Danu is an obscure figure who appears only a handful of times in Irish mythology, and always under the genetive form of the name: “Danann” or “Danand”. This has led many to suggest that the name of the Goddess is a reconstruction based off of the name Tuatha Dé Danann, which is often translated as “people of the goddess Danu”. Tuatha Dé Danann itself may be a term added later by the Irish monks to differentiate the native Irish Gods from the biblical characters referred to as “Tuatha Dé” (People of God) in the writings, making the subject slightly more complicated.
Category Archives: By Land Sea and Sky
Interfaith and Workshop plans
Today’s blog will be a brief one, as my daughter has a same day surgery procedure tomorrow and I have a lot to do today, but I read an interesting blog by Jason Mankey discussing his views on interfaith work which he ended by saying that he prefers to focus on building within the pagan community rather than working on interfaith outside it.
One Druid’s Magic
I often hear modern Druids saying that Druids today do not do magic, or that if we do it is not truly magic but a kind of positive thinking or aligning with nature. I find the pervasiveness of this thought interesting, especially as the ancient Druids in myth and legend were well known to wield magic of all sorts. Why have we, as modern Druids, chosen to disassociate from that aspect of our practice?
Goibhniu
“Goibniu who was not impotent in smelting,” – Lebor Gabala Erenn
Goibniu, or Goibhniu is the Irish God of smithcraft equated to the Welsh Gafannon. His name is derived from the word for smith; Old Irish gobha, Modern Irish gabha (O hOgain, 2006). It is said that…
Invocations, part 2
Continuing with invocations…
Invocation to an Dagda
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Invocations part 1
I’ll be honest with you all; when I invoke* deities in ritual or devotional offerings I almost always use extemporaneous invocations. However I’ve been told that invocations are challenging for many people, so I thought I’d offer a selection of different ones here for a variety of the deities I honor. You’ll see pretty quickly the basic pattern I tend to use, and my approach to invocations. I’ll include a half dozen here and more next time. Feel free to leave a request for a specific deity in the comments if you’d like to see an invocation for one.
Spiritual Devotion and Small Children
I remember the days, 20 years ago, 15 years ago, when spiritual devotion was an easy, flowing thing. If I wanted to stop and pray, or make an offering, or meditate on something I had the flexibility to do so. If I wanted to spontaneously drive out to a state park or to the ocean, I got in my car and went. If I was invited to attend an event or a group celebration I went. the only limitation I had was my work schedule. My focus when I prayed or conducted a ritual was to make it as perfect as possible. I had scripts to follow and high expectations.
An Essay on the Instruction of King Cormaic Mac Airt
There are several Irish texts that offer instructions on how a King should live in order to be a good King, and these texts serve as good instructions for anyone to study on how to live a good honorable life. One of the best of these is the Instruction of King Cormaic Mac Airt, a dialogue that occurs between Cairbre and Cormac, where Cairbre is quizzing Cormac about the proper qualities of a King. The answers given describe the characteristics a King should embody, but these characteristics are equally applicable to any Druid or person seeking to live a good life. These characteristics can be divided into two categories: ways that the person should act towards others, and ways that the person should uphold themselves.
Recommended Reading for Irish Druids
Irish Druid’s reading list:
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A Family Imbolc
This year’s Imbolc was a special one for me, celebrating with the children, for two reasons. Firstly, because my oldest daughter, who is 10, has taken an active interest in participating over the past year. Secondly because I spent last Imbolc in the hospital recovering from a near fatal postpartum complication. This Imbolc I am home with my family, healthy, and have my children fully joining in with what I am doing. Life is truly good.