Pic: Storm Crypt

Our ancestors saw this other form of reality as the workings of mind and separate from the thought process of the physical brain; mind as a detached entity. This of course begs the question “what is reality?”

and that question can not be answered by any of our modern technology or science. For each of us in a lifetime may face many different realities, collectively or individually, reality can only ever be our subjective perception of it.

On surviving evidence the early Celtic peoples saw all life forms existing on three levels, three integrated but separate beings co-habiting as a single being, the realms of body and mind linked to the all pervading life force, ‘Spirit’. At this point we must disassociate from the new age thinking of transcending the physical to become linked with the spiritual. Spirit itself is the unifying force interwoven through all levels of existence as symbolized by the triple knot, or the triple spiral. A brilliant example of this is illustrated in a story by Fiona MacLeod entitled: “The Divine Adventure”, well worth reading.

Today most of us mock as ignorance the practises of these early people as we now live in a world where the conscious mind rules in logic. Science has for us pushed back the dark shadows of ancestral night. With smug superiority yesterday’s mysteries are nearly all explained, the very nature of our planet understood, superstition replaced by knowledge. Yet how many of us, if wrenched from the security of our modern well lit and warm environment to be suddenly faced with being lost alone in a dark forest wilderness, could spend the dark hours totally free from the ancestral demons of the mind that haunted these early people? Rubbish, you may say. I would reply “try it”. In many respects we still differ little from our early progenitors.

As is well documented, all of the Celtic type peoples were ancestor worshippers. This is to say that the Deities were also the ancestors of the clan. Many early legends are primarily concerned with the explanation of how the ancestors made adventurous journeys into the Otherworld realms to claim a place in the great Duns of the pre-diluvian Goddess Cessair, and in so doing they became a guide and refuge in death for the future generations of this people. The Irish legend of Donn the first man to die in Ireland being deified as the god of death is an excellent example of this. It is very natural that then as now the mysteries of death were foremost in the minds of these people.

If you can perceive life on three levels – physical, mental and spiritual interlaced as one – then the concept of the Otherworld will become less difficult to understand. This does mean that you must see that in the oneness of being, no part of it can be greater or lesser. In Celtic beliefs true vision of spirit can only be achieved when you find the central harmony of body, mind and spirit. Spirit does not only exist in higher planes. Spirit exists in all. This conflicts totally with the imported Eastern philosophy of transcending the material to attain the higher realms of spirit.

The Otherworld and the realms of spirit are with us always. We live equally as part of them and they of us. The portals to these realms lie at the centre of our being. Perhaps sometime while you are relaxed and at one with yourself and creation the mists will clear, revealing the other part of your existence to you. Then may you journey to the many coloured lands in the elemental kingdoms of Tir-fo-Thonn, Tir-na-Bea, Tirtaingiri, Tir-nan-Og and Tir-na-Moe.

S. McSkimming, Dalriada Magazine, 1993

Source

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Wizzard-Media-Celtic-Myth-Podshow/dp/B004W8QR58 or by using the QR code opposite.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Explore Books Pic: Heart of Albion

‘Is some riddle solved by my surviving forever? Is not eternal life itself as much of a riddle as our present life?’ Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus logico-philosophicus, 1922

Given the extent to which modern-day pagans take as a truism that many of our folk customs have, unconsciously, retained relics of their heathen origins is traceable to the success of one man’s major opus – Sir James George Frazer’s The Golden Bough, a multi-volume work published in the 1890s.

‘It is difficult to overrate the influence of The Golden Bough. It offered a pattern which was immediately and attractively available; and it proceeded to dominate attitudes and thinking to a remarkable extent. The vegetation drama, ritual death and resurrection, the sacred tree, became accepted elements . . .’ So observed Roy Judge in his study of the Jack-in-the-Green [1], also noting that the Frazerian influence was complex.

While modern day researchers find little of Frazer’s work holds up to scrutiny, his opinions were accepted almost without question for about 60 years. In the introduction to the abridged one volume edition of The Golden Bough, prepared some thirty years after the original research [2], Frazer wrote: ‘I have neither added new material nor altered the views expressed in the last edition; for the evidence which has come to my knowledge in the meantime has on the whole served either to confirm my former conclusions or to furnish fresh illustrations of old principles.’

Frazer’s objectives were straightforward: to demonstrate that Christianity derived from the same principles as so-called ‘primitive’ religions. Within the constraints of the then-active blasphemy laws Frazer strove to treat the Bible as another rich mythology – to be studied objectively, and with the same contempt for the beliefs as academics showed for non-christian faiths.

