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Secrets of the Druids: From Indo-European Origins to Modern Practices
A guide to the history and practices of the Druids and the Celtic faith
• Reconstructs the Druidic faith from surviving remnants, parallels with other Indo-European traditions, and dedicated study of scholarly sources
• Details magical rites and ceremonies, methods for consecrating an outdoor temple, and customs for celebrating important festivals such as Beltaine and Samhain
• Discusses rules for firecraft, making offerings to deities and spirits, and the ancient Coligny calendar, including the names of the months in old Gaulish
Druids and their magic, lore, and rituals have fascinated all those who encounter them, from the ancient Greeks and Romans onward. Even today, the mere mention of their name evokes pictures of standing stones, mistletoe, golden sickles, white-robed priests, and powerful sorcerers. But were they really as we picture them?
Drawing on comparative mythology and linguistics, archaeological evidence, and etymology, Teresa Cross offers readers a comprehensive course in the history and development of the Celtic spiritual tradition and its lore, reconstructing the Druidic faith from the remnants that have survived and dedicated study of scholarly sources. She also reveals parallels with other Indo-European traditions, such as the similarities between Celtic and Vedic Hindu beliefs and practices. She chronicles the ethics and spiritual teachings of Druidism and the Celtic faith and examines what happened to these beliefs during centuries of Christianization.
Moving from history to practice, Cross details magical rites and ceremonies as practiced by modern-day followers of Druidactos. She explores the structure of the Touta , which roughly corresponds to “tribe,” methods for consecrating a nemeton, the outdoor temple that offers the optimum sacred space for the meeting of heaven and earth, and the rites and customs associated with important festivals such as Beltaine and Samhain. She also explores the rules of firecraft, the sacred art of giving to the cosmos, making offerings to deities and spirits, sacred food and beverages, and the ancient Coligny calendar, including the names of the months in old Gaulish.
Offering an authentic handbook for starting your own Celtic group led by Druids, Cross reveals the meanings and metaphysics behind the Celtic and Druidic customs and traditions, reuniting the fragmentary remains of long-lost Druid culture with the still-living practices of the Celtic faith.
• Reconstructs the Druidic faith from surviving remnants, parallels with other Indo-European traditions, and dedicated study of scholarly sources
• Details magical rites and ceremonies, methods for consecrating an outdoor temple, and customs for celebrating important festivals such as Beltaine and Samhain
• Discusses rules for firecraft, making offerings to deities and spirits, and the ancient Coligny calendar, including the names of the months in old Gaulish
Druids and their magic, lore, and rituals have fascinated all those who encounter them, from the ancient Greeks and Romans onward. Even today, the mere mention of their name evokes pictures of standing stones, mistletoe, golden sickles, white-robed priests, and powerful sorcerers. But were they really as we picture them?
Drawing on comparative mythology and linguistics, archaeological evidence, and etymology, Teresa Cross offers readers a comprehensive course in the history and development of the Celtic spiritual tradition and its lore, reconstructing the Druidic faith from the remnants that have survived and dedicated study of scholarly sources. She also reveals parallels with other Indo-European traditions, such as the similarities between Celtic and Vedic Hindu beliefs and practices. She chronicles the ethics and spiritual teachings of Druidism and the Celtic faith and examines what happened to these beliefs during centuries of Christianization.
Moving from history to practice, Cross details magical rites and ceremonies as practiced by modern-day followers of Druidactos. She explores the structure of the Touta , which roughly corresponds to “tribe,” methods for consecrating a nemeton, the outdoor temple that offers the optimum sacred space for the meeting of heaven and earth, and the rites and customs associated with important festivals such as Beltaine and Samhain. She also explores the rules of firecraft, the sacred art of giving to the cosmos, making offerings to deities and spirits, sacred food and beverages, and the ancient Coligny calendar, including the names of the months in old Gaulish.
Offering an authentic handbook for starting your own Celtic group led by Druids, Cross reveals the meanings and metaphysics behind the Celtic and Druidic customs and traditions, reuniting the fragmentary remains of long-lost Druid culture with the still-living practices of the Celtic faith.
- GenresMagick
256 pages, ebook
Published November 17, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 16, 2021
This books has some historical perspectives regarding druidic origins . A thorough account of modern Druidic practice and how to participate and some helpful terminology . However it is more like a manual for modern practitioners and in that regard less interesting. I read the book after seeing it on Graham Hancocks author of the month.
September 6, 2022
The blurb promises a scholarly look at the early druids and how they lived. Instead, words like “bean sìdhe” which means “fairy woman” is mistranslated as “woman of peace” (and that’s not the worst of the translations). Instead of discussing what druids did, one is told to go read another book to get the historical specifics that this book said it would cover. And the repetitive nature of this book… How many times can one say that Fionn was like Robin Hood before someone says “Move on with it already”? There’s a quick (and inaccurate) summary of the Celtic gods – as someone who has studied Celtic folklore and culture for a decade, I wanted to laugh and weep in equal measure. The author tries to make the Celts stand apart from Greeks, Norse and others, yet she constantly compares and refers cross-culturally (and there are loads of contradictions). And the way she presents Celtic spirituality as a bastardisation of modern psychology and that various fae (the leannan sìth, the gancanagh, the phouka and more) are manifestations of the soul, is certainly making my Irish great-grandfather roll over in his grave.
So, druids were lore-keepers, judges, and advisors to kings – nothing I didn’t already know. (And one can learn loads more about druids in season 3 of Teen Wolf than in this book…) I only read part one – it was painful and didn’t deliver on the promise of the title or the blurb.
DNF
So, druids were lore-keepers, judges, and advisors to kings – nothing I didn’t already know. (And one can learn loads more about druids in season 3 of Teen Wolf than in this book…) I only read part one – it was painful and didn’t deliver on the promise of the title or the blurb.
DNF
June 4, 2023
A comprehensive book on the Celtic tradition, its practices, mythology and linguistic differences between the Celtic tribes, written by a practitioner with years of experience. Moreover, it includes comparisons with other pagan traditions, illustrations and extensive glossary which links the Indo-European people.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews