Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates and to those that do not, may you have a wonderful weekend with family and friends. My your plates be blessed and your family kept safe.  May we also think of those less fortunate and keep them in our hearts and prayers so they can have a meal, a kind word, a nice gesture and safe holiday and winter season.
 
Celtic Attic would like to announce its annual Black Friday - Cyber Monday sale.  Starts after your Turkey is cooked, eaten, pumpkin pie is stuffed til you can't move and your glass of wine is empty and the kiddies are tucked into bed.  Enjoy 15% off your shopping on our Specials page and get a free Gift with every order. Use code cyber in the coupon code field at checkout. If your not shopping black friday, use our tenp code to get 10% off your order anyway. 

http://acelticcalling.com/cyber-monday-sale.html

Holiday shopping

I can't believe it is already the 23rd of November. Where did this year go? Well it has been crazy here at the Celtic Attic. We have our store downtown Bremerton WA.  We also have opened a booth at the Kitsap Mall Holiday Market hosted by our Pal Jane Hill. Stop in and shop now for Christmas. Shop online and save $5.00 off any order over $50.00 by using code 5off or you can get 10% off any order by using code tenp. We hope you have a wonderful upcoming holiday season and stay warm and dry! Happy Holidays and Happy Christmas.
www.celticattic.com or
www.acelticcalling.com

Shop early at the Celtic Attic for your Christmas Ornaments. Use code 5off to receive $5.00 off your order.

Top O' The Morning To All,
Ce'ad Mi'le Fa'ilte
100,000 Welcomes

Happy October, can you believe it… Where did the summer go?  We are having some nice weather here still in Western WA, not sure what means for this winter, so get your holiday orders in now while we have plenty of stock and the weather is good!   

We have some great new gifts and some old tried and true ones.  Why not buy a Personalized item or a Celtic pendant.  Or you can check out our Jewelry pages to discover all the wonderful items we have available. 

Jump right to our online shopping portal Christmas Section Or explore the Celtic Attic for all your gift giving needs: All Ornaments, Personalized, Scottish, Holiday Gifts!

We want to offer this great Shopping Deal to you from today until Halloween.   $5.00 off your order now at the Celtic Attic, just enter code 5off in the coupon field at checkout.  Plus get a candy bag & a wee GIFT FREE with each and every order.

Here is the deal of the month at the Celtic Attic.  The Leprechaun's Pot of Gold is now available for FREE in PDF format.  That's right, FREE.   We have decided to give you this gift so that you might be inspired to start your own business or just read about how we started ours!  Just click on the link below for more information and then email kc@celticattic.com to get your free copy.

Irish Wit & Whimsy

SLAINTE!     

Good health!  (Pronounced Shlan-tah)

CEAD MILE FAILTE! 

One hundred thousand blessings!   (Pronounced   Kade-mee-lah-fall-cha) 

Bits & Pieces of my Celtic Heart

As a kid I remember my grandfather calling to my mother to get on the piano and start playing his favorite songs… It would always begin with “in the garden” and end with “O Danny Boy”… She would play, he would hum, then break out his guitar and they would both sing.  Then they would start all over again and drag me and my grandmum into the action.  Pretty soon the whole house was alive with the sound of Piano, Guitars and singing…

Celtic Candy Quotes

“I have a dream”

and it came to pass.

Follow your heart

as dreams may not last.

And if they do

they slip away so fast.

So hold the dream

and follow your heart.

A dream will come true

if you believe it to!

Kristin Olsen

Tasty Foods & More

Christmas Punch a la Shirley

1 can orange juice 1 quart

1 can pineapple juice 1 quart

1 can apricot nectar 1 ping

1-quart rye or bourbon

Combine above, let set in refrigerator.  When ready to use add 1-quart club soda and ice.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Tips N Hints - Songs from the Old Country
Irish Recipes
Irish Travel
Scottish Recipes
Scottish Travel
Welsh Recipes
Cornwall Recipes
Cornwall Myths & History
Celtic History & Myth
Celtic Attic Free Giveaway
Removal Policy & KC's Notes
Advertising

TIPS N HINTS: Songs from the Old Country

WHISKEY ON A SUNDAY
COME DAY, GO DAY
(Glyn Hughes)

