| Celts are an ancient tribe that inhabited | | | | isolation of Ireland didn't allow spreading |
| most part of the Northern Europe between 800 | | | | Roman authority on it. Monasteries were the |
| BCE and 400 CE. Their unique culture has | | | | places of holly atmosphere and looked just |
| always attracted attention of people. | | | | like big tribal villages inhabited by all |
| Especially interesting and popular is Celtic | | | | people: monks, slaves, freemen, usual men and |
| diversity - Celtic spirituality. Celtic | | | | women and priesthood. These people used to be |
| religion is appreciated and honoured by all | | | | representatives from the one clan of |
| Christians: Catholic and Protestant. They are | | | | relatives. Some monasteries were situated in |
| interested in different sides of this | | | | isolated places and others were just the |
| religion but it goes without saying that | | | | crossroads of main towns.Celts also made |
| Celtic culture should be observed and | | | | invaluable deposit in the development and |
| analysed.Celtic spirituality has some | | | | making of the educational system. They took |
| distinguishing features, one of them is its | | | | part in the spreading of the literacy among |
| diversity: it combines polytheistic and | | | | Ireland and other Celtic lands and |
| monotheistic features, earthy rituals and | | | | reservation of dogmas of learning during |
| transcendental mysticism. The appearance of | | | | "dark ages".Celtic liturgy started its |
| Celtic spirituality is dated back to first | | | | existence in ancient times and included |
| mythological mentions. Second feature of | | | | components that are eternal and won't lose |
| Celtic spirituality is its natural character, | | | | its actuality with the further development of |
| ties with earth. The Celtic spirituality is | | | | the society. Their main themes are |
| contained in sky, earth, sun, and sea - in | | | | monasticism, closeness between God and |
| all nature. Celts believed in sanctity of | | | | nature, importance of the family and kinship, |
| nature and tried to take care of it. The | | | | storytelling, love and respect of the Mother |
| third thing is mystical and relational | | | | of the god, peace and justice, hospitality |
| directivity. Celtic diversity comes more from | | | | and education. Irish monks are still famous |
| experience than from theological dogmas. | | | | for their inestimable work as educators of |
| Celts are looking for the religious origins | | | | Europe.Many modern seasonal festivals have |
| in their hearts and souls; they don't accept | | | | Celtic origin. From a lot of sources we can |
| philosophical substantiation of the | | | | find information about assemblies of Druids |
| belief.Celts see the necessity of | | | | but exact dates are not given. The building |
| collaboration between people and the earth, | | | | of the Imperial temple at Lugdunum was |
| people and the spirits of nature and the Holy | | | | probably dedicated to the feast of Lugh. The |
| Spirit that is the head of all living | | | | lack of dates makes it difficult to determine |
| creatures and is beyond all names. Celts | | | | the origin of some traditions and feats that |
| believe in existence of many gods and angels | | | | are rooted in the Celtic culture.The |
| and image them as living beings, not just | | | | invention of the Coligny Calendar is the |
| abstract creations. According to the Celtic | | | | oldest inscription in Celtic language and |
| understanding of the world, these divine | | | | gives us the flavour of the development of |
| beings can communicate with people in their | | | | Celtic civilisation. It was invented between |
| own mystical way.Another interesting thing | | | | first century BCE and first century CE and |
| about the Celts is their love to poetry, | | | | contains reconciliation between two years. |
| beauty and creativity. Celtic diversity, | | | | According to this calendar the year is |
| which combines mysticism, love of nature and | | | | divided in 12 months with 29-30 days each. |
| comes from the relational spirituality, is in | | | | Every two years the 13th month has to be |
| natural harmony with beauty and poetry. The | | | | added. By this calendar ancient Celts hold |
| development of Celtic culture is the way of | | | | their feasts and every five years had a great |
| unique, rich culture. Every religious and | | | | sacrifice. It was the first attempt to lock |
| philosophical doctrine can find familiar | | | | in the changes of constant motion of nature |
