In the rat race of our lives, the loss of our connection with the world of nature, and the lack of alternatives to society's conventions for marking important events in life, aspects of Celtic tradition can help. In this guide to Celtic ritual one of its great devotees brings to life the ancient rituals.

There is renewed fascination in all things Celtic. Discussing lore, traditions, beliefs, and customs, this book answers readers' desires to reaffirm their ancestral roots, bringing Celtic myth, legend, and modern practices to life. It discusses everything from the ancient Druids and faery traditions, right up to the beliefs and practices of today's neo-Pagans. Tales of the Celtic goddesses and gods, and the stories of their descendants, thrive in the pages of this fascinating book. Focusing upon Celtic roots, goddesses, gods, and the Druids, as well as the Underworld of the faeries, and modern Celtic Wicca, Celtic Traditions explores how humanity and the land are connected as one, as inseparable energies. Celtic Traditions provides hands-on ways for making a positive difference in the world today, and for thousands of years to come.

Celebrate Celtic Symbolism, Mythology, and Magic throughout the Wheel of the Year Enjoy phenomenal healing and spiritual teachings from the trees with this powerful book of rituals. Sharlyn Hidalgo presents multi-faceted ceremonies for all thirteen moon months—and the final day of the Celtic year—from a practice she developed using the Celtic tree calendar and the Celtic tree ogham. These ceremonies will enhance your life, helping you build a deeper connection with nature and become a better steward of the planet. Celtic Tree Rituals leads you through each tree month, providing step-by-step instructions for the ritual, as well as group activities, song and dance suggestions, chants, and a guided meditation. You'll discover the ogham, keywords, totems, and deities for every month, plus special rituals for all eight sabbats. Sharlyn also provides stories for each month and a day that share her real-life experiences with the healing energies of the unseen realm and demonstrate how you can invite these healing relationships into your own life. This remarkable book is an essential tool for strengthening your creativity, community, and spirituality.

Do you know what a Brideóg is? What could you cure if you licked a lizard nine times? Why is Whit Sunday the unluckiest day of the year? From the author of The Irish Cottage comes a new book, exploring old Irish customs and beliefs. Chapters focus on the quarter-day festivities that marked the commencement of each season: ‘Spring: Imbolc’; ‘Summer: Bealtaine’; ‘Autumn: Lughnasa’ and ‘Winter: Samhain’, and also major life events – ‘Births, Marriages and Death Customs’ – and general beliefs in ‘Spirituality and Well-Being’ and ‘The Supernatural’. Focusing on the period from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries, Irish Customs and Rituals discusses a time during which many of the practices and beliefs in question went into decline. Many of these customs were rooted in residual pre-Christian beliefs that ran parallel to, and in spite of, conventional religion practised in the country. Some customs were so deep-rooted that despite continued disapproval from the Roman Catholic Church they remain with us today. It is wonderful to see so many traditions still with us, as many are worthwhile remembering, commemorating, or even reviving today. Irish Customs and Rituals will appeal to all those with an interest in Irish history, folklore, culture and social history. Marion McGarry is the author of The Irish Cottage: History, Culture and Design (2017). She has a PhD in Architectural History and an MA in History of Art and Design and is currently a lecturer at Galway–Mayo Institute of Technology. She frequently writes articles about Irish social history and customs.

This book shows readers how the Celts view on consultative democracy, environmental issues and women's rights are echoed in contemporary policies, and how they are continuing to shape political and religious ideas.

The Celts didn't just preserve their wisdom through words. They also danced and feasted. They costumed themselves and decorated their villages. They loved and sang and prayed their way through the wild and mysterious pageantry of heroes and heroines, gods and goddesses, conquests and tragedies that reminded them of who they were. Discover the full rich treasury of Celtic festivals and rituals, as you learn the Celtic way to welcome the seasons, honor the dead, celebrate the birth of the Child of Promise, pay homage to the Bride, clean the house, make pilgrimages to holy places, rekindle your passion, and all the other universal experiences that make us human. And then, like the Celtics themselves, create your own celebrations. You'll find complete instructions including recipes, ideas for decoration, what to wear, and ritual resources. If you like, start by changing your familiar Halloween traditions to introduce traditional Celtic Samhain versions of trick-or-treating and making jack-o'-lanterns. Or hold a Winter Solstice party, an Imholc celebration of the divine feminine, a May Queen and Green Man festival, or, for just the two of you, a Beltane rite of the renewal of passion.

Celtic magic is associated with harmony with nature and with oneself. The Celts believed in a close relationship between human beings and nature. This magic often uses all the elements of nature like plants, stones and animals.

• Describes the Celtic rituals of honoring death and dying and offers prayers, meditations, and blessings for the time of transition • Offers reflective questions and exercises to explore your beliefs, attitudes, and fears around your own death • Includes the sacred meditation of traveling with the dead as offered by an anam-áire or Celtic soul carer Through her decades of hospice work, Phyllida Anam-Áire has revived the ancient Celtic tradition of “watching” with the dying and traveling with the soul after death. Drawing on her Celtic background, she integrates the wisdom of her ancestors with modern knowledge of the death process. She shows how a peaceful transition for the leaving person is possible and how this process can be consciously supported for relatives or friends. In A Celtic Book of Dying, Phyllida details the Celtic rituals of honoring death and dying, revealing how these rituals act as a catalyst that allows the change of form for our essence to pass on into the afterlife. She shows how becoming familiar with the dying process and acknowledging our own personal death forms an important aspect of preparing for this natural transformation. The author guides us with reflective questions, exercises, and meditations to help us become aware of and evaluate our own beliefs, attitudes, and fears around dying and learn to live our life more con­sciously and with joy. Once we have come to terms with our own passing, we will also find it easier to assist family and friends in their last hours. Phyllida presents the sacred meditation of traveling with the dead as held by an anam-áire or soul carer. She also offers suggestions for Celtic rituals, prayers, and ­blessings for support. She addresses many practical questions around care for the dying during and after the process, including the importance of silence. A practical yet soulful guidebook, A Celtic Book of Dying deepens our spiritual understanding of the internal journey of the dying and the adventurous after-death journey to come. Through the eyes of an anam-áire, we see death not as the end or something to be feared, but just as the moment of being called home again.

The Celts provide strong, accessible images of powerful women. This work illustrates how the reader can create a personalized pathway linking two important aspects of self - the feminine and the hereditary (or adopted) Celt - and as a result enable her to become a whole, powerful woman.

In this beautiful treasury of sacred wisdom, Mara Freeman shares the rich legacy of the Celts -- the festivals, gods and goddesses, saints, faeries, music, poetry, and storytelling that anchor this magical tradition. Discover myths, rituals, recipes, and crafts for every month of theyear. Honor Saint Brigit with a prayer in February, or ensure a merry start to May with a bowl of frothy syllabub. Come together with friends and neighbors to celebrate community in the high days of August, then learn to weave a solstice wreath in snowy December. Traditional blessings, ancient lore, and guided meditations inspire you to reconnect with the rhythms of the natural world, and view the sacred as an integral part of every day. Rediscover the wisdom and healing power of nature, and cultivate and honor your soul as you would the earth. Let the spirit of the ancient Celts enchant you in every season, year after year.