A group of men with bells on their legs, dancing frenetically’

Frazer’s views were based on the work of Sir Lawrence Gomme, Sir Edward Tylor and Wilhelm Mannhardt although Frazer proved to be the better known of these researchers. Frazer in his turn influenced Sir Edmund Chambers and Cecil Sharp. Sharp, almost single-handedly, inspired the English folk dance revival and, in the process, drew attention to the then-dying remnants of other folk customs. Sharp’s Frazerian-influenced opinions were contested at the time but between 1914 and the early 1970s his views were unopposed – folklorists ‘were not concened with evidence (or the lack of it) of historical continuity, and . . . relied entirely upon similarities and parallels in form to construct grand hypotheses.’ [3]

Part of these ‘grand hypotheses’ was that morris dancing was an ancient rite which had remained unaltered for centuries. When an historian, Barbara Lowe, published her studies of the earliest origins of morris dancing in 1957 [4] she was totally ignored. This is not in the least surprising, as what she discovered runs entirely counter to Sharp’s fantasy. Lowe found that morris dances first appeared about 1450 as a new craze in the courts of the nobility and royalty throughout western Europe. These courts were notoriously fashion-conscious and briefly-favoured novelty was as prevalent then as in our own times.

Courtly morris of the fifteenth century was a Christmas-tide entertainment involving a group of men with bells on their legs, dancing frenetically in an attempt to woo a lady. After this display of male vitality she, in fine fickle, gave her heart to a fool. Not only did this little scenario find favour in the palaces of England, soon it was spreading among the common people. First along the Thames to nearby towns and then, by the sixteenth century, throughout England. Along the way it became less a feature of Christmas than of the Maytime or summer games.

A few ‘traditions’ really are traditional

The history of morris dancing is similar to many other popular traditions. A number of historians have intensively studied specific aspects of ‘traditional’ customs – and repeatedly revealed that these traditions peter out before the eighteenth century. A few ‘traditions’ really are traditional – but there are few of them. When we decorate our homes with greenery and give each other presents at Christmas, we are following a custom which goes back ‘time out of mind’. Few of us light bonfires for Mayday or Midsummer but, up until the late nineteenth century, this was a common-place custom which, also, can be traced back beyond written records. Probably the erection of Maypoles is equally archaic. But written records ominously peter out for all other ‘traditional’ customs

Historians know well that events are best shown up in written sources when they contravene custom or legislation. The names of common people most frequently enter the annals of written history when they appear in court records for greater or lesser crimes; not infrequently, drunkenness on feast days. The once-heated debates of churchwardens and clergy are veiled beneath the dry records of parish registers. These same registers reveal year after year the amounts spent preparing for such festivities as ‘church ales’ – until, abruptly, these expenses are no longer part of the meticulous lists. No one at the time explicitly stated that church ales had been superseded by other (less bawdy) forms of fund-raising, but the evidence is clear enough. So the genealogy of popular customs can be pieced together.

‘How traditional was “traditional”?’

There is clear evidence that in the late medieval era ‘new devotional fads were enthusiastically explored by a laity eager for religious variety’ [5] The greatest of the feasts of the late medieval liturgy, Corpus Christi, apparently well-established since time immemorial, was comparatively new, dating only from the thirteenth century. Such were the religious practices of the populace. This was ‘traditional religion’ in Britain – although this simply begs the question, ‘How traditional was “traditional”?’ Running in parallel were the ascending aristocratic interests in astrology and the attempts to subdue ‘witchcraft’ and the various activities of ‘cunning’ men and women. The boundaries between religion and magic were less well-drawn than they are with the hindsight of modern mentalities [6].

Behind these terse paragraphs are entire academic careers picking over the ways in which social history is a patchwork of ever-evolving changes. We think of our own times as being subject to unique processes of change. Yet history records an ever-changing flow. The difference of the modern day is mostly that the processes of communication are more immediate and more detailed, giving a greater awareness of change. An additional and pertinent difference is that, until recently, the ‘meanings’ of popular customs were not fixed by written accounts. Why things were done was the least rooted aspect of these activities.

‘Customs quite out of fashion’

Peeling the layers of the onion away, the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries saw the pro-Reformation and counter-Reformation sway back and forth with greater or lesser enthusiasm and enforcement. The reign of Elizabeth I provided an era of comparative tolerance, where the country was officially Protestant but the zeal of the senior clergy could be, and was, vetoed by the monarch.

