Ogham Keys to Wisdom - The Song of the Trees

Ogham Keys to Wisdom - The Song of the Trees

a Course of Study Consisting of 14 Classes

The Song of the Trees is a guide to understanding the Druids and is one part in a course of study designed to help students learn to use their ancient wood wisdom through the Ogham Keys to Wisdom.

This is one course in the long awaited, expanded coursework and study that was previously offered in the Summerlands and which was published in the Journal of the Henge of Keltria. It has been greatly expanded and is patterned on Udemy classes (and may well be presented there in the future). Ogham Keys to Wisdom is an introductory study into the ways of Druids that explores their hidden knowledge while also establishing a systematic approach to implementing that wisdom within modern Druidic practice. It does this through a nine fold investigation into the elemental qualities of everything as understood by the Celts and Druids. Currently, there are three courses available to chose (through the link above) out of a total of nine. Each course and its class lectures has its own materials and audio/video presentations to assist you in attaining wisdom.

Sign up now! Classes start after the Summer Solstice.

Classes are being revamped and edited. 

Ogham Keys to Wisdom is an introductory study into the ways of Druids that explores their hidden knowledge while also establishing a systematic approach to implementing that wisdom within modern Druidic practice. It does this through a nine fold investigation into the elemental qualities of everything as understood by the Celts and Druids.Currently there are three courses available to chose (through the link above) out of a total of nine. Each course and its class lectures has its own materials and audio/video presentations to assist you in attaining wisdom.

The Song of the Trees

No class or book on Druidic wisdom and Ogham can ignore the knowledge of the trees and the special role they played in Druidic practice. Sacred trees (known as Bile in Irish) are identified. Their role as the center of life for the tribe is detailed, along with the special knowledge and qualities that each tree possesses. The Cad Goddeu (the Battle of the Trees) is presented along with several lesser known Bardic and Druidic works regarding tree knowledge and wisdom. The role of music in Celtic spirituality and cosmology is discussed along with the theory associating the Ogham with song and harp. The idea of “Memory Groves” is also discussed along with the time proven techniques of oral memory among Druids and scholars of the past. The role of the Ogham as a sacred alphabet and a magical language is also keyed to the trees, their songs and the images that lead to perfect recollection. 

The Song of the Trees is the same song that Fionn said was the best music in all the world. It is “the Music of What Happens.” I once had a very old and wise man from the Isle of Skye sing me such a song from his own wood wisdom using Ogham. I wish that my hearing were better and my recollection more accurate, but all that remains from his singing for me is the spirit of the song of many realms, a parting of the mists and the ever new growth of life in the world again. When each student finishes this course, it is to be hoped that they can compose their own Ogham chants and the music that shapes the greenworld.

The color associated with this learning and its elements are green, and the tree that symbolizes the forest in this class is the towering Oak.

The course is designed to be completed in three to four months (or less) and consists of 14 lessons. Each lesson focuses on different aspects of being or becoming a Druid with particular interest on developing the ability to see the world and to analyze it as a Druid would do. It is a complete introduction to the ways of Druids and is a great way to experience a deeper and more powerful understanding of doing as the Druids did (and still do).

If you would be a Druid or know the ways of Druids then there is no better place to begin than in this course and through learning what it offers. Druids great and small have benefited from these same materials since the first Ogham was written on Birch from one Druid to another.

Category: Humanities

What are the requirements?

It is suggested that students begin their studies with the Opening the Pathways and the Power of Truth courses before attempting this course. It completes the study of the Cauldron of Formation. Otherwise, at the beginning of the course, the student only needs a computer, online access, and a thirst for knowledge, to work with, and connect to the Druid way. Electronic texts, videos and links will be provided for reading, references and study. A student will eventually need a set of Ogham for use in meditations, journeys and all manner of divination and esoteric workings. These can be purchased online or they can be hand made from locally provided woods. At some point, if one wishes to go further on this path, then robes, a walking staff and a Crane Bag (for carrying the Ogham and other special objects) should be crafted or purchased. It is expected that there will be a weekly online chat session with the teacher to discuss the study materials and to clarify answers to any questions that have arisen. Three tests will be provided to gauge the student's progress and to provide additional guidance for the focus of one's studies.

 What am I going to get from this course?

• In this course you will learn how the Druids understood the sacredness of trees.
• You will study the Battle of the Trees and the lore associated with the forest through Ogham.
• You will learn how each tree has a soul tone and how these tones can be scored to support Ogham chants.
• You will be introduced to meditative techniques for imbas, the knowledge that illuminates.
• You will study examples of the two forms of magical power.
• You will join a pathworking using Ogham and develop your own unique pathworkings.
• You will climb the nine branches of the Sacred Tree.
• You will learn the Ogham forms.
• By the end of the course, you will be able to use the memory techniques of the Druids to use in your more advanced works.
• You will have a basis for developing the Four Skills (Cerda) of the Filidh.

What is the target audience?

This course is designed for a beginning student who has completed the Opening the Pathways course and requires only that the student dedicate the necessary time and study into the course materials. Students that complete the work of this course will hopefully find their own Truth and connect through that Truth to the many wisdom teachings and Truths of the ancient Druids and Sages. People will benefit most from this course who are seeking to find the truth that is against the world, and who desire to be able to create new works, principles and ideas through their own personal Act of Truth.

CURRICULUM

The curriculum follows the class topics itemized below for 14 weeks. Students will be assigned reading segments for each class, as well as being provided with video and audio presentation materials.

Additionally there will be one hour per class discussion periods conducted in a chatroom style setting.

Class 1 - Wood Wisdom

Nowhere is the relationship between wood and letter and Poetry and knowledge more evident than in this passage from the Yellow Book of Leacan as found in Robin Flowers’ The Irish Tradition: 

On a time it befell that Fland mac Lonáin was in an empty house, he and his band, and they had no food, for their serving folk had gone from them. There came a great rain and wild weather upon them and they said, one to another: ‘We would not leave here to-night if we had food, for it is an evil day.’ They were speaking thus when they saw a clodpoll of savage aspect with a bill-hook in one hand and in the other a beef. They asked him would he sell the beef. He said he would in return for a cow of his own choosing. Mac Lonáin said he would give him a cow if he were allowed time for it. The clodpoll said he would give him time. “Give us the beef now,’ said Mac Lonáin. ‘You shall have it,’ said the clodpoll, ‘only let me slaughter and cook and dispense it.’ ‘By my art,’ said Mac Lonáin, ‘you should be paid a price for that.’ ‘I ask nought,’ said the clodpoll, ‘but my cow to be given me according to the promise.’ ‘You shall have it for sure,’ said Mac Lonáin. The clodpoll slaughtered the beef then and flayed and seethed it and dispensed it when it was ready, and he gave his due share to each man of them and they were grateful. Every good thing came to them, and in whatsoever way any wished for aught, in that way was it given him. So the clodpoll went from them and at the year’s end he came again with four others in his company, every man of them with a billhook in his hand. Rude and rough were those five, they needed great room and much food, their manners were evil and they beat the women, the hounds and the gillies in the house and proclaimed that they would accept nothing but a cow always in milk or they would stay in the house for ever until they got that cow. Then Mac Lonáin asked the fellow his name. Said the clodpoll: ‘Woodsman son of Barked Wood am I,’ said he. And then Mac Lonáin made this lay: ‘Woodman Barked Wood’s son is here,’ etc.

Then said the clodpoll; ‘That is the cow I sought, for poetry is ever in milk. And I am Oengus in Mac Óg that have come to thee.’

This tale is a good example of the allegorical composition of the bard. There is a play in it on the two meanings of the word: Fid, ‘wood’ and ‘letter’. Thus the name the god assumes, Fidbadach mac Feda Ruscaig, might mean either ‘Woodman son of Barked Wood,’ or in the literal language, ‘Man of Letters, son of Poetic Letter,’ with another play on Rúse ‘bark’ and rosc ‘declamatory poem’. The moral of the fable is that poetry, though the study that leads to it has a forbidding aspect, is in the end a rich reward, a cow that never goes dry, in the pastoral image of the Irish Bard.

