sacred celts
spiritual honoring through seasonal ritual
In service of connecting with the sacredness offered through the indigenous stories of the ancestors, I invite you to soften your gaze and to feel the air move across your brow. I offer you these words from John O’Donohue’s ANAM CARA: A Book of Celtic Wisdom.
May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.
Below is a small collection of works that I have explored and keep in my library. Please continue to check back in as more make there way to the list. None of these links are income producing or affiliate; they are simply links as offerings. If you prefer to listen than read, I invite you to tune into my podcast, Animisma - All Things In-Spirited.
A HUT AT THE EDGE OF THE VILLAGE
JOHN MORIARTY
There is a radical agency in John Moriarty’s work not always acknowledged. As our heads spin with mythological cross-referencing, poetical leaps and the philosophical bent, it is clear that there is nothing domestic, nothing tame, about John Moriarty. The power of Moriarty is that he has found a thousand beautiful ways to say something very disturbing: we have to change our lives. In this small book of big thoughts, award-winning author, mythologist and storyteller Martin Shaw situates Moriarty’s work with respect to our eco-conscious era and a readership seeking spiritual and philosophical guidance. Moriarty asks of us only one thing – that we move our gaze from seeing to beholding. And there the trouble begins, when we realize there is a world beyond us far bigger than our temporary ambitions. A Hut at the Edge of the Village presents a collection of Moriarty’s writings ordered thematically, with sections ranging from place, love and wildness through to voyaging, ceremony and the legitimacy of sorrow. These carefully chosen extracts are supported by an introduction by Martin Shaw and foreword by Tommy Tiernan, a long-time admirer of Moriarty’s work.
The magical year
danu forest
The Celtic seasonal wheel is based on eight festivals – Winter Solstice, Imbolc, Spring Equinox, Beltane, Summer Solstice, Lughnasadh, Autumn Equinox and Samhain. Together, these lead us through the cycle of the year, aligning our awareness with the seasonal pattern of the earth beneath our feet.In this book on the solstices, equinoxes and other festivals within the sacred cycle, Danu Forest reveals the secrets of each festival in turn and skillfully revives ancient traditions, encouraging us to reconnect with nature, and ourselves, with a host of practical ideas and rituals. Deepen your experience of the turning seasons, from the rest and renewal of winter through the revels of spring and summer to the soul or spirit nights of autumn with magical guided visualizations. This cycle of conscious celebration helps us, year on year, to align with nature’s rhythms with greater wonder and insight.
sacred earth celebrations
glennie Kindred
Sacred Earth Celebrations is the revised and updated version of Glennie Kindred’s bestselling, classic book, Sacred Celebrations. It is an uplifting and inspiring source book for everyone seeking to celebrate and honor the changing rhythms and seasons of the Earth and her cycles. Uplifting and inspiring, it explores the eight Celtic festivals, how they were celebrated and understood in the past, the underlying changing energy of the Earth, and the ways we may use this energy to create meaningful celebrations for today to deepen our connection to the Earth and our fellow human beings. Sacred Earth Celebrations deepens our understanding of the five elements, the laws of manifestation, the rhythms of the Moon, Earth energies and sacred landscape, inner journeying, and meditation. It explores ways to create sacred space both inside and outside, celebrations for children, crafts, the use of song and dance, garden and land projects, building a sweat lodge and labyrinths, and many other creative activities to help us connect to the moment, to the Earth, and to each other.
the path of druidry
penny billington
Listen to the call of spirit and seek truth in wild groves, the shifting seasons, and the beauty of the Old Ways. Discover how to embark on this sacred green path and enrich your life with its ancient wisdom.
Practicing Druid Penny Billington offers a clear and structured course of study grounded in Celtic history and mythology, and highlights the mysteries and modern practice of this nature-based tradition. Each chapter begins with an evocative visualization and captivating Welsh mythic tales from the Mabinogionare woven throughout, introducing lessons and key concepts.
