The spirit of the Celts
to be claimed by the land
The Insular Celts
Heather has explored (and continues to) countless scholarly works, programs, and theories surrounding the Celts, though this pursuit is not in service of academic scholarship, it is a pursuit of mythopoetic, animistic spirituality, a query of the soul, in service of deep and honorable communion with all of our Earth kin.
The House of Animisma was created to encourage, support, and guide one’s own personal and direct connection with the land, the waters, the skies, and the seasons of our Celtic heritage, be they mythical or physical. She seeks to repair the roots that were torn or strained when her ancestors left these lands and offers this pathway of repair for any and all who have even a wee thread of Celtic weaving within the vast quilt of their being.
Heather has drawn a soft, emerald line around the myths, tales, traditions, and spirituality of the Insular Celts, who are considered to have lived/live in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, The Isle of Man, and Brittany. These are the lands of her blood ancestry and as such have called to her soul and claimed her bones.
The following is from Danu Forest (Celtic Goddesses, Witches and Queens Oracle):
“From around 500 BCE the Mediterranean world began to document the peoples living in northern Europe, whom they called Celts or Keltoi (Heather’s note - their cultures are known to be far older than this, this is just the mark of documentation).
These diverse peoples, from as far as Eastern Europe to Britain and Ireland in the West, shared many cultural and technological traditions and religious aspects, forming what could be understood as a loose federation of tribal peoples with differences but also common trading and cultural interchange. Famed for their art and creativity as well as their proud warrior culture, their main religious group was the Druids whose name means “those with the wisdom of the Oak.”
The Roman Empire invaded these lands and seized what is now known as England and Wales, however, this was the high-water mark of its expansion, and it failed to take Scotland or Ireland.
The term ‘Celtic’ today is understood as a linguistic and cultural term rather than a distinct genetic group. The Celtic languages survived and evolved into what is now Breton, Welsh, Cornish, Manx, Irish, and Scots Gaelic. “Celtic” culture in these regions underwent a revival during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as each of these nations sought to define themselves in the face of colonialism. Today, each of these nations is keen to assert their unique cultural identities as well as this wider Celtic identity.
Our shared or related mythology, folklore, languages, and customs have continued to evolve over time to the present day.”
Claimed by the land.
Owned by the seas.
Graced by the skies.
Known to the trees.
A Celt as are the roses and the bees.
I am,
home.
— Heather L. Porter
THE CELTIC WHEEL OF THE YEAR
The wheel is called many things. In popular culture, it is referred to as the sacred wheel, the Celtic wheel or calendar, the Irish wheel, the pagan’s wheel, the witches wheel, and the 8 sabbats. It is a solar calendar that marks the time and the seasons, an ancient wheel of connection to each phase of nature as the seeds sprouted, plants budded and bloomed, fruited, turned to seed then went to ground; these cycles repeating in an endless spiraling of the wheel of our lives.
The wisdom traditions of the Celtic lands are dreams wrapped in myths, woven into endless tales rooted deeply within the waters and the earth. There are many streams feeding the Celtic pool of legend, many trees singing the songs of the ancients. The expressions of Celtic spirituality are rich and diverse, and the term itself covers many living cultures and languages.
Many are rediscovering the pleasures in a slower life. Moving back towards the Earth is a deeply nourishing and rooting journey and offers us a way to remember who we are, and where we came from. We, all of us in the human family, have ancestors who understood at one time, maybe a long time ago, what it meant when a particular bird sang or when the clouds moved quickly across the fields. They understood what the yellowing leaves brought, and when the salmon swam upstream in the Spring.
One of my favorite words happens to be “heathen” which is derived from “the people of the heath” who were country people, lowland or heath dwellers, and remained committed to their animistic beliefs as the religion of the one-god moved through their lands. They were the last to be converted (and many never were) and had old, strong beliefs about family; human and non-human alike. They, I feel, embody the mythological spirit of the Celts those who lived close to the seasons, who spoke to the trees and winds, and who had wild, free, untamable hearts.
As their namesake, I warmly invite you to join me in setting free your heart, honoring the waters and the wells, and living in a deep, loving, reciprocal relationship with the natural world, celebrating each turn of the Celtic wheel of the year. It is a traditional, joyous, healing, celebratory, reverent and beautiful way of walking through this life.
CROSS-QUARTER POINTS: THE FOUR GREAT FIRE FESTIVALS
The Cross-Quarter Points are the four festivals that are marked in between the solstices and the equinoxes. They occur at the peak of each season and have been known as the Four Great Fire Festivals. These cross-quarter festivals offer us a time to celebrate the gifts each season offers and invite us to deeply connect with the Earth at the peak of her seasonal cycles. To many these are the traditional days of Celtic celebration, as well as the festivals of the thinned-veils, where access to the Celtic otherworld is more available to us.
The cross-quarter festivals are:
Imbolc (peak Winter)
Beltain (peak Spring)
Lughnasadh (peak Summer)
Samhain (peak Autumn/Fall)
It has been posited that the modern names we use are predominantly from Irish tradition as the Irish were able to keep the early literature safe from destruction during the Dark Ages (Christian monks recorded these traditions in writing - prior to that all sharing and history was passed down through oral tradition).
QUARTER POINTS: FROM SOLSTICE TO EQUINOX AND AROUND AGAIN
The Quarter Points are located on the north, south, east, and west points of the wheel and are the winter and summer solstice, and the spring and autumn equinoxes.
These are also referred to as ‘solar’ days, given that these four points mark the standing Sun ‘solstice’ where it reaches its highest point in the sky and therefore longest day/ shortest night or the lowest point in the sky and therefore shortest day/ longest night, and, the ‘equinox’ when the sun crosses the celestial equator and the days and nights are of equal length. The Latin meaning of equinox derives from aequus ‘equal’ and nox ‘night.’
The solstices offer us a time to pause and reflect at the half-year mark and consider where the next half-year may be heading for us. The equinoxes focus on the balance of dark and light as both are perceived as equal on these days. They are all times of seasonal transition and offer us an opportunity to mark time intentionally as we reflect on the Earth’s cycles and our own cycles woven with hers.
The quarter festivals are:
Winter Solstice (Yule) - NORTH - Earth
Spring Equinox (Ostara) - EAST - Air
Summer Solstice (Litha) - SOUTH - Fire
Autumn Equinox (Mabon) - WEST - Water
EIGHT SACRED CELEBRATIONS
Starting with Samhain, these are the 8 points that mark the Celtic Wheel of the Year.
Each year is slightly different so ranges of the dates of each year are provided below:
Samhain - End of October / Beginning of November
Winter Solstice - December 20th to 23rd
Imbolc - End of January / Beginning of February
Spring Equinox - March 20th to 23rd
Beltane - End of April / Beginning of May
Summer Solstice - June 20th to 23rd
Lughnasadh - End of July / Beginning of August
Autumnal Equinox - September 20th to 23rd
To learn more I warmly invite you to listen to the first two seasons of Animisma - All Things In-Spirited. The first two seasons are devoted to the Wheel of the Year and include lore, blessing, myth, story, and ceremony for each turn of the wheel.
You’re also more than welcome to follow my missives on Substack where I reach out at each celebration to connect with community and offer breadcrumbs of meaning and myth as the wheel turns.
May your life and path be endlessly blessed.
