|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Callisto's Song Newsletter #3
|
|
|
|
|
Ancient Celts and Nature
|
In past newsletters, I've looked at Greek and Norse myth, noting sacred ties to nature. Here I turn to the Celtic culture of the early British Isles to again point out the importance of nature deities and sacred earth. Danu was the earth-mother goddess, honoured under various names from eastern Europe to Ireland. Brigid was of the Tuatha de Danaan, the "Bright ones" of early Britain. She was associated with motherhood, the first milk of the yews, the hearth fire and the forge fire.
|
|
|
|
|
"The ancient Celts [...] honoured the force of nature; they were animists, meaning they had a world view that non-human entities such as animals, plants, and inanimate objects possess a spiritual essence and that humans could establish a rapport with these beings. The pagan Celts viewed the presence of the supernatural as central to, and interwoven with, the material world. Every mountain, river, spring, marsh, tree, and rocky outcrop was inspirited." See Resource 1. I would have more hope of saving the earth if more modern humans embraced such ideas.
|
|
|
|
|
Because I found a mature acacia tree in the corner of the yard of my new home, I want to write here a bit about its lore. The Acacia is found throughout subtropical and tropical regions, particularly in Africa and Australia (where they are known as wattles) but also the Americas. In traveling through what was called Patagonia (southern Chile and Argentina) Darwin came upon a sacred tree native peoples referred to as the Altar of Walleechu. It was an acacia.
|
|
|
|
|
The acacia was of great importance in ancient Egypt, both practically and spiritually. Boats were often of acacia. To the mind of the ancient Egyptian, a boat was not only a physical object but also a mirror image of the barge of consciousness on which the soul floats through life. The original sacred barge of Osiris was made from acacia. They considered it an ancient nature god which “died” every year when the plants withered, only to be “reborn” in spring. In ancient China, the homes of the gods of the north were acacia trees.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I recently heard the editors of this anthology speak. Their book contains the voices of 66 women at the forefront of the climate movement, offering the insights of diverse climate leaders. It aims to advance a "more representative, nuanced, and solution-oriented public conversation on the climate crisis," with a spectrum of ideas to help us turn away from the brink and toward life-giving possibility. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE
|
|
|
|
Free eBook Promos for August
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RURAL SCHOLAR PRESS
|
|
|
From the blog:
|
Special Creature with a Golden Helmet Has to Be Locked Up
|
Some dream creatures have a special quality, impossible to describe, loving and sentient, numinous. I had such a dream back in 2005 when I was working on a Ph.D. Dream, July 23: We’re at a big house that we like. There are two outhouses. I use one with great relief, then realize three or more little boys are playing cards …
|
|
|
|
   
|
|
|
|
