A Circle of Stones: Journeys and Meditations for Modern Celts - Erynn Rowan Laurie 1995
Bile
Tall and strong as the pale-white birch is Bile, roots in the Land but reaching to the Sky. Bile stands at the gates of Life and Death, welcoming us home as we leave our bodies in the material realm. He is our guardian and our guide through the House of Donn to the Otherworld realm beyond. We meet him at the place where Land, Sea and Sky meet as one, on the silver sand under the moon of midnight, dwelling within the mists.
In fial fortail, arcech fintóir,
In slíab dergóir,
In dorr bítnes dronga,
Don chlár chathbath.
(Irish source: O'Curry, Eugene, Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History, 1878.)
The munificent lord of every success,
The mountain of red gold.
The tree which wards the multitudes
Off the death-battle plain.
in FEE-al FOR-tal, AR-kek FIN-door
in SHLEE-av DEH-rug-or
in door BEED-nesh DRON-ga
don klar KAHTH-vahth
Moving Meditations on Bile
Plant a tree that is appropriate to your local ecology
Study Celtic Otherworld beliefs
Make a will
Find your own sacred grove
Read and meditate on the processes of dying, death and grief
Do daily devotionals to Bile or your personal God
Do a devotional to a different Celtic God each week
Learn about Celtic tree lore
Create an altar for your ancestors
Affirmation for Bile
Today I see the Gods in nature: sacred trees, holy springs, beauty in the cycle of the seasons.