In yet another ancient work, The Book of Ballymote (specifically its “Scholars’ Primer” or “Ogam Tract” portions), we are explicitly told the relationships between the trees and letters (we’ll be using these meanings and more esoteric ones when we determine the meanings of Ogham in divination)

• The Knowledge of the Trees
• Basic Ogham Correspondences
• The Nine Hazels of Wisdom
• Coire Goriath - The Sleeping Strain (Formation / Sustenance / Warming)
• Coire Érma - The Wailing Strain (Motion / Vocation)
• Coire Soís - The Laughing Strain (Wisdom / Áiged-Celebration)
• The Ogham Came into Being
• Seven B’s on Birch
• Odóireacht na Fedha

Class 2 - The Sacredness of Wood

When we consider the Ogham to be sacred knowledge we also acknowledge that its trees are sacred. The connection of name, sound, elemental meaning, tree and sacred nature will be demonstrated in the correspondences that are revealed between the Ogham and the knowledge of Druids. The Tree of the North is Birch It represents both Destiny and Rebirth. The Tree of the East is Oak and is the home of both Prosperity and Strength. The Tree of the South is actually the Reed through which we receive both music and Healing. The Tree of the West is the Aspen, the Summit of Knowledge and Death’s own measure. The Tree at the center of life has its roots in the Depths of the Sea. Its trunk climbs through the Mound of the Kings. The shelter of its branches is the Roof of the Sky. It is the web of being for Land, Sea and Sky. It is the center of heart, tribe and nation. It is the Crann Beithadh, the Tree of Life. It is the Sacred Bile. This idea of a sacred tree at the center of the tribe which could also be considered to be a World Tree is a part of many traditions, and especially Indo-European traditions.

• Woods for the Need Fire
• Burn Ye Not
• Burn Ye These
• The Sacred Bile
• Mag Mugna
• Eo Mugna
• Bile Tortan
• Mourned by the Saints
• A Sense of Loss
• An Old Irish Legal Poem
• Wood Lore
• Fidbretha  (‘Tree Judgments’)

Class 3 - The Battle of the Trees Cad Goddeu

No book about Ogham and trees would be complete without including the wood lore and the kennings of Cad Goddeu in its ranks. This tale is filled with many layers of meaning about the tree lore of the Druids. It takes the form of a battle saga and was probably also a teaching aid for the instruction of young Druids and Bards. The original poem is attributed to Taliesin. I’ve included a modified and updated version of a Victorian translation of this poem. I’ve also consulted a variety of Internet translations to balance my own compilation that is provided below. The entire work is said to describe a battle that occurred between Amathaon ap Don and Arawn, King of Annwn. Gwydion, Llew, and Achren were on the side of their kinsman Amathaon and Bran was on the side of Arawn. Each side had a person who could not be defeated in battle unless their names were guessed (signifying that the name has an inherent power among Celts). Gwydion eventually was able to guess that Bran was the man of the hidden name and undefeated powers supporting Arawn in the battle. This allowed Amathaon to triumph. Here is the poem that Gwydion is said to have uttered when he realized the secret of the name.

• Cad Goddeu
• The Battle of the Trees
• Trees as a Symbolic Language
• The Language of Flowers
• The Gorwynion
• Choosing a Tree

Class 4 - Brí, Bua and Blood

Once, the wood has been received, then the process of empowering, charging, and shaping them should be done. If using hand tools is your choice, that is well, by all means use them, but power tools are also acceptable (depending on the interconnection between the seer and the machinery). Call upon the gods of your people; chant their names; state your purpose and let your own personal power (Sean Ó Tuathail calls this “brí”) flow into the fedha as they are fashioned. In a sense, the woods are being re-created as you shape them in form, in purpose and in a growing sense of unity. In this way, the woods will become an extension of your physical, mental and spiritual bodies. With repeated use, the brí of the Ogham staves will be augmented by a form of ritualized power known as “bua.” This is a form of Magical energy that is obtained through merit and accomplishment. With every successful and true use of your Ogham staves they will grow in capability even as a student grows in knowledge through dedicated study and clear-minded observation. As in all Magical undertakings, consistency of action and thought allow the forces of one’s spirit to shape the nature of power.

• The Two Forms of Power
• The Siege of Knocklong
• The Goddess from the Fire
• The Daughter of Ivor
• The Two Serpents
• The Empowering of Ogham Fedha

Class 5 - Ogham Inscriptions and Forms

The Ogham were also used for grave marker inscriptions, property markers and message/warnings between warriors. Another use of Ogham was in Magical inscriptions upon objects. It is thought that the Filidh carved Ogham upon their wands and staffs for Magical as well as memory aiding purposes (examples have also been found of wands carved with spirals). W.Y. Evans Wentz identifies several sources in Irish literature where the Filidh and Druids used such wands: The Irish Druids made their wands of divination from the yew-tree; and, like the ancient priests of Egypt, Greece, and Rome, are believed to have controlled spirits, fairies, daemons, elementals, and ghosts while making such divinations. It will help us to understand how closely the ancient symbols have affected our own life and age — though we have forgotten their relation with the Otherworld — by offering a few examples, beginning with the ancient Irish bards who were associated with the Druids. A wand in the form of a symbolic branch, like a little spike or crescent with gently tinkling bells upon it, was borne by them; and in the piece called Mesca Ulad or ‘ Inebriety of the Ultonians‘ it is said of the chief bard of Ulster, Sencha, that in the midst of a bloody fray he ‘waved the peaceful branch of Sencha, and all the men of Ulster were silent, quiet’.

• Shield Ogham
• Host Ogham
• Ridgeless Ogham
• Snake through the Heath Ogham
• Infilleted Ogham

Class 6 - Masters of Wisdom

Who were these Druids and Filidh and how did they master their arts and the secrets of the Ogham? It is generally accepted that the Filidh and the Druids studied similar topics and techniques, though the primary work of each was somewhat different. Much more is known about the training and education of a Filidh than is known about that of a Druid. It is my opinion that the Druids studied the curriculum of the Filidh (poetry, traditions, music and seership), and that they also acquired knowledge in several other areas (such as medicine, warfare, judgments and smithcraft).

According to Proinsias MacCana, the File was a “learned man” (in much the same way as a Druid)[26] He described what this learning was about and what it was for in his The Learned Tales of Medieval Ireland:

“For the filid the tales were primarily a part of the coimcne, the body of inherited knowledge on which the authoritative view of the past depended, and as such they meshed closely with the law, genealogy, customary ritual, and the several other branches of traditional learning that served to define the origins and history of the social order and of the tribal and ethnic elements comprised within it. It was the Filidh’s responsibility to preserve, authenticate and interpret these traditional documents and it is in this light that one must view his interest in the traditional narrative.”

• Levels of Filidh
• Prim-Scéla
• A Few Examples
• Becoming a Poet
• Schools of the Filidh
• The Ollamh, Master of Poetry
• The Four Cerda of the Ollamh
• The Feat of Bicne
• The Feat of Ladchend mic Bairchida
• The Feat of Béci
• The Feat of Chota
• Eochra Éocsi

Class 7 - The Art of Memory

Debates often occur about whether oral memory techniques are reliable and accurate. Many scholars would have us believe that the memories of the Draoithe and Filidh were no better than a party of youths playing the game of “Post Office.” In this game, a phrase is passed around a circle of people, repeated in whispers from one to another until it returns to the original sender. In the process of its transmission of information, the tale or phrase is changed until it becomes completely different and unrecognizable to its author. While this phenomena is observably true among untrained and casual memories at parties, I maintain that it is far from the truth when considering the trained minds and memories of the Druids and other ancient scholars. It is by studying the science and the art of memory that we will discover how oral history may be preserved within memory theaters and groves of the mind. Let us begin our journey into the art of memory as the ancients did, with a story about its creator.

