Celtic Studies:
Celt, Celt, Celt….. we hear it
all of the time but what does it mean? It seems to have so many different meanings to so many people that it really depends
of who you are talking to and how that person uses the word. The term itself started with the ancient Greeks in the form of
Keltoi and was used to identify tribes of strangers that lived to the north. These strangers were considered to be mysterious
and fierce people who lived in and around the great forests.
Scholars of about three centuries ago would start to revive
the term in the form Celt which we know today and use it to refer to a group of peoples who spoke closely related languages
that were classified as ‘Celtic’ languages. The term Celt in its most pure form describes speakers of this family
of languages which include six modern languages like Irish, and Welsh and many ancient languages spoken across Europe from
areas that we know as Ireland across to Turkey down to Spain and Northern Italy and up into the climes of Switzerland and
Denmark.
As studies in various areas of research have advanced the term Celt has been widely applied beyond the area of
linguistics and is now often used to describe types of art, religion, technology, society and other things that are somehow
associated with Celtic language speaking peoples of the past. It is also commonly used in modern times to describe people
who trace their heritage to Celtic speaking peoples or areas inhabited by Celtic speakers. Also in modern usage we see
the term Celtic being applied to modern national identities and perceptions so that Ireland, Scotland, Mann and Wales are
occasionally described as Celtic nations. There is no strict Celtic racial or ethnic identity and ancient Celtic speakers
lived in tribes with those tribal identities being the equivalent of modern national identities. There was never an ancient
Celtic nation or a single ancient Celtic people who shared a common national identity or concept of unity. There were tribes
of people who spoke related languages and who had many cultural commonalities and these tribes occasionally formed lose federations
when faced with common enemies and at other times these tribes were at war one against the other.
Druidry:
Prayer for traveling from the Carmina Gadelica.
“Life
be in my speech, sense in what I say, the bloom of cherries on my lips, till I come back again.”
In some Celtic areas we see the idea of the good guest demonstrated in
the traditions of the people. It is the custom in many areas for a guest to call a blessing onto the inhabitants of
a household as he or she first enters the presence of the company. It may be as simple as:
“Bless all here.”
In our modern spiritual practice we can embrace this idea and apply it
to our own relationships and issue this type of blessing for the inmates of a home as we step in for a visit. This initial
statement of good intent and concern for the well being of others serves a two pronged approach in that it assures the people
as we enter that our intentions are good and reminds us what our own frame of mind should be as we enter the home of another.
Ethics/morality:
In Celtic culture hospitality
is and always has been very important and a large part of the structure of society is maintained by the reciprocal guest/host
relationship. In the ancient triad below we see three things which represent poor hospitality. The first of these indicates
that a host is ignoring a guest. The second dates from a time when guests had usually walked a long way and offering them
warmed water to wash their feet was considered good manners but in this instance the person doesn’t check that the water
is right and so seems to simply be going through the motions with no sincerity. The third is a metaphor for a bad meal in
that the guest is provided with and insufficient amount of something.
For each duty that the host has the guest also has
a duty and so as the host should be open handed and thoughtful the guest should be gracious and considerate.
“The
three worst welcomes: a handicraft in the same house with the inmates, scalding water upon the feet, salt food without a drink”
Myth:
Hospitality was so very important to Celtic culture
of old that we see many of the myths incorporating hospitality issues into them. Hosting fests was considered a duty in many
of the myths and we see people making great efforts to demonstrate their own position and the position of their people through
their ability to host. We also see hostels in place which actually specialized in providing a place for travelers and visitors
to be housed and cared for by professional hosts. To refuse to offer hospitality could be a serious offense just as the refusal
of hospitality could be seen as a horrible insult. We also see the personages of myth often having geissa (taboos) concerning
the acceptance of invitations to feast or be hosted. In the Irish myths the god Daghda seems to be occasionally connected
to hospitality issues but we must remember that Celtic gods were not precisely compartmentalized or arranged in a strict pantheon
as were Classical gods.
Cosmology/Theology:
Relationships are mutual exchanges,
be those relationships between the members of a family, community or between the people and the gods. Our relationships with
our gods and with our ancestors and with the spirits around us are maintained as reciprocal relationships in which both parties
are considered to have responsibilities, rights and expectations. This constant give and take is dynamic and maintains a system
of generosity and dependence. This view tends toward a holistic approach in which no part of the world of existence is seen
as being self-sustaining or separate from the rest and so intricate lines of connection become the norm. The world goes from
looking like a series of parts to looking like and intricately woven tapestry where any one thread touches many other threads
with each thread being individual but only able to fulfill its own role as it relates to the other threads.
Spirituality/ritual:
Sacrifice means to make sacred
and to offer is to give a gift and to offer sacrifice is to give a gift which becomes sacred. We offer sacrifice to our gods
giving many beautiful things and we do this in order to maintain a dynamic relationship of exchange through which we give
and receive. Offerings can be gold or jewels dropped in a well, songs or poems given voice only once into the air of a rite,
gifts of the art or craft of the hand. A treasured toy, a flower or a simple stone from the hand of a child can be a tremendous
offering. The value in a sacrifice has to do with its meaning and significance and since meaning and significance can vary
relative to many qualities so the meaning and significance of a sacrifice is measured accordingly. One sacrifice may have
great monetary value while the worth of another sacrifice is measured in aesthetic qualities and yet another offering may
have great sentimental meaning. We give to our gods and they give to us; a gift for a gift.
Self awareness:
Think of times when you have been a
guest. Were there times when you were well treated as a guest? What about being poorly treated as a guest? Now think of times
when you have been host? Were there times when you were a good host? What about being a poor host? What would you think constitutes
good hosting in the world of today? What would you consider being a good guest? Do you live up to these expectations in the
roles of guest and host?
World awareness:
Think of the guest/host relationship
as it applies to the world around you. When you are visiting someone or when someone visits you. Think of when you are shopping
or entering a place of business and how you can use the guest/host relationship in your exchanges. When you visit the forest,
beach, a lake or some other seemingly wild outdoor location, to what extent are you a guest and how should you act as a good
guest? Think of things like littering or pollution and how they may be seen in light of the guest/host relationship and to
what extent littering amounts to being a poor guest. The guest/host relationship can be the basis for many of our interactions
and can act as a guide to insure that those interactions remain ethical. Imagine how things would be if we treated the world
around us as though we are guests and wish to be good guests and if we treated our interactions as though we are hosts and
wish to be good hosts.
Expressions:
Some people have gift for hospitality
and are able to make a visitor feel at home. Think of people who are gifted with food preparation and who love to cook and
treat others to their creations. In ancient Celtic society there were specialists at just this and they managed issues of
hospitality. Consider how some of us may express our spirituality through the skills needed for showing good hospitality such
as making people feel welcome, preparing and serving food. We often think of these skills as homey skills and even occasionally
fail to consider them at all. Yet where would we be were we not associated with people who express their creativity and their
spiritual connectedness through cooking and caring for others? How often do we stop to consider these skills and to openly
appreciate those who have them? How many of us have these skills and just never realized that they are of so much value to
the people and so have failed to consider them as we look at our own personal value and sense of worth?
