The Druids and the Moon

You can watch my Youtube video about this subject in here: [The Druids and the Moon]


The Druids are still a fascinating subject, and the unknown still brings mystery, and what is mysterious and almost mystical nowadays, gives us a certain delight in knowing that beyond our dull lives in a civilized world, there is still magic out there, somewhere.  

It’s still extremely hard to understand what the Druids were up to. We know they studied a variety of arts for 20 years, maybe more, but left no written records of their doings. Fortunately, and unfortunately, we have written roman sources describing the religious, intellectual and social functions of the druids within their communities, but these are the points of view from a society with a different cultural, historical and traditional background, seeing from afar something they had never come in contact with; ancestral practices so deeply carved upon the Celtic tribes, impossible for outsiders to fully understand the true essence of Druidism. 

Even so, during Caius Iulius Caesar wars on Gaul (the very same who played such an important role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire), we have really interesting accounts about the druids, especially duo to Caesar’s friendship with Diviciacus of the Aedui, of course a Romanised name for a person we may never know his true name. Now, there might be a certain confusion here, because there was another Diviciacus during Caesar’s time, and he was also a Gaul, a Gaulish King to be more precise, but we know this Caesar’s friend was a Druid, not by Caesar himself but by Marcus Tullius Cicero, a roman politician who had a very peculiar career before becoming an active figure in the political network of Rome. Cicero had been an Augur, a priest whose purpose was interpreting the will of the gods by studying the flight of birds. So Cicero met this Diviciacus in Rome and had long debates with him, because they were colleagues of some sort and both argued about the art of divination. 

This is one of the most important sources we have about druidism. However, as you might have guessed, it’s only a tiny portion of what druidism is and was. We are talking about druidism practiced in Gaul, from a certain Celtic group within a Celtic group, and obviously other druids did things differently, with certain similarities, but we can’t possibly say that all druids were the same everywhere. Also, these are written roman sources with that beautiful roman political touch of the Roman Republic. 

But the question is, what concrete knowledge did the Celts and the Druids had on the stars and how did they applied such knowledge on their societies? In truth, we aren’t certain (sorry), but we have a variety of studies which gives us a glimpse of such a knowledge which seems with each passing year we come to the conclusion that these societies knew much more than we realised the year before, and the year before that. We can count on the yearly celebrations, harvesting cycles, equinoxes and solstices, we can count on the traditional folklore written by Irish priests, and of course we can count on the studies made by Archaeologists and Astronomers about the orientations of the monuments of antiquity. However, this last one, unlike most people think, such megalithic monuments are not Celtic; they were raised during the Neolithic, so we are talking about roughly 5000-4000 years before the Celts, of course the chronology differs a lot from place to place, still, we know the Druids used such monuments during the Iron 
Age, but did they really knew what that was all about? Were they really using such monuments for the astronomical purposes they had been built so long ago? 

It’s possible that the Druids knew how to use such monuments. Oral tradition since immemorial times survived till nowadays, even though with a lot of changes along the way. But we know the knowledge of the druids was passed along, from generation to generation through the oral tradition, in the attempt to keep the secrets of their wisdom, and they did a damn good job because we are still trying to crack this business. And such a tradition partly survived in the Irish Astronomical Treatises of the Middle-Ages, written in Latin, the very same knowledge the Christians used to continue the studies on the stars. 

But the key to this knowledge seems to be in the Moon. According to the roman sources, the knowledge about the Moon and the observation of its phases was one of the most important subjects for the Druids. The complexity of the knowledge of the Moon cycles is something our modern culture lost, at least the peculiarities of this knowledge. 

First, it must be noted that there are two cycles in the motions and appearances of the moon. The first and best known is that of its phases, which are repeated every 29.5 days approximately. Secondly, is the position of the Moon on the horizon, in fact, if we look at what point of the horizon in which the moon appears, we will see that for about 27.5 days the Moon travels in an arc in the horizon, in a round "journey" between its north and south ends. It is important to note that since both cycles are different, the moon does not always leave in the same phase by the same site of the horizon. 