Come day, go day
Wish in my heart it were Sunday
Drinking buttermilk thru the week
Whiskey on a Sunday

He sits in the corner of old beggar's bush
On top of an old packing crate
he has three wooden dolls that can dance and can sing
And he croons with a smile on his face

His tired old hands tug away at the strings
And the puppets dance up and down
A far better show than you ever would see
In the fanciest theatre in town

And sad to relate that old Seth Davy died
In 1904
The three wooden doll in the dustbin were laid
His song will be heard nevermore

But some stormy night when you're passing that way
And the wind's blowing up from the sea
You'll still hear the song of old Seth Davy
As he croons to his dancing dolls three

Recorded by Irish Rovers

IRISH RECIPES:

Drop by the Celtic Attic's Irish Food section:
http://www.celticattic.com/treasures/irish_food.htm
Check our New Irish Kitchen Section:
http://www.celticattic.com/treasures/irish_kitchen.htm

Irish Chicken-Leek Pie

10-12 inch pie pastry
1 Chicken, about 4 lb*
4 1 inch-thick Slices ham steak
4 large leeks, cleaned/chopped
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp Ground mace or nutmeg
2 cups Chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream

*Jointed, chopped, skinned and de-boned and cooked with salt, garlic, sage,
1 stalk chopped celery, and 1 chopped onion.

In a deep 1 - 1 1/2 quart dish, place layers of the chicken, the ham, leeks
and onion or shallot, adding the mace, nutmeg and seasoning, then repeating
the layers until the dish is full. Add the stock, and then dampen the edges of
the dish before rolling out the pastry to the required size. Place the
pastry over the pie and press the edges down well. Crimp them with a fork.
Make a small hole in the center. Roll out the scraps of pastry and form a
leaf or rosette for the top. Place this very lightly over the small hole.
Brush the pastry with milk, and bake at moderate heat, 350F, for 25-30
minutes. Cover the pastry with damp greaseproof paper when partially cooked
if the top seems to be getting too brown. Gently heat the cream. When pie is
cooked, remove from oven. Carefully lift off the rosette and pour the cream
in through the hole. Put back the rosette and serve. (This pie forms a
delicious soft jelly when cold.)

IRISH TRAVEL:

Name: Killarney National Park

Location: Ireland

Date Established: 1932

Size: 41 square miles (106 square kilometers)

Did You Know?

• Ireland's Top Peaks Killarney National Park is home to Ireland’s tallest mountain range, the irresistibly named McGillycuddy’s Reeks. The peaks top out at over 3,280 feet (1,000 meters).

• Lake Land Killarney is famed for its beautiful lakes, which cover about a quarter of the entire park. From their shores rise mountain slopes, cloaked by notable forests like Tomies Wood. One of Europe’s only remaining pure yew woods can be found across 60 acres (25 hectares) of the Muckross Peninsula. Together these trees make up some of Ireland’s largest remaining stands of old forest.

• Native Deer Red deer have lived in Ireland since the last ice age and now survive only within the refuge of the park. Local waters are home to salmon and trout, and water-loving birds like cormorants thrive in the park.

• Dinis Island Dinis Island is home to Dinis Cottage, a historic lodge and charming tearoom. Walkers and cyclists can reach Dinis by crossing the Muckross Peninsula or meandering along the lakeshore some 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) from Killarney Town. Boats also dock here and return to the boathouse near Muckross House.

• Mansion and Farms Muckross House and Gardens is a major cultural attraction within the park. The 19th-century mansion was once owned by a member of the Guinness family and has hosted notable guests, including Queen Victoria. Muckross Traditional Farms, near the house, allows visitors to explore working farms and the traditional way of life as enjoyed in these parts in the 1930s. The farms are closed from November to March.

• Ancient Apparition Ross Castle, on the shores of Killarney’s lower lake, was constructed in the 15th century by O'Donoghue Mór. Legend says Mór rests still under Lough Leane, but rises once every seven years on the morning of May 1 to circle the lake on a white horse.

• Gap of Dunloe Those with time and a thirst for adventure may attempt the Gap of Dunloe trip. This trek begins on a boat (visitors can bring bikes aboard), which leaves from Ross Castle and crosses Lower and Middle Lakes on its way to Upper Lake and Lord Brandon’s Cottage. Seven and a half miles (12 kilometers) on, by cycle, foot, or pony and trap, lies the Gap of Dunloe—a U-shaped example of glacial breach carved by ice more than 1,640 feet (500 meters) thick.

• Annals of Innisfallen Innisfallen Island, visible from Ross Castle and reachable by tour boat, is an ancient center of monastic study where King Brian Boru is said to have studied. It was here that a treasured record of early Irish history, the Annals of Innisfallen, was penned between the 11th and 13th centuries.

How to Get There

Killarney, an Irish tourist mecca, is on the park’s northeast border, and walkers can enter opposite St. Mary’s Cathedral. Those arriving by car or bus may use entrances on the N71 auto road. Many visitors rent a bike in Killarney Town and take to the network of paths. Horse-drawn jaunting cars can also be hired in Killarney Town or in Muckross.

When to Visit

The spectacular gardens of Muckross House, with their treasured rhododendrons, peak between April and July.

How to Visit

Lakes cover about a quarter of the park’s area and are the source of much of its beauty, so consider getting out on the water. Boat and covered waterbus trips can be taken from Ross Castle and Dundag in Muckross with stops at notable spots, including Innisfallen Island.


SCOTTISH RECIPES:

SCOTCH COLLOPS

Thin veal slices
1 tbs. butter
1 c. stock
peel of 1/2 lemon, grated
pinch of mace
3 tbs. wine
beurre manié (nut of butter rolled in flour)
6 pickled oysters or 6 pickled mushrooms
1 egg yolk
1 tbs. cream
salt to taste
pinch of nutmeg

Pound veal slices well.
Melt butter in skillet, brown veal slices.
Add stock, lemon peel, mace, wine; simmer gently for 20 minutes.
Thicken with beurre manié; add oysters or mushrooms.
Beat egg yolk with cream, salt, nutmeg.
Stir in, heat up, but do not reboil.
Serves 2.

SCOTTISH TRAVEL:
 
Castle Hill, Edinburgh, City Of Edinburgh, EH1 2NG

http://www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk/

World famous icon of Scotland and part of the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site.

This most famous of Scottish castles has a complex building history. The oldest part, St Margaret's Chapel, dates from the 12th century; the Great Hall was erected by James IV around 1510; the Half Moon Battery by the Regent Morton in the late 16th century; and the Scottish National War Memorial after the First World War

The castle houses the Honours (Crown Jewels) of Scotland, the Stone of Destiny, the famous 15th century gun Mons Meg, the One O' Clock Gun and the National War Museum of Scotland.

In addition to guided tours provided by the castle stewards, there is an audio guide tour available in eight languages. The audio tour takes the visitor on a tour around the castle, explains its architecture, and tells its dramatic history. This guide is available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Mandarin.

The Crown Jewel shop in the Royal Apartments offers exclusive lines of specially designed jewellery.

A courtesy vehicle (provided by the Bank of Scotland) can take visitors with a disability to the top of the castle. Ramps and a lift give access to the Crown Jewels, Stone of Destiny and associated exhibition; and ramps provide access to the war memorial. For those with impaired vision, there is a free Braille guide and hands-on models of the Crown Jewels with Braille texts.

WELSH RECIPES:

Pice Bach

1 lb Plain flour
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Mixed spice
4 oz Margarine
4 oz Lard
6 oz Caster sugar
4 oz Currants
2 Eggs
Milk

Sift the flour, baking powder, and mixed spice; rub in the margarine and
lard; add the sugar, currants and beaten egg. Mix in Milk to make a stiff
dough and roll out ¼" thick. Cut into 2" rounds and bake on a hot griddle
until golden brown, after about 4 minutes on each side.

Makes approximately 8 servings.

WELSH HISTORY:

What we call national costume is based on the peasant costume of the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In common with other European
countries, the dresses and accessories which are preserved on festival days
and to impress the foreign visitors have little claim to originality apart
from the color and applied patterns devised by the girls and women of the
locality.

(drawing) Welsh girl in the costume of part of Gwent, southeast Wales
The Welsh national costume was really the common dress of the peasant, the
farm servants and cottagers and was designed for hard wear. Two hundred
years ago however the advent of the industrial revolution heralded the end
of home-made cloths so only the patterns and a few of the idiosyncrasies of
the localities have survived today.

