Neimheadh

I always wondered where, in the literature, the Druids worshiped in a ‘nemeton’, which was the idea of a sacred ring of trees, because ‘nemeton’ didn’t sound Gaelic, or Celtic, if you will. According to many sources, it is Celtic. So, when I ran across this on Electric Scotland, it felt right, and I wanted to make note of it:

The idea of the sacred grove of trees is an old one and in Scotland we have many sites that might be associated with such places. The Romans wrote of nemetons or sacred groves in these islands and elsewhere, and the name is very like a Gaelic term Neimheadh (nevay) which meant “a sacred enclosure”.

Source: http://www.electricscotland.com/history/articles/wells_trees.htm

Starting An Cùrsa Inntrigidh

I’m officially a student now at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig; I haven’t decided whether I’m going to be using this journal for the coursework or not, but I may. It’s been a long time in coming, but, this is the direction I need to take – finally becoming proficient in the language I love, in the culture of my heritage, direct from the source.

Samhuinn 2012 Altar

samhuinn altar

The full altar showing the fire, water and tree hallows. Also, the offering bowl, and ancestor urn can be seen next to the water / fountain.

A closer detail shot of the water and tree hallow and ancestor urn and offering bowl.

My Tradition has a name

As I research and work deeper into the Hearth culture and studying the Gaelic language, I had the opportunity to study a Gaelic language course put together by Alexander Mearns, in his home Parish of Sutherland. He calls this course ‘An Ceathramh’. This is what he has written about the course and the course’s name:

An Ceathramh is the name of an outcropping of rock about the croft. The name will not be found on any map and is an example of the wealth of oral tradition which still survives int he area. An Ceathramh can mean a division of land, a musical phrase or a quarter part. In this last sense it is symbolic of the four initiatives of language, history, music and community which lie behind An Ceathramh. These aspects are represented by the four sectioned Celtic knot in our logo which stands out against the solid rock of our heritage. Over all, the spirit of initiative is a symbolized by the merlin, a bird found only on the moors.

I don’t know if this Gaelic learning centre is still active in Sutherland or not, but, when I did a search on the internet, I did come up with a few listings:

An Ceathramh

Muie East
Rogart, Highland
United Kingdom IV28 3UB

http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Heritage/FSCNS/Scots_NS/Sct_Lang/Gaelic/Mearns.html

Also these Gaelic learning resources:
http://www.lonweb.org/link-gaelic.htm