During the Civil War and Restoration there is widespread written evidence of the way new religious and social ideals were being promulgated. The sometimes brutally aggressive Puritans stripped the churches of their images, rood lofts and altars – while a smaller, less-aggressive number, from time to time attempted to restore some of the ‘popish’ traditions [7].

Just how thoroughly the Reformation and Civil War swept away traditional customs is revealed by writers of the time. John Aubrey is a name well-known for his early antiquarian interests. He was a child before the Civil War and could see first-hand how many local customs, such as midsummer bonfires, had vanished during the Interregnum, ‘the civil wars coming on have put all these rites or customs quite out of fashion.’ [8] Aubrey also tells how the once-annual custom of decorating the salt-well at Droitwich on the patron saint’s festival was prohibited; the well promptly dried up. The ceremony was restored the following year, whereupon the water once again flowed.

Much has been made of the Restoration of Charles II and the establishment of Royal Oak or Oak Apple Day (29th May) as a ‘surrogate’ for the Mayday festivities prohibited by the Puritans. Yet closer inspection reveals that over thirty years of Puritan campaigning had wrought a severe dislocation and the popular pastimes which were ‘restored’ were different in nature and character. In essence, the post-Restoration festivities were not so much spontaneous customs of the common people as events which were organised by the ‘gentry’. It was the subtle transition from ‘participating’ to ‘attending’. [9]

Continue Reading »

The Battersea bronze and enamel shield 350BC :British Museum, London Pic: Heritage Daily

A fabulous informative article written by Sue Carter appeared in Heritage Daily recently. We enjoyed it so much, we knew our readers would find it fascinating too.Here is a taster. Enjoy  :)

On whatever pretext you stir them up, you will have them ready to face danger, even if they have nothing on their side but their own strength and courage –Strabo, (64 BC – 24 AD).

Almost all of the Gauls are of tall stature, fair and ruddy, terrible for the fierceness of their eyes, fond of quarrelling and of overbearing insolence – Ammianus, (4th Century AD).

The two quotes were written by classical authors describing the Gauls of France as known at the time. Strabo would have been aware of Caesar’s excursion to Britain and possibly have read his account of the people he had been in contact with. Diodorus Siculus (V 21, 3-6) describes Britain as,

 ‘Inhabited by tribes that are aboriginal, and in their lifestyle preserve the old ways; for they make use of chariots in the wars….’

(Diodorus cited in Ireland 2003).

Due to Britain’s isolation it is possible that many of the ‘old ways’ were still being followed. There are very few eye-witness accounts of the inhabitants of Britain prior to the Roman invasions, and what we do have is from classical writers who believed them to be barbaric, not only in their fighting methods but in other aspects of their culture. Waite (2011) sums it up when he describes Celtic feasting and fighting to the death over the hero’s cut of meat

…. even if your opponent happened to be a blood relative. Whilst this sort of behaviour was deeply rooted in Celtic culture it would only have served to justify the Roman conviction that these people were no more than uncivilized barbarians who were prepared to fight like animals over a piece of meat (Waite 2011, 36).

Unfortunately, classical writing is our only written evidence of the Celtic culture, however, we do have the archaeological evidence to back some of it up.

The main area that is often picked up and portrayed of Celts is that of warfare. But how much do we know, and can understand, from the written and iconographic resources that we have?

Tacitus (cited in Work 1954) tells us that ‘the Britons had established a reputation for bravery and being good fighters’ (Work 1954, 258), and Allcock (cited in Harding 1974) informs that

Our knowledge of Celtic warfare, as derived from the literary records, very largely relates to engagements with the Roman Army, or to Roman attacks upon Iron Age strongholds (Harding 1974, 70).

Of inter-tribal warfare the European Iron Age is well known, but of Britain, little is known as it was ‘considered in isolation and assumed to be different from that of western mainland Europe’ (Hill 1995, 49). The archaeological evidence also suggests that, the once long perceived idea of hill-forts as centres of power, were actually places where older men, women and children could gather and take their cattle etc when trouble was imminent and thus used as places of refuge and not for defending or being defended by attacking neighbouring tribes, also that ‘their roles could differ through space and, on the same site, through time’ (Hill 1995, 68).

With the archaeological record showing marked increases between the middle pre-Roman Iron Age and the late pre-Roman Iron Age, raids and warfare appear to show signs of increasing with, ‘ample evidence of the accoutrements of war – swords, shields, spears, helmets and vehicle parts’ (Cunliffe 2004, 94). Evidence in the increase of inter-tribal warfare is given in the territory that once belonged to the Parisi, ‘Armed conflict was suggested by finds in late Arras Culture graves, and this presumably indicates that the Parisi were at odds with their neighbours’

(Dent 1983, 39).