A series of hands-on exercises will help you internalize these truths, develop a spiritual awareness rooted in nature, build a relationship with the multi-dimensional world, and ultimately adopt a druidic worldview to guide you in everyday life.
the tree ogham
Glennie Kindred
A beautiful, handwritten handbook for those who want to communicate with trees. It follows the Tree Ogham, a Celtic system used by the Druids to encode their wisdom. You will be shown how to make your own Ogham sticks, one for each of the 20 trees and how to understand the underlying energy and spiritual guidance each tree has to offer. From Heather: This book is a personal favorite of mine and speaks clearly to the boughs, green shoots, and blood red leaves in my heart.
the druid plant oracle: Working with the Magical Flora of the Druid Tradition
philip carr-gomm
Bring ancient Druid plant and herb lore into your life. The Druids revered certain plants--trees, herbs and fungi--and attached special meanings to them. This stunning deck of 36 cards presents many of the most significant plants and describes their associated folklore and mythology.
Will Worthington's rich images depict each plant in its natural habitat in exquisite detail, while Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm's enlightening text reveals the virtues and qualities of each species and shows how the cards can be used as an oracle from which you can gain wisdom, guidance, and inspiration.
The Wildwood Tarot: Wherein Wisdom Resides
mark ryan and john matthews
Look to the heart of a primeval forest where deep ancestral wisdom lies to help make sense of your world today. Based on seasonal rhythms and ancient festivals, The Wildwood Tarot draws inspiration from pre-Celtic mythology and shamanic mysteries.
This stunning new tarot card deck introduces us to classic forest archetypes—including the Green Man and Woman, Archer, and Blasted Oak--and explains how to use them as a meditation system, divinatory oracle, or reference. Will Worthington's powerful pagan images connect us with a long-lost world that can help us make sense of our own. So step back in time and you'll better understand where your life’s path may lead.
Anam Cara: A book of celtic wisdom
JOHN O’donohue
John O'Donohue, poet, philosopher, and scholar, guides you through the spiritual landscape of the Irish imagination. In Anam Cara, Gaelic for "soul friend," the ancient teachings, stories, and blessings of Celtic wisdom provide such profound insights on the universal themes of friendship, solitude, love, and death as:
- The human heart is never completely born
- Love as ancient recognition
- Solitude is luminous
- Beauty likes neglected places
- To be natural is to be holy
- Silence is the sister of the divine
THE SALMON IN THE SPRING - the ecology of celtic spirituality
JASON KIRKEY
Here at the end of the Cenozoic Era with the life systems withering away, a surprising creativity appears, a kind of mystical balancing act. The world’s spiritual traditions are entering into deeply engaged conversations through which the riches of each are ignited in new ways. With The Salmon in the Spring, Jason Kirkey has boldly carved out his place in this exciting work with his original interpretations of the concepts and stories of ancient Ireland . . . Kirkey’s vision speaks directly to our present ecological challenge.
Rejecting those nature-denying forms of spirituality that have been used too easily to justify our domestication of the planet, The Salmon in the Spring announces its thrilling spiritual foundation: 'Our wild nature is our soul.' —Brian Swimme, California Institute of Integral Studies
WILD MAGIC: Celtic folk traditions for the solitary practitioner
DANU FOREST
This book is a storehouse of magical and spiritual lore as well as practical knowledge based on age-old Celtic traditions. Filled with hands-on exercises and deep meditations, Wild Magic will show you how to access the Otherworld and come into a profound connection with the divine in nature. Author Danu Forest explores the timeless animistic practices of the Celtic faerie faith, creating relationships with the faerie folk, green kin, the ancestors, and the spirits of the land. You will learn to call on your spirit cousins for protection, and practice magical techniques based on the elements, such as fire scrying and spells to raise the wind.
Discover the secrets of ley lines, dragon lines, faery roads, and spirit paths that will transform your life in the here and now. Drawn from authentic country wisdom and the folk traditions of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, the spells and rituals within are designed to channel your own modern wildness for the benefit of all.