• The Father of Memory
• The Five Parts of Rhetoric
• The Mnemonic Principle
• The Artificial Memory
• Memory Groves of the Mind
• The Stories of Numbers and Letters
• The Rhythm of Sequences and Songs
• The Atrophying of Memory
• The Oral Tradition
• Modern Druidic Memory Systems
• Set Aside from the Mundane
• The Druids, Masters of Memory
• The Ogham as Memory Lists
• Memory Prompts and Symbols

Class 8 -  Spokes in the Wheel

Our tasks today as modern Druids and followers of their ways, are to make inquiries of the world, to have dialogue with our fellow humans, to seek out the knowledge of the ancestors, to study all Draíocht that we discover and to grow in wisdom. At some point during this quest, we will each acquire our own Ogham keys for our own Magical, mundane and spiritual use. It is at that point that perhaps we can be called Druids or Filidh. If we, the newly created Druids and Filidh, were then to meet in convocation as did the Druids of old, perhaps by our mutual sharing of knowledge, challenging of theories and discussion of experiences, each of us could then increase the knowledge base of the others? Wisdom is hard to attain in the world of hidden Druidic secrets and mysteries. Sharing wisdom seems to be the best pathway to growth for all in such well-concealed matters. Using our own Ogham as keys to uncovering and unlocking new knowledge, will allow each of us to become better stewards of the Earth acting as true priests and priestesses of the Sun, the Moon and the Stars. The Ogham were first learned in the groves and among the trees, and it is with them and within their wisdom that we will start our rediscovery of their ancient meanings. We are all a branch of the Sacred Tree of the Grove and each of us is a Spoke in the Wheel. It is through working together that we shall each conquer our ignorance.

• The Power of Truth
• Coimgne
• A Duty to Preserve and to Synchronize
• The Knowledge of Druids
• How Does a Druid Determine Truth?
• I am the Mystery
• The Nine Branches Of The Sacred Tree
• The Eight Limbs of Yoga
• Correspondences of the Dúile
• A Tree of Learning
• Holistic Pursuit

Class 9 -  A Beginning for Study

Anyone that has ever attempted or actually performed Magic knows that it involves resonances and associations. In this, Magic has much in common with the art of music. We have all experienced the Magic of music in our contemporary lives. Sometimes, this Draíocht can come in the form of attending a concert, where we are literally ‘blown away.’ Other times, it can be noticed when we are alone and listening to our favorite tunes: ‘in a world of our own.’ Modern day religious services also take advantage of the Draíocht inherit to music to enhance their own rituals. This can be as simple as the singing of a hymn, or it can be much more complex, as in the offering of organ and choral anthems. I’m sure that we will all agree that music in such situations alters our state of being. We are uplifted and changed by the ritual music that we experience. It should be no surprise, that the ancient Celts used music in a similar manner. In Morgan Llywellyn’s fictional novel, ‘Druids,’ we find a good example of the Druidic use of music in Draíocht. The chief Druid of the village would greet the Sun each morning with a song, as well as leading the village each day in welcoming the Sun back from the Underworld. When the Sun set, another farewell song was enjoined, led by the Druid and offered by all. This practice of singing to the Sun is still followed by some in Celtic lands to this very day.

• Pathways
• Dreams
• Visions
• Attention and Focus
• Psychic Ability
• Shape-Shifting
• Magical Power
• Singing to the Sun
• Greeting the Sun
• Wisdom Will Bloom
• True music
• Music of the Seasons
• Words of Power
• Amrún 
• Word Ogham (Briatharogam)
• A King, A Warrior, and a God
• A Mortal Tries his Hand

Class 10 -  Learning to Sing

In my own practice, I chant the ogham kennings known as the Briatharogam as a means of using them as keys to wisdom. Each is associated with an Ogham diagram that determines pretty much whether one is climbing the ladder to the sky, circumnavigating the land and flowing down the levels of the well into the sea. These kennings are phrases in Ogham Irish that symbolize images and concepts linking to stories, realms and states of being. As such, they are mantras to the diagrams that can be considered yantras. I have a list of the three different sets of Briatharogam along with a fourth set I developed for myself. Here's an example for the Ogham Coll (Hazel):

Cainin fedaib, Fairest of trees, KAN-un FEY-the,
Milsem fedo, Sweetest tree, MILL-shem FAY-tho,
Cana bloisc, Friend of cracking, KUN-uh BLUH-she,
Gluaiseacht saothar, Sweetest of labors., GLOO-shakt SUTH-ar,

I chant these as a mantra to get into a headspace or state of mind to be receptive to wisdom and wonders. Visualize a well for the first line, a rippling outward from the depths of its center for the second line, a moment of separation and reintegration for the third line and a return to center and self for the fourth line. These chants and visuals would continue as long as necessary until the ways or doors are opened in the self and consciousness. There are 25 sets of these (one set for each Ogham character). One should keep in mind that the chant and the yantra are knocking on the door using a call to certain archetypes as a focus. How the flow of knowledge fills the vessel will be a unique experience each time.

• Up and Down the Ladder
• Improving the Timbre
• Opening the Mind Through Song
• Synchronizing the Self
• Aicmí Fedha 
• Wood Groupings 
• Amergin’s Challenge
• Duan Amhairghine
• Musical Instruments

Chapter 11 - The Poets’ Secret

Poets and Bards carried ‘craebh ciuil,’ branches with bells and amulets attached to them. A beginner’s branch would be made of bronze, while journeymen carried a silver branch, and the Masters (Ollamh) carried a golden branch. The music of their bells would announce the Bard’s presence in an assembly and perhaps an impending performance or ritual. In his book, Ogam, The Poets’ Secret, Sean ÓBoyle made a very convincing case for the first use of Ogham to be as a musical tabulature.

He showed how each Ogham had its own corresponding note on the Irish small harp. Much of ÓBoyle’s analysis is based upon the relative positions of tones and semi-tones (steps and half steps). He was able to successfully show a direct correspondence between the symbols of the Ogham alphabet and the tones and semi-tones,. He also explained how the relationship of the ‘tri foilcesta in ogaim,’ (‘three composite letters of the Ogham: Q, NG, and STR), accounts for inflections in the sequence of musical tones.

• Fionn’s Ladder
• The Harmony of the Spheres
• The Great Song
• Tree Toning
• Magical Implements

Class 12 -  Creating Sacred Space 

We can create our own sacred spaces in a variety of ways. We can use chanting and musical intonation as we've previously discussed, or we can construct spells and carve them upon Ogham wands or staves. We can use symbols for each of the Four Hallows and place them in the appropriate quarters. We could also use forms of personal meditations such as the Tree Meditation given within the Keltria Book of Ritual, or we could focus on the dúile themselves that are found at the centers of each of the Three Cauldrons. I call this technique the Cauldron Meditation. It shares many common elements with the use of chanting and drumming methods for achieving altered states, as well as with the Tree Meditation. Before we discuss these meditations and methods, let me say a few words about setting the stage, gathering the attention and focusing the will. I’ll also be introducing some concepts about grounding and centering, as well as the use of keys and finding return paths. Meditation is a practice that assists the healthy on a journey through many levels of consciousness.

• Setting the Stage
• Ground Luminosity
• The Edge of Consciousness
• Imbas Forosnai Knowledge that Illuminate
• Gathering the Attention
• An Mionaire, I am Very Small
• An Neidín, A Place of Safety
• An Iarrairdeall, I am Very Large
• Achieving a Spiritual Union
• A Knowing Experience
• Cauldron Meditations
• Going into the Mandala

Class 13 -  Fionn’s Wheel

Féige Find (Fionn’s Wheel or Fionn’s Window) is a cryptic figure that is found within the Book of Ballymote and its treatise on Ogham. In her “Cauldron of Poesy” article, Erynn Laurie characterizes this Ogham glyph as a “world tree” that contains the Ogham arrayed as the “stars of heaven.” The diagram is also said to be symbolic of the rooftree of an Irish hut that upholds perhaps the sky as well as the roof. In Irish a “féige “ is a “rooftree” or a “ridgepole.” I personally find the structure of Féige Find to be analogous to the shield of white hazel that was made from the wood of the tree containing the head of Balor at Maigh Tuired (where Lugh placed it following the battle). It eventually became known as Fionn’s Shield. Within the structure of Fionn’s Shield, is hidden the Cosmology of the Celts and the Druids. It is a Magical Mandala of Ogham, as well as a symbol of the Mysteries that are Ireland. The Ogham aicme, are shown on Fionn’s Wheel as separate pathways connecting the five circles of existence. Each of these pathways is formed by Ogham symbols that connect the extremes of the Cosmos: the Circle of the Heavens (‘Cruinne, Roth’) and the sacred Center of Being (‘Bile’). The exception to this connection of outer/inner pathways is called the ‘Forfedha,’ the fifth set of Ogham, which are arranged around the second ring of the Wheel. I call this circle the Circle of Poetic Thought or the Circle of the Oak.

