The Secrets Of The Celtic Triads
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The Secrets Of The Celtic Triads
“When you are in rhythm with your nature, nothing destructive can touch you. Providence is at one with you; it minds you and brings you to new horizons. To be spiritual is to be in rhythm.”O'Donohue
To begin this week’s newsletter, I will start with a reading from the Book of Armaments, Chapter 4, Verses 16-20:
“Then did he raise on high the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, saying, “Bless this, O Lord, that with it thou mayst blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy.” And the people did rejoice and did feast upon the lambs and toads and tree-sloths and fruit-bats and orangutans and breakfast cereals …
Now did the Lord say, “First thou pullest the Holy Pin. Then thou must count to three. Three shall be the number of the counting and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither shalt thou count two, excepting that thou then proceedeth to three. Five is right out.
Once the number three, being the number of the counting, be reached, then lobbest thou the Holy Hand Grenade in the direction of thine foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.””
Amen!
What can I say about the number three? Well, too much to write about in this newsletter. Throughout history, the number three has had great significance to many cultures, religions, spiritualities, esoteric systems, etc.
Just for fun, I did a quick three-minute (pun intended) brainstorm of three in my life or whatever popped into my mind. Here we go:
Morning, afternoon, and evening.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Three kids.
Past, present, and future.
Three Amigos.
Three Musketeers.
Three Mile Island.
Three-day weekends.
The Three Bears.
The Three Little Pigs.
Birth, life, and death.
Three points on a triangle.
Three aunts and three uncles.
My kids currently attend three schools.
Three months in a quarter.
Anyway, you get the idea. I suspect there are probably more things in our lives related to the number three than we realize.
What are the threes in your life?
I previously mentioned the number three as it relates to religion. Here are a few that popped into my head regarding Christianity:
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Three Wise Men.
Jesus was resurrected on the third day.
The number three also plays a part in Celtic culture.
The Three Realms.
An Trì Naomh (Gods, un-Gods, and Ancestors)
In Irish mythology, many times, events happen in threes.
The Irish Triquetra and Triskele.
And so on.
While studying the Bardic Level course materials from the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids (OBOD), I learned about the “Celtic Triads.”
The Celtic Triads are mainly derived from Welsh and Irish traditions. They were likely passed down verbally until they were eventually committed to writing spread across multiple texts. Over the years, these Triads have been collected from their various sources and translated.
Each Triad generally consists of a subject and then three attributes of the subject. Although a few of the Celtic Triads I skimmed through seemed a bit antiquated, I suspect much wisdom is contained within the hundreds that are known. Perhaps, some Triads may prove helpful with mental health issues. Stay tuned.
In addition to wisdom, the Celtic Triads may provide an opportunity for deep self-reflection.
Here is an example of one of the Celtic Triads:
There are three foundations of wisdom: discretion in learning, memory in retaining, and eloquence in telling.
This Triad is especially important to me as I try to become a wise sage. I already have the beard; now I just need the wisdom!
After thinking about this Triad, I have determined that I still have a lot of work to do, but I am heading in the correct direction toward my quest for wisdom. Right or wrong, I feel I need wisdom in my research to determine if the old ways and practices can naturally provide some relief to mental health issues.
Let’s take a look at my shortcomings and bright spots in my search for wisdom:
Discretion in Learning:
This is a huge weakness for me! I love learning all sorts of information. I have more books than I can read in my remaining years. And that is not counting other sources of learning such as online classes, videos, etc.
I am on the right track in trying to institute discretion in learning. I have been putting aside books that catch my interest but probably have no practical use in my research. This is very difficult for me. My mind says it is the right thing to do, but my anxiety says, “what if somehow there is some earth-shattering nugget that I can apply to my research or that will change my life?”
Even within the sphere of Ancients, Druids, Celts, and Pagans, I have a hard time putting aside some books that have a very low chance of impacting my research.
I must work to be selective with my learning and accept that I cannot learn everything I wish.
Memory in Retaining:
I have always had an excellent memory. However, as I age and my brain becomes overloaded, I must be able to remember the important information that I have learned and be able to connect it together.
Back in the days of the oral tradition, it was probably literally retaining in their physical memory everything they learned. But fortunately for me, I think this Triad has stood the test of time.
I interpret this as not necessarily retaining information in my physical memory but retaining the learned knowledge in a system that is easily retrievable, connectable, and promotes my own thoughts and conclusions.
This comes down to the sophisticated note-taking system I am utilizing, which checks all the boxes. So, I am clearly on a good path with this foundation of wisdom. Hopefully, it will become a juggernaut as I build my knowledge.
Eloquence in Telling:
Back when knowledge was transmitted orally, there needed to be eloquence in telling. How could the elder pass down wisdom to the younger if there was not?
The wise person needs to effectively communicate their knowledge and understanding.
This is another foundation of the Wisdom Triad I have been practicing. I have been communicating knowledge and my thoughts and feelings to you weekly. I am not a writer by nature, but I try to be as eloquent as possible. I feel that my writing has improved over time since my first newsletter. I hope you agree! I will keep at it…
As I continue to build out my YouTube channel and Podcast, I hope to practice and improve my verbal eloquence in telling.
So, this was a beneficial exercise. I learned the three foundations of wisdom as per the Celtic Wisdom Triad. I analyzed the logic of it and its application to today’s world. And lastly, I applied it to myself as an exercise of self-reflection. As a result, I determined that I must continue to work through some deficiencies, but I am definitely on the right track to attaining wisdom and earning my beard.
Don’t Forget About My Upcoming Interview…
Paraic Donoghue - January 2023 - (Interview Temporarily Postponed)
Paraic is a native Irish language speaker. He was raised on the Connemara Gaeltacht in County Galway, Ireland. Paraic is committed to the preservation and growth of the Irish language, along with the culture that is inextricably linked to it. He currently provides private Irish language lessons to students all over the world.
We will be discussing what it was like growing up and living on the Gaeltacht, his views on the Irish language and its importance, and the customs and traditions of his Gaeltacht that may have derived from the time of the Celts or earlier.
The interview will be published on my YouTube channel and Podcast approximately one-week post-interview.
Have a great weekend and Happy Holidays!
My name is Mike, and I am a skeptic and recovering accountant just starting to make my way through the world of the Druids, Celts, and Pagans.
Join me on my journey as I use an analytic eye to extract what I believe to be golden nuggets of truth from these fascinating topics. My goal is to find valuable ways, practices, and insights to make your life better today.
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“May the Road Rise to Meet You!”
With a skeptical mind and an analytical eye,
Mike Guarneri
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From the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail