A Circle of Stones: Journeys and Meditations for Modern Celts - Erynn Rowan Laurie 1995

Walking the Cosmic Circle

Celtic myth is encompassed by stone. Ancient sacred circles stand in the midst of the landscape, and their presence is imprinted on Celtic consciousness. The passage of seasons and years was measured by carefully laid stone, built by mysterious people who predated the Celts. Stones mark sacred sites; hilltops, wells, graves and royal plains. The great hero Cú Chulainn died tied to a standing stone, so that he could leave this life standing on his feet.

The stones that have been most strongly impressed upon us are the circles, images of the sacred circle of life and death, the womb of the Goddess, the sun and moon. Circles reflect a cyclic understanding of time and the cosmos. Located in places of power, some circles are approached by avenues of standing stones, the paths through which ritual and energy flow.

The sacred cosmology of the ancient Celts has been lost to the ravages of time and change. All that remains are hints to be sifted from tales, poetry, and fragmentary traditions. Understanding this limitation, a working model for modern ritual and meditation can be proposed. What follows is a reconstruction, based upon many years of tracing the threads of myth, image and poetry.

The basis of our circle is the great triskele or triple spiral: the three realms of land, sea and sky. Beneath us, firm and solid, lies the land. It supports and feeds us. Surrounding this is the sea, the boundary between our world and the realms of the Gods. Above all arches the sky. It is upon this division, rather than the traditional western four elements of earth, air, fire and water, that the ancient Celts based their concept of the universe. Oaths were sworn by land, sea and sky. All things lived within the circle.

Connecting these realms, and flowing within them, is fire. Fire is the symbol of the presence of the Gods, spiritual energy, and the power of the land and the tuath or tribe. It is the connection between humanity and the Gods. In the language of Celtic myth, fire is the nature of poetry, of inspiration itself. It is the thread that connects all things. This fire is called imbas, “poetic inspiration.” The Irish poet Aimirgen (AH-ver-gen) alluded to imbas when he spoke of “a god who shapes fire for a head.”

Time was separated into light and darkness, summer and winter. Day began with the fall of night, and holy day celebrations thus began the night before, as the November festival of Samhain begins on the last night of October. Likewise, the year began with Samhain, or “summer's end.”

Both Ireland and Wales were divided into geographical provinces surrounding a sacred center. These provinces corresponded roughly to the four directions, leading to a five-fold categorization of space. This division into five areas is emphasized in Irish myth. Fintan, who lived many lifetimes in a number of shapes, knew all the history of the island. He divided the island in this way: “knowledge in the west, battle in the north, prosperity in the east music in the south, kingship in the centre.” (Rees, Alwyn & Brinley, Celtic Heritage: Ancient Tradition in Ireland and Wales, Thames & Hudson, New York 1990, p 122.) A simpler division gives us the four winds, which we find in many folk tales and poems.

From the north, along with battle, came the four treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the ancient Gods of Ireland. Before their arrival in Ireland, they stayed in four cities “in the northern islands of the world, learning druidry and knowledge and prophecy and magic, till they were expert in the arts of pagan cunning.” (MacAlister, R.A. Stewart, Lebar GabaIa. Erenn: The Book of the Taking of Ireland, part IV, Irish Texts Society volume XLI, Dublin 1941, p 107.) In each city they learned new magic and were given a different object. From Falias (FALL-ee-us) they brought the Stone of Fal. Gorias (GOR-ee-us) was the source of the Spear of Lugh (LOO). The Sword of Nuada (NOO-a-tha) came from Findias (FIN-dee-us), and the Cauldron of Daghda (DAHG-da) was given to them in Murias (MUR-ee-us). The treasures are the precursors of the grail hallows. There is no evidence that they were elemental or directional tools of earth, air, fire and water, although some people use them in this way.

In the center of our cosmic circle lies the well of wisdom. It is surrounded by a grove of nine hazel trees. Beside the well is the world tree, the embodiment of the ancient ancestral deity known as Bile (BILL-eh). His name means “a sacred tree.” Circling above the tree, rotating through its branches, is the region of the summer stars that was spoken of by the Welsh bard Taliesin.