• One is the First Number
• The Meaning of the Forfedha
• The Crane Bag
• The Coming of Finn
• Mannanan at Play
• Fionn’s Shield
• Pathworking
• Fionn’s Wheel
• Threefold Wisdom
• Chewing the Thumb
• The White Hazel Shield
• Markers of the Way
• Stepping onto the Path
• More Pathways on the Wheel
• Windows into Reality
• Walking between the Worlds and Journeys on the Wheel
• Out of Body Experiences
• The Darkness
• A Journey through the Veil at Bealtaine

Class 14 - The Components of Meaning

The Druids were said by many to be natural philosophers, poets, seers, priests and judges to the Celtic people. While considering this idea, I was inspired to consider the circles of Fionn’s Wheel to be ordered as representations of these attributes of Druidic learning. I next assigned these Druidic classifications to the circles on Fionn’s Wheel in the same order that I myself have approached the study of Draíocht. First I learned about the world (the famous three “R’s,” reading, writing and arithmetic, as well as history, basic science, and introductory mythology). To me, this is the Circle of Being and it is marked by the Ogham Beith. The next level of Draíocht I associated with the Bards, because in my own education, I had followed my period of basic learning with a study of music, poetry and drama (as well as more advanced history, family genealogy and politics). This is the Bardic Circle and it is carved on the Oak of Duir. At the Third Circle of my life’s learning, I began a study of philosophy, psychology, and world religions (as well as advanced mathematics, basic science and introductory astronomy). Within the harbor of these thoughts I was able to safely inquire into the ways of higher learning. This is the Circle of the Sheltering Reed. In the fourth phase of my own education, I began to delve into the occult and other esoteric matters (such as divination, out of body experiences, dream interpretation, and astrology). The fourth circle of knowledge is the Circle of Judgment. It is measured by the Fé of the Aspen and the Fé of Magic. All things are carefully measured and solemnly evaluated. Within the inner circle or the fifth level of my development (which is hopefully continuing), I’m studying ritual techniques, shamanism, methods of manifestation, advanced engineering and science, English and Brehon Law, as well as herbal/homeopathic medicines. This is the Circle of Mastery and Destiny. It is the Voyage across the Sea to the rewards of accomplishment. It is the culmination of all the previous work that has been done. I consider that a Druid’s education would have certainly been at least as comprehensive as my own (probably more so).

• Druidic Knowledge
• First Steps on the Path
• Druidic Knowledge
• Footsteps of the Gods
• Basic Ogham Correspondences
• A Dream Interpretation Using Ogham
• The Dream
• The Interpretation
• Individual Ogham Meanings
• The Outcome and the Results
• The Seven Rungs of the Ladder

This page is a brief introduction to the coursework for The Song of the Trees. Come into the forest and chant the wood wisdom that is to be found within.

Classes will begin at the Solstice.

Please let us know if there is any difficulty encountered when signing up for a class or in using the provided materials.

Ogham Keys to Wisdom - The Power of Truth

Ogham Keys to Wisdom - The Power of Truth

a Course of Study Consisting of 14 Classes

The Power of Truth is a guide to understanding the Druids and a course of study that brings the power of truth into our lives today using the Ogham Keys to Wisdom.

This is one course in the long awaited, expanded coursework and study that was previously offered in the Summerlands and which was published in the Journal of the Henge of Keltria. It has been greatly expanded and is patterned on Udemy classes (and may well be presented there in the future). Ogham Keys to Wisdom is an introductory study into the ways of Druids that explores their hidden knowledge while also establishing a systematic approach to implementing that wisdom within modern Druidic practice. It does this through a nine fold investigation into the elemental qualities of everything as understood by the Celts and Druids.Currently there are three courses available to chose (through the link above) out of a total of nine. Each course and its class lectures has its own materials and audio/video presentations to assist you in attaining wisdom.

Sign up soon! Classes start after the Summer Solstice.

Classes are being revamped and edited. 

The Power of Truth

This course, The Power of Truth, and its accompanying book and other materials investigates and reveals the Druidic practices associated with the primary force in creation and prosperity according to the teachings of the Druids. Truth was found within the center of Celtic society in the person of the king. The king’s truth and his sacred marriage to the Goddess of Sovereignty in the ritual known as the banais rígh determined the fate and future of the people as well as the land. Several works attributed to Druids are presented and discussed to illustrate the powers of truth. Among these are Audacht Morainn (by the Druid Morann mac Main), the Precepts of Cú Chulainn, the Advice to a Prince (by Cormac mac Art), as well as the Collar of truth, the Cup of Truth and the Chant of Truth. The color of this class and book is earth colored (symbolizing the land and its special place in the center of Celtic society). It is trimmed in bronze for its basis as a beginning in any undertaking. The Cauldron of Formation’s gift to the beginning student is a knowledge of self and of one’s roots. The Ogham keys are continued in this (and all of the classes and books) to identify and clarify the concepts that are revealed within their leaves.

The course is designed to be completed in three to four months (or less) and consists of 14 lessons. Each lesson focuses on different aspects of being or becoming a Druid with particular interest on developing the ability to see the world and to analyze it as a Druid would do. It is a complete introduction to the ways of Druids and is a great way to experience a deeper and more powerful understanding of doing as the Druids did (and still do).

If you would be a Druid or know the ways of Druids then there is no better place to begin than in this course and through learning what it offers. Druids great and small have benefited from these same materials since the first Ogham was written on Birch from one Druid to another.

Category: Humanities

What are the requirements?

It is suggested that students begin their studies with the Opening the Pathways course before attempting this course. Otherwise, at the beginning of the course, the student only needs a computer, online access, and a thirst for knowledge, to work with, and connect to the Druid way. Electronic texts, videos and links will be provided for reading, references and study. A student will eventually need a set of Ogham for use in meditations, journeys and all manner of divination and esoteric workings. These can be purchased online or they can be hand made from locally provided woods. At some point, if one wishes to go further on this path, then robes, a walking staff and a Crane Bag (for carrying the Ogham and other special objects) should be crafted or purchased. It is expected that there will be a weekly online chat session with the teacher to discuss the study materials and to clarify answers to any questions that have arisen. Three tests will be provided to gauge the student's progress and to provide additional guidance for the focus of one's studies.

 What am I going to get from this course?

• In this course you will learn how the Druids perceived Truth
• You will develop an understanding of Truth as it was presented in Triads.
• You will develop an understanding of Truth as it was presented in Wisdom Literature.
• You will develop an understanding of Truth as it was presented in Traditional Tales.
• You will develop an understanding of Truth as it was found in Certain Druidic Practices.
• You will develop an understanding of Truth as it was taught in the Truth Against the World
• You will better understand the Act of Truth and its Basis in Creation.
• By the end of the course, you will be able to understand the spiritual basis of Truth and its Importance to being able to work on the Three Levels of the Physical World, the World of the Mind and the Lands of Spirit.
• You will perceive the connections between Death, Birth and Life as a Druid Would See Them

 What is the target audience?

This course is designed for a beginning student who has completed the Opening the Pathways course and requires only that the student dedicate the necessary time and study into the course materials. Students that complete the work of this course will hopefully find their own Truth and connect through that Truth to the many wisdom teachings and Truths of the ancient Druids and Sages. People will benefit most from this course who are seeking to find the truth that is against the world, and who desire to be able to create new works, principles and ideas through their own personal Act of Truth.

CURRICULUM

The curriculum follows the class topics itemized below for 14 weeks. Students will be assigned reading segments for each class, as well as being provided with video and audio presentation materials.

Additionally there will be one hour per class discussion periods conducted in a chatroom style setting.

Class 1 -THE TRADITIONAL ROLES OF DRUIDS

The Druids were the intelligentsia of Celtic society and fulfilled many roles within it. They witnessed oaths and remembered feats and traditions. They were also the spiritual specialists and the traditional leaders of the sacrifices to the gods among the Celts. To guarantee that oaths would be faithfully remembered and that the traditions covering the basis of Celtic law would not be sullied, Druids served as official witnesses and were required to at all times hold to the truth. Any Druid found to be untrue would no longer be recognized as a Druid by the people and would effectively be caste out or exiled from their society. Truth and being are the oaken roots of Druids in the life of the people. A Druid’s truth is found in the strength and straightness of the ash and the ever-springing resilience of the yew.

• Our Forms of Truth

• Truth, Magic and the Man in the Tree

• The Five Marks of a Druid

• A Few Words for Those Who Seek

• What is a Druid?

