Celtic Workshop #6

                     Dindsenchas, Totems and Transmigration
This is a transcript of the sixth Celtic Workshop - Dindsenchas,Totems and
Transmigration. The purpose of this Workshop was to investigate the Celtic
Inner Spirit by looking at beliefs about the Land, the Family, the Spirit and
the Soul. The stories about name origins as well as the practice of having
totemic beasts seemed to be a good place to start. I also hoped that such
investigations would give added meaning to understanding Druidic concepts of
Being.

Before I begin let me say a few words about how the Workshop is conducted. We
will first hear from a presenter, tonight that is me. If you have a question
type in a ? and I will acknowledge you by typing "ga" at and appropriate time.
When you have finished your question type "ga" to let me know that I may
respond. When we are finished I will acknowledge the next questioner in a
similar manner. If you have a comment or additional information to provide on a
topic, please use the "!" to signal me. I will also cycle through those with
comments in a similar manner. If their are no questions at this point I will
begin tonight's presentation.

(2-21,O'Dubh) The Subject of tonight's Celtic Workshop is:

Dindsenchas, Totemic Animals and Transmigration of the Soul.

During the previous Workshop, we studied the Celtic Otherworld and their
God/desses. We saw how Existence was divided into a Higher, Middle and
Underworld reality. The Spirit of the Celt would be tied to and migrate between
these various worlds. A celt was very connected to the land as well as having a
strong belief in his "code of conduct'" and the immortality of his Being.
Tonight's Workshop will attempt to clarify how A Celt arrived at these strong
inner concepts of connection to his family, his Land and his Eternal or Spirit
life. In order to understand the Celtic Spirit, one must know the Dinseanchas,
the Totemic Animals and the Druidic concept of Transmigration of the Soul.

(2-21,O'Dubh) The first topic to be covered will be the Dinseanchas.

Dinseanchas or "Place Name Stories

The Dinseanchas or "Place Name Stories" are among the earliest tales of
Ireland. This tract gives the etymology of the names of several of the more
well known places of Erinn. The first such "place name" that we will discuss is
the origin of the Names "Meath" and "Uisnech". These two locations are tied
into the history of the Kings of Ireland. Meath is the "fifth" division of
Ireland set aside for the Ard Reis to rule and Uisnech is the hill that
represents the Spiritual center of Ireland.

(2-21,O'Dubh) This is the story of Uisnech:

"After the Tuatha de Dannans had been conquered by the Sons of Milesius
(Mileseans), Midhe the son of Brath, son of Detha, was the first to light a
fire in all of Erinn. This fire burned upon his hilltop for seven years and all
the fires of the land were lighted using this fire. Midhe and his clan were
entitled to a sack of corn and a pig from every house in Erinn each year in
return for maintaining this fire. Naturally the Druids were envious of this
fact and they met together to conspire against Midhe and his clan. Midhe
discovered the plot and attacked the Druid conclave, cutting out the tongues of
the Druids so they could not speak against him. He buried these tongues in the
earth and sat upon the spot while his mother exclaimed that it was "proudly" or
"Uaisnech" you sit up there this night! This then is the derivation of the name
of the hill, Uisnech and of the province of Meath "Midhe". BTW Uisnech is
pronounced "ISH nuk".

Uisnech is the site also of the "Well of Life" where twelve major Magickal
rivers flow forth from the Underworld. Could this be the Magick of the Druids
tongues?

(2-10,Adam) ?

(2-21,O'Dubh) Yes Adam? ga

(2-8,O'Ba'n) !

(2-8,O'Ba'n) I've never heard this story

(2-21,O'Dubh) Ok O'Ba'n a question?

(2-8,O'Ba'n) GA

(2-21,O'Dubh) This story is from the ancient Irish Writings. You can find it in
"A Celtic Reader" by John Matthews It's source is from Eugene O'Curry

(2-8,O'Ba'n) GA

(2-21,O'Dubh) ok

(2-21,O'Dubh) Here is a story of the origins of the name "Tara":

"Another significant hill is Tara. This hill had it's name changed five times.
It was first called Druim Descuin or "the Conspicuous Hill", next it was Liath
Druim after a Firbolg chieftain who was first to clear it of woods. The third
name for the hill was Druim Cain "the Beautiful Hill", then Cathar Crofinn, and
finally Teamair (Anglicized Tara) from the name Te'a the wife of Eremon the son
of Milesius."

