Celtic Wicca : ancient wisdom for the 21st century

205 Pages·2001·31.53 MB·English

by  Raeburn, Jane

CeLti'c Wi'cca
Ancient Wisdom for the 21st Century
jane Rae6uRn
CITADEL PRESS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
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Copyright © 2001 Jane Raeburn
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First printing October 2001
10 987654321
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Control Number: 2001092058
ISBN 0-8065-2229-1
Contents
Preface
1. Overview of Celtic Religion 3
2. Wicca 20
3. Celtic Gods and Goddesses 43
4. Constructing a Celtic Wiccan Ritual 83
5. The Celtic Creative Tradition 110
6. Celtic Wicca in Daily Life 129
7. Seasonal Rituals 145
8. Ethics 176
Bibliography 191
Index 195
I his book exists because 1 wanted to find it and couldn’t. In it, I
seek to provide a system incorporating both Celtic history and
modern Wiccan vision while making clear which is which.
The Celtic path is deservedly popular: Besides supplying at least
part of the ancestry of millions of Americans, the British Isles have
provided the modern world with haunting music, poignant mythol­
ogy, and a passionate creative spirit. It’s hard to exist in American
society, certainly, without being aware of manifestations of British
and Irish culture, from long lists of Celtic-inspired music to rave
reviews for Irish memoirs.
While it is valuable to study and leam as much as possible about
ancient Celtic religion, it is difficult to structure a spiritual path from
the historical record alone. Thus Celtic Wicca combines the most
inspiring of ancient wisdom with the creative spirit and personal
freedom of a new and modern faith.
For many years, authors have written about this path without
clearly differentiating between modern inventions and ancient
sources. Examples abound. In her valuable 1998 article “When Is a
Celt Not a Celt?” Joanna Flautin-Mayer cites some of them: for
instance, the writer who claims pumpkins (unknown in Ireland till
1588) were part of ancient Iron Age worship. In this book, I seek to
offer a practical, respectful approach to the ancient material while
encouraging you to use this knowledge creatively in your own life
and worship. I also hope to communicate the joy, inspiration, and
learning I’ve found in this religion.
PREFACE
It should be noted that there are books and groups that seek to
re-create Celtic worship or culture without referring to Wicca. This
is not such a book, though I have great respect for many who follow
such paths. I believe Wicca provides structure and community that
are important to most modern worshipers, as well as a wealth of
creative ideas for spiritual learning and growth.
Though I’ve tried to treat historical facts with dignity, inevitably
some mistakes may have crept in, and for them I claim full respon­
sibility. Nonetheless, I also acknowledge the assistance of many who
have helped make this book better, or who have inspired and taught
me. They include Lakshmi, Darcie, and Stefen, who presided over
my initiations; the members of Parth-Rathenroak, Avalon-9, and the
Temple of Brigantia, from whom I have learned so much; and the
members of the Maine Pagan Mailing List, who continually challenge
and inspire me. Special thanks to Lilith McClelland, for starting all
this, to Eric and Rita of Apple Valley Books for their knowledge and
book-finding skills, and to Cynthia Jane Collins for extra support
during the last few weeks of writing. Finally, to Cassius, my hus­
band, best friend, and magical partner, I dedicate this book.
J.R.
CeLtfc Wicca
ONE
OaeRDfecp of
Celtic ReLfgfon
(Celtic history is mysterious, ambiguous, and intriguing. The Celts
themselves didn't keep written records of their lives, customs, or
beliefs. We know many tantalizing bits of information—from archae­
ology, from the writings of the Roman Empire, and from early Chris­
tian writings that seem to retain some flavor of the pre-Christian
world. These sources often fail to add up to a coherent whole.
People of varying credentials have interpreted them in many differ­
ent ways. And even the most eminent historians often disagree on
important points. So please don’t take this brief overview as the One
Great Truth. Read the evidence for yourself. The answer to your
question may well be “We’re not quite sure.”
For instance, who were the Celts? We first hear the term from a
Greek writer, Polybius, and the Greek and Roman writers of the
sixth through first centuries mention variously Keltoi, Galatae,
b.c.e.1
'Recognizing the near-universal adoption of the Christian calendar, but wishing to respect