Nine is a deeply significant number in Celtic mythology. Some scholars suggest that the early Celtic week was nine days long. Ritual actions are often shown as taking nine days to perform. There is some evidence that the Celts had nine duile (DOO-leh) or “elements.” The list varied according to time and place, but a sample group might include earth, stone, salt, water, rain, cloud, sun, stars and wind. These duile do not appear to be much like the elements of western magic. It is doubtful that they were ever used in the same way.

Ruling the cosmic triskele are the great deities Danu, Manannán and Bile. All three appear to be pre- or pan-Celtic, and have long and venerable histories.

Danu (DAH-noo) is the Mother of the Gods. She represents the land from which the Tuatha Dé Danann came. This land is not a physical place, but is instead the sacred geography of the Otherworld realms. Danu is the principle of birth and beginnings, of generation and of fertility. She is the hidden source of the Well of Segais, which is the abode of the Salmon of Wisdom. In continental Europe, she is the Goddess of springs, giving her name to dozens of rivers such as the Danube and the Don. Although there are no positively identified images of Danu in Irish iconography, the sheila-na-gig seems quite appropriate.

Manannán (MAHN-ah-nawn) holds the keys to the Otherworld realms. He was a king of the Dé Danann, and gave them access to the sidhe mounds. Some sources claim that he was kin to the Tuatha Dé Danann, but others claim he is far older. His sacred island in the physical world is Inis Mann, the Isle of Man. It is my belief that he is one of the primordial Gods of Celtic creation. He is Lord of Tír fo Thuinn, the Land Under Sea and of Tír na mBan, the Isle of Women, as well as having many other, very significant roles. Water is a boundary between the worlds, and Manannán directs the imramma voyages. He symbolizes the transition from one world to another. His personal symbol is known to be the triskele.

Bile is in some sources the husband of Danu. He is the ruler of the realm of the dead, Lord of Death. As Lord of the Dead, he is the agency through which we may contact the ancestors, and vice versa. He was said to be one of the early ancestors of the Milesians, dwelling in central Europe. On the continent, he was known as Belenos. Gaulish iconography links him with solar symbols and stags. He rules the cycles of time and the seasons. His image is more commonly known as “Cernunnos.”

Each of these components is a piece of the Celtic worldview. They can be represented as a circle of meditative beads, divided in various ways. You can create your own circle following the instructions in the next chapter.

The first part of our circle is the Gate of Divine Mysteries.

It is a pendant that dangles from the body of the circlet, linked to it by the three beads of the Inner Flame. The Gate of Divine Mysteries stands for many things. It is the hidden source of the Well of Wisdom, the triskele of Manannán, the threefold eponymous Goddesses of Ireland Fodhla (FOHTH-la), Banbha (BAHN-va) and Eriu (AIR-i-yoo). It may stand for any triplicity revered by the Celts, and it is the source of all creation. One side of the pendant may be marked with a triskele. The other may hold the symbol called Fionn's (Finn’s) Window, an ogam (OG-um) wheel found in the 14th century CE Book of Ballymote. This can be used as mirror, gateway and cosmological mandala.

The Inner Flame represents that spark within us that is our link with the Gods. It is the internal energy of the World Tree, or the central pillar of the sky that reaches beyond that canopy into the realms beyond human understanding. It is the Maypole, the centerpost, and the watchfire that guides us on our journeys, and which sees us safely back again. It is the sacred inspiration of poetry. The Inner Flame symbolizes also the three cauldrons of meditation, which the Irish poets discuss in a poem called “The Cauldron of Poesy.” It is the ritual processional that leads us into the body of the circle.

These beads are connected to the main body of the circle at a significant point. It is called Double Spiral Gate. This bead can be seen as the Gate of Winter and Summer, of Samhain and Bealtaine, the Gate of Night and Day, or the Gate of Birth and Death. All of these are equivalent concepts in the cycle of day, year, and lifetime. It encompasses all the dualistic opposites, and implies a hidden third part, as graphically presented in the Lindisfarne spiral. This is the place where Manannán stands as the key, the gate, and gatekeeper between Danu and Bile, life and death. It is the physical manifestation of the Well of Wisdom where we may drink the water and sit on its banks. The Double Spiral Gate may also be represented as the hole in the stone, another symbolic gateway.