• "What makes a Druid a Druid in today's world?"

• A Seeking of Wisdom

• The Beginnings of a Druid's Education

• Becoming a Druid

• The Truth Against the World

• The Imbas Experience

• The Underworld Journey

• You Can Be Called a Druid

• What are These Skills and Training?

• What Kind of Druid Am I?

• Draíocht!

• Beyond the World of Illusions

• Embracing the Name and the Way of Druids

Class 2 – SEEKING WISDOM

I have always maintained that Draíocht is a seeking of truth and a stewardship of harmony. I commend anyone (whether Druid, Christian, atheist or otherwise) on the overall harmony that is contained within their words or way of life. Their harmony in being speaks well of the communion that Nature has shared with them in their lives and workings. A triad that I am particularly fond of is that the three strong supporters of the wise person's pursuit of wisdom are knowledge, information and inquiry. It is my firm belief that these three come more readily to the person who maintains an open mind and a trained and discriminating memory.

• Spiritual Harmony

• Transcending Ego

• Three Tenets of Draíocht

• What Druids Studied

• Druidic Art or Draíocht

• There is no escape from the Truth of Being

• We are all connected within the Warp and Weave of Creation

• We must give of ourselves so that we may receive of ourselves

• Druids are TRUTH SEEKERS and STEWARDS of HARMONY

• Responsibility and Spiritual Abdication

• The Testimony of our Enemies

• According to Caesar

• According to Dio Chrysostom

Class 3 - TRUTH AS CREATION

Truth is the power that creates. Words describing a thing paint a picture of its creation. Words are the tools and sometimes the roadmap. Words bring the image of a thing into our minds and create them there. They are also the smoke that leads to the fire as well as the signal itself given by the fire to thoughts and awareness. The source of that fire is to be found inherently within wood and will, as well as in the ability of life to store energy within forms that are harmonious to other life. Perhaps Carbon, Oxygen, Hydrogen and Nitrogen should be our gods (or at least our Dúile)? They are the forms that support life and our physical selves.

• The Quest for Truth

• The Act of Truth

• The Truth of the Fountain

• Cormac’s Adventure in The Land Of Promise

• Another Telling of the Tale

• Fountain and Stream

• Cormac's Cup of Truth

• Risk and Judgement

Class 4 - TRUTH AS PHILOSOPHY

Much has been said about the idea of truth here in this work and especially as it is understood by Druids. The following early Irish remarks on the subject can provide us with a common point of discussion and reference. The treatise is found in one of the earliest Irish writings on the In King of Mysteries, Early Irish Religious Writings, is reproduced here as an aid to discussion and in hopes that others will be encouraged to further research both the book and the subject. The author of the book was an Irish Christian monk, Colmán mac Beónai, who was related to a line of Irish kings, Druids and Filidh. Carey says that the work itself seems to be drawn from the following sources: "the monastic treatises of John Cassian (died 435) , on the sapiential books of the Old Testament and probably on native wisdom literature as well…"

• The Idea of Truth

• On Knowing Truth

• Truth as a Refuge

• Evaluating Values

• The Joy of Truth

• Poetic Truth and Magic

• Finding the Stillpoint

• Finding Truth

• Finding Life

• Many Ways and Different Paths

• Truth and Sacrifice

• Human Sacrifice

• Historical References

• The Children of Crom

• Segda Saerlabraid, The Blameless Youth

• Life-force and Spirit

• A physical container of some kind

• Life-force/power

• Will/focus

• Life-force for Sacrifice

• Death of a Druid Prince

• The Three Fold Death

• The Dark Year

• The Power of Truth

Class 5 - THE TRUTH AGAINST THE WORLD

Is amlaid dogníthe in tarbfhes sin .i. tarb find do marbad & óenfher do chathim a shátha dia eóil & dá enbruthi, & chotlud dó fón sáith sin, & ór fírindi do chantain do chethri drúdib fair, & atchíthe dó i n-aslingi innas ind fhir no rígfaide and asa deilb & asa thúarascbáil & innas ind oprid dogníth. Díuchtrais in fer asa chotlud, & adfíadar a res dona rígaib .i. móethócláech sáer sonairt co n-dá chris derca tairis & sé ós adart fhir i sirc I n-Emain Macha.

This is how that bull-feast used to be made: to kill a white bull, and for one man to eat his fill of its flesh and its broth, and to sleep after that meal; and for four druids to chant a spell of truth over him. And the form of the man to be made king used to be shown to him in a dream, his shape and his description, and the manner of work that he was doing.

(translation by Dillon, Myles)

• Tarbh Feis - The Bull Dream

• The Chant of Truth (Dichetal do Fírinne)

• TRUTH is FÍRINNE

• Cultural Truth

• The Tale of the Ordeals,

• Cormac's Cup.

• Morann Mac Main's Collar.

• Morann Mac Main's Second Collar.

• Morann Mac Main's Third Collar

• Sencha's Lot-Casting

• The Vessel Of Badurn

• The Three Dark Stones

• The Cauldron Of Truth

• The Old Lot Of Sen

• Luchta's Iron

• Waiting at an Altar

• Cormac's Cup.

• How One Determines Truth

Class 6 - PRESERVING SHRINES

There is a specific reason why Druids study to learn what is known about the world around us. This reason is very much like why we build databases for computers and software in the modern world. Druids study and databases are constructed so that resources are available when one is attempting to simulate or emulate life in a predictive or creative manner. Stated another way, the more accurate information one has, the better model of reality one can construct.

• Centers of Spirit and Schools of Learning

• The Center of the Universe

• The Basis of Knowledge

• The Soul as a Preserving Shrine

• Coimgne, the Continuity of Tradition

• Truth and Druids

• Why Druids Study and Memorize Traditional Knowledge

• Truth as the Sustaining Power of the Universe

• The Center Of Truth And The Edge Of Uncertainty

• Truth as Law

Class 7 - NATURE’S TRUTH

Discovering a truth is a timeless instance of all times existing within one’s self. I thought I could better express this idea in a tale of kingship and sovereignty:

He sat on a lush green mound rising out of the surrounding plain, itself shaped like a breast of nourishment for his people who were arrayed before him. Some were there for the games and the crafts. Others came to seek his justice or a boon. Still others were there to remind him and the people of the gods and the traditions of the old ones. As he gazed on the gathering, time stood still and took him to that fireside long ago when he had been on his own quest of seeking. A seeking of truth and self it was for this king of kings and sub-kings. For at that time he was but a youth and not the leading candidate to become a king at all. His brothers all outranked him in age, in stature and in the skills of warriorship and the lore of tradition. They sat around the fire with him, sharing the quest.

• A Love for the Land

• A Terrible Darkness

• The Land of Spirit

• The Land of Form

• The Land of Mind

• Death as Ultimate Truth

• Death as Liberation

• The Deceit of the Spear

• Order and Chaos, Slaying the Dragon

• Cnoc Fírinne the Hill of Truth

• The House of Donn

• The Land of Youth

• The Island of the Everliving

Class 8 - DRUIDIC TEACHINGS

The ancient Druids had specific stories in mind when they created such Triads for themselves and their students. In this way, each Triad could serve as an index to the tales in much the same way that some consider Ogham were used to index knowledge and memories. It is a matter of debate as whether there is an Ogham - Triad link. My position and the underlying foundation of what I’ve uncovered in my own studies demonstrates that there is such a connection. A linkage between Triads, Ogham and tales, would fit right in with the existence of the three phrase Ogham of Morann Mac Main, CúChulainn, and Mac ind Oic. The Briatharogan (as they are called) define the qualities of past, present and future, as well as land, sea and sky. These cosmic ideas and relationships can also be extended to the three components of body, mind and spirit in a person.

The three phases of body, mind, and spirit are associated with the Word Ogham of Morainn (the physical), the Word Ogham of CúChulainn (the mental), and the Word Ogham of Aonghus (the spiritual). They can also be considered as being representative of Past, Present, Future; Tradition, Experience, Inspiration; Body, Mind (in an active sense), Spirit (in the sense of higher level mental states). A judge, such as Morann was; a warrior, such as CúChulainn; and a deity, such as Mac ind Oic; would each represent a different perspective in the lives of people and the world.