all faiths, many modem scholars have adopted the terms c.e. (Common Era) and b.c.e. (Before
the Common Era) with the same meanings as the Christian a.d. and b.c. I’m not a scholar, but
I find this usage appropriate for writing about Wiccan and Pagan religions.
3
4
CELTIC W1CCA
and Celtae. The people they refer to were the resident populations of
Gaul (roughly where France is today) and the British Isles. Today’s
scholars use the word “Celtic” to refer to people who spoke (but
did not write) variants of a common language and spread their cul­
ture across Europe in the Bronze and Iron Ages. While most people
today use the word “Celtic” to refer only to the British Isles, many of
the important Celtic archaeological sites are located in what are now
France, Germany, and Spain.
Though the Celts didn’t leave written records of their lives and
beliefs, they were far from “primitive.” They left behind evidence of
a complex and effective social order, a distinctive style of decoration
and artwork, and highly evolved beliefs. The values of creativity, pas­
sion, beauty, and honor, combined with the enduring mysteries of
their existence, have endowed Celtic civilization with an irresistible
appeal. American stores have whole sections devoted to “Celtic”
music, and people of many nations spend time and money studying
and visiting Celtic countries and their ancient monuments.
Unfortunately, even the facts we do know about the Celts have
frequently been misinterpreted or just invented. For instance:
• The Celts did not build Stonehenge. It and many other stone cir­
cles, burial mounds, and menhirs (standing stones) were erected
before the Celtic era, by Neolithic and Bronze Age people whose
purpose and worship remain mysterious. There’s no evidence that
such sites were ever used ritually by Celtic priests.
• There are no ancient Druid manuscripts. Anywhere. Ever. Any­
body who claims he or she has access to one is, at best, projecting
a religious belief as historical reality The priests of Celtic religion
banned the writing of sacred knowledge, and instead transmitted
their history, poetry, and faith through a memorized oral tradition
that required many years’ training.
• The Romans did not stamp out the Celtic religion. While some
Druids were executed for their anti-Roman political and military
activities, the conquering Romans left intact the religions of ordi­
nary people, requiring only that local leaders pay token homage to
5
OVERVIEW OF CELTIC RELIGION
the cult of the emperor’s family. Indeed, there is considerable evi­
dence that during the centuries of Roman occupation, practitioners
of Celtic and Roman religion learned from one another, resulting in
the blending of certain ideas and deities. Celtic religion was super­
seded by Christianity, not by the Roman gods.
• Celtic women were neither ancient feminist heroines nor chattel
New research is showing that the status of women in Celtic soci­
eties varied greatly from region to region. We know women were
sold into slavery, but so were men. We know women were allowed
to own property in their own right in many areas. Occasionally we
hear of a Celtic woman ruling a tribe and leading it into war. In
their worship, Celtic tribes honored both goddesses and gods, often
(but not always) associating goddesses with land and sea, and gods
with trees, animals, and the sky.
What we do know about the Celts comes from three main
sources. One is the writings of Greeks and Romans who visited
Celtic lands or encountered Celtic people as traders or slaves. These
sources pose problems for the serious student, for such writers often
wanted to portray the Celts as strange and barbaric people, the
better to justify making war with them. In other cases, they wanted
to depict the Celts as “noble savages,” downplaying Celtic sophisti­
cation in an effort to contrast Celtic nobility with decadent Greek
and Roman society. Even well-meaning writers ended up telling fan­
tastic tales simply because they were strangers in language and cul­
ture to the people they tried to portray.
The second source is the artifacts, ranging from tiny bronze stat­
ues to burial sites to the remains of buildings and temples, which
have survived the centuries well enough to impart some information
about the people who left them. Here, too, we have difficulties, for
such evidence must always be incomplete. For one thing, many of a
culture’s objects simply don’t survive. Even when we find an object
(assuming the site hasn’t been raked over by clumsy archaeologists
of another century, or raided to make building materials for thrifty
farmers), there is often little information to tell us what it was for.