Now, as the lunar orbit is inclined to that of the earth about 5 °, the points of the horizon where the Moon appears on the horizon does not coincide with the appearances of the sun across the sky. In addition the Moon appearances are not static. And then there is a variety of complex information of the cycles of the Moon which would make my statement too long and complex. What I mean with this is that the Moon cycles are much more complex and we need to be precise in our observations of the moon, because the positions are never the same each year. We had to observe the real cycle of the moon for at least 18 to 19 years, until the whole cycle comes to an end and starts again. 18 to 19 years is very close to the 20-year-study of the Druids. Coincidence? Caesar himself left us an account that it took a novice in Druidry nineteen years of preparations to become a Druid, which coincides with the complete observation of one Moon cycle 

So the Druids had to have a real understanding of the natural world. According Caesar and also Gaius Plinius, a roman philosopher and sort of naturalist of the Roman Empire, the Druids only required to observe the Moon in order to understand the stars and the position of the earth in relation with the stars. 

It's interesting to see that the megalithic monuments are not only aligned to be possible to observe the solstices, but some monuments are actually aligned with certain starts. The starts which are much more visible to the human eye without requiring a tool to enhance the celestial "dome". And these monuments I'm talking about, were not only for initiation rites, but also funerary monuments. Monuments with a variety of functions in prehistoric societies. And as I've said, these monuments are much older than the Celts, so it's a wonder the knowledge these people had, and how this knowledge survived for thousands of years until the Iron Age, and the Druids made good use of such knowledge. 

This may be one of the reasons the Moon has played such an important role in the pre-Christian societies, and why there were so many deities related with the Moon. For instance, since I’ve written about the Romans, we start to see in the Roman funerary stelae (stones slabs) a representation of the crescent moon with the propagation of Celtic tongues and certain customs and traditions mixed with local traditions. 

The roads of the Celts

On an old post I have written, I believe it was in 2012, I talked about the possibility that the Celts might have been the first to make a network of roads for comercial purposes and to link important settlements all over Europe, before the Romans made their own roads on top of the already existing ones of the Celts. As you might know, when the Celts started to spread all over Europe, 1000 years before they came to Irland and the others countries of Great Britain, the first place they have settled was the Iberian Peninsula, today Portugal and Spain, and they have settled mostly in the Northern parts of the Iberian Peninsula, but mostly in Northern Portugal and Galicia and Central Portugal between two great rivers, Durius ( today's Douro ) and Tagus ( today's Tejo ), and that area was exactly where the tribe of Celts later called Lusitanians by the Romans, have settled and thus the history of Portugal and their national symbols were born. Because the Iberian Peninsula was so important for many cultures, not just the many tribes of Celts, but also to the Greek and the Phoenicians, so trading routes were needed that led to the main land and the eastern parts of Europe to pass through the many regions where the Celts had settlements, because during this time trading was mostly done by sea and little was taken to areas further inland. So the Celts made those road networks that linked the important Hellenic and Semitic Ports to their own settlements all the way from the Iberian Peninsula as far as the Swiss mountains* and beyond probably to nowadays Czech Republic.

By the time the Romans emerged and started their campaigns across Europe, they already knew where to go and which places where the most important for the Celts and especially to the Lusitanians ( the greatest power in the Iberian Peninsula at the time, the most likely to resist and drive the Romans back ) because of the already existing roads, they followed the paths and easily conquered the lands, after that, they built their own roads on top of the already existing ones, as we can see in the case of the the Via Heraklea, an ancient route that runs a thousand miles in a straight line from the tip of the Iberian Peninsula to the Alps, and this also happened in other countries, including the ones in Great Britain, or at least, the parts where the romans could get.