• Sacrificial and Healing Practices

• Iomarbhus (Sin)

• Doing no Evil

• Maintaining Right BehaVior

• Druidic Triads

• The Triads of Ireland

• Irish Triads

• A Few Words about Triads

• The Ogham Triads

• Other Triads

• Welsh Triads

• The North Britain Triads

• Iolo’s Triads from Barddas and Other Collections

• A Compilation of Pagan Triads

• The Welsh Triads from Llyfr Coch Hergest

• These Are the Noble Triads:

• These Are the Triads of the Horses:

• The Welsh Triads found in Peniarth MS

Class 9 - WISDOM TEXTS

Truth was valued above all else in Celtic society and by the Druids. Their teachings were almost completely oral and it s said that little survives of them. This would not be entirely the case. The truth be told, on the arrival of Christianity and its scribes and written language, a blossoming of wisdom teachimngs was created and preserved for later days and the literate world. These are often imbedded with Druidic wisdom that have been preserved for us from the past even if they are also a mixture of Biblical and classical sources as well. The new wise people and sages of the Irish incorporated wisdom wherever they found it but combined it with uniquely Irish and traditional teachings as well. Often these texts are interpreted beyond the scope of their foreign origins to form a window into the minds and teaching of the pre-Christian Druids and sages. The words that follow are a sample and an introduction to this wisdom that speaks to us across time.

• Three Wise Druids

• Morann mac Main

• Cormac mac Art

• Cú Chulainn

• Three Testimonies of the Wise

• Audacht Morainn - Testament of Morann

• Teagasc an Riogh (Instructions of a King) - Cormac's Advice to His Son

• Bríatharthecosc Con Culaind - The Precepts of Cúchulainn

• Three Extra Wisdom Texts – Tri Forfessa

• Timna Chathaír Maír - The Testament of Cathair

• Old Irish Wisdom Attributed to Aldfrith of Northumbria: An Edition of Bríathra Flainn Fhína maic Ossu

• A Miscellany of Irish Proverbs

Class 10 - FINDING TRUTH

The expression “finding one’s truth” is sometimes an euphemism for dying, while “dying” is itself an older (more Shakespearian) euphemism for having sex, Beyond these two expressions for finding truth, there is an esoteric practice that is mentioned in conjunction with both sex and death, as well as with wisdom and magical abilities in the teachings of Amergin that is popularly called the “Cauldron of Poesy.” However it is that one finds one’s truth, it is certain that where truth exists, the source of creation, life and death, as well as knowledge, is also to be found. In Judeo-Christian mythologies, all of these values and gifts are found in the Garden of Eden story of Genesis. In the Irish Druid tradition, these wonder-sources are presented in groups of tales known as Imrama and Echtraí. The Imrama are daring voyages to islands and strange lands. The Echtraí are adventures into realms of wonder and the Otherworld. In a sense these two genre are descriptions that are akin to religious experiences.

• Religious Experiences

• Sex as the Little Death

• Finding One’s Truth at Death

• Many Forms and Books of Death

• Being Reborn or Twice Born

• Nine Shades of Death

• Achieving Imbas

• The Three Illuminations

• Dichetal Do Chennaib

• Tenm Laida

• Imbas Forosna

• Outlawed by Padraig

• Tenm Laida and Imbas Forosnai Revisited

• Spirit, Divination and Animal Lifeforce

• Three Traditional Ways of Finding Knowledge

• Truth, Magic and the Man in the Tree

• Separating Bias from Perception

• Truth as Aims and Beliefs

• Understanding Belief

• The Beliefs of Others

• Many Pathways to Truth

• Finding Truth

• The Druid Way

• Religion, Faith, Discipline or Philosophy?

• The Beginning of the Journey

• An encounter with Christianity

• What Would Druids Do?

• Revivals of the Druid Way

• Unity that Transforms: Survivals, Changes and Availability

Class 11 - LOOKING BEYOND THE OBVIOUS

It’s maintained by most academics that not much survived about the practices and rituals of the Druids. This point is both correct and completely wrong. It’s true that there are no rituals and “how-to” manuals penned or scribed by the Druids that have survived until today or that have been discovered through the ages. However, it is also true that much was written about the Druids by their contemporaries and also by those who survived from their era. These writers and recorders of information about the Druids include classical historians, philosophers, military leaders, Christian monks and scribes, inheriting Poets and Filidh, as well as Brehons, Seanchaí and physicians. There are volumes and volumes of information about the ancient Druids, as well as myths, traditions and artifacts from their practices of the past. In addition to that, there are currents, streams and threads in the Celtic folklore and folk practices that seem to be echoes of Druidic practices of the past. Even today we have festivals, holidays and celebrations that originated or were performed and practiced by the ancient Druids. This is what we know about the Druids from the ***outside*** through folklorists, scholars, observers and historians. There are many additional worlds and insights to be known and learned about the Druids from the ***inside*** of their practices, techniques, ideas and mind-sets.

• Hiding in Plain Sight

• Nede’s Pathways

• Eight Powers of the Lord

• The Eight Great Magical Attainments

• Opening to the Possibilities

• An Explosion of Awareness

• The Truth Beyond Demonstration

• Awen and Imbas as Truth

• The Clear Light

• Imbas vs Imagination

• The Power of a Geis

• Truth and Consequences

• Matters of Belief

• The Work of Truth

• Modern Differences and Ancient Similarities

Class 12 - UNDERSTANDING UNIVERSAL TRUTH

How does one understand a Truth so large that it is Universal? This is one of many questions that is asked, has been asked and will continue to be asked of, by and for Druids. The myriad answers to this question are varied in their scope and limited in their effectiveness by the realty experienced by those who address it. Simply put, the most universal answer is only given by a mind as large (or larger) than the Universe itself. Any more limited answer or mind will have its short comings in the ability to address all of the possibilities or the ultimate reality. The scope is simply not there in a limited mind, understanding and set of experiences. Before one gets frustrated with the impossibility of it all, there is a simple answer which resolves all of the difficulties inherent with the ripple effect of expanding knowledge and awareness. The answer is to remove the limits on mind, awareness and existence.

• The Truth Makes us Naked

• More Truth of a King

• Why Druids Study and Memorize Traditional Knowledge

• Inner Calmness and Peace

• Sheltering in Truth

• Rightness and Harmony

• Light and Clarity

Chapter 13 - THE SPIRIT OF POETRY

In Patrick Ford's, The Celtic Poets, there is a story translated and retold that inspired me to present it here in my own worlds with hopes that its filidecht could work a change or two in the current surroundings. It speaks to what both newsgroups seek to discuss, the ways of Druids and their spirituality. Here is a story from the Irish traditions of the past that we would do well to embrace in today's artificial and illusory world:

Senchán Torpéist was on a poetic circuit which took him to the Isle of Man. His retinue was large as befits the chief Ollamh of the Poets. His clothing was befitting his rank, the best that nobility deserved according to rank.

• Eitged

• Three Forms of Satire

• The Price of not Being True

• Glam Dicenn

• Briamon Smertach

• Singing in Balance

• Does Greth Eat Curds?

• Satire is Still a Power

• The King is a Bridge

• A Universal Spiritual Nature

Class 14 – BEING AND NON-BEING

The power of truth in the poem brings us to the ultimate questions of what does it mean to exist? What is life and what is death? The answers to these questions are found in the natures of the three deities of creation, destruction and being itself. Along with these three deities are the two additional being of everything and nothing. They are the fathers and mothers of all that can be. Druids put names to these deities in the abstract and as persons. The inherent strength within these names would give a person control of everything. For that reason, the names are hidden and only attainable by those who have realized their own truth in being. In the discussion that follows we will call the first three by the familiar Irish names of An Dagda,

• Grief from the Heart

• Great Joy and Great Anguish

• Spontaneous Truth

• What is a Soul?

• Soul Survivals

• What is Spirit?

• Family Spirit

• Good and Evil

• Ultimate Truth

• Birth

• Life-force and Sacrifice

• Death

• Celtic Beliefs in Spirit

• Other Lives

• "How Cúchulainn was Begotten"

• "Cauldron of Poesy"

• The Alexandrian School

• Multiple Incarnations

• Mirrors on Life

• The Afterlife

• Final Thoughts and Musings

• Reincarnation and Probability

• The Fear of Death

• Truth and the Obliteration of Individuality

• Boundaries and Journeys

• Places of Safety and Protection

• The Cycle of Reunion

• Passing the Barriers

• Reborn into Life

• Finding Deity

• A Druid’s Truth

• Druidic Reflections

• The Power of Truth

Classes will be offered starting after the Summer Solstice.