The British Celt has been described as

 ‘taller than the Celts and not so yellow-haired, although their bodies were of looser build’

(Strabo cited in Work 1954, 257),

and their social structure was one of ‘actually or potentially hierarchically organized around the competitive relations between lineages or clan groups’ (Hill 1995, 73). Mainly living in acceptance of each other, tribes would fight over cattle or land,

The picture which emerges of the Celts and their society is of a restless exuberance loosely contained within a social system based on warrior prowess. Raiding and warfare were the essential mechanisms by which society maintained and reproduced itself

(Cunliffe 1997, 363).

The Iron Age was a time of oral histories, which were passed down through the generations and told over fires in feasting halls. The hero’s were held in high esteem and their victories shared by all, and kept alive

The end result of this teaching would be a warrior imbued not only with an ability to fight but also with a strong sense of himself and where he came from – a spiritual being who operated along a ritualized code of conduct (Waite 2011, 36)

He was loyal to his tribe, his leader and knew the code he had to follow into battle, should the need arise. As well as the physical and psychological aspects of the warrior, there were also the tools of his trade – his weapons.

The type to weaponry used by the Iron Age warrior has been discovered through archaeology and

….the majority are from hoards or votive deposits but a small group of burials provides valuable evidence about the way in which the warrior was equipped (Cunliffe 2004, 94).

The main item of weaponry was the sword. Changes have been recorded between the swords of the Bronze Age and those of the Iron Age, indicating a change in fighting methods,

The earlier varieties had tapering blades with long sharp points designed for both thrusting and slashing, whilst the later swords, with their long parallel sided blades, were better adapted for slashing …. the La Tène III slashing sward was designed for fighting on horseback ( Cunliffe 2010, 533).

With the use of chariots and mounted warriors, the need for a better designed slashing sword arose. The designs of which were expertly crafted by specialist smiths.

To read more of this fascinating article by Sue Carter Visit  Heritage Daily

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Wizzard-Media-Celtic-Myth-Podshow/dp/B004W8QR58 or by using the QR code opposite.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Thornborough Henges, North Yorkshire.Pic :Jane Tomlinson, Heritage Action

The Heritage Trust Blog reports : CAMPAIGNERS say allowing people access to a set of ancient monuments in North Yorkshire whose importance is said to rival Stonehenge is crucial to safeguarding their future. The Thornborough Heritage Trust has been set up to protect and raise awareness of the six “henges” and other Neolithic and Bronze Age sites on fields between Bedale and Ripon, with one of its first  objectives being to open them up to visitors.Dr Jan Harding, one of the trust’s founders and a senior archaeology lecturer at Newcastle University, said::

Despite being of unique cultural value and being described by English Heritage as the most important prehistoric site between Stonehenge and the Orkneys, it is closed to visitors, lacks educational information and sits in an extensively quarried landscape. At the moment, there isn’t even a display board. Getting some kind of formal access for the public is vital.”

It’s a while since we at Heritage Action went there (as part of our campaign against Tarmac PLC’s application to quarry its surroundings) but we do recall it was very visitor-unfriendly with no signage, parking or access. We also remember two more things that might be helpful:

In 2006 (while Tarmac was trying to get permission to extend their quarry) the landowner announced he wanted to make the monument into a tourist attraction with a car park and visitor centre and Tarmac were supportive:

 “We see no conflict in principle between tourists visiting the henges and continuation of our quarry at Nosterfield with the useful employment it provides. [Nidderdale Today, March 2006]

And earlier, in 2005, Tarmac offered to give 60 acres of land next to the Henges to a charitable trust on behalf of the Nation to protect it for all time from further exploitation, saying (in the words of their Area Director, Simon Phillips):

“The preservation of the henges is vitally important to us all, and we look forward to working with English Heritage and North Yorkshire County Council to develop this charitable trust.” [Ripon Today, June 2005]

Ah the benefits of a good memory! That might be the answer. Tarmac were both supportive of tourism and anxious to protect the Henges before they got permission so they’ll hardly be less supportive of tourism or less anxious to protect the Henges now they have got permission will they?  Nor less generous – the gift of the land would have been worth over a third of a million if it had happened would it not? So they’d hardly now refuse to finance some formal access, carparking, the best information boards money can buy and a fund to provide a Rolls Royce interpretation facility in the local village, as befits the most important prehistoric site between Stonehenge and the Orkneys. £350K would cover it splendidly.

