The Sacred Forest.
Sacred forest, sacred grove and Celtic Spirituality.
SACRED FOREST: Sacred Groves, Celtic Spirituality & Celtic Christianity
I’ve always been interested in Church History. And by that I also include physical churches. Ones you could step into, walk around in…
We lived in Yorkshire for a time, when I was a kid. It was the early 50s and times in Post-War England were still hard. But there were some good things. You could travel by steam trains for almost nothing. We used to travel often. Sometimes day trips. Sometimes staying in small country inns. Visiting the English countryside, what Tolkien described as “gardens, trees and unmechanised farmlands.” And old historic buildings.
Mum and Dad thought I’d like the old castles. And I did. But I really found a young fascination in old stone chapels, churches and abbeys. Why, I didn’t know. Had some experiences there I’ve rarely spoken about. (You can read about ’em in my Life & Works…)
Kirklees Priory Gate House (once run by Cistercian nuns, and where the dying Robin Hood had shot an arrow to mark his own grave) left a transformative mark on me. More so my one-time visit to the wondrous York Minster Cathedral.
“Robin Hood’s grave is through those yews,” said Mum. “Your Dad and I saw it during the War.” The gate house was surrounded by big deciduous trees. I remember the yews, dark green and twisted.
The edges of great forests are how I remember those places.
It was later that I learned that Yorkshire was an old Celtic land. With a seasoning of Nordic. And it was later that I connected the churches and trees. I, too, was Celtic with a bit of Nordic. And that my ancestors came out of the vast, sacred forests.
Here, with help from writers Marlene Affeld and Max Weber, is a post to explain it. There will be surprises. And wonder.
“The Sacred Forest: Trees Are An Essential Part Of Our Life Experience”
Trees are not just a key to the natural ecosystem. They’re an essential part of our life experience. Trees enrich our lives simply by just being there. From a majestic individual tree that has historic significance or is simply beautiful, to a quiet grove of greenery, we seek solitude and companionship.
Trees are the longest lived and largest plant form on Earth. And throughout recorded history Trees have been acknowledged as symbols of Power, Wisdom, Fertility and Life.
Our magnificent trees are also symbols of immortality — they live to a considerable age. Pando, a Trembling Aspen located in Utah is considered the world’s oldest living tree. It’s estimated to be over 800,000 years old. Pando is a clonal colony of a single male Quaking Aspen. This massive trees root system covers 107 acres. It’s estimated to weigh in excess of 6,000 tons. Which makes it the heaviest known living organism in the world.
Throughout the world many different species of trees live amazingly long lives. The verified oldest measured ages are:
- Norway Spruce (Picea abies) 9,550 years
- Baobab (Digitata Adansonia) 6,600 years
- Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) 4,844 years
- Alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides) 3,622 years
- Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) 3,266 years
- Huon-Pine (Largarostrobos franklinii) 2,500 years
- Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pine (Pinus aristata) 2,435 years
Because of their potential for longevity, trees are frequently planted as living memorials. We become attached to trees that we or those we love have planted and tended.
Trees add beauty and grace to any locale. Blossoms in the spring. Verdant summer foliage. And breathtaking colors in the fall. Trees mark the seasons as they enhance the beauty of world. They make life more pleasurable, peaceful and relaxing. The majesty, endurance and strength of trees have a cathedral-like quality. They help us to experience a primal connection with the earth and our most deeply held cultural and spiritual values.
The Sacred Forest Worldwide
The tree has always been a cultural symbol. Trees are often used to represent nature or the environment itself.
In Central America, the Mayan people believed that the mighty Ceiba trees held up the sky. According to ancient Mayan legends, the downfall of the trees will precipitate the destruction of Mother Earth.
Since ancient times, cultures around the world have honored trees with reverence and respect. Cultures in Australia and Asia regard the trees as mythical ancestors. Trees were often worshipped as the living embodiment of their gods. They were believed to have holy medicinal applications and miraculous healing qualities for the body, mind and spirit.