Please let us know if there is any difficulty encountered when signing up for a class or in using the provided materials.

Ogham Keys to Wisdom - Opening the Pathways

Ogham Keys to Wisdom - Opening the Pathways

a Course of Study Consisting of 14 Classes

Opening the Pathways is a guide to understanding the Druids and the first part of a course of study designed to bring their ways into our lives today using the Ogham Keys to Wisdom.

This is the long awaited, expanded  coursework and study that was previously offered in the Summerlands and which was published in the Journal of the Henge of Keltria. It has been greatly expanded and is patterned on Udemy classes (and may well be presented there in the future). Ogham Keys to Wisdom is an introductory study into the ways of Druids that explores their hidden knowledge while also establishing a systematic approach to implementing that wisdom within modern Druidic practice. It does this through a nine fold investigation into the elemental qualities of everything as understood by the Celts and Druids.Currently there are three courses available to chose (through the link above) out of a total of nine. Each course and its class lectures has its own materials and audio/video presentations to assist you in attaining wisdom.

Classes are being revamped and edited. 

 Course 1:  Opening the Pathways

This course and its accompanying book and other materials investigates and reveals the Druidic practices associated with tradition and the ways in which we perceive our surroundings. It discusses their symbolic languages that are found carved in stone, as well as, Celtic ideas of ritual space. The concepts of the Dúile and Three Cauldrons (of Poesy) are detailed and expanded from the original texts. Additionally, the ways in which ritual space and cosmology are identified in Druidic and Celtic teachings are diagrammed and defined. The role of the Ogham as “keys to wisdom” are established and presented in highlighted boxes through the text. The tree symbol for this aspect of Druidic wisdom is the White Birch (Beith in Irish and Ogham). The Cauldron of Formation is the basis for the knowledge of stone and ancient ways. It is the ancestral knowledge that comes out of the silver-gray past. This testimony of tradition has survived throughout the ages, even as have the stones from the Cailleach’s apron.

The course is designed to be completed in two months (or less) and consists of 14 lessons. Each lesson focuses on different aspects of being or becoming a Druid with particular emphasis on developing the ability to see the world and to analyze it as a Druid would do. It is a complete introduction to the ways of Druids and is a great way to experience a deeper and more powerful understanding of doing as the Druids did (and still do).

If you would be a Druid or know the ways of Druids then there is no better place to begin than in this course and through learning what it offers. Druids great and small have benefited from these same materials since the first Ogham was written on Birch and handed from one Druid to another.

Category: Humanities

What are the requirements?

At the beginning of the course, the student only needs a computer, online access, and a thirst for the knowledge to work with and connect to the Druid way. Electronic texts, videos and links will be provided for reading, references and study. A student will eventually need a set of Ogham for use in meditations, journeys, and all manner of divination and esoteric workings. These can be purchased online or they can be hand made from locally provided woods. At some point, if one wishes to go further on this path, then robes, a walking staff, and a Crane Bag (for carrying the Ogham and other special objects) should be crafted or purchased. It is expected that there will be a weekly online chat session with the teacher to discuss the study materials and to clarify answers to any questions that have arisen. Three tests will be provided to gauge the student's progress and to provide additional guidance for the focus of one's studies.

 What am I going to get from this course?

•  In this course you will learn who the Druids really were

• You will develop an understanding of the Dúile, the symbolic qualities of everything in the Cosmos as it is mirrored and created within the worlds and in each individual.

• You will better understand triadic knowledge as the Druids did with a particular emphasis on the Three Cauldrons that sustain the world and its people.

• You will be introduced to the cryptic writing, language, and alphabet of the Druids that is known collectively as the Ogham.

• You will develop an understanding of Celtic cosmology and cosmography so that your later studies will be synchronized with the ancient Druidic outlook and teachings.

• By the end of the course, you will be able to understand the basic meanings of each Ogham stave and will be able to journey into each of them to develop a personal set of correspondences to the Three Worlds and the Three Cauldrons.

 What is the target audience?

This course is designed for a beginning student and requires only that the student dedicate the necessary time and study into the course materials. Students who complete the work of this course will develop a clarity regarding the ways of Druids. This will allow them to see through the misconceptions and misrepresentations that exist in the popular, modern media. People will benefit most from this course are those who are seeking to find "the truth that is against the world," and who desire to be able to bring harmony to inner and external conflict for themselves and for people in general.

CURRICULUM

The curriculum follows the class topics itemized below for 14 weeks. Students will be assigned reading segments for each class, as well as being provided with video and audio presentation materials.

Additionally there will be one hour per class discussion periods conducted in a chatroom style setting.

Class 1 - In the Beginning

If you are a person interested in the ways of Druids then you have found a source or doorway to that knowledge in this class and its accompanying book. If you are a person who seeks to discover the truth that lives within you, that will illuminate knowledge and the ways of the world for you, then you have come to a source for its wellspring. If you are a person whose tree of knowledge grows upon fertile soil then you will be a welcome addition to the groves of memory that are the shared knowledge of Druids in every place and every period of time. These ways are not without trials and hazards, nor is the knowledge that they reveal a comfortable or safe knowledge (what knowledge is?).

• A Warning at the Entrance to the Way
• Becoming a Druid
• Being a Druid
• Outer and Inner Knowledge
• Walking the Druid Way
• Finding Knowledge
• Ogham, Language of the Druids
• Ogham as a Secret Language
• Ogham Inscriptions
• Ogham Variations and Styles
• Ogham Encryptions and Forms

Class 2 - Sources of Knowledge

The Ogham characters themselves can also be called “fidh” or “fedha” (which are the Old Irish words for “wood” and “woods”). The primary names of the Ogham characters are given as Irish tree names. This form is called Ogam Craoibh or another name for the Ogham alphabet is the Bethluisnin (named after three letters of the first aicme, B, L, N). Ogham were also assigned to other names and classifications: colors, pigs, fortresses, kings, cattle, etc... These names were correlated to the Ogham symbols based upon the similarity of their initial sounds. It was in this manner that the Ogham were originally used to establish correspondences for most of the information that was available to the early Celts and the Druids.

• Ogham Books
• Common Misconceptions
• The Greatest Druids
• Stepping Upon the Path

Class 3 - The Mind of the Druid

A Druid must have the ability to see beyond the truth that the world has to offer and into Otherworldly and metaphysical realms. This requirement will often mean that a Druid must be able to exist in many different states of consciousness simultaneously. It is not enough to step upon the pathway, one must truly open the mind to the worlds beyond while perfecting and mastering the information that is available to the normal and extra senses

• A Relaxed, Aware and Meditative State
• The Memory of Druids
• The Paintbrush of Perception
• Memes as Messengers
• The Three Worlds
• The Tree of Life
• Viewpoints and Reflections

Class 4 -The Cailleach

In the beginning, and even before it, all was as "a head in a bag." That is to say, everything was a terrible darkness filled with unknown chaos and danger. There was nothing to be known or perceived. All was unknown. Darkness surrounded everything. Yet there must have been something or at least the idea of 'something.' This idea of something was sought in the darkness, and it was in its seeking that a way out of darkness appeared. The first action of creation occurred through seeking. Destroyed in the seeking was the first barrier that divided chaos from order, or perhaps we should say that seeking was the parent of differences. And difference was the brother of distinction. Yet these things were not the very first creations nor even the first thought. The first thought of creation was “Who am I?”

The Universe’s answer to this question of “Who am I” was the source of all creation for everything. “I am all that is” continues to be its mating answer and the wellspring of manifestation for each of us in our own lives, even today. 