| features just to itself but the understanding | | | | and so of time. This calendar became the |
| of Celtic culture needs neutrality and | | | | foundation of the modern one.Votive offerings |
| objective sensation. Celtic culture can be | | | | are a kind of Celtic worshipping that helps |
| compared with a magnificent tree with a lot | | | | us to dive deeper in Celtic outlook and |
| of branches. These branches got their further | | | | understand reasons and motives of these |
| development and now have become common | | | | ceremonies. Workers and artificers were |
| values.The pre-Christian world was the world | | | | fastened to big temples and produced special |
| of Celts, who worshiped nature. To the Celtic | | | | holy souvenirs and mass-produced offerings. |
| outlook, the land was the main goddess, the | | | | They were usually made from wood, later from |
| rivers were her helpers and they enriched the | | | | clay and metal. The most popular and common |
| earth. Celts used to live in forests, where | | | | offerings were coins. Special tiny coins were |
| they were close to the nature and could learn | | | | invented that could be used just for |
| the language of trees and wisdom of animals. | | | | offerings. For example, there were coins |
| With the appearance of Christianity ancient | | | | devoted to the Goddess and were her |
| Celts didn't disturb their close ties with | | | | properties. The number of these coins is high |
| nature, they connected their love to nature | | | | and they can be find practically in every |
| with the main principles of Christianity. | | | | Celtic temple during diggings. The next |
| Celtic monks lived in deep forests and wrote | | | | votive offerings were personal jewellery, |
| their religious works for the gifts of | | | | such as rings, bracelets, earrings, pins, and |
| nature. The most important thing was to | | | | necklaces. Sometimes special rites of |
| understand the divine origin of all things | | | | "killing" the personal spirit of these things |
| and god's existence in nature. Celts saw life | | | | were hold before the sacred deposition. Even |
| as a constantly changing circulation of life | | | | now we don't know the exact purposes of this |
| and death. Everything moved in a spiral and | | | | rite.Another type of offerings was creation |
| nature's observation gave a possibility to | | | | of anatomical models and representation of |
| find mechanism of development of the world. | | | | diseases on the statues of ancient Celtic |
| Nowadays we have practically completely lost | | | | gods. For example, Seguana, Goddess of the |
| the awareness of spiral development and it's | | | | River Seine was depicted with models of eyes, |
| difficult to gain an understanding of the | | | | limbs, heads and internal organs. Sometimes |
| world.Life of Celts is an integration of | | | | particular diseases that had pilgrims were |
| spirit, community and nature, and these | | | | reflected on the statues these pilgrims |
| concepts were a single whole and couldn't | | | | worshiped. |
| exist separately that can be scarcely | | | | |
| imagined in our modern society. The returning | | | | Celtic spirituality is not just a form of |
| to these Celtic dogmas can help us understand | | | | ancient religion, even now it has a lot of |
| who we are.Celtic Christians strongly | | | | followers and is very popular. The number of |
| believed in Holy Trinity. By the Celtic | | | | sources, which refer to Celtic civilisation |
| outlook the world is created by the main god | | | | is great and you can find practically |
| who surrounds the entire world with his two | | | | everything you want to know. The rebirth of |
| arms of love: the left arm is the spirit and | | | | Celtic culture is growing stronger and there |
| the right one is Christ. Christ is the | | | | are a lot of groups practising Celtic |
| supreme example of human life. Being close to | | | | religion. |
| the Christ means the understanding and | | | | |
| getting of supreme and eternal love and | | | | One of the most popular religious groups, |
| wisdom. Early Celtic Christians didn't go to | | | | Neo-Pagan Druids of Ar n'Draiocht Fein takes |
| church they preferred worshipping in small | | | | the basis of the Celtic religion and combines |
| communities and sharing their food, money, | | | | them with main features of Indo-European |
| work with the representatives of this small | | | | cultures. Another groups such as "Celtic |
| group. They saw Christ in their neighbour and | | | | Wicca", "Celtic Magic" and others try to |
| shared everything with him.Celts had a lot of | | | | render Celtic culture. Such popularity is |