Please help by reminding Mr Phillips about what he said (you can contact him via the press relations department of Tarmac pr@tarmac.co.uk and/or their parent company Anglo American james.wyatt-tilby@angloamerican.com  Hopefully he’ll remember, but just point him to this article to make sure. We’re confident both Tarmac and Anglo American, being honorable, honest companies, ever anxious to protect their reputations and help local communities will agree to donate the money without delay.

Source 1

Source 2

You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Wizzard-Media-Celtic-Myth-Podshow/dp/B004W8QR58 or by using the QR code opposite.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Welsh Cakes Pic: A Seasonal Celebration

Welsh author and Druid Kristoffer Hughs writes a wonderful blog. A Seasonal Celebration So in honour of it being St Davids Day. We would like to share a little of it with you. Over to you Kris……

St. David’s Day (Wales/Celtic) 1st Of March.

St. David or to lend him his Welsh title ‘Dewi Sant’ is the patron saint of Wales, and it is believed he died on the 1^st of March in the year 589 AD, making the first day of March his feast day.

He was the epitome of austere Christian devotion and his Abbey in Pembrokshire was the centre of religious worship, study and strict learning regime. It is believed that he prevented the destruction of the monastery at Glyn Rhosyn from Irish invaders by converting them to Christianity. However David possessed incredible magical powers and at one point it was said that he caused a hill to rise where previously there was only flat ground in order for the people to hear his teachings.

In the “Armes Prydain” or the “Prophesy of Britain” the prophet Taliesin foretells the joining of the Cymry (The Welsh) in allegiance with fellow Celtic nations to defeat and drive out the Anglo-Saxons from the Islands of Britain under the banner of St. David. By today, the feast of St. David is so much more than its religious, Christian associations, it symbolises the spirit of a people, of a nation and a language. Welsh settlers in other parts of the world join together on this day to celebrate their roots and connect to their people back in the Motherland.

St. David’s day is a day of feasting, of coming together in companionship and in celebration of culture and heritage, language and song. Although it is said that David himself was a vegetarian, the presence of lamb and chicken in traditional St. David day meals may have caused his eyebrows to raise not just his hills!

Today is the day of the red dragon, of daffodils and leeks, which are claimed to drive away evil spirits. Most Welsh people will wear a daffodil today to express their pride in a nation that has maintained and kept dear its traditions and celebrations. The daffodil was adopted as the Welsh national emblem in 1907.Today we gather and raise our glasses to David, to the saints, and the ancestors that they took their inspiration from.

To read more and see some wonderful Welsh recipes visit with Kris at  A Seasonal Celebration and to find out more about, Kristoffer dont forget to visit his website at http://www.kristofferhughes.co.uk/index.html

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Wizzard-Media-Celtic-Myth-Podshow/dp/B004W8QR58 or by using the QR code opposite.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Men-an-tol Pic: Rainbow Network

Thanks to our Guest blogger, Glenn Broughton, for the following article. Our world is changing rapidly. The whole world has opened up before us through the Internet and wireless communications and our future lies uncertainly in front of us. Or does it lay partly behind us?

Interestingly, more people than ever before are now visiting and interested in ancient sacred sites across the globe. Stonehenge in England, the Pyramids in Egypt and Machu Picchu in Peru, are household names. What is it that is attracting so many people to check out these places? Who built these ancient temples and why?

Today these now-ancient sacred sites might at first appear to be just piles of rocks, dead relics of a bygone age. However, with an appreciation of our ancestors’ perspective and stories and myths passed down through the generations, we see a different story.

In Tune

It seems we are instinctively drawn to reconnect with the earth in a very personal way. Our ancestors knew the Earth intimately and understood its wisdom. They lived in much closer communion with the planet than we do today. Their sense of the natural forces of the Earth must have been a whole-body awareness like that of indigenous peoples around the world today, able to sense the serpentine currents of electromagnetic energy which course through the ground following the subterranean streams of water.

Their observations of the rising and setting sun’s movement along the horizon and the behaviour of the moon and stars in the night sky over generations would have developed into a body of knowledge recorded by site alignments and stone placements. This not only alerted them to the changing seasons but also to those times when the Earth energies and cosmic influences were strongest.

Everything is Energy

The trees were the first to teach us the consequences of enclosing natural energy. The Druids performed all their ceremonies in sacred groves for this reason. The stone circle builders developed this theme and used crystal-studded rocks to harness the natural energies. It took another five thousand years before we rediscovered the potential of crystal which we have successfully harnessed to power our computer based world.

Will water be the next great ‘discovery’? There is a growing understanding of the unique properties of water, such as its ability to hold information or memory, like crystal. Will the stories of holy wells having healing properties turn out to be backed up by the emerging science?

