Indigenous Tradition | 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.

Samhain and the Cailleach

Samhain, the astronomical moment of liminality, is drawing closer. Although Halloween will be celebrated on the 31st of October, the...

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...

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 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,...

Filaments of Connection - from the Macrocosm to Microcosm, and back

When it comes to mythology and ancient indigenous wisdom it is generally accepted that the stars, constellations, and the cosmos itself...

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...

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 ...

Witch Bottles and Irish Folk-Magic Protection

I recently read Andrew Michael Hurley's novel, The Loney, which is a tale of folk-magic and superstition, as well as a dark coming of...

The Irish Keening Tradition: Singing the Soul Home

Keening, which was once an integral part of the Irish grieving process, began to vanish from before the 1880’s. In many academic papers...

A February Goddess: Remembering The Little Things

February the 8th, is the Festival of Broken Needles in Shinto and Buddhist traditions. On this day, women will gather up all of the...

St Brigid: Dove Among Birds, Vine Among Trees, Sun Among Stars

Starting next year, we’ve been given a new National Holiday! February 1 is celebrated as St Brigid’s Day in Ireland and to honour our...

Blúiríní Béaloidis 18 - Brigid In Folk Tradition

St. Brigid’s Day falls on the first of February, and is traditionally understood as marking the beginning of spring in Irish custom....

Brigid: The Pagan Goddess(es) of Ireland?

Imbolc is a celebration of the returning light and Brigid herself is believed to be an incarnation of a Proto-Indo-European dawn goddess,...

The Goddesses of January

As we approach Women's Little Christmas on January 6th, or 'Nollaig na mBan' as it is known here in Ireland, it is worth noting that...

Irish Folklore and Traditions of the New Year

Wandering fairies, returning ancestor spirits, and talking animals comprise some of the folklore and old superstitions associated with...

Wren Day - December 26th

Going out on 'The Wran' was a strong tradition that I grew up with in the Mealagh Valley in West Cork. We would all dress up in all sorts...

Shetland folk tradition of Skelling, Skeklers and Guising

'For ‘a coarn o meal, a penny o money, ir a piece o flesh’ a handful of grain, penny of money, or piece of meat.' Any evidence of...

The heART of Ritual

musings

About

Members Login

Gather

Musings

Shop

Contact

Legal

Sign Up To Our Mailing List

Follow