The Three Realms: The universal pattern of the four ‘elements’ is understood by Celtia differently from the broader magical movement. The classical system of the four arranged as a cross is replaced by the three realms of Land, Sea and Sky, with the Sacred Fire in the center. These are not abstract principles, but interacting homes of all the world’s teeming life, whether human, beast, plant, stone or spirit.
The Land: is the home of our human kindreds and of our closest allies. The land is our common world where most of us live out our lives. When we look for our part in the great weaving of thing it is the patterns of the land that are our first teachers. Fresh water that wells up in the earth can also be part of the realm of the land.
The Sea: is the wild waste that lies outside our common land. The sea is the home of a vast and teeming life, different from our own. It is also the place of the Otherworld Isles, the home of the Sidhe – heroes and the Land of the young. Thus, the sea is connected with the Otherworld as a place of concealed potential.
The Sky: is the source of Light and Shadow, the place of the Shining Ones. The Sky overarches the Land and Sea, as the sight of the Gods and Goddesses watches over all.The turning and waxing and waning of the Three Lights of Sun and Moon and Stars, and the wheeling of the stars around the Pole display the Order of the Deities and Their blessing to us.
Among these Realms, all common life is sustained between the Chaos of Potential and the World Order. The ancient Celts made their oaths by saying: “May the Sky not fall, may the Sea not burst its bounds, may the Land not open beneath me, so long as I keep my oath.”
In the midst of these Realms is found the Sacred Grove, the place of flowing Together. There the Sacred Fire burns, by the Well of Wisdom, beneath the World Tree.
The Otherworlds: Within and behind our common realms, as near as the far side of a tree, as far as the misty deeps, lie the Otherworlds. The Otherworld lands are the home of the Spirits, the Tribes of the Noble Ones and the Shining God/desses themselves.
The Otherworld is reached by strange pathways. It may appear as trackless, misty pathways through forested glades, or as vast waters with Isles of Wonder in them, or as many wild places. It is always a place of challenges, of connection and of learning for the Seeker of the Way.
Within the misted borders of the Otherworlds are many places of wonder. The Land of Youth, where the Gods and Heroes feast; the Land of the Dead, where the blessed Ancestors have their rest and comfort; the Land Under the Hill, where the Noble Ones have their court. All of these can be reached with the skills of Magic.
The Otherworld is both cause and reflection of our common realms. Thus the Wise seek to know its ways, to better understand the flow of events in the world and to exert the subtle influences on life that are so much of Magic Art.
The Kindreds: All beings are the Children of the Mother, descended through the lines of countless Mothers and Fathers. As well as the many mortal kindreds, there are the countless tribes of Otherworld beings. The Druid will deal with, and make offering to , many kinds of Spirits.
The Shining Ones are the eldest, mightiest and wisest of the beings in the Great Weaving. The First Mother and First Father, the Triple Kingship and the Goddesses of Sovereignty, Inspiration and Bounty; the powers of Love, Artisanry and Healing; the Child of light and Shadow; all are reflected in the many cultural pantheons of the Celtic peoples.
The Mighty Ones are the Ancestors, those of our folk who are presently resting in the Land of the Dead. they watch over their descendants and lend their power to aid us. It is proper for every Druidic worshipper to honor her immediate ancestors, her Grandmothers and Grandfathers, as well as the Heroes, those great women and men who are honored by her folk.
The Noble Ones are the Spirits of non-human evolutions, both mortal and never-born. They are of a multutude of kinds. from small spirits of stone and herb and beast to the very Queen Under the Hill and Her Consort. Each has their own power and should be approached with respect, whether a simple herb-spirit or a mighty mountain.
Thus are the Three Kindreds. It is well to remember that these are not hard and fast categories. The greatest spirits may be reckoned God/desses, even though they come from other kins, while one folk’s Deity can be the Ancestor of another, etc. So let the Wise do honor to all the Spirits.
There are Nine Ways of the Druidic Cosmos. The Fire, the Well and the Tree define the Sacred Center, the vertical axis of Underworld, Middle World and the Heavens. Around this axis turn the Three Realms of Land, Sea and Sky and the Otherworlds of each. Within these Realms the Three Kindreds follow their Fates.