My theory wasn't far from the truth, because it seems that the straight Roman roads has been exposed by a new book which claims that these extraordinary engineering feats were in fact the work of the Celts. The findings of Graham Robb bring a new enlightenment to this subject and places into question two millennia of thinking about Iron Age Britain and Europe and the stereotyped image of Celts as barbarous, superstitious tribes.
In truth, Druids and other Celt’s scientific and spiritual leaders, have been some of the most intellectually advanced personalities of their time, it is said that they have developed the straight roads in the 4th Century BC, hundreds of years before the Italian armies marched across Europe.
The first theory was around the Via Heraklea, when it was realised that it was plotted along the solstice lines through several Celtic settlements, mapping the positioning of hundreds of other towns and cities in France, Britain and Ireland and found that the Celt’s had organised them to mirror the paths of their Sun God, created a network straight of tracks following the solstice lines across the continent. This suggests that the Druids possessed map-making skills that historians believed were discovered centuries later. Unfortunately as you may know, their scientific and mathematical achievements have been long forgotten as there is no written evidence and their history has been replaced the stereotypes of them as wood-dwelling wildmen, it is a real pity that in the Celtic society it was a rule not to write any document that contained any history of this people, and all kind of knowledge was passed through the teachings trough language, in order to keep all practices within the community and not reasing others, which leaves the entire history of the Celts, shrouded in mystery and that is why nowadays it is hard to believe that such people did amazing and extremely sophisticated things. 


*It is important to emphasize these routes between the Iberian Peninsula and in the Swiss Alps, as the Celtic tribe with more power in ancient Iberia, was the tribe of the Lusitanians who were the first European people to form a nation by uniting with other Celtic tribes, and it is thought that the origin of the Portuguese, in this case the Lusitanians, was in the Helvetic Alps in Switzerland, the site chosen by the Celts in their early migrations.

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The "Talking" Stones

I have come across a lot of traditional tales in Portugal as well as there are in other European countries, about the "talking" stones, that i found it to be fascinating and i want to share this with you.

The believe in the talking stones kept alive until today in some places, seems to be a fanciful and unreasonable tale, however, this has a background based on truth and it has a scientific explanation. In fact, stones with such functions are located in strategic points of geomagnetic networks. Thus, information sent via a menhir located on these geomagnetic networks, it could very well be captured by another stone placed at a point on the same network. It is said that this was how the druids could communicate with each other, being separated by large distances, during the Roman invasions of Gaul.
A better way to understand how these telluric currents are perceptible, is through carrier pigeons, as these birds use them for guidance and to be able to return to their pigeonry. The carrier pigeons are sensitive to the variation of the terrestrial magnetic fields modified by the telluric currents. Scientists know that the magnetite located in the head of pigeons allows them to have an expectional way of guidance. On the other hand it is also known today that man also has some portions of this mineral magnetized in various parts of the body. This fact allows us to suppose that man had once been able to use an identical sistem as of the carrier pigeons, to detect the energy of the places to construct and erect megaliths and to build their temples, for as we know nowadays, none of the megalithic monuments is randomly placed, they are all placed where the Ley lines of the earth pass, an worldwide fact too well made and located in the proper places, to be just a coincidence that a lot of different cultures from different continents did.
Nowadays this seems to us an absurd fact because we do not own this ability to feel this invisible reality or to see it with our own eyes, but it has a very simple explanation. The difficulty we face today has much to do with the various types of pollution, such as electric and electro-magnetic types of pollution (as in the case of transmission antennas, masts and power stations and more recently GSM antennas) which are serious obstacles to the recognition of the signals emitted by the earth itself.
 
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Sacred Space

There are many examples of sacred sites around the world that have special significante to particular societies: Stonehenge for the druids; Mount Olympus for the Greeks; the San Francisco Mountains for the native American Zuri tribe; the black hills of south Dakota for the plains tribes; and Uluru ( formerly known as Ayers Rock ) for the Australian tribes. These sites are usually powerful places associated with the ancestors, gods or spirits of a given culture. They are important to the collective psyche of the society. Sacred space approaches the concept on a more personal level.