Because Wales was isolated geographically from the rest of Britain, many of
the individual traits of costume and materials were retained long after they
had died out in the rest of the UK.
Part 1 of 3

CORNWALL RECIPIES:

Cornish Buttered Lobster
The long coast of Cornwall is touched by the Gulf Stream making its warmer
waters ideal for lobsters to flourish. A good-quality lobster deserves to be
served simply, as in this recipe, so that the full flavor of the flesh can
be enjoyed.

INGREDIENTS: Lobsters - 2 each weighing about 700g (1 lb) split into halves,
Lemon juice, Butter - 75g (3 oz), Fresh breadcrumbs - 4 tbsp, Brandy - 3
tbsp, Double cream - 3 tbsp, Cayenne pepper - a pinch, Cucumber twists,
lemon slices and dill sprigs - to garnish.

COOKING: 1. Discard the stomach, the dark vein that runs through the body and
the spongy gills from each lobster. Remove the tail meat. Crack open the
claws and remove the meat. Scrape the meat from the legs with a skewer.
2. Cut the meat into chunks, then sprinkle with lemon juice. Remove and
reserve the coral, if present. Remove and reserve the soft pink flesh and
liver separately.
3. Scrub the shells and place in a low oven to warm. Melt 25g (1 oz) of the
butter in a small frying pan, add the breadcrumbs and cook until brown and
crisp.
4. Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan, add the lobster flesh and gently
stir until heated through.
5. Warm the brandy in a ladle, ignite with a taper and pour, still flaming,
over the lobster. When the flames have subsided, transfer the lobster to the
warmed shells and keep warm in a low oven.
6. Pound the liver and pink flesh. Stir into the cooking juices with the
cream and cayenne pepper. Boil briefly, until thickened, then spoon over the
lobster.
7. Sprinkle the fried breadcrumbs over the top. Quickly garnish with the
reserved coral, if available, cucumber twists, lemon slices and dill sprigs.

CORNWALL MYTHS & HISTORY:

SAINTS
If it is said that the Devil had no wish to enter Cornwall, since he didn't
want to be made into a pasty or a saint. Cornwall is justly proud of its
Saints, who were mostly Irish missionaries in the 4th and 5th centuries,
many, it is claimed, from noble backgrounds. Their extraordinary exploits
have been enshrined in folklore, not least the miraculous means by which
some of them arrived here! The Saints of Cornwall are legion and the vast
majority of them gave their name to towns and villages throughout the
County. St. Austol, still revered in Brittany from whence he came, St.
Germanus, a lawyer in ancient Rome, St. Cubert, probably the Welsh saint
Gwbert of Cardiganshire and many more left their indelible mark on Cornwall,
not only in its placenames but also in its rich tapestry of folklore.

St.PIRAN
Legend tells us that St. Piran the patron saint of the tinners, sailed here
on a millstone. Originally it had been tied around his neck and he had been
cast into the Atlantic by people jealous of his power to heal and work
miracles. As he was thrown off the cliff there was a bolt of lightning and a
terrible crash of thunder, but as he reached the sea the storm suddenly
abated, the sun came out and St.Piran could be seen seated peacefully on the
millstone which was now floating on the surface of the water. It bore him
safely across to Cornwall and he landed between Newquay and Perranporth at
Perran Beach, to which he gave his name.
Piran built himself a small chapel in Penhale sands and his first disciples
were said to be a badger, a fox and a bear. He lived a good and useful life,
surviving to the ripe old age of 206!
It's claimed that a huge skeleton unearthed near Perranzabuloe (St.Piran In
The Sands) could be his, and the remnants of his chapel were discovered in
the sand during the last century, but sadly they have now been reburied to
protect them from vandals.

St. MAWES
St.Mawes was the tenth son of an Irish king and his name is revered not only
here but in Brittany too, where he is known as St.Maudez and, possibly
St.Malo. His stone chair is still preserved in the wall of a house in St.
Mawes village. One day, so the legend goes, he was sitting there preaching
when a noisy seal came out of the sea and interrupted him with its barking.
After a while he became impatient, picked up a large rock and threw it at
the animal. It missed, but legend tells us that the rock still remains where
it fell, wedged on top of the Black Rocks halfway across Falmouth Harbour.

