Popularity of Celtic Spirituality

Celts are an ancient tribe that inhabited most part ofhistorical motherland is Ireland and territories around it.
the Northern Europe between 800 BCE and 400 CE.The isolation of Ireland didn't allow spreading Roman
Their unique culture has always attracted attention ofauthority on it. Monasteries were the places of holly
people. Especially interesting and popular is Celticatmosphere and looked just like big tribal villages
diversity - Celtic spirituality. Celtic religion isinhabited by all people: monks, slaves, freemen, usual
appreciated and honoured by all Christians: Catholicmen and women and priesthood. These people used
and Protestant. They are interested in different sidesto be representatives from the one clan of relatives.
of this religion but it goes without saying that CelticSome monasteries were situated in isolated places
culture should be observed and analysed.Celticand others were just the crossroads of main
spirituality has some distinguishing features, one oftowns.Celts also made invaluable deposit in the
them is its diversity: it combines polytheistic anddevelopment and making of the educational system.
monotheistic features, earthy rituals andThey took part in the spreading of the literacy
transcendental mysticism. The appearance of Celticamong Ireland and other Celtic lands and reservation
spirituality is dated back to first mythologicalof dogmas of learning during "dark ages".Celtic liturgy
mentions. Second feature of Celtic spirituality is itsstarted its existence in ancient times and included
natural character, ties with earth. The Celtic spiritualitycomponents that are eternal and won't lose its
is contained in sky, earth, sun, and sea - in all nature.actuality with the further development of the
Celts believed in sanctity of nature and tried to takesociety. Their main themes are monasticism,
care of it. The third thing is mystical and relationalcloseness between God and nature, importance of
directivity. Celtic diversity comes more fromthe family and kinship, storytelling, love and respect
experience than from theological dogmas. Celts areof the Mother of the god, peace and justice,
looking for the religious origins in their hearts andhospitality and education. Irish monks are still famous
souls; they don't accept philosophical substantiation offor their inestimable work as educators of
the belief.Celts see the necessity of collaborationEurope.Many modern seasonal festivals have Celtic
between people and the earth, people and the spiritsorigin. From a lot of sources we can find information
of nature and the Holy Spirit that is the head of allabout assemblies of Druids but exact dates are not
living creatures and is beyond all names. Celts believegiven. The building of the Imperial temple at
in existence of many gods and angels and imageLugdunum was probably dedicated to the feast of
them as living beings, not just abstract creations.Lugh. The lack of dates makes it difficult to
According to the Celtic understanding of the world,determine the origin of some traditions and feats
these divine beings can communicate with people inthat are rooted in the Celtic culture.The invention of
their own mystical way.Another interesting thingthe Coligny Calendar is the oldest inscription in Celtic
about the Celts is their love to poetry, beauty andlanguage and gives us the flavour of the
creativity. Celtic diversity, which combines mysticism,development of Celtic civilisation. It was invented
love of nature and comes from the relationalbetween first century BCE and first century CE and
spirituality, is in natural harmony with beauty andcontains reconciliation between two years. According
poetry. The development of Celtic culture is the wayto this calendar the year is divided in 12 months with
of unique, rich culture. Every religious and philosophical29-30 days each. Every two years the 13th month
doctrine can find familiar features just to itself buthas to be added. By this calendar ancient Celts hold
the understanding of Celtic culture needs neutralitytheir feasts and every five years had a great
and objective sensation. Celtic culture can besacrifice. It was the first attempt to lock in the
compared with a magnificent tree with a lot ofchanges of constant motion of nature and so of
branches. These branches got their furthertime. This calendar became the foundation of the
development and now have become commonmodern one.Votive offerings are a kind of Celtic
values.The pre-Christian world was the world ofworshipping that helps us to dive deeper in Celtic
Celts, who worshiped nature. To the Celtic outlook,outlook and understand reasons and motives of
the land was the main goddess, the rivers were herthese ceremonies. Workers and artificers were
helpers and they enriched the earth. Celts used tofastened to big temples and produced special holy
live in forests, where they were close to the naturesouvenirs and mass-produced offerings. They were
and could learn the language of trees and wisdom ofusually made from wood, later from clay and metal.
animals. With the appearance of Christianity ancientThe most popular and common offerings were coins.
Celts didn't disturb their close ties with nature, theySpecial tiny coins were invented that could be used
connected their love to nature with the mainjust for offerings. For example, there were coins
principles of Christianity. Celtic monks lived in deepdevoted to the Goddess and were her properties.
forests and wrote their religious works for the giftsThe number of these coins is high and they can be
of nature. The most important thing was tofind practically in every Celtic temple during diggings.
understand the divine origin of all things and god'sThe next votive offerings were personal jewellery,
existence in nature. Celts saw life as a constantlysuch as rings, bracelets, earrings, pins, and necklaces.
changing circulation of life and death. EverythingSometimes special rites of "killing" the personal spirit
moved in a spiral and nature's observation gave aof these things were hold before the sacred
possibility to find mechanism of development of thedeposition. Even now we don't know the exact
world. Nowadays we have practically completely lostpurposes of this rite.Another type of offerings was
the awareness of spiral development and it's difficultcreation of anatomical models and representation of
to gain an understanding of the world.Life of Celts isdiseases on the statues of ancient Celtic gods. For
an integration of spirit, community and nature, andexample, Seguana, Goddess of the River Seine was
these concepts were a single whole and couldn'tdepicted with models of eyes, limbs, heads and
exist separately that can be scarcely imagined in ourinternal organs. Sometimes particular diseases that
modern society. The returning to these Celtichad pilgrims were reflected on the statues these
dogmas can help us understand who we are.Celticpilgrims worshiped.
