The Celtic Path

There are several elements of Belief and practice required to follow a Celtic Path:

First is a belief in and reverence for Celtic deities.

Second, is a connection with your ancestors and spirits of the OtherWorld.    Ancestor worship and reverence for spirits of the OtherWorld occurs in most Pagan cultures. There is a general love and reverence for the earth and its creatures.   This deep appreciation of nature is revealed in early Celtic nature poetry from Ireland and Wales.

Third, Celtic poetry is intrinsic to the structure of magick.  It is the fire in the soul, and speaks of power in its descriptions and its focus. This sort of poetry,   churns your guts.  In addition to the idea of poetry as magick, there is a respect for poetry as a social form; it offers praise to those who are worthy, and satire and scorn for those who are not.  Celtic Pagans must be poets.

Fourth, a connection with the past. The Celts had a reverence for history, and that reverence is a part of the Celtic spirit.  For some, this connection comes through physical ancestry. For others, it comes through study of history. Some people get it through connecting with the feeling of the myths. Other folks get it in other ways. We all recognize that something from the past is speaking to us strongly, but we disagree about the methods of judging its veracity and usefulness.

Fifth, a sense of early Celtic cosmology; doing things in terms of three realms rather than the classical Greek four elements, using Celtic symbols like triskeles and spirals rather than pentagrams, celebrating Celtic holidays rather than (or more deeply than) the holidays of other religions, threes and nines as ritually important, use of a sacred/cosmic tree and well combination. Much of this cosmology has had to be painstakingly reconstructed from fragmentary hints, and it goes back again to the argument that historical research is important to learning about and preserving the Celtic spirit.

Sixth, inclusiveness.  We can't rely on genealogy or geography to determine who is Celtic. The historical Celts roamed all over Europe, and lands beyond. Anyone worthy might be taken into the tribe through marriage or adoption. The Celts are roaming still, moving to America, Australia, and other widely diverse lands. And they're still taking people in through marriage and adoption.

Seventh, respect for women was a definite part of the Celtic spirit. While Celtic women didn't have it perfect, they were far better off than their Greek and Roman counterparts. Likewise, respect for and acceptance of gays and lesbians seems important. There is certainly text evidence for men loving men in early Celtic society. Women were not as often written about, but I think it is safe to assume that women had similar choices open to them.

Eighth, an appreciation of the complex and intricate. This is found in Celtic art, law, myth and poetry. The classical historians noted that the Celts spoke in riddles and loved to obfuscate. Wordplay and veiled reference were common.

Ninth, personal responsibility and a deep sense of self are a part of the Celtic spirit. Boasting and personal pride are evident in every Celtic tale. Sometimes it went overboard, so of course, like some other things (head hunting, etc), we have to be careful not to get too deeply into it. I think that some of us do act on this Celtic instinct, and that's why we often have heated debate on this list. So long as it doesn't get out of hand, I find it encouraging and a growth-oriented activity. Spirited argument was a part of the poet's duty, and was one of the ways in which the younger poets learned from the older. Along with this, I would say that the Celtic spirit includes a strong sense of ethics about what is right and what is wrong. The Celts were not an "anything goes" kind of people. They had a very complex body of laws governing what was appropriate and what was not. Celtic Pagans need both a strong sense of personal responsibility and a code of personal and social ethics in order to carry the Celtic spirit forward.

BOOKS

Here is a Celtic reading list which contains some of the most important books on the Celts and Celtic topics. These are the best introductory texts available. Many of these books can be found in different editions. The copyright dates shown here are for specific editions that I own or have read.

The Celts emerged as a distinct group about 2-4000 years ago. Unfortunately, because they did not have a written language as we do, most of the knowledge about their culture comes from archeological finds and speculation derived from folklore, legends and dubious history.