St. PETROC
St. Petroc, who gave his name to Padstow (Petrocstow originally) and several
local villages (Little Petherick,Trebetherick) arrived by more conventional
means, but to a hostile welcome. Landing at Trebetherick, he asked some
unfriendly locals for a drink and they refused him. Undeterred, Petroc
simply tapped his staff on the ground and a spring of fresh water appeared.
The hostile group were instantly converted to loyal disciples. After his
death his relics were taken to Bodmin to be housed in an ivory casket
decorated with brass and gold, where they remained undisturbed until
1994,when the casket was stolen from the church by thieves. Fortunately for
the people of Bodmin who were distraught by the theft, the thieves were
apparently unable to find a market for one of the most priceless reliquaries
in Britain, and it was recovered shortly afterwards and returned to its
display case in the church.

St. LEVAN
Close by Land's End lies the church of St. Levan. Levan was an enthusiastic
fisherman and on his return from fishing trips would sometimes rest on a
rock at the south side of the church, to the left of the porch. It is said
before he died he decided to leave a reminder of himself for future
generations, and so he struck the rock with his fist and split it open. The
stone bears a prophecy, for St. Levan is supposed to have prayed over it and
pronounced that when a packhorse with panniers astride it can be ridden
through the split in the stone the World will end. Fortunately the fissure in
the rock has not widened sufficiently for that to happen yet!

St. NEOT
St. Neot was known as The Pygmy Saint, for we are told that he was a mere 15
inches high - possibly a tall story! He used to spend much of his day
immersed up to the neck in his well during his devotions. Neot had a strange
way with animals and birds and worked miracles with them, as depicted in the
beautiful stained glass window of his church in the East Cornwall village
named after him.

St. Ia
Like St. Piran, St. Ia, founder of the town St. Ives, arrived by unusual
means. A woman of noble birth, she is said to have floated over from Ireland
on a leaf which she had increased to a huge size by touching it with her
staff.

St. GUNDRED
St. Gundred, one of Cornwall's lesser known saints was, so legend tells us a
very holy and virtuous lady whose father was a leper, though there are no
records of her and she may be confused with the male saint St. Gonand!). It
is said that she lived in a remarkable chapel which stands on the top of
Roche Rock, near St. Austell, tending to her sick father's needs. The Roche
Rock chapel also features in the Cornish legend of "Jan Tregagle" and is one
of the most curious religious monuments in the whole country. The ruined
chapel of St. Michael stands on the edge of china clay country at Roche,
near St. Austell and is easily accessible by means of a steel ladder screwed
to the rock face.

CELTIC HISTORY & MYTH:

Hail Brighid
Brighid is the Daughter of the Dagda, one of the more universal deities of
the pagan Gaelic world. She is known as the Goddess of Healers, Poets,
Smiths, Childbirth and Inspiration; Goddess of Fire and Hearth and a patron
of warfare or Briga. Her soldiers were called Brigands. Her name means
"Exalted One." She is also known as Brigantia, Brid, Bride, Briginda,
Brigdu, and Brigit. She is said to lean over every cradle. The lore and
customs have continued to this day regarding Brighid, more vividly than all
the other Gaelic deities combined. Brigit is a goddess of fire, smith craft,
childbirth, poetry, water, and healing. She is sometimes seen as a warrior,
spear in hand. She was known as "Bright Arrow," "The Bright One," "the High
One," "the Powerful One," "Lady of the Shores," and, because of her
associations with spring, "Brigid of the Green Mantle." It was Brigid who
was credited with originating Ogham, whistling, and after the death of her
son, the custom of keening for the dead. The Irish Banshees that wail for
the deaths of men are said to embody part of Brigid's soul.


"Brighid of the Mantle, encompass us,
Lady of the Lambs, protect us,
Keeper of the Hearth, kindle us,
Beneath your mantle gather us,
And restore us to memory."


On St. Brigid's Eve a ribbon is place on the windowsill outside during the
night. The ribbon is said to lengthen during the night and is ever after
preserved as a cure for headache.

