A Circle of Stones: Journeys and Meditations for Modern Celts - Erynn Rowan Laurie 1995
Preparing the Journey
Passing Through the Realms
The Celts defined the world as made up of three different realms of reality, interconnected and interdependent. These are the realms of land, sea and sky. They are not merely the physical manifestations of earth, air and water, but are also the metaphysical realities, stretching into the Otherworld and underpinning the world we see, providing substance and support for our waking consciousness.
In the Celtic tales there are many different ways that people gain access to and knowledge of the Otherworld. Some of these seem specifically geared to journeying through particular realms. Immram (IM-rahm), for instance, always refers to a voyage by water. This is the journey into the realm of sea.
Echtra (EK-tra) is the “adventure” into the sídhe (shee) mounds, and is the journey into the realm of land.
Aisling (ASH-ling) means “vision” or “dream.” It is a process that brings an experience or an insight to a person, rather than carrying the person through a realm. It may be the process of “second sight” well known from Celtic folk tales and long family traditions. The tales give no examples of mortals journeying into the realm of sky, but there are many tales that show the Gods coming from there and revealing things. Aisling, therefore, will be the method we use to touch the sky.
So what is journeying, anyway? At its root, a journey is a method of getting into or seeing into an Otherworld place. Journeying requires acting consciously within a non-ordinary realm. This process can be accomplished in a number of different ways. A few simple methods are offered here. Work them with intention and with care. There are many methods that work, but each will produce somewhat different results and lead to different places. Know that journeying without a goal is really only aimless wandering, and to wander lost in the Otherworld is to invite madness. Be sure that you know what you want to achieve when you embark on your travels, for journeying is not without its dangers.
Consciousness is something we can define, in part at least, as being able to describe a tale in progress. By being conscious, we observe and classify the world, assigning it characters and a plot. Magic is the act of manipulating that story, telling a tale and starring in it, rather than simply observing it happening around us; we bring it to a conclusion that suits our goals. We consciously participate in creating our personal path. We call out our inner gift or inborn art, affirming it to the universe and expressing it. We become one with our magic and live it. This is the essence of the Celtic poem, the Song of Aimirgen (AH-ver-gen), where the fili (FILL-i) states “I am...”
The Otherworlds are not everywhere the same. There is no single Otherworld destination where all voyages arrive, nor are things the same there from season to season or moon to moon. In this respect, the Otherworld is much like our own world. Time moves differently there, and we must be aware of this as we journey. Our perceptions, and the perceptions of those who actually dwell in the Otherworld, influence each other. If we do not visit these shadow realms often enough, it seems that those who live there cannot “see” some places anymore. The mists between the worlds arise and the Wasteland grows, obscuring their view and ours.
Each time we journey we help to re-make the Otherworld landscape, aid in the task of healing the Wasteland, hold back the mists and re-define the boundaries of the three realms.
The Otherworld has a geography and a number of different “ecologies” just like our world does. Some regions are mountainous, others rolling heath or deeply forested, while still others are coastal or insular. Places within the mists are nearly formless and have little to orient on. Some places have little or no “real world” equivalent and must be dealt with entirely on their own terms.
When traveling in the Otherworld it helps to find landmarks and notable features to focus on so that you can begin to learn your way around. Particular entrances and gates lead to specific places. The same principle works in our world. If you purchase a plane ticket from New York to Boston, unless something goes terribly wrong you are unlikely to find yourself in Burbank. Keep your eyes open for signs that things might be shifting. You don't want to mistake the plane to Oakland for a plane to Aukland. Individual gates can shift somewhat, but they will lead to the same region or season even if they do not open into the same precise location each time.
If there is a sacred river, mound or other appropriate site in your area, it is worth a visit. Many of these places are useful as gateways into the Otherworlds. Take time before you journey to determine the “feel” of the place, for this will give you some indication of what you may find on the other side. Be sure to ask the permission and assistance of the land spirits that live there.
Know also that some Otherworld places are not active, so much as they hold “shadows” or “memories” of things that “have happened” in the past or the future. These “memories” are structured almost like a loop; they move through a set progression and reach a certain point, then begin again. The loop may take moments or subjective “months” to work through. Be aware that not all things that “have happened” are pleasant, and be alert to your emotional state while in these places and after returning from them. The quality of these locations feels somewhat different from other locales, but going to them can be very useful. One particular exercise that I have found helpful is to go looking for what I “did” on a project where I have hit a wall, and see how it “turned out” in the future. Ancient Celtic poetic invocations often lead to these places, bringing you to significant mythic events where you can observe the happenings.