Celtic Sacred Forest: The Druids of Europe were particularly influenced by trees and believed that trees possessed great mysterious powers.
The Ancient Greeks are also known to have had a highly developed respect for the nobility and power of trees. Painting and pottery from the period display images of enchantment and reverence.
The Greek culture held the Bay Tree in especially high esteem. It was dedicated to their God Apollo and his young son Aesculapius. And was held in sacred honor. Aesculapius was the God of Medicine. Thus the Bay Tree was believed to have healing power and was used in many medical potions.
Built in the mid-12th century as a tribute to the Mother of the King, Ta Prohm Temple in southern Cambodia is the undisputed capital of the Kingdom of the Trees.
The mystical and enchanting jungle temple’s beauty is explored with delight and left with deep regret. It remains virtually untouched by archaeologists except for the clearing of a narrow pathway for visitors. You see it in its natural and pristine state. You can experience the wonder and joy of the early explorers when they first discovered these amazing ancient monuments in the middle of the 19th century.
Wreathed in silvery mist and shrouded by dense jungle, the temple of Ta Prohm is ethereal in every aspect and conjures up a romantic mysterious aura. Banyan, kapok and fig trees spread their gigantic sprawling roots over giant stones. Probing walls and tearing terraces apart as their branches and leaves intertwine to form a lush sheltering canopy over the structures. Trunks of these noble trees twist amongst stone pillars and over cobbled walls.
The strange, haunting charm of the temple trees entwines itself about you as you go. As inescapably as the roots have wound themselves about the walls and towers. When visiting the awe-inspiring Kingdom of the Trees you quickly become aware of how powerfully present and fully alive trees are. And you can not escape the all-encompassing connection trees provide in the intricate and fragile Web of Life.
The Sacred Forest – No Longer Sacred
More than 8000 tree species, 10% of the world’s total, are threatened with extinction. Destruction of forests and woodlands (and unsustainable logging of valuable timber stands) are causing the devastation of many important species. Clearing and burning of our forests leads to increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. A significant contributor to global warming.
It saddens the soul to realize that the majority of the citizens of the Earth are so accustomed to seeing trees that they take them for granted. Forgetting that these noble entities are fundamental to our very existence.
Trees act as the living lungs of the planet, sequestering carbon dioxide and returning to us precious, life giving oxygen.
Trees have numerous aesthetic and economic benefits beyond their important role in carbon sequestration and oxygen production. These living giants offer shelter, filter water, cleanse the air of pollution and moderate the climate.
They help prevent soil erosion as well as providing wildlife habitat, scenic beauty and a plethora of items we use daily. We rely on trees for paper products, building materials, fuel, food, medicine and more.
We still desire abundant forests for our children and grand-children. Trees maintain sustainable soils and control erosion. Retaining soil in place by their root mass. Deflecting wind-driven rain with their canopies. And contributing nutrients with their leaves. Trees are crucial to sustaining and improving the earth’s ecosystem.
Modern Sacred Forest: Trees are the Lungs of the World
Trees cleanse our air and water. From auto and factory emissions and ozone in industrialized areas. And trees absorb toxic pollutants as they recharge ground water and sustain streamflow. Things like fertilizer and pesticide runoff from rural farms. Trees also combat global warming. As trees grow they remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the major contributor to global warming.
Plant a Forest!
We depend on trees for their nutritional bounty. Fruit and nutmeats are a staple of diets around the world. A fruit tree can live for more than forty years and produce more than 10,000 pounds of fruit. A tree truly gives life. Apples are one of the most popular fruit tree choices. A mature apple tree can produce up to 500 apples in a season.
Consider planting pear, plum, cherry, apricot, orange, lime, lemon or banana trees. Research what will grow well in your local area. Plant and enjoy an organic harvest grown in harmony with nature. Nothing tastes sweeter!