~ Source: Costley and Kightley, A Celtic book of Days

TIME TO PLUG SOME OF OUR PRODUCTS:

Home Decor: Wonderful products to add a Celtic touch to any house.

New Celtic Fairy lotions, made here at the Celtic Attic.  Stay tuned for our new fairy product line launch in April.  Fairy wings, Fairy wands, lotions, bath salts, fairy dust and complete kits for you or your wee lass.  Kits include stories of Irish Fairies and how to find them in the world around you. 

Coffee Coaching by Celtic Attic

$25 special – half-hour session

Need a Life or Business Coach?  Not sure?

If your local, drop by the mall store in the Holister store Oct 18th until Jan 15th... Or you can email me to setup a date and time for your consultation. 

Not Local, I can do everything including sending you a VIRTUAL coffee...

I am affordable, reliable and knowledgeable.  I have a degree in Sociology and am a certified Paralegal and Life Coach. 

I have been a business owner for over 20 years.  I can help guide you, give advice and solve problems for your current business.  I can offer resources in computers, accounting, bookkeeping, employee relations and general business ethics. 

Don’t own a business?  Thinking about taking the plunge or want to know what is out there that you can do from home, just for fun or need to have as your major source of income?  I can help you brainstorm ideas, offer suggestions and even help you meet other people that have businesses that can offer you startup services.

Includes:           Cup of coffee (value Priceless)

                        Free PDF of A Leprechaun’s Pot of Gold Coaching book (value $9.95)

                        Free PDF of Celtic Attic Cookbook (Value $8.95)

                        Brochures, Literature and information on owning a business

                        Coaching Services

We can do classes via telephone or over FB or email.  Contact me now... kc@celticattic.com

Remember to Enter the Free Giveaway each month:
http://www.celticattic.com/contact_us/free_giveaway.htm

As Always, Peace
KC and the staff at the Celtic Attic
Remember, if you wish to submit a story, article, thought, and poem or ask
a question for the next newsletter, eMail us by the 20th of the month. kc@celticattic.com

ADVERTISING:
Irish Culture & Customs: Traditions, History, Folklore & More - http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com
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coffee coaching

Coffee Coaching by Celtic Attic

$25 special – half-hour session

Need a Life or Business Coach?  Not sure?

If your local, drop by the mall store in the Holister store Oct 18th until Jan 15th... Or you can email me to setup a date and time for your consultation. 

Not Local, I can do everything including sending you a VIRTUAL coffee...

I am affordable, reliable and knowledgeable.  I have a degree in Sociology and am a certified Paralegal and Life Coach. 

I have been a business owner for over 20 years.  I can help guide you, give advice and solve problems for your current business.  I can offer resources in computers, accounting, bookkeeping, employee relations and general business ethics. 

Don’t own a business?  Thinking about taking the plunge or want to know what is out there that you can do from home, just for fun or need to have as your major source of income?  I can help you brainstorm ideas, offer suggestions and even help you meet other people that have businesses that can offer you startup services.

Includes:              Cup of coffee (value Priceless)

                        Free PDF of A Leprechaun’s Pot of Gold Coaching book (value $9.95)

                        Free PDF of Celtic Attic Cookbook (Value $8.95)

                        Brochures, Literature and information on owning a business

                        Coaching Services

We can do classes via telephone or over FB or email.  Contact me now... kc@celticattic.com

St. Patrick’s Ireland

St. Patrick’s Ireland

By Kristin Olsen

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.  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 because of the lack of written records.

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.  St. Patrick really helped head Ireland into modern Christianity by “Driving out the Snakes.  It is a fascinating correlation because it is believed that snakes are not indigenous to the Island of Ireland.  Most scholars agree that snakes symbolize paganism, which St. Patrick is credited for banishing from Ireland. Snakes as symbols of evil are prevalent throughout Judeo-Christian mythology; most notable story is that of the snake in the Garden of Eden as a tempter of Eve.  Why are snakes really not indigenous to Ireland?  The answer is simple.  There are no snakes in Ireland because they can't get there as Ireland is surrounded by water.

