Violence

Violence

"The four things which a violent life brings: it shrinks borders, it increases enmity, it destroys life, and prolongs pains. "
   ___ Colman Mac Breognae, "Agiptir Chabaid,"
 Irish poem (trans CM)


    In every generation, commentators state that there is more violence than at any previous time. If we look through history, this is hard to substantiate, however. Violence is part of the human condition, and its effect fluctuates from time to time. Because we have a media system now that connects the whole world, we certainly hear about violent occurrences more often these days, making us believe that violence is on the rise. This emphasis on violence makes listening to the news very depressing; some days, we witness on the five-o-clock news a virtual catalogue of violence that soils the whole day for us. Awareness of violence is something that we would just rather not have.

   What is the root of violence? How can we prevent its terrible force from surfacing in our own lives (for we are all capable of acts of violence)? Violence initially stems from the thwarting of our will or desire; it is an instinctive lashing out against things we do not like. It containment is made possible by mature self-control and practice. Sudden outbursts of domestic violence are usually triggered by a succession of irritations that have built up until they are unbearable. In such circumstances, the way to defuse the situation is to attempt communication or to leave the home (if provocation is continual and unsparing).

   The narrow ways of violence circumscribe our lives and cause anguish in many homes. But the levels of violence in our society are not the responsibility of governments or the police: they stem from every member in society, from individual's attitude to life.

"What things trigger violent reactions in yourself? What strategies can you use to restrain them? How can you channel your feelings into positive areas?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]


 

Soundboards of Truth

Soundboards of Truth
"We who walk in white are but soundboards
Of a truth, frequencies of a faith, augurers
Of a song more mighty than this island can ever hold."
    ___ Caitlin Matthews, "Stonehenge Ceremony"

   We live in a time when more and more people are beginning to reappreciate the wisdom of their ancestral traditions. This is a very beautiful and needful thing for those who have been without spiritual direction or who have tried without avail to apply to their lives ways and practices of foreign cultures. There is nothing wrong with returning to our source and looking for living water. As long as we leave the stagnant brackish waters of practices and beliefs that will not give life in our own age strictly alone, we can serve our own land and communities by applying timeless wisdom to our needs today.

   There are many who decry what they see as the unwisdom of stirring up old, forgotten beliefs. For them, the revealed and written traditions of later centuries alone have primacy, and everything that is out of their compass is automatically demonized. Yet there can have been no time in which the eternal song of sacred truth has not sounded. In different places, at different times, people have responded passionately to this song, expressing its meaning through myth, ritual, and humane behavior.

   The song of sacred truth is not a tuneless lay on one unvarying note; rather, it is a call sounding at all time for living beings to respond to its challenge in ways appropriate to the time and circumstances. Sacred truth resides in every living moment that we draw breath. We can only be soundboards of this truth, receiving its vibration and absorbing and reflecting its tonality. If we insist that ours is the only authorized song, then we cut across the frequencies of others.

"What are the notes of the song of sacred truth that you receive?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Weather Lore

Weather Lore

"Everything in time becomes..... a sort of weather gauge. The sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds, the winds, the mists, the trees, the flower, the herbs and almost every animal. All these become instruments of real knowledge."
   ___ "The Shepherd of Branbury's Rules"


   Before long-range weather forecasts and satellite information became available, people relied upon their own observation of nature to discover weather trends. These often infinitesimal signs provided good guides to planting, growth and reaping. People who rely upon the land for their living still have knowledge of these signs and watch animal movements, cloud shapes, and rain patterns with an eye that is more receptive than most. For our ancestors good weather observation was often all that stood between plenty and dearth.

   What we once took for granted as ready information has become increasingly mysterious or magical to those who do not order their lives by such observation. The wisdom and rhythm of the sun and moon are seldom noted by us now, except to the extent that we are timekeepers of the celestial continuum; yet solar and lunar weather lore - whether the flaming dawn or sunset that portends foul or fair weather, or the ring around the moon that speaks of frost - contributes to our most significant understanding of patterns. Such close observations may be needed by us again as weather patterns change, bringing rains, winds, and droughts at times and in places we do not expect them. We are going to have to find new - and possibly old - ways of realigning ourselves with the elements of weather wisdom.

"Learn more about the weather patterns and lore of your district. Take the gauge of the weather throughout the day and learn its patterns for yourself."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Soul-Lending

Soul-Lending 

"Now is the soul set free,
Rising from the soul-shrine.
O Holy Eternal Ones from the Realms of Bliss,
Encircle the one we love in your own compassion."
     ____Caitlin Matthews, "The Celtic Book of the Dead"


   When it strikes us suddenly, death usually finds us totally unprepared to leave our lives. There is often a great deal of unfinished business, and an uncertainty on the part of family or dependents as to what our intentions were for the appropriate disposal of our body. Ideally, we would have already made arrangements for these things before the moment of our death, but unconsciousness or grave illness may have prevented us from conveying our wishes. Although the sun shines upon us this summer and thoughts of death may be far distant, it is always good to have our death arrangements in hand.

