The Three Gunas
Sattva (The Concentrating Tendency)
Consciousness, Light, Interlinking and Cohesion
|
Rajas (The
Revolving Tendency)
Experience, Periodic Motion, Rhythmic Activity, Creative
Thought
|
Tamas (The Dispersing Tendency)
Existence, Disintegration, Darkness, Dissolution
|
Consciousness of
Consciousness
|
the Self or
Atman
|
Existence of
Consciousness
|
Divinity or
Isvara
|
Experience of
Consciousness
|
Human Nature or Jiva
|
Consciousness of
Experience
|
the inner
faculties or Antahkarana
|
Existence of
Experience
|
life energies or
Prána
|
Experience of
Experience
|
the feelings and
emotions or Rasa
|
Consciousness of
Existence
|
the senses or
Indriya
|
Existence of
Existence
|
principals of
the elements or
Mahábhuta |
Experience of
Existence
|
the inanimate
world
|
The Three Cauldrons (from the Cauldron of Poesy materials attributed to Amergin) almost directly correspond to the Three Gunas from Ayurvedic teachings. The Stages of Existence
seem to describe the same things as the Dúile in Druidic cosmology. I’m not surprised that such commonalities exist between the Vedic traditions and the Celtic
practices, since both were very conservative, orally preserved traditions with
a class/cast responsible for their integrity and preservation. Both groupings
were derived from a common Indo-European traditional/cultural source and the
vision seers, poets and holy teachers interpreted each.
The
Stages of Existence of Vedic tradition and the
Dúile from Celtic tradition could be
considered to be related in the following ways:
Self -Soul (Head)
Divinity - Brain
Human Nature - Face
Inner Faculties -
Intuition (Mind)
Life Energies - Breath
Feelings and Emotions -
Blood
Senses - Skin (Nature)
Elements - Flesh
Inanimate - Bones
The
Three Gunas also seem to have
correspondences to the Cauldrons of Poesy
and their characteristics as:
Sattva (Consciousness) -
Soís (Wisdom),
Rajas (Motion and
Experience) - Érma (Motion and Vocation),
Tamas (Existence)
- Goriath (Formation and Incubation)
I
considered the effects that the Three Cauldrons have on one another, as well as their actions and
interactions. The similarities that exist between them and the Gunas suggested the following tables of correspondences for the
cauldrons and the dúile, as well as their states of being:
The Three Cauldrons
Coire Soís (Cauldron
of Wisdom)
Consciousness - Future
Creation, Knowledge,
Inspiration
|
Coire Érma (Cauldron
of Vocation)
Experience - Present
Motion, Observation, Training
|
Coire Goríath (Cauldron
of Formation)
Existence - Past
Incubation, Formation, Tradition
|
The Nine Dúile
Consciousness of
Consciousness
Existence of
Consciousness
Experience of
Consciousness
|
Head,
Self, Sky
Brain,
Spirit, Stars
Face,
Image, Sun
|
Consciousness of
Experience
Existence of
Experience
Experience of
Experience
|
Mind,
Intuition, Moon
Breath, Creativity, Wind
Blood, Actions, Sea
|
Consciousness of
Existence
Experience of
Existence
Existence of
Existence
|
Skin,
Interaction, Nature
Flesh,
Form, Earth
Bone,
Structure, Stone
|
The
following table details these relationships of the Cauldrons with the properties of the Three Gunas:[iii]
Properties of the Three Gunas
Quality
|
Soís - Sattva
|
Érma -
Rajas |
Goríath - Tamas
|
Cauldron
|
Wisdom
|
Vocation
|
Incubation
|
Color
|
White - purity,
harmony
|
Red - action,
passion
|
Black - darkness
|
Time
|
Day - clarity
|
Sunrise, Sunset
- transition
|
Night - darkness
|
Energy
|
Neutral
Balanced
|
Positive
Sets things in
motion
|
Negative
Retards motion
|
World
|
Sky - Heaven or
Space
home of the gods
region of peace
|
Sea - Atmosphere
realm of the
Fomorii
region of storms
|
Land - Earth
lands of the
people
realm of inertia
|
Cosmic
Levels
|
Spiritual -
Causal
Or Ideal
|
Mental - Subtle
Astral
|
Physical - Gross
or Physical
|
Beings
|
Deities and
Sages
|
Humans
|
Ancestors
Minerals, Plants, Animals
|
States
|
Waking
|
Dreaming
|
Deep Sleep
|
The relationship
between Tamas and Goríath appears to be
inverted in some respects, since formation implies action. I think we should
view this formation as more of a continuation of existence through family, tribe, and social structure.
Each of these forms tends to retard change and promotes that which already
exists. Some of the differences between the two systems become similarities
when the cauldron’s other meaning of “incubation” is considered. Incubation
occurs within darkness. It is a continuity of formation produced by that which
already is. Inertia or resistance to change is only another way of describing
the effects of cultural traditions and standards on a society. Among the
Druids, knowledge was learned through repetition, association, and incubation
within the darkness of the student’s bed or room. Each day’s lessons of newly
acquired knowledge were learned and saved as memories that were linked with
existing knowledge in a Memory Grove of the mind. Among the Filidh, this darkened cell of learning was known as the “Bed of
the Poets.”