When you journey, keep good notes about what you find and whom you meet. They will become a resource for you, allowing you to map the things you find and to compare results with those who have been there before you as well. You are very likely to see things in a symbolic manner, rather than having a deity sit down for tea and a chat. The whole situation may be quite cryptic. Remember the symbols you see and the sequence of happenings. They can become important when you look back at your information later. These symbols can turn out to be things, places, even names of individuals. Be open to the information's arrival, but do not push to “see” something if there doesn't seem to be a flow.
In the tales, the divisions between what one finds on a particular kind of journey are small. It cannot be said, for instance, that one makes an immram strictly to find wisdom, but an echtra only for the purposes of finding an initiation. Wisdom, initiation, symbols and information are found in all the three realms. It is important to keep this in mind, for each of the realms supports the others as three legs support a stool. The focus of any particular journey may vary, but the result should be an increase in your understanding of what is happening in your life and in the world around you.
These journey techniques are self-directed meditations and visualizations. They begin with you, where you are now, and end with a return to normal waking consciousness. Each symbol in the Circle of Stones can be used to access a different realm, deity, or object. The symbolic Gates, in particular, are powerful openings into different Otherworld realms. Using the symbols of triskele, double spiral, Fionn's Window or the hole in the stone as the beginning of your meditation will allow a safe and very direct passage. The offered poetry and moving meditations are meant to create a sense of what each symbol means on one level or another. Think about these things as you ready yourself for your journey. The repeated poetry associated with each element of the circle acts as a sort of mantra to move the conscious mind toward a deeper state of awareness.
In preparing for a journey, you may wish to wear certain clothing set aside for ritual work, like a loose robe or non-restricting pants and a top. A meditational cloth was traditional in Celtic countries, to cover the head and reduce the distractions of light and movement. This practice probably goes back to the fili working divination wearing a yellow bull's hide. A hood or cloth acts as a sound baffle that amplifies chanting within the area around the head, enhancing the trance-inducing effect of sound. If you choose to use these things, use them only for ritual and journeying work, and not as your jogging togs or dress-up clothing. In setting these things apart from your everyday life, you cue yourself that you are moving into a special space and time when you don them.
An overwhelmingly clear characteristic of Celtic Otherworld access is that it is found only at a boundary between very different places or conditions. Doorways, river fords, bridges, gates, and of course the mists are the usual places that openings to the Otherworld are found. It is also marked by the appearance of unusual or out of place things.
Otherworld time does strange things. You may think you are journeying for only a few minutes, and return to find that hours have passed, or spend subjective hours in the Otherworld and find that you have journeyed but a few moments in “real” time. It is important to set aside at least an hour for your journey, and you may wish to set an alarm to alert you when this amount of “real world” time has passed, particularly if you have other things to do when you are done with your journeying. Another option is to have someone keep track of your time in the Otherworld for you.
The techniques offered here are not traditional for Celtic seers and mystics. Most of the traditional ways of gaining knowledge in Celtic tales involve madness, unconsciousness and the loss of control. Our society is not set up for having interactions with the sacred that resemble madness. Unless you have been trained by a Voudon practitioner, you are unlikely to have the necessary skills to interact with the sacred through loss of control to the deities. Instead, techniques are offered here which approach the content of the tales in a way that creates a safe interactive environment for gaining knowledge and for learning from and about the deities and the Otherworlds.
Guided meditation techniques appear in most cultures. There is nothing “shamanic” or unusual about individual or group trance states, whether they are induced by voice, lights, drumming, mind altering substances, placebo effect, or prolonged television watching. The determining factors are “set, setting, and dosage,” as Timothy Leary explained in the 1960's. What is unusual in our culture is that we have to discuss the process at all. The repression of virtually all acceptable altered states, and the information acquired by their use, mandates taking a few precautionary steps.
Since these naturally occurring states are generally forbidden or ignored in our culture, a great deal of time is required to become familiar with the turf of one's own mind and body. This is where the journey begins, ends, and is interpreted. It may require dozens or even hundreds of sessions to learn how to relax and let go of expectations and the ordinary work-a-day mindset before proceeding on to useful journeying. A great deal of “noise” can be expected initially, until the mind stills and one can focus on the work at hand.
