Category: Folk Traditions & Recipes
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The ‘Craobh Airgid’ or Silver Bough/Branch
“Take thy family then,” says the warrior, “and take the Cup that thou mayst have it for discerning between truth and falsehood. And thou shalt have the Branch for music and delight. And on the day that thou shalt die they all will be taken from thee.” – Manannán mac Lir, Echtra Cormaic
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‘Moon of My Life’: Lunar Worship in Folk Tradition
“Hail to thee, thou new moon, Guiding jewel of gentleness! I am bending to thee my knee, I am offering thee my love. Holy be each thing, Which she illuminates; Kindly be each deed, Which she reveals.” – Alexander Carmichael, “The New Moon” from the Carmina Gadelica, 1900 How magical is it to have a […]
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The ‘Corr Bolg’ or Crane Bag
“Magic birds were dancing in the mystic marsh. The grass swayed with them, and the shallow waters, and the earth fluttered under them. The earth was dancing with the cranes, and the low sun, and the wind and sky.” – Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
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Grasp the Nettle – Greim ar an Neantóg.
”Is mise neantógI haven’t always been understoodI have stung you to sustain myselfUnderneath the skin that protects meIs so much nourishment and medicineI grow so abundantly in harsh conditionsAlthough often overlookedI offer myself unconditionally to the worldIs mise neantógI have nourished the people’s since time began”. It’s that time of year again… Where the Nettle […]
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Ogham – The Beginning of a Druid’s Education
“Ogum on the stone, The stone over the monument, That Ogum which is on the stone, Around which many were slain; If Finn of the many battles lived, Long would the Ogum be remembered.” – Book of Leinster, 12th century The Ogham represent a way of looking at the world, much like the Runes. They […]