| traditions and cults that were directly | | | | explained by relevant and eternal principles |
| connected with nature, animals and different | | | | of this religion.Sometimes modern follows can |
| gods and spirits. Every family had special | | | | have nothing familiar with Celtic |
| rites aimed to protect all the members of the | | | | spirituality except of names of the gods. The |
| family from evil spirits. Feasts and banquets | | | | best method of finding your place among |
| were one of the components of ritual | | | | numerous religions is to follow the summons |
| including special food and atmosphere. During | | | | of your voice. You choice can be based on |
| a feast a minstrel usually sang songs about | | | | knowledge about different religions and but |
| deeds of famous warriors. After the | | | | it's important to make own you conscious |
| minstrel's songs his listeners began to boast | | | | choice. Just basis on your own experience can |
| of their own brave deeds. As they all had | | | | lead you to all mysteries and wonders of |
| drunk too much, they began quarreling and | | | | religious world. Following ancient kind of |
| fighting and even some men could be killed. | | | | religion, for example Celtic one, is a very |
| | | | important and meaningful choice. You should |
| Early Celtic spirituality is characterised | | | | research and understand Celtic worldview.All |
| by animal divinity. Even now we can find | | | | the religions are good and unique. I think |
| statues of horses, bears, birds created by | | | | that religion is very personal choice and it |
| the Celts. Only later with the influence of | | | | should be made individually. The religious |
| Mediterranean culture it took anthropomorphic | | | | freedom is guaranteed by the Constitutional |
| element. Not all animals were thought sacred | | | | law and can't be limited or neglected. The |
| and this explains specific sensitive attitude | | | | main aim of the Church is to unite people, to |
| to horses and cattle.Celtic hierarchy of Gods | | | | bring peace to the earth. It's very painful |
| combined Christianity and Greek religion and | | | | for me that sometimes exactly religion is the |
| at the same time developed its own | | | | reason of wars and conflicts. I have a strong |
| peculiarities. Cernunnos is the god that is | | | | determination that religion mustn't judge the |
| responsible for money and grain and is | | | | representatives of other confessions.Celtic |
| correlated with variety of both domestic and | | | | religion gained its popularity among people |
| wild animals. There are also such Celtic gods | | | | because of its generality and eternity. It |
| as Jupiter Taranis, Sulis Minerva, Lenus | | | | advocates main principles of humanity: love |
| Mars, Rosmerta, Mercury, Epona and other. | | | | and respect for family and kin; love of |
| Celts were polytheistic, so believed in many | | | | nature, poetry and other kinds of art. Celtic |
| gods. They thought gods to be inhabitants of | | | | spirituality assumes communication with god |
| the thickest and darkest parts of the forest. | | | | and spirits that are closely connected with |
| Such plants as mistletoe and oak-tree were | | | | nature. It combines natural and supernatural |
| considered sacred. There is a big group of | | | | and pictures the god as a supreme human being |
| historians that think that the Celts were | | | | with perfect intelligence and power.The |
| headed by a class of priests called Druids. | | | | esoteric traditions of Celtic spirituality |
| Stonehenge was the temple of Druids. Druids' | | | | allow us develop our inner capacities and |
| way of worshiping was rather cruel and | | | | contact many resources for healing and |
| proposed sacrifices of human beings to get | | | | wisdom. We may develop a relationship with |
| god's pardon. The Druids put the men in huge | | | | Brigit, who used to be a goddess of the |
| baskets and burned them in the presence of | | | | abundant earth and life-giving sun, later a |
| people. But this historical opinion isn't | | | | Christian saint; or Morgan of the Isle of |
| still improved or disapproved.So, to sum up, | | | | Avalon, known for her skills in herbal |
| Celtic spirituality is characterised by love | | | | medicine. Celtic spirituality is the way to |
| of nature, art and poetry; relationship | | | | open supernatural powers for those who |
| between saints and gods; respect for Mary and | | | | believe in this. |
| the importance of Liturgy; union of secular | | | | |
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