Working with the Energy

Science and open-minded spirituality appear to have run full circle and finally come together to reach the same place, namely that like attracts like and we create our reality – the laws of the universe make it impossible for anything else to happen.

On some level we still know what our ancestors knew – that the ancient sacred sites hold power and potential. The stone circles, chambers, temples and structures are containers of the Earth’s electromagnetic energy that is the same frequency as that of our brainwaves when we are in a meditative state. The law of resonance is the principle behind the power of prayer and ritual conducted in sacred space – in other words, sacred sites really work! Combining ‘New Age’ thinking with ‘Stone Age’ technology gives an updated meaning to the phrase ‘The New Stone Age’!

Glenn Broughton has been researching and visiting ancient sacred sites for twenty years and is drawn to explore their energetic properties and how such places of power affect us today. He has been a tour guide for most of this time leading groups exploring the mystery of sacred sites through Journeys With Soul http://www.journeyswithsoul.com. He also lecturers internationally on sacred sites, earth mysteries and crop circles, and is the co-founder / co-organizer of Earth Spirit Conferences http://www.earthspiritconferences.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Glenn_Broughton.

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Wizzard-Media-Celtic-Myth-Podshow/dp/B004W8QR58 or by using the QR code opposite.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

West Cloister © Linda Witherill Pic: Glastonbury Abbey Symposium

From 2009 to 2012, the current Glastonbury Abbey Excavation Archive Project is studying and analysing the records of archaeological excavations on the site since 1904 and will provide new information about the Abbey. The project is an exciting collaboration between the Abbey and the Archaeology Department at the University of Reading, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The research is being undertaken by Professor Roberta Gilchrist and Dr Cheryl Allum (Reading University) working closely with Janet Bell (Curator, Glastonbury Abbey) and John Allan (Consultant Archaeologist to Glastonbury Abbey).

Excavations at Glastonbury Abbey began soon after the site was purchased for the Church of England in 1907, although a series of trenches had been dug by St John Hope three years earlier.

Since then, the 34 seasons of excavations up to 1979 exposed most of the plan of the medieval church and evidence of earlier phases of the monastery.

The results of the project will be published by the Society of Antiquaries with a generous donation from Linda Witherill, who took part in Radford’s excavations at the Abbey. The database will be archived with the Archaeology Data Service as an interactive online resource.

Read the full article and find out the background to the project on the Glastonbury Abbey Symposium website.

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Wizzard-Media-Celtic-Myth-Podshow/dp/B004W8QR58 or by using the QR code opposite.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Hospitality Pic: explore-parliament

This is the second part in our new series of animated stories of King Arthur based on artwork found around the Houses of Parliament, courtesy of a wonderful Virtual Tour found at explore-parliament.net. This story, which is based on a piece called “Hospitality“, takes place just before the Quest for the Holy Grail in Malory’s Morte D’Arthur and is about how King Arthur and his court generously offer hospitality to Sir Tristram.

There is a short, descriptive movie you cam watch on the explore-parliament site. The whole story can be read there also.

Sir Tristram, after many adventures, was brought to the court of King Arthur. The scene that followed is used here to represent the chivalric virtue of Hospitality.

‘Then King Arthur took Sir Tristram by the hand and went to the Table Round. Then came Queen Guenever and many ladies with her, and all the ladies said at one voice: ‘Welcome, Sir Tristram.’
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‘Welcome,’ said Arthur, ‘for one of the best knights and the gentlest of the world, the man of most worship, ye are welcome to this court.’
- Malory

This fresco, entitled Hospitality, is the largest of the five which William Dyce planned for this room. It was unfinished at the artist’s death in 1864, and was finished by C W Cope. The chivalrous knight, Sir Tristram, stands on the steps before the King, who raises his sword in welcome.

Behind Sir Tristram, the mounted figures of Sir Launcelot, who had just fought Tristram unknowingly, and Sir Gawaine and Sir Gaheris, whom Launcelot and Tristram had met as they returned to Camelot. The ladies of the court raise their hands and their voices in greeting, and a harper and two small boys make music. Behind King Arthur you can just see the edge of the Round Table, with knights standing to applaud. In a moment the King was to walk around it, looking for a seat to award to Sir Tristram.

Dyce’s original design for this, the largest of the wall compartments in the Queen’s Robing Room was for ‘Piety: The Departure of the Knights of the Round Table on the Quest for the Holy Grail.’ The original watercolour survives. It was not accepted by the Fine Arts Commission.

