Enjoy A Celtic Dreamtime Winter

Reminder : What is Celtic Dreamtime

A bit awkward writing this as I do have several southern hemisphere readers, but here in Ireland it is Northern Hemisphere season and weather so i feel quite present with the kind of dreamtime we are having here. Maybe you can open up this blog in June.

With many people “Dreamtime” conjours up visions of that place we are during our natural sleep where stories are played out with no restrictions of time, place or space and they are as real in experience as the experiences of our waking time.

For others, is a reference to the Australian Aborigine “way” of that “other world” that manifests itself in what is created on this earth and is the reason why animals take certain shapes, why bird species have distinct different colours and markings and why we are born in certain places, though it also accounts for many of us not actually being physically born in the place that is our earthly home. The Australian “walkabout” partially interprets this. The aborigine dreamtime is a very simple understanding that always reads complex in words.

Celtic, I use in this phrase in a kind of “tongue in cheek” way as the word “Celtic” today has taken on a very different identity to when the word was first born. To me, the word “Celtic” almost takes on the concept of time travel. Time is an abstract methodology tool invented by mankind that has proved to be a wonderful convenience for productivity, yet many people think of it as a kind of living, breathing, lifeforce that was here before us and is here to rule us. To physically travel through a measurement, I find quite boggling. I am often asked “where do the Celts” come from, when it seems there was never ever a race that called themselves “The Celts”. There was a time the word Celt was used against some races as an insult much like white people being called “crackers” and blacks once as “coons”.

Now the word Celtic carries esteem, imagination and often inspires dreams. Maybe we can thank Brother Walfrid from our nearby Ballymote who went on a mission to poor East Glasgow in Scotland and founded the Celtic soccer football club merging catholic and protestant players, a soccer club that quickly rose to major success and sustained it, even through today.

Putting Celtic Dreamtime together I thought was well worded by a quote reminded to me today, by a friend post on Facebook. Its a quote from “Legend Of The Rainbow Warriors” by Steven McFadden that says

“ ….ultimately it matters little whether a myth is based on ascertainable fact or not. What matters is whether the myth helps people to live better, more satisfying lives” and I'll add one more word “today”.

The Story

When people come to our area of Ireland for vacation I take them to local ancient sacred sites and tell stories. When I first did this as a child then teenager, they truly were stories, a lot of fiction, but in Ireland, a few years ago, I did find myself drifting into a more college room lecturing style approach. Folks enjoyed this. Many came back for more, but I did feel I was losing my original intent.

The information from ancient sites all comes from stories. All of the archaeology digs, research, papers and science can only honestly be woven together and made into stories, though their writers will frown on me for saying that. Take a set of data from an archaeology dig, hand to 10 people who can read them, ask them to write them up, and we would probably have 10 different and very interesting stories.

These days this is how I say the quote above, my own words, but similar.

“The facts of a myth, the dates, time, place, characters and settings, do not matter. What matters is whether the story of the ancient myth inspires people to live better, more satisfying lives today”.

I also add “Its not really useful to know or understand when a structure on an ancient site was built, but it is useful to understand why it is is there”.

To me, those two understandings within those two quotes are a strong basis for unconditionally entering into Celtic Dreamtime.

They strip the mind of its resistors of time and space thinking, which does not exist in our sleeping dreamtime.

Suggestion Tips For A Celtic Dreamtime Winter

1) Sacrifice some TV, Social Online time, some time to create a midwinter sanctuary space somewhere. Imagine what the image of Celtic is to you in relation to nature, both visible in its winter form and invisible in its still form. The imagery will probably not be much different to those of traditional Christmas with pine trees, ivy, holly, evergreens, pine cones, twigs, fallen copper leaves.

2) Bring some of these thing into your home but think differently. Get away from the glitter image but stay in the image of nature and consider yourself creating an “alter” of this. Now this is a tough one as people tend to build alters with idol imageries. There should be no idol features, no singular feature that sticks out at you as an idol such as a cross, fairy, dominant candle etc. This “alter” should be a “scape” portraying an ambiance of life huddled up for the winter, such as the evergreen that stays green through winter.

3) Candles are lovely to enhance and bring light to this scene, not one dominating candle, but some candles to create the scene. Crystals help too. Music, of course, not essential, but anything you find calming. I tend to suggest something more organic like harp music over synth sample sound ….. but there are good synth based tunes these days too. Tibetan bowls and chants are good too, or you may feel at peace with soft drumming. This is all your choice and all your vision as the scape of your Celtic Dreamtime. You may choose this place to be by a fireside or even by a little indoor fountain you have bought or created. It’s lovely to make this some kind of fire or water enhanced experience.

4) Have someone tell you a story of ancient Celtic Mythology, one they know, one from a book, or one from the various podcasts around like Celtic Myth Podshow and even our upcoming Celtic Dreamtime Podscape.

5) Or you may choose to be in silence, let your imagination run, and then you write a story, or you may go into this silence followed by writing a story after hearing a story.

6) If you truly set the scene of 1) 2) and 3) then 4) and 5) will be like an experience of having a dream but also being awake to enjoy it and even guide it along.

7) Is the awakening from the “journey” like having a short vacation for a little while, which is incredibly restoring, motivating, and focusing.

This is a very brief, casual and adaptable DIY visualisation experience that is a basis of what I have taught to retreat groups from time to time ever since childhood games and early teens, that those who were on these remind me about from time to time :-) . This was a long, long times ago.

To take this further ….

We have our Celtic Dreamtime Escape retreats and vacations in Ireland that is worth coming here for.

At home we have our bi-weekly, where possible, Celtic Dreamtime Podscape

For a deeper home experience, Celtic Dreamtime Pass membership

All these linked to my Celtic Ways web site.

and also Gary and Ruthie’s Celtic Myths Podshow for more great stories