A Circle of Stones: Journeys and Meditations for Modern Celts - Erynn Rowan Laurie 1995
Making the Journey
Passing Through the Realms
The first step is to choose the realm in which you will seek information. The format of your journey and mythic tales will be different for each realm. Think about the nature of your quest, and what you ultimately wish to find. Consider which realm you are most likely to find your answers in, based upon your readings of the tales. Your degree of success will depend in large part upon your preparations, so do not feel compelled to rush simply because the process of preparation may be somewhat less interesting than the actual journey itself.
Landmarks will be most easily found in the realm of land. It is recommended that you start with echtrai in this realm in order to become familiar with the techniques and the process. Immrama through the realm of sea are marked most often by lack of easily discernable landmarks, but this can be overcome once you are used to the state and familiar with the process of journeying. Aisling come in sleep and deliberately induced visionary states, but the dream reality can be filled with material that is very easily misinterpreted, and can also give rise to much self-deception. The realm of sky should be saved for when you have a great deal of experience. The sample journey structure will presume that you are beginning an echtra.
Although it is not particularly traditional, a ritual bath is recommended before you begin your journey, as purification and preparation for your work. Along with the removal of symbolic impurity, the bath will relax you and begin to put you into an appropriate state for exploring the Otherworld. Relaxation is a necessary element for effective journeying. Remember also that water is a boundary between “normal” reality and the Otherworld places you wish to visit. The bath symbolizes your crossing from this world into the liminal space between worlds where the Otherworld gates are accessed. You can use plain water, or a bath oil or bath salt having a pleasant scent that you associate with the Land. Woody or earthy herbal scents work well.
There is little evidence for the use of ritual oils or incenses among the Celts before the introduction of Christian ritual, and so their use and symbolism need not have “traditional” meanings in Celtic culture. Anything that you find appropriate for reasons of scent or magical correspondence will be acceptable. Failing a full bath, add your scented oils or salts to a large bowl of water and bathe your face and hands, knowing that you are participating in the symbolic crossing of a boundary.
You should go physically to the place you have chosen to represent your entry point for the realm of Land. If this is not possible, then create the realm in your physical space as much as you are able. In the last analysis, your mind is the only tool you really need, but props of all kinds can be most helpful. For your first journeys, you will want as many props to assist you as you can gather, and being at your site physically is one of the best ways to connect with your chosen realm. You will have less need of these cues later.
You will want to wear loose clothing, including a meditation cloth the size of a large square scarf or a small blanket. It should be of a dark color, patterned with a tartan if you like, that will obscure the light and distractions. If you are going on your voyage outside, take someone with you to act as a “spotter” in case of possible disturbances from environmental causes, or from chance passers-by. If you must be indoors, then make sure you are in a place where you will be undisturbed by ringing phones, blaring radios or televisions, and family members or housemates, at least as much as possible. Low lighting will also help to cut the distractions to a minimum.
Close your eyes and cover your head with your meditation cloth. Closing your eyes here is preparation for opening them into the Otherworld.
Begin a recitation of the daily round, as you would if you were preparing for sleep. Volume is not necessary, or even desirable. What is important is that you can continue the chanting for an extended period of time. Breathe in an appropriate rhythm that allows you to flow with the poetry and still take a good breath. See yourself clearly at the various points in the meditation series. As you recite the poetry for the Inner Flame, you should begin a cauldron meditation, described below. Observe carefully as you light the inner watchfires.
Take a few minutes to breathe slowly in and out, to a very slow count of three. Inhale on a three count, hold for a three count, and exhale on a three count, then begin again. Do not rush. There is no need to set a speed record, or to cause hyperventilation. Concentrate the energies of your breath first in your Lower abdomen, in the pelvic girdle, with a series of nine breaths. Fill your lower abdomen with warmth. This is your Cauldron of Warming. It connects you with the forces of physical life. This cauldron is active in all people.
Continue the cycle with a second series of nine three-count breaths. You are filling your chest with warmth and energy as you continue to hold the energy within your abdomen. This is your Cauldron of Motion. It creates the motion within you that propels you on your journey. This cauldron traditionally requires work to activate, but may be partially active in some people. It may activate at times of initiation or crisis.
The third series of nine three count breaths fills your head while maintaining the warmth and energy of the previous two cauldrons. This is your Cauldron of Wisdom. It helps you to perceive, comprehend and interpret the information you receive while you travel in the Otherworld. This cauldron requires training and many years of hard work to activate fully, if it activates at all. In Irish tradition, its full activation is the sign of divine inspiration, and will transform your life. Only filidh of the highest rank attained the activation of this cauldron.
Proceed through the poetry of the strand until you reach the poem for Sacred Land. Instead of nine repetitions of the poetry, one for each bead, repeat the poem until you achieve a rhythm and a sense of movement. When you get to this point, continue chanting the poem and begin to create your starting point within your head. Sense it in every detail. Be aware of the scents in the air, the temperature, the movement around you. Place yourself into the scene and identify with it strongly. Note the weather, the season, the time of day or night. If the stars or moon are in sight, note the phase of the moon and any recognizable constellations. Your journeying persona should be clothed appropriately for the time and the place. You may be riding a fine steed, or pursuing a stag through the forest. Perhaps you are walking a well-worn path across the heath. Continue your chant and let the tale take you.
Follow your tale, observing carefully. Watch for unusual animal life. Observe gateways and remember the paths you take. With luck, you will eventually come to the mists. They will probably arise suddenly, obscuring your view of the landscape around you. Disorientation may set in. This is to be expected and is not a problem. You may be “lost” but you can always find your way out of the mists back into the mundane world. When the mists engulf you, spend some time there before you proceed, getting a feel for the between spaces. You will probably spend a lot of time in the mists over the years. The Irish considered the mist to be “the Cloak of Manannán.” You may not see him, but he is always present in the mists.