Is there a place that you find especially conducive to meditation or relaxation? Perhaps a tree in a park or your garden, a certain rock outcrop or a wood where you often walk. Anywhere that you feel comfortable can be a sacred space, and that includes a place within yourself; sometimes it's not possible to travel physically to a special place to unwind just when you need to, so why not carry it with you?

The inner sacred space is a place that you create as a sanctuary, a retreat from the physical world, where you can relax and recoup your energy, so ir can resemble anything that makes you feel comfortable: a desert island, a hut on a mountain, a cave, anything. Maybe it's a place that you already know; somewhere you have visited in a dream or in this world. The more you visualize, the more real it will seem, so try to feel textures, see details, hear sounds and smell scents.

Your sacred space is a safe place and, because it is always there, you can visit it at any time. It can evolve as much as you want it to, because you created it and the control over it lies only with you. The only limitations are ones that you, as the maker, impose. So, be aware of what comes into being, for that can offer important insights into your subconcious. This private place is a good jumping-off point for beginning jounrneys.

Experiencing Nature

The natural world is a great place to find peace, tranquillity and inspiration, and to practise visualizing details to put inti your own sacred space. Get out as much as possible yo experience the benefits that a natural environment can bring. When out walking, be aware of your surroundings, admite the beauty of a tree or a bird in flight and always be grateful. Life is a precious gift to be appreciated now.

Nature can give us many things to help remind us of our connection - stones, feathers, sticks, intricate patterns and images - but if anything is taken, remember to leave something in return as an offering, an exchange of energy to signify your appreciation of the gift that has been given to you. Shamanism is about relating to the natural world and our place in it. Take time to stop, relax and meditate on the incredible complexity of the creation around you. Close your eyes and see how much sharper your other senses become. Extend that receptivity to feel the land, and blend with it. Feel what is around you: the vitality of the earth, the immensity of the world and the universe beyond. You are a part of it, be aware and accept the experience for what it is: humbling and precious.

Curiosity: In old Lusitania

For those of you who dont know where Lusitania is or was, i will help you with that:


Lusitania was the country where the Lusitanian people lived, in the Iberian peninsula in the continent of Europe, where today exists the modern countrys of Spain and Portugal.
The Portuguese people and some of the spanish people, are decendents from the Lusitans, often people think about the Lusitans, as Iberians or Celtiberians, but in truth, the Lusitanian people were Celts. The Celts start their expansion over the European territories something like 1200 B.C./B.C.E. and that was the year when they first arrived to the Iberian peninsula, 200 years before they went to Great Britain. There were a lot of Celtic tribes in Spain and Portugal, and each tribe settled in a place, one of those tribes of Celts, were the Lusitans, or the Lusitanian peoples. Probably their name wasn't that, because the Romans called them Lusus/Lusos, probably they had an other name, a Celtic one. These tribe had the biggest part of Central Portugal and they became the most powerful people in the Iberian peninsula. They were no longer a Celtic Tribe, now they were a nation. They conquered most of Portugal exept the North that belonged to their other Celtic brothers, and conquered a large territory of Spain. Today we know that their language was of germanic source, it was found in archaeological discoveries, that they wrote in the celtic language called Ogham and also in the Runic Alphabet, not with the runes we know today, but with the first symbols where the runes came from, called ur-runes.


We have all heard about the Druids, but before the Druid's time, the Lusitanian people had already a spiritual guide, elders in each Lusitanian tribe, called Endre, in plural, Endres. These men and probably women, were something between a shaman and a druid, they were teachers of philosophy, anatomy, spiritualism, science etc. and they knew how to work with the neolithic monuments such as Dolmens, henges, sacred mounds, menhirs etc.


So this is very important to know, because most people think that the Lusitanian people were just Iberians, but in fact they were Celts, and the Celtiberians were the mixture with other Celts from the Central Iberian peninsula, with the Iberian people that were the native folk from the Cost line of Spain to the East and Northeast.