Planting trees saves energy. Trees planted strategically around our homes will decrease cooling costs in summer. And provide a windbreak against the cold winds of winter thus saving on heating expenses.
Depending on species and maturity, the cooling shade of trees can reduce home energy consumption by up to 20%. Air temperature in the vicinity of trees is cooler than that away from trees. The larger the tree, the greater the cooling effect. Tree planting in urban areas moderates the heat-island effect caused by concrete paving and heat absorbing buildings.
Planting trees feels good! It’s immensely satisfying to plant a tree. Making us happy in the knowledge that this gift to the earth will bring joy, shelter and sustenance to our children, grandchildren and countless future generations.
Celebrate Life! Plant A Tree!
Plant trees in your yard. Volunteer with civic and community tree restoration efforts. And contribute to non-profit organizations implementing reforestation.
There’s strength in numbers. Together we can make a difference. Take action by living a green lifestyle to reduce your carbon output. Educate children about protecting our planet. Be part of the solution simply by planting more trees.
“The Sacred Forest: Celtic Spirituality & Celtic Christianity”
Celts are an ancient tribe who inhabited most of the Northern Europe between 800 BC and 400 AD. Their unique culture has always attracted attention. Especially of popular interest is Celtic diversity — and Celtic spirituality. Celtic religion is appreciated and honoured by many Christians, both Catholic and Protestant.
Celts see the necessity of collaboration between people and the earth. As well as between people and the spirits of nature. And the Holy Spirit. Celts believe in the existence of many gods and angels. In their arts, they portrayed them as living beings, not just abstract creations. According to the Celtic understanding of the world, these divine beings can communicate with people in their own mystical way.
Another interesting thing about the Celts is their love of poetry, beauty and creativity. Celtic diversity, which combines mysticism, love of nature and comes from the relational spirituality, is in natural harmony with beauty and poetry. The development of Celtic culture is the way of unique, rich culture. Celtic culture can be compared with a magnificent tree with a lot of branches.
A Forest Culture: Celts used to live in the Sacred Forest
The pre-Christian world was the world of Celts, who worshiped nature. To the Celtic outlook, the land was the great goddess. The rivers were her helpers and they enriched the earth. Celts used to live in forests. Sacred forests where they were close to the nature, learning the language of trees and wisdom of animals.
With the arrival of Christianity, ancient Celts didn’t give up their close ties with nature. They connected their love to nature with the main principles of Christianity. Celtic monks lived in deep forests and wrote their religious works about the gifts of nature.
And Northern Celts kept their ancient traditions involving oak and evergreen trees — and the sacred plants mistletoe and holly.
Why are forests a sacred place?
The most important thing was to understand the divine origin of all things. And God’s existence in nature. Celts saw life as a constantly changing cycle of life and death. Everything moved in a spiral. Observing Nature could teach humankind how the living world worked. Nowadays we have almost lost the awareness of spiral development, making it difficult to gain an understanding of the world.
Life of Celts is an integration of spirit, community and nature. These concepts were a single whole. Returning to these Celtic dogmas can help us understand who we are.
The Sacred Forest of Gaul and Beyond
The Celts used sacred groves, called nemeton in Gaulish, for performing rituals based on Celtic mythology. The deity involved was usually Nemetona — a Celtic goddess. Druids oversaw such rituals.
The remnants of such groves have been found in Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Hungary in Central Europe. And in many sites of ancient Gaul, as well as England and Ireland.
Sacred groves had been plentiful up until the 1st century BC. And then the Romans attacked and conquered Gaul. One of the best known nemeton sites is that in the Nevet forest near Locronan in Brittany, France. Gournay-sur-Aronde (Gournay-on-Aronde), a village in the Oise department of France, also houses the remains of a nemeton.
Celtic Christians strongly believed in the Holy Trinity.
In the Celtic outlook, the world is created by God who surrounds the entire world with his two arms of love.
