[Cro Dreoilin] enough with the birth certificate!

[Kelley Forbes]

Donna Miller wrote:

> I would like to learn.  I know next to nothing about Celtic 
> spirituality.  I know a lot of the stories but not the practice 
> itself.  I would like to hear more about your rituals and your wisdom.

Our wisdom will be dispensed in small doses at irregular intervals. :-)

> I am going to Ireland on a trip in a few months and I want to see the 
> land in a more personal way than this place is pretty and look at the 
> pretty flowers and buildings and such.  When I go somewhere, I like to 
> get to know the place on which I stand, to know its personality and 
> its hopes and its nature.  

The study of knowledge of places and history is a long one. If you read 
any of the stories at all, location names are mentioned frequently. My 
advice to you is to participate in our reading group; we will be reading 
books that, bit by bit, will be imparting that info. (Read along with 
the first book, too, even if you can't make it to the group. It'll give 
you a good grounding in the world view for continuing studies.)

When are you going? We might be able to fit in a book about sacred 
landscapes in before you go, if I can find a good one. If not, then go 
with the understanding the any appreciation you can have for the setting 
you find yourself in, as a sacred and holy place, is a starting place 
and will give you a relationship with the land that few tourists get to 
have.

Also, although he is having trouble receiving the list e-mails at the 
moment, we have a gentleman who has done a good deal of research on the 
topic of sacred places in the British isles in our community. Hopefully, 
the issues with the list will be resolved soon and Roy can join us in 
this discussion.

> I know from friends who have been there that the Irish people are very 
> inscrutable and it's hard to get them to talk about themselves and 
> their beliefs.  And if I did, I'd probably get a lot of Jesus stuff.  
> I want to know before Jesus and without Jesus.

Well, you are unlikely to find that information from the Irish people 
themselves, alas. Even those you may find who have practices that are 
descendants of ancient Pagan practice are not likely to think of it that 
way and may, in fact, be insulted that you would think so. I advise you 
to connect with the people there like you would people in any other 
place: as people, not as sources of religious information.

> What do *you* do on Beltane for instance?

Well, we are celebrating on astronomical Bealtaine, which is on the 6th, 
this year.

This is a time where easy connection is made with the Daoine Sidhe, so 
we will leave a special offering for them outside on Bealtaine Eve, in 
the southeast corner of our yard. A glass bottle of water will be placed 
outside to gather in the rays of Bealtaine's sun, giving it healing 
properties.

Then we will go inside and turn off all the lights and pilot lights and 
keep them off all night. The next morning, we will light a fire outside 
and welcome in the summer with offerings to Lugh and Bláthnat into the 
fire. (Offerings to be determined.) The fire will be separated into two 
and we will walk between them for blessing, and so would any domestic 
animals, if we had them. Bealtaine is the traditional time that the war 
season begins, so if we had any weapons to bless or men to grant their 
weapons to, this would be the time. Then we relight the pilot lights and 
feel free to turn the lights back on.

We'll use ribbons to decorate our May Bush. (We have no hawthorn, so we 
will use our oregon grape.) We will bring some flowers indoors to bring 
good luck to our home, if any are in bloom in our yard.

After all this, a feast: the menu has yet to be made, but it will 
feature seasonal fare, as well as flowers.

At the end of the day but before sunset, we will take our Bealtaine 
water and walk our boundaries. Chris will sprinkle the water as we go 
and we will ask for the blessings of our Gods, our Ancestors and the 
Land Spirits for our land and our family at each of the cardinal 
directions and at our hearth.

In between all that, it is a holiday, so we'll just take it easy and 
have fun!

Hope that helps!

-- Kelley.

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