Also a very curious thing, when the Celts arrived in Irland, they have not passed through england to get there, they came by sea from the Iberian peninsula, some Celts, some Iberians and many Lusitans. So many people in Irland, have the same ancestry as the Portuguese people.

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Yggdrasil day - 22nd of April

Yggdrasil Day is not an old Northern tradition nor an ancient pagan celebration, it is a new day in the Nordic neo-pagan calendar, however, Yggdrasil has always played an important role in the lifes of the Northern people of Europe. We have all came from nature and we will all return to it one day, so at this day we honor the forces of nature and we will always remember how important is to protect the world we live in, the trees are the lungs of our world just has it is Yggdrasil in the Nordic comology, it is the shelter that gives us peace and protection, it is the spiritual path of the Gods and of our ancestors, the way which leads to the other worlds, and so as nature gives us these gifts, in turn we must honor it, and because a gift calls for a gift, in turn we must give to nature our protection, our care and our respect. In this day you should plant a tree, you should become the protector of those who have given you shelter, fight against the evils that are corrupting our natural world.


Yggdrasil is the cosmic World tree, and Ash tree, that binds this world to the others, to the world of the gods , of the spirits and ancestors, it is the symbol of our union with nature.

Ash Tree - Fraxinus Excelsior also known as guardian tree in all of Europe, with the exception of the Mediterranean region, this tree can live till three hundred years, its leaves appear after its flowers and this strange detail led this tree to be know as the "Venus of the woods". Its roots penetrate deeply into the ground causing difficulty to other kinds of vegetation to grow in there. Due to the hardness of its wood, it has been widely used for the manufacture of lances and tool handles. Thus it is possible that the name of this tree in English, derives from the Anglo-Saxon word Asec, which means "Ritual Spear."

The Druids from the celtic, cultue once used the wood of these trees, to make their rods and staffs.


Traditionally the yule log (At the winter solstice) is of ash tree, this is because it is one of the few woods that can burn immediately, even though it is still green, and offers an excellent and long-lasting illumination.

The Icelandic word Aske, which has similarities with Ash, means "fire with large flame." This tree is also sacred to the gods Thor and Odin.^
In Nordic mythology, it was an ash tree known as Yggdrasil, the cosmic tree that symbolizes the center of the world, that Odin hung for nine days and nine nights in trance, received the sacred knowledge of runes, the Elder Futhark.

Birch Tree - 24th December to 20 January

The Birch Tree is a small tree that rarely exceeds 25 meters, and it can live to 50 years. In Europe it grows below 2,000 feet of altitude. It is a tree that remotes to an ancestral time, of more then 30 million years of existence.
This tree represents ( in druidic lore ) the renewal and rebirth. In the woods, this is the first tree to gain leaves, to rebirth and to renew its green appearance after the Winter. It is also the first tree to grow again in places where it has been a great burning or a place where the trees have all been chopped down.
It is belived that these were the first trees to grown after the great glacial age.
The origins of its name, birch , comes from the indo-european languages, linking to the words Brightness and shining.
However, it is a possibility that the name comes from the Anglo-Saxon term, beorgan, which means "to protect" or "shelter".
That is why it is said, in a dark forest, it is the birch tree that always show us the way out.

This tree is sacred to the Norse god Thor but especialy to the Welsh goddess Blodeuwedd, and to other goddesses such as Freya, Frigga and Ceridwen.

In the Druid Calendar, the first month, that goes from 24th of December till 20th of January, is called beth - the birch moon. In Portugal, this tree is called Betúla.

There is an ancient habit, to give to the newly married folk, small branches of birch tree in order to ensure the fertility.
In certain places in Europe, farmers used to plant these trees around the house, as a protection against lightning, and the juice extracted from leaves, prevents worms from appearing in the cheese.

The wood of the birch tree is one of the tradicional timber used in the Beltane fire festival.