More detailed images and information on Dyce and the frescoes can be found on the original page at explore-parliament.net.

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Wizzard-Media-Celtic-Myth-Podshow/dp/B004W8QR58 or by using the QR code opposite.
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Nicol Williamson Pic: Aintitcool

It is with incredible sadness yesterday that we heard that the great Nicol Williamson, multi-talented actor and musician, whose portrayal of Merlin in the genre-breaking Excalibur broke the mould for many of us, had passed away. His Merlin’s wisdom, link to the earth energies and intense, and spark-filled relationship with Helen Mirren as Morgana added a whole new dimension to our perception of the Merlin archetype. As an actor, he has always remained as one of what my family considers, The Classics – those actors whose work is always powerful and innovative.

Every film I’ve seen him in, from Robin and Marian (as Little John), his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the 7% Solution to Father Morning in Exorcist III. I’m still looking forward to finding Wind in the Willows with him portraying Badger and his role as Cagliostro in Spawn (1997) has been memorable. We are thinking of his family in this hour of their grief and of Luke, in particular, who maintained his father’s website and has told us of Nicol’s sad passing and hidden fight with Cancer. Having fought some of that fight myself, I feel particularly empathy for him in his struggles.

Nicol now walks with his ancestors and we pray for his peace, but mostly for the peace and love that those who are left behind sadly need. Our love and admiration goes with him.

His Son, Luke’s, Statement

It’s with great sadness, and yet with a heart full of pride and love for a man who was a tremendous father, friend, actor, poet, writer and singer, that I must bring news of Nicol’s passing. Dad died peacefully in the early hours of the 16th of December after a two year all out, balls to the wall struggle against esophageal cancer. He gave it all he had: never gave up, never complained, maintained his wicked sense of humor to the end. His last words were ‘I love you’. I was with him, he was not alone, he was not in pain.

He leaves behind him an immense body of work: movies, stage performances, music, book narration, poetry and prose. When you saw “Jack, A Night On The Town With John Barrymore” you realised as he sang Nessun Dorma that this man could have been anything, done anything, and been one of the best. The mould is broken, we will never see his like again in the world.

He was the most honest, funny and intelligent man I have ever had the pleasure of knowing; he was my father and words cannot adequately express how proud I am of him. Before he died Nicol was able to finish the CD he had been working on, albeit slightly shorter than it might have been. In the coming month i hope to have it up here on his website.

If anyone would like to express their love or appreciation of Nicol, I would ask them to make a donation in his name -however small- to a charity for children suffering from cancer or other life threatening illnesses.

Nicol was a very private man, he didn’t want people to know that he was ill, he was hoping very much to come out the other side of his battle with “Seamus the Squamous” and bring some awareness to the plight of children suffering from the horrors of cancer in all its various forms.

Dad will live in the memory of all those who knew him, all those who were affected by a performance of his they saw, and all those he made laugh until they couldn’t breathe.

Read about his life and work on his website at nicolwilliamson.com and, if you can, make that donation to such a worthy cause.

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Wizzard-Media-Celtic-Myth-Podshow/dp/B004W8QR58 or by using the QR code opposite.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Brigit, the Bright One Pic: Hanging Gardens

We’re proud to bring another post by Guest Blogger, Ishtar from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon blog and Ishtar’s Gate  about the ancient Celtic Goddess Brigit, Brighid or Bride. As Imbolc/Imbolg, the 2nd of February – which is the Fire Festival associated with her – is rapidly approaching, this is an especially relevant post! Thank you, Ishtar Ever wonder where the word ‘Britain’ comes from? It originated with Brigit of the Fae, whose name the Romans, for reasons best known to themselves, combined with that of another indigenous spirit, Ana, to create Britannia. They changed her sun disc into a shield and her wand into a sword, and thus almost managed to emasculate the true spirit of these isles.

I say ‘almost’ because they didn’t succeed. The spirit of Brigit is beginning to burn bright again as more and more people search to uncover their spiritual roots. In fact, Brigit is the key to one of the most ancient initiations into the Underworld going back many thousands of years … but more about that later.

I only mention it now in order to signal that although I will be explaining the origins of Brigit, and going into some of the ancient customs associated with her, this is not going to be one of those dry, dusty, fusty essays about folklore that don’t lead anywhere. I leave all that to the folk historians. I’m not the least bit interested in folk songs or Morris dancing or corn dollies or May poles unless I can trace the magical, transformative seed underneath — the catalytic spark that creates change through magical or shamanic initiation. There is a very good reason for all that Morris dancing and singing of ballads, but that’s the bit most folk historians leave out.