• A Terrible Darkness
• Treasures of the Cailleach's Apron
• The Hag's Chair
• The Lament of the Cailleach
• Ebb and Flow
• Walking the Labyrinth

Class 5 - The Stones Speak

To start our search into the mysteries of the Tree of Life, we must first enter into the House of the Dead (for wisdom is the gift of the Ancestors). In some Celtic teachings, this is known as Tech Duinn (‘The House of Donn’). Others call this land, Tír Andomain. In still other teachings, its doorway is known as the Brugh of Oengus mac n’Og, the Brugh na Bóinne. The Brugh of Oengus is also known as the Sun Brugh and the House of the Dead. It is the wellspring for the Knowledge of Segais and the collecting pool for the Way of the White Cow. It is only fitting that we should seek the answers to Life, Death and the cosmos within the holy mound that was home to Danu (as Bóann the White Cow Herself). It was also a home to The Dagda (as the Father of the Gods); to Nectan, (keeper of the Well of Segais); and to Oengus (who is the young God of Life and Love). The First People of Ireland constructed this ‘Wonder Hill,’ before the dawn of modern times. Within it and upon it and in its very structure, they imbedded the Wisdom of the cosmos. For over 5000 years, the stones of the Brugh have held the writings of the Gods. To understand the secrets of the Three Worlds of Sky, Land and Sea, we have only to observe and listen to the speech of the stones themselves.

• The Brugh na Bóinne
• The Stones of the Brugh
• The Symbols of Brugh na Bóinne
• The Point, Infinity, and The Void
• The Star Speech Revealed
• The Powers of Stone
• Humans Shaped by Stone
• Stone Tallies

Class 6 - The Elements of the Dúile

In our quest to understand the cosmos and the self -- and their correspondences, directions, elements and/or their use in ancient Celtic, modern Celtic, and Druidic divination -- there is only one place to start: the Center of the World. Come journey with me from the House of the Dead to quite a different sort of a house.

• Understanding the Cosmos
• The Center of the World
• The Qualities of Everything
• Nine Elements
• Druidic Creation
• Dúilamon, the Creator
• Anam, the Celtic Soul
• Sound as Power
• The Mystery, the Song of Amergin

Class 7 - The Cosmos and the Self

The cosmos and the self both contain elements that are interrelated in terms of their essential natures, their relationship to the whole and their relationships to one another. Each element of the self and the cosmos will be discussed individually and together.

• Looking Without and Looking Within
• Amergin’s Cauldron of Poesy
• The Three Cauldrons
• Centers of Being
• Turning the Cauldrons
• Living Cauldrons
• Cauldrons as Symbols
• Cauldron Interactions

Class 8 - The Vision Seers

Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty in her book, The Rig Veda, investigates other Indo-European ways. Her translation and notes on the Laws of Manu is also an excellent reference on this topic. Both books are reminiscent of the ancient Celtic tales and laws. Each society is different, as it should be, but there are also many similarities. Myles Dillon noted these similarities in Celts and Aryans. The Vedic and Celtic ways (especially among the Irish) share a wealth of common practices. These two societies on the eastern and western fringes of the Indo-European periphery demonstrated in their similarities a common ancient heritage. They also maintained a conservative oral tradition through their cultural intelligentsia and priesthoods (the Brahmins and Druids respectively). That is why studying the Vedic texts (as well as others) is an important source for understanding ancient Celtic ways.. The eminent scholar of the Ogham and Irish archaeology, R.A.S. Macalister emphasized this similarity in his book, The Secret Languages of Ireland.

• The Wisdom of the Sages
• The Origins and the Ends of Manifestation
• A Cauldron Meditation

Class 9 - The Chair of Caer Sidi

In some translations of Taliesin's "Defense of the Chair," he is said to have described how circles of fire and water surrounded his "chair of poetry" (his muse or the Awen, which is the source poetical inspiration). In Welsh mythology, this source of poetic knowledge is considered to be an Otherworldly island fortress known as Caer Sidi. Geoffrey of Monmouth characterizes the Otherworld as the "…island of apples which men call 'The Fortunate Isle'" In some tales, as many as three circles of fire surround this Otherworldly fortress (it's also surrounded by the ocean), while in others it is said to be the center of a string of island fortresses. It is in Caer Sidi, that the Cauldron of Annwn is warmed by the breath of nine sisters. Also, a fountain is found bubbling up from the center of the island. This fountain is similar to the wellspring of inspiration that flows out of an Otherworldly fortress that is described in the Irish tale, Cormac’s Adventure in the Land of Promise.

• Fountains and Fires
• Barddas
• The Boundaries of Mystery

Class 10 - Merlin and Taliesin

Another detailed description of the circles of being and the divisions of the world is revealed to us by Merlin in Vita Merlini. One of its tales is set as a dialogue between Merlin and Taliesin (who was visiting Merlin). Merlin (who was observing some approaching storm clouds) questioned Taliesin about the causes of rainstorms and wind. Taliesin was said to have responded with the assistance of his muse (who in this tale is called Minerva, though she could just as easily be any wisdom goddess, especially a Celtic one like Brighid). Taliesin's answers in the tale provide valuable insights into a Pagan Celtic and Druidic cosmology that is influenced by its encounter with Christianity.

• The Life of Merlin
• Taliesin's Cosmology

Class 11 - Cauldrons of Life

Within the inner recesses of the passage mound at Knowth, there is a stone basin that is decorated with circular markings. No one is certain what ritual use this basin had thousands of years ago, but to me its carvings are suggestive of a person in symbolic form. That is why I have used its design in this course work as a basis for a diagram of the self and its many parts or dúile. This diagram of the self is used to show the relationships of the Dúile and the Three Cauldrons. It is also my opinion that each cauldron has its own correspondence to one of the three worlds of Land, Sea and Sky. To better understand the relationships of worlds, cauldrons and dúile, I have provided three additional diagrams that highlight the appropriate parts and circles, their elements, and the cauldrons with which each is best associated.

• The Stone Basin of Knowth
• Celebrating the Qualities of Being
• The Ebb and Flow of Experience
• The Nature of Form and Structure
• Circles within Circles

Class 12 - The Parts of the World

Space and time were very important to the ancient Irish. Their year was divided into four seasons and quarters and their space was divided in a similar arrangement. Each part of the Land, Sea and Sky was considered to have certain properties and qualities associated with it. Time and space flowed differently in the Otherworld so that more than one place in the mundane world could have connections to the same spot in the Otherworld. Similarly, one could perhaps travel to multiple places in the Otherworld from a single place within the world of form, the physical world. These special places were generally considered to be sacred and were associated with caves, wells, springs, sacred trees, mountains or passage mounds/brughs. For their public rituals they had special precincts set aside that were either marked by an enclosure or built up as a mound. These special places of assembly were organized as a microcosm of the land and its people. That is to say, they were divided into areas associated with north, south, east, west and the sacred center. The separate parts of these enclosures and the land were associated with qualities and groups of people based upon their traditions of invasions and emigrations to the land or in the case of the gods, a coming into being itself.

• Time and Space
• The Cities of Magic and The Four Directions
• The Four Hallows
• The Four (Five) Directions,  Masters, and Qualities

Class 13 - The Sacred Center

Sovereignty has always been present within the Land. The marriage and relationship to it that exists through the king requires a true king to establish prosperity for the people. This was accomplished among the ancient Irish Celts through the banis ríg, which is a marriage of the king to the Land in order to establish a mutual covenant for the people. When Sovereignty has a connection through the king to the people, then all of the characteristics of the Land as described in “The Settling of the Manor of Tara” are available to the People. Sovereignty is the fifth treasure that is provided by a proper use and relationship to the other four parts of the Land. That is why it is a characteristic of the center. What I will be attempting to do is to identify and characterize the central concept that is established by the use of the four treasures during ritual. A proper use, orientation and melding of these four gifts may well reveal to us a fifth treasure that has been hidden from our conscious awareness until the proper time. Much that is sacred is contained within the geometry of such concepts and qualities, as it is also contained within the shape and Draíocht of the Land Herself. I think most of us respond to the power of such Draíocht on a primal level.

• Gathering at the Center
• Celtic Ritual Space
• Other Indo-European Ways
• Across Time and Space

Class 14 - From the Setting of the Sun into its Rising

Usually we can start where we are in the world of the present, the world of form and humans, and then we can journey inward/downward into the realms of the past and the Ancestors. Conversely, we can attempt an upward journey into the bright world of creation, the home of the gods. Usually this type of pathway to deity involves a present, past, future triad or a physical, mental, spiritual triad rather than a direct journey without study, consideration and a mapping of the relationships between tradition, experience and inquiry. Each of the Four Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann represents a pathway between worlds and a doorway into states of being for us.

• Pathways Between Worlds
• Journeying Within, an Ogham Meditation
• The Edge of the Forest
• Strings, Streams, and States of Being
• Continuing on the Druid Way