This story gives us a mini history of Ireland, from the original names of the
hill through the names ascribed to various invading tribes until we see the
name that it retains to this day "Tara". BTW this name is pronounced "CHOW irr"
in Gaeilge.

(2-21,O'Dubh) Another Dindseanchas is the story of Lughaidh Delbaeth "the
fire-producer", a Dalcasian Druid. "Lugaid had a considerable amount of land,
while the husband of his daughter, Trad, though a king, had little land and a 
large family. Trad asked Lugaid for an oracle to find out how he could gain more 
land. Lugaid consulted his oracles and announced that if Trad would ask any man 
on that day to surrender his lands, that man would be bound to comply. Trad then 
asked Lugaid to surrender his lands which he did. Lugaid took his six sons with 
him across the Shannon river where he started a fire by means of his Druid 
Power. This fire had five streams issuing from it. Each of the eldest five sons 
followed these flames to the site of their new lands. Lugaid remained behind 
with his youngest son, Nos, and eventually dies and was buried next to a lake, 
near to Carn Fiacha (now called Loch Lugh-phorta or the Lake of Lugaid)."

(2-21,O'Dubh) This story is important for a few reasons: 1. It is an instance
of the use of Druid Magick to create fire.

2. It shows the the use of oracles to determine a course of action.

3. It demonstrates the sanctity of one's word of honor.

4. It shows the derivation of several place names as well as the family name of
"Devlin" (from Dealbhna, derived from Debaeth).

A story of this sort was used to establish place names, to derive family
traditions, to demonstrate morality, to show the worth of cunning and
integrity. It is also a good example of Druidic Powers. it was from a large
wealth and variety of such tales that our ancestors remembered their past and
learned their code of living.

(2-21,O'Dubh) This serves a similar function to the new book by William
Bennett.....can't recall the title. But I think it's on the best seller list
right now....anyone know the book? Something like the Book of......?

(2-21,O'Dubh) O'Ba'n ? ah well continuing onward!

(2-8,O'Ba'n) dunno

(2-4,Nan) the book of o'ban????!!!!

(2-21,O'Dubh) I'll find the name and insert it! Nan!!!!LOL!

(2-8,O'Ba'n) great writer ain't I?

(2-10,Adam)

(2-21,O'Dubh) The next topic to be discussed will be the Totemic Animals.

Celtic Totem Animals

Celts and Druids held the belief that each person and family had a special
relationship with animals and animal Spirit Beings that were sacred to ech
clan. This belief is what Patricia Kennealy is referring to in her book
"Strange Days, My Life With Jim Morrison". MS. Kennealy is a member of an
ancient clan of Irish "Wolf Shamans" whose tradition states that they are the
Magickal leaders of their people. This association of Spirit Animals or
"Totems" is based upon the ancient Celtic belief that all life is related, the
Land, the waters, the spirits of a place, the trees, the flora and the animals
that they lived with side by side. Many ancient stories tell how the Druids
could "shapeshift" into animal form to escape or work Magick. To know your
Inner Celtic Spirit, you must know your clan and your personal Spirit Animal.

(2-25,Denise H) I am here at last :)

(2-21,O'Dubh) The following animals appear throughout Celtic tales and Magick:

The Salmon (Brionnfhionn)

This is the fish of All Wisdom. It lives in the depths of the Sea from which
all life springs. It is said to acquire it's great knowledge from eating the
Nine Hazels of Wisdom that fall from the Tree of Knowledge. This fish was said
to be among the oldest of living creatures. The great Hero and Druid Fionn mac
Cumhail gained his wisdom by touching his thumb to a salmon that he was cooking
for the Druid Fintan.

