GETTING STARTED 5: WORKING WITH THE ALLIES OF THE MIDDLE WORLD

By Todd Covert, Chief of the Fellowship

PART TWO:

Sovereignty and "dominion"

Many of us in Western cultures have grown up around the idea promulgated by mainstream monotheist religions that the human species has a divinely privileged status in the world.  Specifically, this is often expressed in terms of Man's "dominion" over Nature.  In the most charitable sense, this can be taken to imply a "wise stewardship" over the natural world.  However, even that formulation still assumes a kind of separation of humankind from other species.  And it assumes a preeminence, a power, that is certainly reflective of humanity's ability to dramatically impact the world, but that understates Nature's tendency to respond in destructive ways to abuse.

From many of the oldest tales of the Celtic lands (and other cultures in the Indo-European world), we get a different picture.  There we are apt to, first of all, find a tendency to the offering of sacrificial gifts in natural settings--such as lakes or springs--that speak to a common traditional perception of effective power in the Cosmos, power that is, in whatever its sphere of influence, is greater than humankind's.  Certainly some gifts were propitiatory--were offered to ward off destructive effects--but even where they were not, the underlying principle is one of making common cause with Nature.

Indo-European culture is shot through deeply with principles of mutual expressions of hospitality.  Traditional Celtic culture retained these customs, expressed in the offering of a place by the fire to the wayfarer and in the guest's offering of news, song, or story in return.  This custom extends to the relationship between people and the Powers of the cosmos.  And why should it not?  Seeking alliance with those who can help us only makes sense, does it not?

In seeking to contract with the Land, it seems that the ancients very often sought to unite a representative of the people—typically a king or similar figure—with a Goddess of the Land. This deity, who is understood to embody the secrets of the land and its fertility, is frequently spoken of as a “sovereignty goddess.” In broader terms, this is a very familiar figure, indeed: Think of the images from the French Revolution of a bare-breasted maiden leading the people against tyrrany, of the “Old Woman” sometimes called Cathleen Ni Houlihan who represents the Land of Ireland in song and verse, and of the Statue of Liberty, standing in for the people of the United States in offering welcome to newcomers.

One good example from myth of the contracting of the people with a sovereignty goddess and being granted tenure in the land comes from the Irish tradition. The old tales record the names of three goddesses—Eriu, Banba, and Fodla—each of whom was a representative of the land itself. When the Gaels came to Ireland, the assistance of each of these goddesses was sought in turn. Eriu received the highest measure of respect from the mortal cohort and her name became synonymous with the island (“Banba” and “Fodla” became names for the island, but “Eriu” became the name of the island).

In some cases, male deities or whole tribes of supernatural beings were represented as holding the sorts of occult knowledge of the fertility of the land we ascribe to Sovereignty figures. As often as not, though, such beings have tended to be female. Elaborate rituals can be found in the traditions of more than one Indo-European culture which enact a sacred marriage between the people and the Land. Instances exist in both Irish and ancient Vedic Indian tradition of ritual marriage between a ruler of the people and a horse, which stands in for Sovereignty.

In a contemporary setting, finding meaningful ritual gestures to reenact—or at least reflect—the ancient binding of the People with the Land in mutually beneficial contract reminds us that we do not have absolute dominion over the Earth. That we are subject to inscrutable whims of Nature and ought to make and effort to remain on good terms with her. As in treating with any superhuman Powers of the Cosmos, the offering of gifts of beauty, nourishment, and even labor, can renew this ancient sacred marriage.

Finding Our Way in the Middle World

Much of the mythological material that informs Neo-Druidic practice refers to Otherworldly realms and beings. In working with our Allies of the Middle World, we are dealing in a more tangible realm. While many of the beings we may find ourselves in contact with in one sense or another are supernatural—sidhe folk, nymphs, and the like—others share the physical plane with us. We have already, for instance, encountered a link between the horse and the Sovereignty of the Land. Cattle, swine, stags, and many other animals have provided links between human communities and sacred dimensions of the Cosmos. Sometimes we find support from animals and plants in themselves; other times we may draw on their spirit forms as guides or helpers.

Along with finding living allies—whether as guides to accessing the sacred or simply as companions—we should also be alive to the spiritual dimensions of the Land itself. The Land is sacred for its qualities of fertility and abundant wealth, which it will share with those who have learned its secrets. But it also provides us with sacred places, landmarks which have the characteristic of taking us “out of ourselves” and connecting us to the divine…or at the very least reminding us that our mundane lives are only one small piece of a much vaster and more intricate picture.

The sacred in the Land can be revealed not only in stereotypical beauty, but also in places of mystery and even in wastelands. The waste can provide us with a sense of the liminal, of boundaries between the known and well-ordered and the domains not controlled by human beings. For many of the ancients, for instance, the ocean was seen as home to beings which might be hostile to human interests. Crossing the ocean in ancient tales was often seen as a journey to an Otherworld realm. Caves and even trees, such as a lone hawthorn, might similar be seen as a transition point from the mundane to the Otherworldly.

People are linked to the Land in other ways. Traditional lore from the Gaelic tradition—and elsewhere—draw parallels between the components of the physical Cosmos and the constituent parts of the human being. Caring for the Land can be seen as being analogous to ensuring the well-being of an individual person, with all of one’s system functioning in harmony. Ancient lore—such as the invocation of the land of Ireland by the bard Amergin—also alludes to the ability of humans with special knowledge of the Land to draw on it for strength and sustenance. When the ancient Irish gods overcame their adversaries, the Formorians, in battle, the most precious spoils of victory were the secrets of when to sow and when to reap.

What steps can we take to revitalize the ancient contract between ourselves and the Middle World and its inhabitants?

--Giving gifts to the Land, such as returning a share of the bounty it has provided to replenish its stores, and asking its blessings in return is a first step. When gathered in community, a worthy designee should make such an offering on behalf of the people, much as, in ancient times, a king or chieftain would be joined in sacred marriage to the Goddess in the Land.

--Take an active role in nurturing the land around you. Adopt a river or a highway or take on some other such activity and clean up the land. Dedicate this activity as an offering of respect to the Land.

--Learn the outer and inner geography of your land. Where is the source of the main local river? Make time to visit that source if it is accessible. For the peoples of the Druidic cultures, the river goddess or the goddess in a spring often provided a unifying identity.

--Open yourself to the sacred in your land. Get out into the natural environment and look and listen. Still yourself and let your soul be called to features that attract you: a hilltop, a tree, a cave. Visit these from time to time and give them importance. These may become places that support ritual activity (or even simply prayer). Be mindful not to clutter such places in any way that might detract from their ability to serve as inspiration to others.

--Learn what animals and plants are around you. Study their natural history. Meditate on their nature and open yourself to visits (whether in waking reverie or in dreams) from animal allies.

Myth and lore enshrines many places in the Celtic lands with sacred importance: Tara, Uisneach, Mount Snowdon, and many more. But all places have their spiritual character…or simply their aesthetic power over human beings. By entering into a conscious relationship with the Land and our fellow dwellers within, you deepen your own spirituality by locating it in your own home.