Christians strongly believed in Holy Trinity. By theCeltic spirituality is not just a form of ancient religion,
Celtic outlook the world is created by the main godeven now it has a lot of followers and is very
who surrounds the entire world with his two arms ofpopular. The number of sources, which refer to Celtic
love: the left arm is the spirit and the right one iscivilisation is great and you can find practically
Christ. Christ is the supreme example of human life.everything you want to know. The rebirth of Celtic
Being close to the Christ means the understandingculture is growing stronger and there are a lot of
and getting of supreme and eternal love and wisdom.groups practising Celtic religion.
Early Celtic Christians didn't go to church theyOne of the most popular religious groups, Neo-Pagan
preferred worshipping in small communities andDruids of Ar n'Draiocht Fein takes the basis of the
sharing their food, money, work with theCeltic religion and combines them with main features
representatives of this small group. They saw Christof Indo-European cultures. Another groups such as
in their neighbour and shared everything with"Celtic Wicca", "Celtic Magic" and others try to render
him.Celts had a lot of traditions and cults that wereCeltic culture. Such popularity is explained by relevant
directly connected with nature, animals and differentand eternal principles of this religion.Sometimes
gods and spirits. Every family had special rites aimedmodern follows can have nothing familiar with Celtic
to protect all the members of the family from evilspirituality except of names of the gods. The best
spirits. Feasts and banquets were one of themethod of finding your place among numerous
components of ritual including special food andreligions is to follow the summons of your voice. You
atmosphere. During a feast a minstrel usually sangchoice can be based on knowledge about different
songs about deeds of famous warriors. After thereligions and but it's important to make own you
minstrel's songs his listeners began to boast of theirconscious choice. Just basis on your own experience
own brave deeds. As they all had drunk too much,can lead you to all mysteries and wonders of religious
they began quarreling and fighting and even someworld. Following ancient kind of religion, for example
men could be killed.Celtic one, is a very important and meaningful choice.
Early Celtic spirituality is characterised by animalYou should research and understand Celtic
divinity. Even now we can find statues of horses,worldview.All the religions are good and unique. I think
bears, birds created by the Celts. Only later with thethat religion is very personal choice and it should be
influence of Mediterranean culture it tookmade individually. The religious freedom is guaranteed
anthropomorphic element. Not all animals wereby the Constitutional law and can't be limited or
thought sacred and this explains specific sensitiveneglected. The main aim of the Church is to unite
attitude to horses and cattle.Celtic hierarchy of Godspeople, to bring peace to the earth. It's very painful
combined Christianity and Greek religion and at thefor me that sometimes exactly religion is the reason
same time developed its own peculiarities. Cernunnosof wars and conflicts. I have a strong determination
is the god that is responsible for money and grainthat religion mustn't judge the representatives of
and is correlated with variety of both domestic andother confessions.Celtic religion gained its popularity
wild animals. There are also such Celtic gods asamong people because of its generality and eternity.
Jupiter Taranis, Sulis Minerva, Lenus Mars, Rosmerta,It advocates main principles of humanity: love and
Mercury, Epona and other. Celts were polytheistic, sorespect for family and kin; love of nature, poetry and
believed in many gods. They thought gods to beother kinds of art. Celtic spirituality assumes
inhabitants of the thickest and darkest parts of thecommunication with god and spirits that are closely
forest. Such plants as mistletoe and oak-tree wereconnected with nature. It combines natural and
considered sacred. There is a big group of historianssupernatural and pictures the god as a supreme
that think that the Celts were headed by a class ofhuman being with perfect intelligence and power.The
priests called Druids. Stonehenge was the temple ofesoteric traditions of Celtic spirituality allow us
Druids. Druids' way of worshiping was rather cruel anddevelop our inner capacities and contact many
proposed sacrifices of human beings to get god'sresources for healing and wisdom. We may develop a
pardon. The Druids put the men in huge baskets andrelationship with Brigit, who used to be a goddess of
burned them in the presence of people. But thisthe abundant earth and life-giving sun, later a Christian
historical opinion isn't still improved or disapproved.So,saint; or Morgan of the Isle of Avalon, known for her
to sum up, Celtic spirituality is characterised by loveskills in herbal medicine. Celtic spirituality is the way to
of nature, art and poetry; relationship between saintsopen supernatural powers for those who believe in
and gods; respect for Mary and the importance ofthis.
Liturgy; union of secular and sacred; the power ofBuy custom essayAaron is a senior writer at
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