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For the most part the ancient Celts were foremost Shamanic pilgrim travellers embarked on a spiritual journey living a physical existence (one of many interconnected lifetimes) in an eternal sea of ever evolving sacred spiraling energy. The ancient Celts were devoted to maintaining their spiritual balance and sacred connectivity with the Natural World by treating all things hallowed with the respect and reverence they deserved. The living waters of rivers, springs, and wells were venerated because they were believed to have both magical and curative powers. Fairy Mounds, the Wee Folk, Mineral Spirits, Hollow Hills, Leprechauns, Animal Spirits, Holy Wells, Sacred Lakes, Tree Spirits, the Sidhe. . . the Celtic world was alive with the vibrancy and the glittering glories of hosts of Fairies; of the elemental beings of fire, earth, air, and water; of the holy divinity of the land, the sea, and the sky.
All of the Celtic highly
skilled artists, builders, craftsmen, farmers, merchants, and smiths, who shared
common customs and spiritual traditions, were content to remain a shamanically
pastoral and agricultural peoples, living in harmony with the landscape and the
seasonal cycles.
All of the animals, forests, lakes, mountains, rivers, and trees were blessed and holy to the Celts and worthy of their utmost reverence. The Natural World inspired their imaginations and enlivened their art. The Celts preferred to perform their rituals outside in the Natural World underneath the never-ending circle of sky in forest clearings. in open air shrines, and in sacred groves - the hallowed places and natural sanctuaries of the Earth. The Divine Forest, typified by the Sacred Grove or Nemeton was hallowed ground for the Celts who worshipped and revered their Goddesses and Gods in natural spaces. Sacred Groves were the settings for ceremonies, meetings, and sanctuaries. For instance the Galatian Celts met at the Oak Sanctuary once a year to discuss crucial tribal concerns. Woods were so sacred to the Celts and played such a significant role in their overall cultural existence that at one time the Celtic heartlands in Northern Europe and Southern Germany were almost entirely covered with trees.
Most of their artwork
depicted the Celtic reverence and respect for Nature in the elaborate entwining
plant (flowers, leaves, trees, vines) and animal (birds, deer, dolphins,
griffins) motifs, as well as, in the dynamically intricate designs (chevrons,
knotwork. labyrinthine patterns, spirals)...
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