Cultural Anthropology | The heART of Ritual

The heART of Ritual

musings

Welcome to the MUSINGS room in our digital nest! Here you will find an extensive selection of articles, poetry, prose, videos, recipes, and tutorials that journey the natural cycles, seasons, elements, and archetypes in the Celtic Wheel of the Year, as well as our Irish indigenous festivals, folklore, and customs.

This is lovingly provided as a free community resource, however it is copyrighted content. As such, we respectfully ask that if you share this content outside of this dedicated space, either in whole, in part, or paraphrased, that you credit the author and source. Thank you.

The Women Who Walk Between Worlds

I was chatting to somebody about hypnosis recently, a subject I know very little about, to be honest. I do know that it is used in...

The ancient roots of 'Valentine's Day'

Although the heart is probably the symbol most associate with Valentines Day, it might surprise people that the wolf can also lay claim...

The Feast Day of Brigid (Lá Fhéile Bhríde) and the ancient Irish festival of Imbolc

If you're Irish like me, you will know that today (February 1st) is the feast day of St. Brigid (Lá Fhéile Bhríde), a fixed date holiday...

Keening Traditions and the Irish Wake

When looking at the lifecycle in terms of folklore it cannot escape ones notice that many aspects of the life cycle have clearly defined...

Blúiríní Béaloidis 15 - The Salmon In Folk Tradition

Irish communities have been sustained for centuries by the fruits of our seas, rivers and lakes, from which both physical and economic...

Blúiríní Bealoidis 26 - Seals In Folk Tradition

Seals have been an integral part of coastal life in Ireland for generations, and as such there exists a large body of tradition, belief...

Blúiríní Béaloidis 03 - The Moon In Folk Tradition

Since the earliest times, Man has sought to come to terms with the unknown powers and forces that act upon life and wellbeing. It is...

Blúiríní Béaloidis 05: The Threshold Of Plenty - Harvest Customs In Irish Tradition

The arrival of the harvest was for our forebears a time of great celebration, for it marked the point at which the lean months of June...

The Hazel Tree in Irish Magic, Witchcraft and Folklore

The hazel tree was held in high and mystical regard by the ancient Irish people. In Irish mythology the hazel tree was said to bestow...

Blúiríní Béaloidis 25 - Midsummer

Midsummer has long been observed as a period of jubilant celebration, with communal gatherings at bonfires and prayers, recitations,...

Amoral Tricksters that Enhance World Mythology and Entertain Cultures

Mythologies around the world speak of beings which cannot be defined as good or evil. German folklore mentions a household elemental...

Walking Ceremonies, Processional Paths, and The Hidden History of Witchwalking

The history of Witchwalking is as old as movement itself. Like many other examples of occult knowledge, it is a legacy that often...

Moon-Bathing Folklore

As well as a full moon, tonight and tomorrow morning will bring a lunar eclipse. I won’t go into the science of this as there are already...

Blúiríní Béaloidis 10 - The Cow In Folk Tradition

Cattle have been central to Irish farming since the Neolithic period, and in early Ireland were even used as a unit of currency. In this...

Blúiríní Béaloidis 02 - May Day Folklore

The first of May is marked in Ireland (and across Europe more broadly), as a day on which the summer is welcomed in; where garlands of...

Bealtaine, Fairies, and the Pleiades

In a previous post I wrote about the connection between our concepts of the similar patterns which appear throughout the universe,...

Blúiríní Béaloidis 08 - Wind & Storms In Folk Tradition

Owing to their impact on human affairs, weather occurrences of all sorts were a source of preoccupation for our forebears, who would look...

Blúiríní Béaloidis 12 - St. Patrick In Folk Tradition

The 17th of March sees countries the world over celebrate Saint Patrick's Day - a day which is commonly marked with large parades and...

Fairy Paths and Ghost Roads

A few posts back I wrote about the secret fairy-paths of the air, and how a person might inadvertently get whisked away being caught up...

Blúiriní Bealoidis 28 - Land & Language

Our guest for this edition of Bluiríní Béaloidis is writer and documentary maker Manchán Magan, whose recent book 'Thirty-Two Words For ...

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