A guide to the history and practices of the Druids and the Celtic faith

• Reconstructs the Druidic faith from surviving remnants, parallels with other Indo-European traditions, and dedicated study of scholarly sources

• Details magical rites and ceremonies, methods for consecrating an outdoor temple, and customs for celebrating important festivals such as Beltaine and Samhain

• Discusses rules for firecraft, making offerings to deities and spirits, and the ancient Coligny calendar, including the names of the months in old Gaulish

Druids and their magic, lore, and rituals have fascinated all those who encounter them, from the ancient Greeks and Romans onward. Even today, the mere mention of their name evokes pictures of standing stones, mistletoe, golden sickles, white-robed priests, and powerful sorcerers. But were they really as we picture them?

Drawing on comparative mythology and linguistics, archaeological evidence, and etymology, Teresa Cross offers readers a comprehensive course in the history and development of the Celtic spiritual tradition and its lore, reconstructing the Druidic faith from the remnants that have survived and dedicated study of scholarly sources. She also reveals parallels with other Indo-European traditions, such as the similarities between Celtic and Vedic Hindu beliefs and practices. She chronicles the ethics and spiritual teachings of Druidism and the Celtic faith and examines what happened to these beliefs during centuries of Christianization.

Moving from history to practice, Cross details magical rites and ceremonies as practiced by modern-day followers of Druidactos. She explores the structure of the Touta, which roughly corresponds to “tribe,” methods for consecrating a nemeton, the outdoor temple that offers the optimum sacred space for the meeting of heaven and earth, and the rites and customs associated with important festivals such as Beltaine and Samhain. She also explores the rules of firecraft, the sacred art of giving to the cosmos, making offerings to deities and spirits, sacred food and beverages, and the ancient Coligny calendar, including the names of the months in old Gaulish.

Offering an authentic handbook for starting your own Celtic group led by Druids, Cross reveals the meanings and metaphysics behind the Celtic and Druidic customs and traditions, reuniting the fragmentary remains of long-lost Druid culture with the still-living practices of the Celtic faith.

Teresa Cross has been a Celtic scholar since 1982 and was a member of numerous Celtic cultural organizations, including the Scottish Society of Dallas, Southwest Celtic Music Association, Clan MacKenzie Society, and the Irish P.E.C. She is the author of The Truth about the Druids and a frequent contributor to The Independent Celt. She lives in Kingman, Arizona.

FOREWORD

Remembering the Druids
by Stephen E. Flowers, Ph.D.

AUTHOR’S PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
A Cultural and Linguistic Family
Acknowledgments

INTRODUCTION
A New Celtic Renaissance

PART I
Ancient Customs
1 Celts, Druids, and Gauls
2 Survivals and Revivals
3 Celtic Cosmology
4 Sacrificial Giving
5 The Gods and Their Tales
6 Principles of Druidiacta
7 The Celtic Lore of the Soul

PART II
Modern Practices
8 The Structure of the Touta
9 The Nemeton
10 Sacred Gear
11 Rites of Passage
12 Adbertoi: Public Rites
13 Rites and Customs of the Festivals
14 The Calendar of the Year
15 Clergy Requirements

Appendices
A Rules of Firecraft
B Otherworld Regions
C Names of Ritual Gear
D Indo-European Etymologies
E Sacred Foods and Beverages and Food Symbolism
F Pronunciation of Celtic Languages
G Celts from the West
H Etymologies of Celtic Deity Names
I Modern Scots Gaelic Kingship
J Gaulish Grammar
K Hindu and Celtic Parallels

Glossary

Bibliography

Index

About the Author