The Double Spiral Gate rests between the north and west winds. In the Irish tales, magic has its source in the north of the world, but it arrives in the west, and so our point of origin for physical manifestation in the circle is located in the “northwest quadrant.” Our arrival is also placed here because it is between Land and Sea, the symbolic meeting place of all three realms.

From this Gate, we move to the left, and upward along the circle to the bead that signifies Danu. Danu and Bile are the essence of life and death, guardians of the realms beyond life, and of the land of the dead. They are the boundary of all created reality and define time and the cycle of seasons. They, with Manannán, define, guard, and grant access to all the realms of manifest and unmanifest reality. These three are our guides to the Otherworld realms and at the same time are themselves embodiments of these realms.

After this is the bead of the Treasure of Falias, Lia Fáil (LEE-ah FOHL), which is surrounded by beads signifying the four winds. Its Guardian is Morfessa, which means “great knowledge/wisdom”. This Treasure represents the mythic essence of the sacred land, and is the solid support of the Tree of Life, or the centerpost that reaches beyond the sky. It was the standing stone that cried out for the High Kings of Ireland confirming their acceptance by the land's Sovereignty, and it stood on the hill of Tara, the mystical and sacred center of Ireland.

Next are nine beads symbolizing the Sacred Land. These nine beads represent the physical world as an island in the surrounding sea. In ancient times, many cultures viewed the known world as an island, and this viewpoint is not unique to the Celts. For the Irish, in fact, the world was an island surrounded by ocean, and come to only by crossing that formidable barrier. The land was named for the three Goddesses Fodla, Banbha and Eriu by Aimirgen during the course of its conquest by the Sons of Mil, ancestors of the human Gaels.

We come next to the Treasure of Gorias, the Spear of Lugh, and surrounding beads for the four winds. Its Guardian is Esras. This Treasure is the magical spear that is symbolic of the world tree, the link between earth and sky. Lugh is the many-skilled God who is capable in all the arts and sciences. The spear itself can also link earth and sky when it is thrown from the hand of the warrior. It is a symbol of protection from harm, of willingness to stand firm in the face of troubles, and of the cohesion of the people as a social, spiritual and political unit.

This leads into the nine beads of the Endless Sky. It is the canopy above land and sea. The sky tells the passing of days and seasons, and the seasons of one's life. By observing its cycles we can come to know the mysteries of time, of planting and the movement of herds, of augury by the motion of clouds and the movement and sounds of birds. The sky is ever present above us, and it is the realm of the winds and of rain, sunlight, and snow.

Next is the Treasure of Findias, the Sword of Nuadha and its four winds. Its Guardian is Uscias. This Treasure represents the divisions of society and between the realms of this world and the Otherworlds. It is the weapon of Nuadha, the King who was wounded and removed from power due to his imperfection. His wounded arm was replaced by one of silver. The Sword creates the demarcation between sea and sky, and it is that thin silver strand of white, sandy beach that separates those two deep blue-grey realms when the voyager returns home from voyaging.

After this come the nine beads of the Eternal Sea. The surrounding ocean is the source of mysterious things. It is the realm that encompasses and conceals foreign lands, protects the land from invasions, and holds the roots of Sacred Land in its womb. The sea is constantly changing, yet changeless. It may create or destroy land, both by virtue of its motion. It is a rich source of food and plenty, and yet may kill those who venture upon it.

Our final turn through the manifest realms leads us to the Treasure of Murias, Coire Ansic (KWEHR-ah AHN-shig) (“un-dry cauldron”) the Cauldron of Daghda and its accompanying winds. Its guardian is Semias. This Treasure contains all the endless sea, and stands between the waters of birth and the consumption of death and resurrection or rebirth. The word “un-dry” is not a title so much as the description of a state of constant fullness and plenty.

With this Treasure, we come full circle, from the act of Danu, giving birth to all the sacred realms, to the act of Bile, guiding and guarding the spirit on its way to the realm of rest and the dead.

We then return to the Double Spiral Gate and descend the dangling strand of the Inner Flame to the Gate of Divine Mysteries that began our voyage of cosmology and discovery. We return to the source from which all wisdom flows, and are, perhaps, a little wiser for the journey.