By Kristin Olsen

Welcome the Way of the Celts, land of myth and fantasy. As we look to the magic and mysticism of the celtic lands, let us delve into a place revered and inspiring to the Celts. A place if mentioned today might bring out fear of the devil, fire and brimstone, hell and damnation. Let us journey in the Otherworld, the land known as Tir na nÓg.   Come with me lets carefully part the veil of fine mist and lace and journey into the unknown. Off to the lands of death and re-birth, the lands that create the awe-inspiring image of Celtic Warriors, Princesses, Princes and Goddesses. Come our ancestors await! Welcome to the Celtic Otherworld.

The Otherworld according to legend basically has three levels. The upperworld, middle world and underworld. Most Celtic myth and lore explore what is known as the Tir na nÓg. It is sometimes seen in Irish tales as an island far to the west of Ireland. To reach this sacred land one must travel over the water and a far distance indeed. Water is present in most tales about the journey to the Tir na nÓg. Water is a symbol of rebirth and purity, so it makes sense one must travel via water to reach such a sacred land. It is cleansing just to take the journey. Other myths offer a wide range of ways you can enter the underworld. Two of the most popular are via a Sidhe, the Gaelic world for mound or hill and via the Fairy women such as the Banshee Fairy. This is the land of our ancestors. This island stands still to time and is the place of myth and fantasy. Heroes and Heroines, Gods and Goddesses live suspended in mist on the island of legend.

The island known as Tir na nÓg is a land of perpetual youth and beauty. Time stands still, flowers do not die or wilt and life is ageless. It is found in many Irish tales of magic and mysticism. The land of youth holds the legends and tales of mighty heroes and sorcerers, and of the ancient ones long ago honored for their deeds. This island keeps secrets and only the brave and daring that listen with their whole hearts and souls can hear the whispers upon the winds of past tales of glory. If you listen oh so carefully you might just hear an ancestor impart words of wisdom for we mere mortals to only contemplate and praise. Pay close attention to the air as it brushes past your ear for it might be your ancestor or a grand Goddess telling you a tale of their mighty life and love. This is a land of Fairy tale and Adventure. This is a Celtic Heaven.

Once upon a time the tales and legends of heroes and heroines were passed from person to person and generation to generation. They were not fairy tales, but tales of astounding bravery and magic. As the years passed and Christianity came to the Island of Ireland, these tales have been resigned to the realm of fantasy. Tir na nÓg is no exception. It has slowly been woven into the modern culture and pleasantly referred to as Heaven. The underworld became a separate entity and was resigned to the realm of fear and danger. It became equated with the Christian idea of Hell. The old ways and some of the ancient practices for honoring the ancestors became viewed as evil. Samhain, which is celebrated as a day when the veil between the world of the physical and the world of the spiritual are so close our ancestors can step through and visit us, is now seen as a scary day. It is feared as witches and magic are feared.   The tales of our ancestors are not to be feared, nor are their ways. Like all cultures old ways, they are lessons and myths to learn and grow from. Open your minds and hearts.   Celebrate the magic and mysticism for there is wisdom in the old ways!

Why fear what you do not know? Why not just explore life for the positive experiences that it has to offer. We do not know if there is a really a Heaven or Hell or a Tir na nÓg or Underworld. Life is about exploring and finding adventures to ride through time on. Learning allows the mind and the spirit to sore to heights that the physical world has place constraints upon. What if there are magic and wee fairies do run through the woods outside your bedroom window? What if Tir na nÓg really does exist and our ancestors await us to boast of grand tales of fortune and exploration? Anything is indeed possible and most tales have some basis in reality, so why should these Celtic adventures be any different. Open you mind and your heart and your soul, for you will need all your senses to truly live a life of adventure, promise and blessings. If you want something, just close your eyes and see it happening. The power of the mind and soul are endless as are the adventures and tales of the Celtic people and its culture.

Join me again for more tales of the Celtic Lands. We have much to discuss, The Book of Kells, Celtic Holidays, Runes, Goddesses, Gaelic, Poetry and Prose and perhaps even a way to see Fairies in your everyday world or how to obtain the pot of Gold from that dreaded Leprechaun. Magic and Adventure is all around you, just close your eyes, open your heart and listen to your soul. Celtic Magic is everywhere.   Visit me at http://www.celticattic.com

By Kristin Olsen

Welcome the Way of the Celts, land of myth and fantasy. As we look to the magic and mysticism of the celtic lands, we discover that part of the magic we are drawn to might be the modern interpretation of what the ancient Celtic lands might have been. This is a portrait by modern writers and it is based on supposition. Most of Celtic history is verbal not written. This leaves the Emerald Isle of the ancients open to any revelation that our hearts, minds and souls see fit to gaze upon.

