may catch its echoes and through the understanding of our hearts, find the melody that harmonizes with our times.

"What beneficial traditions have you inherited? How do they work best now?"
[From: The Celtic Spirit by Caitlin Matthews]

Image: The Remmemberer (Heirophat) card from The Celtic Wisdom Tarot tarot deck by Caitlin Matthews