The Deer or Stag (Abhach, Sailetheach)

The deer was said to be a fairy creature that could pass between the world's.
This was especially true for a white deer. Fionn's wife Sabha became a deer
when she went to the Otherworld. Beautiful women frequently became deer in many
tales while fleeing from hunters. The Druid Tuan mac Carill is the sole
survivor of a group of early Partholanian Irish settlers. He lives at first as
a wildman of the woods eventually becoming a stag, an eagle, a salmon and
eventually is reincarnated as himself at a much later date to give the ancient
history of Ireland to the more recent settlers.

The Horse (Cab-all)

The horse was one of the most important animals to the Celts. A mare is
ritually symbolically mated by the King in the Rite of Sovereignty. White
horses are also mystical beings. It is a pale horse that is ridden by Gwynn ap
Nudd the Master of the Wild Hunt in Wales while gathering souls. A huge horse
shape is sculpted into the hills of Wiltshire called White Horse Hill. This
animal is another guide to the Otherworld.

The Hawk (Seg or Aracos)

The most famous Hawk is the Hawk of Achill that can riddle and discuss with the
Druidic poet Fintan. This animal is also as old as time and another storehouse
of great knowledge.

The Blackbird (Druid-dhubh)

This is yet another animal that can freely pass into the Otherworld. It is
associated with the Druids and the Goddess Rhiannon. This bird has mystical
arts and can sing one into a trancelike state. It can give one access to the
Magick of the Otherworld and is an excellent familiar. This is not the Crow or
Raven but a songbird.

The Hound/the Dog (Abach)

This is an animal of the hunt and is frequently associated with humanlike
intelligence. The hounds of Fionn mac Cumhail, Bran and Sgeolainn, are actually
transformed humans, The Cwn Annwn, are the Gabriel hounds that accompany Gwynn
ap Nudd during the Wild Hunt as well as guarding the gates to the Underworld or
Annwn the kingdom of the God of the Dead, Arawn. Cuchulain the Champion of 
Ulster gets his name from replacing the Hound of Cuchul that he kills. He is 
called the "Hound of Ulster" from this event. The hound is also his totem 
animal.

(2-21,O'Dubh)

There are many other Magickal totemic animals in Celtic Magick and history: the
Eagle (Iolair), Crow (Badb), Raven (Bran), Sow (Airc), Boar (Bacrie), Cat
(Caoit), Otter (Balgair), Bear (Arth), Badger (Breach) and the Eel (As-chu).

The Dragon is another mighty Magical animal that appears in British and Welsh
stories. It is, of course, a creature of fire but is also related to the Power
of the Land. Another word for Ley Lines is Dragon Lines. Another name for
raising Power is to invoke the "Eye of the Dragon". The whole Earth was viewed
by the Druids as the body of the Dragon. Menhirs and stone Circles were located
at great Power nodes. The Celts called Dragons "Fire Drakes".

(2-21,O'Dubh) The importance of these animals is in their use as Spirit Guides
in the Otherworld and their aid as a familiar in working Magick. To find your
totemic animal will require you to experience a shamanistivc trance. This is
usually accomplished by "drumming" and meditation. (You'll need someone to drum
or a "drumming tape" to allow yourself a chance to really meditate). Open
youself up to the God of the Hunt as you meditate upon the Tree of Life. He
will come to you while you are in trance (usually after 10 to 40 minutes of
drumming). Your totem animal will apear running from the Great Forest. When the
animal appears, let its essence fill you. Become your totem. Dance its dance
and sing its song until you are one in the Spirit. You should repeat this
ritual as often as necessary to have a close rapport with your Spirit Animal
guide. Much of what you are told and given will be from the perspective of the
Animal and will be difficult to understand unless you are truly One with it.

(2-4,Nan) does one usually only have a single totem animal or is it possible to
have more than one? ga

(2-21,O'Dubh) It's possible to have more than one. You might have a clan totem
as well as a personal totem animal.

(2-21,O'Dubh) Ok I have one more topic to cover "The Transmigration of the Soul"

I would like to start this discussion by quoting an ancient Celtic Culdean
verse:

     "Out of a Timeless World
     Shadows fall upon time.
     From a beauty older than earth
     A ladder the soul may climb.
     I climb by Fionn's Stair
     To a whiteness older than time."