Can you picture in your minds eye the green rolling lands filled with Fairy folk, Dragons and Trolls? Are they purely fictional, as today’s society would portray? Can you envision it, is it possible! Let your imagination take you on a delightful journey into the land of faith and fantasy. Magic is something that is everywhere; it is a gift from the almighty (whatever that may be in your particular religious or spiritual path). For me the magic comes from my ancestors, their lands and beliefs. That magic also comes from the thought that a fairy may be sitting on my porch at this very moment giggling.

Lets take a stroll through the realm of Religion and Spirituality. Celtic spirituality has many faces. The Celts of old were obviously what would be termed a Pagan culture. They were pre-Christian and therefore there was really nothing else to be but what we now call Pagan. So did they worship multiple deities or did they simply pay homage and respect to the things of the earth that they could see and the things of the spiritual realm that they could not see? Did they name Gods and Goddesses and put a power or an attribute to these beings? Or did they simply thank the universe for the trees, land, streams, birds, animals and other things they needed and used in their everyday lives? Is it possible they were Spiritual without being Religious? This gives rise to many different religious philosophies that are in current use today. In reality, we can never truly know what was in their minds and hearts because they did not leave us a written record to preserve these early days.

When you study Ireland’s spirituality, St. Patrick is always discussed. Ireland is steeped with tradition. Some traditions are pre-Christian and some Christian. St. Patrick really helped head Ireland into modern Christianity by “Driving out the Snakes”. This saying basically means he converted Pagan Ireland to Christianity by silencing Paganism. It is a fascinating correlation as there really are no snakes in Ireland today. As we can see from modern spirituality, he didn’t actually silence Paganism.   Indeed this spiritual path went underground and continued to flourish. Yet a great many of these Pagan ideas were used to teach Christianity in the Celtic lands.

The Irish have been able to successfully integrate some of the ideas and philosophies from the ancient times into their modern Christian religious philosophies. A grand example of this is St. Patrick’s use of the Shamrock to teach the pagan Irish about the Trinity. He explained the “Father”, “Son” and “Holy Spirit” to them utilizing the native flower of Ireland. The three petals represent the tree parts of one God. For the Shamrock are both one petal and three petals. Using the imagery provided by the shamrock, St. Patrick was able to show a very visual society the possibility of one God, Christianity.

The Shamrock was a sacred plant of the Druids because its leaves formed a triad.  Three was a magical and spiritual number to the ancients because it represented: past, present, and future; and sky, earth, and underworld, Tír na nÓg (The Land of Youth). The explanation of the Shamrock should have made perfect sense to them, as they saw the number 3 as an integral part of their physical and magickal world.

Another great example is when St. Patrick introduced the idea of heaven to the early Celtics. They had tales steeped in tradition about Tír na nÓg (the celtic underworld or land of youth). It was considered a pleasant place and all wanted to visit this realm. Time stands still on Tír na nÓg. It is said to be and island to the far west of Ireland. One never grows old or suffers illness, flowers bloom never died in this land. No sorrow or pain, love is eternal, no wars or famine scar this land. So can you picture St. Patrick sitting on the Hill of Tara surrounded by the early Irish teaching them of Heaven and comparing it to Tír na nÓg? How easy it must have been for them to accept this concept. There are dozens of other examples, but we will leave those for later discussions.

Join me again for more tales of the Celtic Lands. We have much to discuss, The Book of Kells, The Otherworld, Tír na nÓg, Holidays, Runes, Goddesses, Gaelic and perhaps even a way to see Fairies in your everyday world or how to obtain the pot of Gold from that dreaded Leprechaun. Magic and Adventure is all around you, just close your eyes, open your heart and listen to your soul. Celtic Magic is everywhere.   Visit me at http://www.celticattic.com

By Kristin Olsen

The magic and mystery of the Celtic Nations are the focus of my writings and a passionate part of my world. My lineage is part Celtic and part Viking and I am fascinated with the Spirituality, Fantasy, Magic, History and Illusion that this part of the world represents. Here in this column I will transport you to the lands of mist and magic. I am but a humble student on a grand exploration of this planet. I was placed here to learn, share and teach. Together we will explore the wondrous Celtic Lands.