However, I won’t let you down… so let’s get moving…

First of all, who was Brigit? And where does she come from?

Etymology of her name

The name Brigit means Fiery Arrow or Bright One, which is another name for Lucifer (for more about this, see Lucifer, the Fae and Initiation into the Underworld and also Why Lucifer Must Have Been a Woman). Her oldest name is Briganti, which could be derived from the ancient Indo European Bhrghnti (or in Sanskrit Brihati), which means ‘exalted one.’

The Celts shared many sacred ritual practises with the ancient Vedic Indians. They migrated from across and through the Himalayan region after the last Ice Age, eventually arriving in Europe. The Brigantes were among them. Before becoming the largest Celtic tribe in the British Isles, the Brigantes had settled in Austria near Lake Constance in a place known as Bregenz.They had fire priests known as bhrisingrs after the bhrigus or fire priests of the Anu tribes.

Bridestones Pic: Hanging Gardens

Brittany in northern France was also named for Brigit, and she was also the inspiration for Brechin in Scotland, the river Brent in England, the river Braint in Wales, and Bridewell ~ both in London and in Ireland. The city of Bristol takes its name from Brigit. And Brenin, the Welsh word for King, meant consort of Brigantia.

(There’s probably loads more Brigit-inspired locations, and so if you know of one, please do add it in the comments.)

Brigit in mythology

In Celtic mythology, Brigit appears as one of the offspring of the Dagda and the Morrigen, (about whom you can read more in The Underworld Initiation of King Arthur by Morgan the Fae.) She was part of the Tuatha da Danaan, which is another name for the Sidhe, the Fae, the Little People or the Gentry.

Brigit was known as the patron spirit of healers, smiths and bards, and she rules the elements of fire and water. Brigid’s Feast Day is on Imbolc in February, which the Christians call Candlemass. On Imbolc, milk products are offered to her as the young Bride. Butter, cheese and milk are put out for her. People say that Bride herself is abroad on Imbolc Eve. So they leave out pieces of cloth for her to bless as she passes, and which are used later in healings.

One of her symbols is the serpent entwined around a white wand, predating Asclepius. Other important animals associated with Brigit are the white swan, the white wolf and the white cow.

Post Christian Brigit

Brigit, the Bright One Pic: Hanging Gardens

The Romans Christians, as was their wont, found a way to amalgamate Brigit into the Christian religion by adding her to their pantheon of saints. Her centre was at Kildare in Ireland.“Cill Dare” means “Church of the Oak”, thus betraying its Druid past, and it was in an area known as Civitas Brigitae, “The City of Brigid”.Brigit is found in the carving below within a wall of what remains of the St Michael church on top of Glastonbury Tor, milking a cow.

In this way, even within the Christian pantheon, she retains her association with her primary totem animal.

Brigit milking a cow
pic: Hanging Gardens

Because Celtic Christianity retained many of the indigenous spiritual practises, Brigit’s fire was kept alight day and night at the Kildare convent, by dedicated vestal priestesses, for centuries — until they were finally put out by Henry VIII’s shock troops of the Reformation.

The Way of Brigit

I’ve been getting to know the kind and gentle spirit of Brigit in recent times, and have been honoured to receive her initiation. She has taught me to follow her in an ancient route through the Underworld which, although well-trodden, is not so well used today, since the advent of the Western Mystery Tradition with its pathworking up the Kabbalah or Qabalah.

This way in which Brigit guided me is a much more ancient route. It bypasses the Abyss of the Kabbalah, with all its perils and pitfalls, by travelling underneath it. The Way of Brigit is part of a magical working known as The Mask of the Bright One, and it has also been called The Harrowing*.

Now that Brigit has taken me through this initiation, I’m ready and able to help any of those who feel that it’s the right time for them to receive it.

The Way of Brigit is for those who wish to quicken their progress in terms of self-transformation but also with regard to their relationship with the Land. It is about healing our place in the Land, and about how we stand in relation to all the other creatures on the planet. It is about breathing at One with All That Is, and taking back the reins of our own power as the glorious Beings which we truly are. It will also afford you the protection and guidance of Brigit and the Fae.

So if you feel ready for this next step on your path, do let me know.

* I’m grateful to R.J. Stewart for providing some of the material for this journey.

Further Reading: You can find reviews and books to buy on the Fae in the Faerie Tradition section of the Ishtar’s Gate Library.

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Appbrain at http://www.appbrain.com/app/celtic-myth-show/tv.wizzard.android.celticmythpodshow841 or by using the QR code opposite.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.