It is extremely unlikely that you will meet the Gods on your first journeys. In fact, it may take you months of journeying before you are even able to pass through the mists. This is a long term project, so be prepared to spend a good deal of time working through your tales. Listen to your instincts regarding whether you should speak or be silent when at last you meet another character in your tale. Note things said to you, and who said them.
Remember symbols that are shown to you or that seem to stand out for any reason. Things that appear in threes or nines are very important. Every tiny detail may be meaningful, so do not ignore little things.
One type of thing you may meet in your early journeys are your own projections. You will naturally expect to meet with unusual things and people. Be prepared to meet things that you have created in your own mind. It will take time and practice to tell these things from the real inhabitants of the Otherworld realms. A good clue that you have met a projection is finding an individual who offers to reveal all the mysteries to you right away. Always check the information you get with reading, research and practice when you return, to weed out the elements of self-deception.
Be content when you meet with the local land spirits, or the shades of the ancestors. They are wise and can teach you, perhaps better at first than a deity. You will have an easier time understanding the ancestors, because they have lived as you have, and they speak in terms that humans comprehend. They are usually but not always friendly. Treat them with great respect, for you will one day join them here. The ancestors can introduce you to land spirits and deities.
Land spirits have things to share as well, but they may act as tricksters. This is not because they dislike you, but because they have a different sense of time and values than humans do. Deal with them carefully and examine all the angles of any offers they make to you before you accept or decline. Be prepared to live with the consequences of any decisions you make, for good or Ill. Actions in the Otherworld can have great impact in your mundane life. Land spirits may also introduce you to deities, but this will usually arise in a situation that is mutually beneficial.
Meeting the deities is a thing you may wait a long time to accomplish. Remember that a thing is only worth the effort you have expended on it. The deities have deep lessons to teach, and they can demand a great deal from you in return. Accepting the offer of a deity can have lifelong repercussions. They may give you gifts, or they may test you. They might show you fragments of a dream and expect you to know what they mean by it. Communication is not likely to take place in words, at least at first. Realize that their communication can be very cryptic. Deities can also act as tricksters. Consider all your actions around the deities very carefully and know that you will be judged according to your actions and reactions.
Deities may introduce you to the rest of their family, or to others with whom they have contractual or social relationships. Remember that Celtic deities are affiliated with each other in lines of friendship and rivalry. Be alert to emotional tones around you, and watch for clues in the actions of your hosts. Taking the time to learn Celtic codes of behavior as expressed in the tales can only help you in these situations.
At some point, it will be time for you to return from your journey. You may simply decide that you have spent enough time wandering in the mists for one day. Your travel partner may have notified you of your time limit for the session. Perhaps you have found something interesting that you want to spend some time thinking about before you proceed further. It may also happen that you will be summarily dismissed by some actor in your tale and that no further journeying is possible at this point. Or you might even find the goal of your particular journey. Whatever the circumstance, it is time to return to waking consciousness.
If you have reached beyond the mists in your travels, you should retrace your path as much as possible until you return to the mists. From the mists, you can bring yourself home. Continue chanting the poetry for Sacred Land and begin to focus on the words instead of the motion of your travel process, returning to the starting point of your journey. When you attain an acute awareness of the actual words and rhythm of your chanting and your breathing, move to the next poem in the string. Continue the string counterclockwise and proceed as though you were working through your normal circle recitation, returning gradually to a waking state as you go. Once again, there is no rush, no reason to hurry.
Upon reaching the Inner Flame, reverse the Cauldron meditation, moving down from the head to the abdomen. Bring your awareness through to the mundane world and refocus on the physical environment around you. Ending with the Gate of Divine Mysteries, reaffirm yourself and your identity, and end the inner phase of the work.
When you have returned, take some time to reconnect with the physical world. Bathe hands and face in the waters of your ritual bath, to symbolize crossing back into the mundane world. Gather your materials together and put them all away, then sit down for a cup of tea or a small snack. If you have a working partner for the process, discuss your journey and your findings with them. Keeping a journey log for your notes and analysis is very useful, and you can record your information at this time, while it is still fresh in your mind. Draw symbols that you were shown, note conversations you had, sketch maps of the places you have seen and routes taken. Record your impressions with as much emotional tone and vividness as possible, keeping track of the season or time, the colors of things, anything that seems at all important.
The evaluation process is just as important as the journey itself. It is through analysis of what you have seen and experienced that you learn and grow. This enables you to go further in each journey. With each additional journey you make, you gather information that allows you to ask the right questions, and these questions in turn allow you to get answers that help you on your path. Continual reading of the Celtic tales and other works gives you context for the interpretation of your experiences. The process of analysis and reading also helps you to sort the wheat from the chaff, separating the useful material from the projections and the self-deceptive interpretations. If a thing is jarringly out of place, or simply does not quite fit the context, examine it closely and be sure it should be there. This may be a clue that the information is not good. If you determine that it does belong despite the fact that it seems out of place, you will need to figure out why it belongs, and also why it appears to be out of place. Both of these things will provide information.
Remember that none of this material exists alone. Everything in the universe is connected to everything else in some way. Celtic cultures provide a number of specific contexts to show when material is important and some very precise symbols that indicate how things are important. If things are confusing, set them aside for a time and wait. Eventually the mysteries become clear.
The techniques offered here are only a sample of what can be done with a little imagination and determination. Your Circle of Stones can be a powerful tool for exploring the Otherworlds and meeting the Gods on their own ground. The gate is open. It is time to step through.