Have you ever had your heart leap and you had to stop and catch your breath? Have you ever thought about a place, a thing, or a person and felt that you just belonged there, like your heart and soul were in some way intertwined with it? Join me now as we step back to a time long past that is steeped with mystery, illusion, promise and fantasy. Oh and possibly a glorious pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. A time when what mattered was living life. Close our eyes and see with me green trees, wide open lush valleys, streams teaming with fish, fairies dancing, dragons roaming and leprechauns running freely with human kind and of course magick a glitter everywhere. Welcome to the land of Erin. Come, SHH… you don’t want to awaken the Banshee Fairy!

The belief in fairies is an almost universal attribute of early folk culture. Fairies are magickal creatures that entertain children and adults alike. For adults the fairy represents the innocence of youth and the promise that there is something more than just what we see. Most adults have lost the ability to see fairies peeking out from behind a tree or chasing a butterfly across the lawn. To read about the Fae folk takes us back to childhood and cotton candy, slip n slides and magic. Well what if you could see fairies and they were chasing butterflies in your backyard? Would the world think you sane? Would you care? Let me tell you of the Irish Fae Folk and then you can decide for yourself if they are real or not. If you do believe, maybe you can bring the magic of the Fairyland into your life.

Most Fairies today are seen as beautiful fluttering creatures that you see out of the corner of your eye or just imagine them to be dancing around happily. Not so of the ancient Celtic realms. Sidhe (pronounced Shee, a fairy) and other magical creatures lived with human kind. They were there to possibly teach and assist the human folk of the land. Since they were a part of the life process you have the mean, ugly, beautiful, sad, happy and death fairies of the Celtic Isles. The people of the Isles call their fairies wee folk. Lets take a brief look at some Fae Folk.

The Leprechaun: A solitary creature avoiding contact with mortals and other fairies. He is usually making shoes or protecting his pot of gold. It is said that if a mortal catches a leprechaun and sternly demands his treasure, he will give it to him. He is very symbolic of Ireland.

Merrows: The female is also called a mermaid (murúch) or a sea-maiden (maighdean mhara). She has the tail of a fish and web-like scales between her fingers; she is most lovely and graceful. The male sits on a rock, always scanning the sea for cases of brandy lost from wrecked ships.

Silkies: Are seals by day but men and women by night. They are fabled to be extreme beauties.

Lianhan Shee: Love Fairy. She seeks the love of mortal men at a high cost. She creates such desire in her lovers that they will overcome all obstacles to embrace her. She does insist on meeting her lovers in Tir-na-n-Og. Mortal men must die to enjoy her fairy delights.

Changelings: This is the dreaded creature of all mothers. These mean, ill-tempered fairies trade places with mortal children. The children are sent to Fairyland to play beside the fairies. There are ways to banish the Changeling and thus bring back the mortal child in perfect condition.

Pooka: This creature can appear as a Black Horse, an Eagle or a Black Goat. In ancient days the pooka was in charge of all that went ventured our after dark, except those on missions of mercy.

Dullaham: (Gan Ceann) rides during the dead of night. He is a headless horseman riding wild upon a headless horse. Wherever he stops a mortal dies. They fear gold, so to save your soul, always carry a gold coin in your pocket.

Banshee Fairy: The banshee, from ban (bean), a woman, and Shee (Sidhe, a fairy), is an attendant fairy. She wails only for certain families, those whose names have Mac/Mc’ or ‘O’. She heralds their passing into the otherworld with fierce wails and moaning.   She normally appears in one of three stages: a lovely young woman, a graced matron or an old knowledgeable hag. These represent the Celtic triple goddess made so famous over the years – Mother, Maiden, and Crone. She also appears in a variety of other forms, such as that of a hooded crow, stoat, hare and weasel. These are all animals associated with witchcraft in Ireland.

Join me again for more tales of the Celtic Lands. We have much to discuss, St. Patrick, Book of Kells, The Otherworld, Tir Na n-og, Holidays, Runes, Goddesses, Gaelic and perhaps even a way to see Fairies in your everyday world or how to obtain the pot of Gold from that dreaded Leprechaun. Magic and Adventure is all around you, just close your eyes, open your heart and listen to your soul. Celtic Magic is everywhere.   Visit me at http://www.celticattic.com