St. Patrick was actually born around 373 A.D. in the British Isles near the modern city of Dumbarton in Scotland. His real name was Maewyn Succat. He took the name of Patrick, or Patricius, meaning "well-born" in Latin, after he became a priest.  At one point in St. Patrick’s life he was sold into slavery and take to the island of Ireland.  There he was re-sold to yet another slaveholder.  He served his master as a sheepherder.  He was Christian and had a lot of time alone on the slopes to think about Religion, God and escaping Ireland.  One lucky day he did just that.  He eventually returned to Ireland to bring God to the Pagan people of this glorious land.  St. Patrick died in his beloved Ireland on March 17th, 460 A.D.  The stone picture is said to be his final resting place.

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.  He used this example as well as others such as the goddess Bridget and Tir na nÓg to convert the island to Christianity in particular to Catholicism.

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.  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?  He would simply have to hold up a shamrock and the rest is history.  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.

Celtic 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. Visit me at http://www.celticattic.com

just a little poetry to start the fall season in western wa

Yesterday collided with today

A momentous roar

A sad song

A pleasant thought

A painful memory

A smile eroded by bitter sadness parts my lips

Yesterday collided with today,

Today shows me a past of pain, anger, dominance, suffering

A small glimmer of hope, longing, possibilities

And hopefulness smashed before fulfillment can meet

Today shows me the future

A future without you

A future with peace, no chaos, no anger

No resentment, no dominance

The future is unfolding now

It waves goodbye to the past and teases

The future to explode in

Brilliant light and peace
copyright kristin olsen 2012

Freedom from my upcoming book "Through the looking glass"

         We are often told that life goes by so quickly.  Each moment should be treasured and enjoyed.  Each second, each minute, each hour, each day, each sunset, cotton candy and rainbow filled wonderfully glorious months flashing through our minds eye.  Savor the moment, breathe deep the songs of birds and the smell of popcorn and fires lit at Sunday BBQ’s.  Let me tell you a tale of moments frozen in time, frozen in fear.  Let me talk to you now, shh, don’t speak too loudly or listen too closely as I murmur in wee breaths and fearful sounds a tale of time passing.  Of time passing like the flapping of a dragonfly’s wing in suspended red flash time.  Listen; open your ears to hear my heart beating as I lay in silent tears.  Begging, pleading for time to rush as fast as possible so the illuminated sunlight will vanish from this beastly day and pass and turn into the darkness.  Only then can I bravely hide my fear and loathing and hatred amongst the pillows and pungent satin bed linens.  Hide so that the person I am cannot possibly ever know the person I have become.  This transition is necessary to live inside this dream of not so golden skies and blissfully pleasured passions, but instead in terror, shear terror and hatred.  Too afraid to speak my own thoughts or breathe without permission.  

         Listen as I speak finally of a life lived, loved and of precious moments that can never again return. Lost in a silent few years that passed forever into the abyss of sadness.  The tale is not unheard of by many.  I speak of the tale of horror and domination and of anger and sadness and of control and brutality.  It is one of fear and compassion; it is of love surrendered for the very act of surrender.  It is this very act that saves the heart, mind and soul and possibly the very life.  Hear this tale so that you might learn, remember, scream, yell and feel the indignity well up into your veins and like a volcano, explode into your heart and then burst through in brilliant recognition to the very mind that has tucked this all into a corner of silence.  Hear this I beg you so that you can escape.  Your children can escape and you can find peace and serenity and love and passion and pleasure.  So that you can see the wings of the butterfly gently moving in the breeze and you can feel your breath upon the air.  To never again have that feeling of pain inside your soul that begs the day to end and quickly at that.  To hear only instead your heart rejoice in saying that each moment can pass as it will according to the grand design of the universe for you fear no more.  

You are free and life is amazingly brilliant.  Again hear me as I speak of the unspoken, of the pain of the abuse and it’s very gut filled stench.  Hear me now as I speak of escape and hear me as I cry and bleed and scream.  Life is more than living another’s will.  Life is more than physical and emotional bruises and bloodied hands and faces.  Life is a grand adventure and should be ridden as a bountiful white steed in perfect beauty and brilliance.  Never again to miss a child’s smile, a first step, a telling gesture, a passionate kiss, or a wink from a stranger. Never again to rush through the day, praying for the dark to hide and missing the living of the day for the fear of the living.  Join me now as we release the dreams of our own heartache and choose to not be victims any longer.  Join me know as we choose freedom. ©® Kristin Olsen 2012