The first task is to choose an outdoor setting in the physical world that resembles the starting place of a journey in a tale. Depending on the type of voyage you wish to make, this may require a plain, a forested clearing, a seashore, a wooden bridge across a stream, or a cave at the foot of a hill. An isolated site is usually best, to minimize disturbance. You will need to learn the site intimately, getting to know the smell of the earth, the feel of the sand under your feet, the texture of the rock you sit upon. After you have learned each of your chosen locations, you will not have to physically be present to begin your journeying, but until you can call up the site in perfect detail within your mind and hold it there, you will need to visit it regularly. For some people, a weekend visit to a particular stretch of beach may be enough. For others, a year of walking a well-worn pathway through the woods might be necessary to gain an intimate knowledge of the starting point.
If you have the luxury to do so, visit the site during several different times of day and night, and during every season. What trees and plants are there? What do they look like? What do they smell like? How do they feel? What animals and birds inhabit the area, and what do they eat? What stars can you see coming over the horizon? All these things are important. The Celts were certainly familiar with the places from which they began their journeys. For a shoreline site, get a tide chart and mark in your mind the high and low tide lines. Study the shells that you find on the beach, and watch for signs of sea mammals and other life.
Firmly associate the site with the realm you will be seeking. Meditate on the poetry and affirmations for the realm that are given in its section of the circle as you work in the area. The place must become a doorway for you, a gate into a different level of reality where the veils can be pierced.
The next step is to read Celtic adventure and journeying tales. A list of recommended reading is provided at the back of the book to give you a framework for your vision work. Locate photo books of Ireland, Scotland and Wales that show some of the actual sites of these events. Become intimately familiar with the tales and imagine yourself walking the lands that are described. Read the tales with a picture book at hand, and imagine how the places must have looked with hill-forts, deep forest, and massing warriors. Breathe the mystery of the sídhe mounds by examining pictures of sites like Brugh na Boyne (New Grange). Spend time trying to understand the mindset of the people who told and later wrote the tales. Absorb the love of description, the rich detail. The sídhe realms abound with light, mists, and jewel colors. Move slowly and do not expect everything to come to you all at once. Later you can take part in the tale as one of the actors rather than an observer, distanced from the action. Your final task will be to spin these tales for yourself, with you as the central character. As with all magical acts, your actions here will have consequences. Use common sense when confronted with unusual situations.
Building your voyage should incorporate three basic components: sound, motion, and emotion. Music, chanted poetry, spoken tales or the sounds of nature will all enhance the mood and setting of your journey and its beginning. One option is to take the poetry for the realm you travel into and repeat it with intent, gathering rhythm and psychic momentum, riding the words. Music that specifically creates a feeling of attachment to a realm can be played as a part of the process, either as prologue or as accompaniment for the actual travel. Working your journey within the physical realm you seek would provide you with the sounds of the natural world; singing leaves, waves lapping on shoreline. Listen for the inner voices.
With physical distractions at a minimum, the intention to journey gives rise to motion through the realms. The meditation cloth can be used to block out lights and shadows or to muffle or amplify sounds, allowing you to turn inward and open to the motion of inner travel. “Blindness” in the mundane world opens your eyes into the inner realms. Time and distance mutate and change within the context of your journey-tale. Mists rise and fall, and the scenery shifts. You walk, sail, fly. Gods and spirits move about you.
Identification with the tale links you emotionally to your voyage and to its results. The things you discover will have an emotional impact on your life outside your journey. Places will gain new meaning for you, not shared with others unless you choose to reveal them. You may find yourself dedicated to the service of a deity, or connecting with your ancestors. You may have strong emotional reactions to other actors you meet during your journeys. Some of these will be positive reactions. But do not be surprised if you meet figures that you dislike, or who dislike you. As it is in our world, so it is in the Otherworld as well.
It cannot be stressed highly enough that what you do in the Otherworld affects your life in the mundane world. You will find more than mere information awaits you. Your actions can be transformative, in both positive and negative ways. Act with care, and be prepared to see your outer life shift and move with the magical acts in which you participate as you travel the Otherworld realms.