  Apart from practical considerations, there is the matter of our own route beyond death into the ever-living otherworld. We may not know what awaits us, or whether we will pass on to other existences, but we can at least cultivate those spiritual allies who accompany our soul's circuit so that we do not remain earthbound due to lack of orientation. If we have a close friend with whom we can share our soul's concerns, it is good to let her know what our dying needs will be. A soul-friend can act in a more independent way than immediate relatives. Our soul-friend may have no idea what route our soul will take, but she can implore our spiritual allies to give us good guidance to realms of peace.

"Meditate upon what matters need resolution before you die. Leave clear written instructions with family, lawyer, and doctor about your wishes concerning your death. Your dear ones will thank you for being so prepared at a time when they can least cope with important decisions on your behalf."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

A New House

A New House

"A blessing upon your new home,
A blessing upon your new hearth,
A blessing upon your new dwelling,
Upon your newly kindled fire."
   __ Scots Gaelic blessing (trans CM)


   When we move to a new house or apartment, it is always good to give a blessing to the place. Most of us move into houses or apartments that have just been vacated by other occupants. Before we can move in and settle down, we need to cleanse the house of old influences and unhappinesses, just as much as we need to clean off the previous occupants' layers of grime and dust. Open doors and windows, let in light and air, and take the broom and mop to floors, walls, and ceilings. All the elements can be included in this process. If there are rooms that feel particularly unhappy or disturbed after a simple cleansing, then we need to pray that these influences be lifted by the help of our spiritual allies, and we may want to light some incense to permeate the room. '

   Then we greet the spirit of the land upon which our residence is built - even if we have a fifth-floor apartment. Every region of the earth has its own indwelling spirit, and it is good manners to greet it and tell it who we are and why we have come to live there, offering the peace of our heart, and a small gift of food or a song. Then, starting at the hearth, we give blessing to the structure, going sunwise through the house, through each room, with a verbal or sung blessing, taking light or incense into every corner until we arrive back at the hearth again. At the hearth, we can bless the occupants of the house and the activities that will take place within it.

  Lastly, we can have a housewarming party at which everyone is asked to make a blessing for the future happiness and blessedness of the dwelling.

"Make a blessing for your own home, whether it be old or new."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

The Power of Story

The Power of Story

"The king asked the storyteller to recount the title of those tales that he remembered. And so he recounted the titles of all the prime tales of Ireland that he was able to narrate."
   ___ fifteenth-century Gaelic manuscript (trans. CM)

   When Jeremiah Curtain collected stories in Ireland at the end of the nineteenth century, he met an old woman who fell ill and had to be taken to the hospital in Munster. She told him that she attributed her illness to the fact that she had told stories in the daytime. There is something magical and mythical about the power of the story within many traditions worldwide that can be discussed only when it is dark or when it is wintertime. This tradition implies that the recitation of a story causes its power to be released, and that this power has to be carefully controlled if one reality is not to invade another.
  
   The magic of the story is everywhere acclaimed as healing and transforming. The power of story to change us and bring us to the brink of self-forgetfulness and wonder is a gift beyond measure. However, if we truly believe in the power of story, it is important that we find appropriate stories for our condition and that they are told at times when we are most receptive to (an therefore most respectful of) their power. We each participate in a greater story than appears in any book, film, or recording: the story that is telling us is more important than the story we are telling. It is unwritten and sometimes unheard by us, but it runs throughout our lives with an authoritative voice that we need to listen for. It is in periods of receptive silence and listening that this story becomes apparent.

"Meditate upon your own story. What themes, protagonists, patterns and cycle can you perceive?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

Examinations

Examinations

"They would not take him among them till he had made a leap over a stick the height of himself, and till he had stooped under one the height of his knee, and till he had taken a thorn out of his foot with his nail, and he running his fastest. But if he had done all these things, he was of Fionn's people."
    ____ Lady Augusta Gregory, "Gods and Fighting Men"

   These fearsome tests that all men were set who wanted to join the Fianna, the war band of the Irish hero Fionn mac Cumhail, were designed to select only the best and strongest candidates. But the Fianna was made up not just of muscle-men or tiny-brained superheroes; all candidates also had to have culture and knowledge.

   At this time of the year many students must take examinations in order to try for places at a university or to gain certification for suitable employment that will use and stretch their gifts. Examinations test competency and reveal fitness for certain tasks and professions; these days, exam results often involve students in a competitive lottery. Only the most qualified take the plum places and jobs. Some educational experts would like this competitive element to be removed and to have instead some kind of cooperative system where all candidates are treated equally. If we look at the extensive variety of habitats in the world, we find there are animals who have adapted themselves perfectly to the environmental challenges of the most barren and remote terrains. Similarly, we human beings take the opportunities best suited to our abilities and then find ways to adapt ourselves to the challenges that stretch us.

"Make your own blessing for students sitting their exams."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

June

"Month of June - beautiful are the fields;
Smooth the sea, pleasing the strand;
Beautifully long the day, playful the ladies."
   ___ Anon. - Welsh Poem

And so the Merry Month of May passes and we come to June. June sees the beauty of summer unfolding, The month's meditation themes include clarity and clearing away, times of light in darkness, turnings and returnings, changing and shape-shifting, divine and mortal gifts, the enduring soul, and shields and defenders.