By C. Lee Vermeers

Iomas – the fire of inspiration and creation

Comes from a spring at the bottom of the sea. Means "intuition" in Modern Irish. Sometimes symbolized by hazelnuts instead of fire, or salmon eating hazelnuts. Mead is also a symbol of iomas, as intoxicating poetry. The Welsh equivalent, "Awen," has come to mean only mantic trance-inspired poetry.

The Cosmic Sacrifice – unity of microcosm and macrocosm

This is the method and conduit for energy to travel from the world of humans to the world of that-which-is-not-human. In reverse, it becomes healing: energy transfers from the Universe to the individual body. "Elements" (dúile) are isomorphic between the macrocosm and the microcosm. Thus, for instance, clouds = brain; sun = face; vegetation = hair; etc. In another specific case, a sacrificed god becomes 365 herbs of healing (365 signifying totality and completion). The Universe came to be as a result of the Primal Sacrifice, in which a giant (whose name, though now lost, probably meant "Twin" and came from proto-Indo-European "*Yemo", and so may have been Emain or something similar) is dismembered to create all that is. As the Universe runs down, this sacrifice must be re-enacted to re-energize it – not that any real sacrifice is needed, only that the energy is transmitted from the world of humans back into the Universe. The Celtic cultures found that the literal human sacrifices could be substituted by effigies that were properly created, resulting in the various "corn dollies" and such all over the British Isles and Brittany. This translation of energy between the human and the non-human is a fundamental to the various Celtic worldviews. There is much about Sovereignty which relies on this fundamental conception.

Samos and Giamos – duality of Summer and Winter, masculine and feminine

Samos represents the active and direct. It is associated with summer, the masculine, daytime, and light.

Giamos represents the inspirational and assistive. It is associated with winter, the feminine, nighttime, and darkness.

An Thríbhis Mhór – the realms of Land, Sea, and Sky

One of the primary models of organizing the Universe (see the directions, below, for another). These three realms are attested in the famous oath, "[If I break this oath] May the Sky fall on me, the Land break open beneath me, and the Sea rise to swallow me." Also found in the formulation, "We are afraid of nothing, unless it is that the Sky may fall on us, the Land break open beneath us, or the Sea rise to swallow us." A variation of this schema has the three reams as the Upperworld, the Middle world, and the Underworld. In this case, all three are seen to be linked by a world-tree, known as the Bile (Mór) in Scots-Irish tradition. The name seems to be related to Belenos and Belisamaros, and is etymologically derived from the same root as belen, "henbane". Another deity name that is related is Welsh Beli Mawr.

An Trí Coirí – the three cauldrons within

The Cauldrons of Incubation (goiriath), Motion (ernma), and Wisdom (sofhís). These are the energy centers in the human body through which iomas rises and becomes manifest in the individual. The first involves health, the second emotion and action, and the third knowledge and inspiration. Much more information on this subject can be found here.

The 5 or 7 Directions – North (left), South (right), East (ahead), West (behind), and Center. Up and Down are occasionally seen.

East = Prosperity

South = Music

West = Learning

North = Battle

Center = Sovereignty

Up = Heaven, the "Samos" concept, and the Actual

Down = the Underworld, the "Giamos" concept, and the Inspirational

Another variation of the directions can be found in the occasional image of 12 (or 8, or other number) Winds, each assigned a color and a direction. The best-known version is found in the Saltair na Rann.

Truth

The Celtic conception of "truth" is rooted in the idea of "a cosmic, indisputable rightness which human behavior must seek to imitate," to quote Alexei Kondratiev. This "rightness" is located at the beginning of things (see Michael Newton A Handbook of the Scottish Gaelic World, p.29, for example), in the Creation of the World, and is slowly dissipating, requiring constant ritual reinforcement and the occasional sacrifice to restore the functioning of the Universe.

Honor

One of the most important branches of Celtic magic, satire or cáinte, was based in the Celtic understanding that humans gain their strength from other humans. The society functions best that has each member taking pains to ensure that they do not disrupt the society. The Celtic ideas of honor center on the idea of "face", that what is thought of you is important, and that what you do to bring the admiration of others has real value to you.

Strength

The Celts were interested in maintaining the body in a healthy manner. There were taxes for those who let themselves get too "round in the middle", for instance, and, as Mary Beith says in Healing Threads, "[T]he medieval Gaels in particular had a basic belief in preventative medicine and the importance of maintaining health through diet, exercise and hygiene." There was an extensive medical knowledge among the Scots-Irish, with the largest surviving body of medieval medical manuscripts in Europe being Irish.

Poetry

To the old Celts, poetry was the means by which Creation happens. To call something into being in the cultural milieu, it must be named and defined, boundaries of meaning set on it. Poetry does this best, by framing an intuitive understanding of the subject. So, to the Celts, poetry and magic were one and the same, coming from the fires of Iomas into actual reality, from Winter/Giamos/Night into Summer/Samos/Daylight. Poetry was the irruption of the creative fire into living reality.

Language

The old Celts believed that the language a spell or poem was spoken in was the proper form for that poem forever. To alter the form of it, even by translation, is to alter it fundamentally. The sounds, themselves, are as much a part of the poem as the meanings of the words used, the structures of the sentences, and the rhythms. This is yet another manifestation of the idea that Truth comes from the origins.

Animals

There is much lore connected with animals in the esoteric traditions of the Celtic peoples. So much so, in fact, that a small article such as this cannot even hope to touch on even the most important details. Instead, I will refer you to a couple of articles by John Kellnhauser: the Quick Reference List for Irish Druidic Symbolism and the Foclóir Draíochta. Do not let these be the only references you use, however! Other useful references include Symbols of the Celts by Sabine Heinz and Animals in Celtic Life and Myth by Miranda Green. As a specific example, one can find that cranes or herons (corr in Irish) are seen as harbingers of death and destruction. They take energy and vitality away from those they are arrayed against. This can be seen especially in corrguiníocht, or "crane-magic", a type of cursing magic.

The Stars

Celtic wise men were reputed by the Greeks to be the most knowledgeable in astronomical and astrological matters. There was an extensive debate among the Greek thinkers as to whether the Greek astrologers had developed their knowledge from Celtic sources or vice versa. Excellent articles on the subject can be found here and here.

The Otherworld, the Fairy-faith, and Second Sight

The Samos/Giamos duality existed in the cosmological model of the Otherworld. Energy and creation came from a place that was not normally seen, except by those whose eyes had been cursed to view it. In return, to maintain the balance, offerings were made to the land-spirits; usually of food and drink (milk and ale were most popular). The Second Sight was considered a curse, because one with the Sight could no longer see people for what they were, but now they were also seen for what they would become – that is to say, that they will one day be dead, and the Sighted person cannot just interact with them as the person they are at the time.

Sovereignty

Celtic conceptions of the relationship of the people to the land they lived on centered on the idea that the land-goddess of the local area was the Giamos to the Samos of the tuath (or tribe). The harvest came from the land-goddess, due to Her personal relationship with the rí (or "king"), who, through his marriage to Her, was able to provide that harvest for his people. This idea, that the energy that drove the human society came from the Giamos Otherworld, was essential to early Celtic society. Even such a concept as the paying of rents to the rí came from this, as he was only getting back a portion of what he provided, through his marriage to the land-goddess.

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