The above verse is referring to Aradach Fionn, a listing of the Oghams. Each
rung of the ladder or stair represents a lesson learned or a new life of
continuing perfection. Such a series of lessons and rebirths are a
manifestation of the Druidic concept of the Tramsmigration of the Soul.

A few quotes about Druids:

     "The principal point of their teaching is that the soul does not
     perish, and that after death it passes from one body into another."
      .....Julius Caesar.

     "Among them the doctrine of Pythagoras prevails, according to which
     the souls of men are immortal, and after a fixed term recommence to
     live, taking upon themselves a new body."
     ....Diodorus

According to some sources, this transmigration of the soul was done in an
upward fashion, with each incarnation bringing the Being closer to the True
Spirit. According to others, we are reincarnated into future lives of our
progeny...thus Mongan is The Spirit of Fionn reincarnated in the Seventh
Century CE (Fionn himself was said to be Cumhail reincarnated). As we have seen
previously, the Spirit of Tuan mac Carill is reincarnated several times as a
variety of animals until he is reborn in the sixth century and relates his
history of Ireland from the time of Partholan forward, St. Finnen is the Irish
monk to whom the story was related. This story was eventually recorded in the
Eleventh century manuscript, "The Book of the Dun Cow". No record exists to
indicate that the Druids believed in "karma", duality (as seen in the concept
of "good and evil"), original sin (actually they believed man was inheritly
good), nor a heaven and hell afterlife.

Where did one's soul reside then ? Many stories were told and written of the
Otherworlds that awaited the Spirit between incarnations, These stories are
called immrama or "wonder voyages" and usually involve taking ship to a
Magickal Isle. The voyages of Bran and St. Brendan generally fit into these
catagories.

When one arrives at an Otherworldly island, time can pass extremely slowly
compared to the Physical world. Oisin the son of Fionn went to such a faery
world for a few days only. When he returned for a visit upon one of those
Magickal White Horses, he discovered that many hundreds of years had passsed.
Although he had been cautioned not to dismount during his visit, he did so and
was immediately transformed into an extremely elderly man. St. Patrick was
brought to him and heard his many stories of the exploits of Fionn and the
Fianna as well as the lands of Tir na Og. Oisin was eventualy rescued by his
Sidhe princess and returned to the Land of Eternal Youth. Some of the other
Lands are called:

Tir fo Thuinn - Land under the Wave.
Tir na mBan - Land of Women.
Tir na mBeo - Land of Life.

These four Tirs or lands make up the Celtic Underworld where Souls reside until
reborn. There are also Plains above that are generally the habitations of the
Gods.

These are:

Sen Magh - Old Plain
Magh Argetal - Plain of Silver Clouds
Magh Mell - Plain of Delight
Magh Ionganaidh - Plain of Wonder

The Irish Celts felt that the Being had the following attributes or divisions:

Delph - The appearance or Outer form
Duile - The Body Elements (flesh, bone, blood, etc)
Ana'l - The breath or anima
Menma - The Mind and the Will
Cuimhne - The Memory
Fein - The Self
Pu'ca - The shape-shifting Shadow
Enaid - The Soul.

I would like to finish my remarks on Reincarnation and Transmigration with
another ancient verse. This verse is from the Fifth Century CE and is the
translation by Kuno Meyer:

     "I invoke the seven daughters of the sea
     Who fashion the threads of the sons of long life.
     May three deaths be taken from me!
     May seven waves of good fortune be dealt to me!
     May no evil spirits harm me on my circuit!
     In flashing corslet without hindrance!
     May my fame not perish!
     May old age come to me, may death not come to me until I am old!"

     "I invoke Senach of the seven periods of time, Whom fairy women have
     reared on the breasts of plenty.
     May my seven candles not be extinguished!
     I am an indestructable stronghold.
     I am an unshaken rock.
     I am a precious stone.
     I am the luck of the week.
     May I live a hundred times a hundred years.
     Each hundred of them apart!
     I summon their boons to me.
     May the grace of the Holy Spirit be upon me!"

That's the Celtic view of life! To live but to have variety and passion, while
reincarnating over and over!