The left arm is the spirit and the right one is Christ. Christ is the supreme example of human life. Being close to the Christ meant understanding eternal love and wisdom.
Early Celtic Christians didn’t go to church. They preferred worshipping in small communities and sharing their food, money, work with the representatives of this small group. Celts saw Christ in their neighbour and shared everything with him. They continued their ancestral tradition of worshipping in the forest: in a sacred grove or meadow. Even their first churches were built in the wildwood.
So, to sum up, Celtic spirituality is characterised by love of nature, art and poetry…
Relationship between saints and gods. Respect for Mary and the importance of Liturgy. Union of secular and sacred. The power of abbots and monasteries. Ancient calendar system for celebrating Easter. And closeness between natural and supernatural; importance of family and kinship.
The Celtic spiritual motherland is Ireland and territories around it. Ireland’s isolation kept the Romans at bay. Monasteries were places of holy atmosphere, more like big tribal villages. They housed monks, slaves, freemen, upper class men and women and priesthood. Some monasteries were situated in isolated places. Others were the crossroads of main towns.
Celts also made invaluable strides in the development and making of the educational system. They took part in the spreading of the literacy among Ireland and other Celtic lands even during the “Dark Ages.”
Celtic liturgy started its existence in ancient times. That liturgy included components that proved eternal, still existing today.
Their main themes are monasticism, closeness between God and nature, importance of the family and kinship, storytelling, love and respect of the Mother of God, peace and justice, hospitality and education.
Irish monks are still famous for their inestimable work as educators of Europe.
Many modern seasonal festivals have Celtic origin. Many sources told of assemblies of Druids. The building of the Imperial temple at Lugdunum was probably dedicated to the Feast of Lugh. The lack of dates makes it difficult to determine the origin of some traditions and feasts that are rooted in the Celtic culture.
Votive offerings are a kind of Celtic worshipping that helps us to dive deeper in Celtic outlook and understanding reasons and motives of these ceremonies. Workers and artificers were attached to big temples. And produced special holy souvenirs and mass-produced offerings. They were at first made from wood, later from clay and metal.
The rebirth of Celtic culture is growing stronger and there are a lot of groups practising Celtic religion.
One of the most popular religious groups, Neo-Pagan Druids of Ar n’Draiocht Fein takes the basis of the Celtic religion and combines them with features of Indo-European cultures. Other groups such as “Celtic Wicca,” “Celtic Magic” and others are trying to revitalize Celtic culture.
Celtic religion gained its popularity among people because of its generality and eternity. It advocates main principles of humanity: love and respect for family and kin. As well as love of nature, poetry and other kinds of art. Celtic spirituality assumes communication with God and with spirits that are closely connected with nature. It combines natural and supernatural and pictures God as a supreme being.
The esoteric traditions of Celtic spirituality allow us to develop our inner capacities and contact many resources for healing and wisdom. We may develop a relationship with Brigit, who used to be a goddess “of the abundant earth and life-giving sun.” Later Brigit became a Christian saint. Or Morgan of the Isle of Avalon, known for her skills in herbal medicine.
Celtic spirituality is the way to opening supernatural powers for those who believe.
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“Live Free, Mon Ami!” – Brian Alan Burhoe
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SACRED FOREST: Sacred Groves, Celtic Spirituality & Celtic Christianity
SOURCE:
- An author of well crafted Nature articles, Marlene Affeld is from Big Sky Country. See The Articles of Marlene Affeld.
- Max Weber is a writer of deeply researched and contemplated articles. See The Articles of Max Weber.
- “Sacred groves, sacred woods, or sacred forests are groves of trees that have special religious importance within a particular culture.” See Sacred Grove.
Why are forests a sacred place? Celtic Christianity, Celtic spirituality, sacred forest, sacred groves meaning, sacred trees, the forest, the woods, deciduous forest animals, temperate forest animals, forest ecosystem.
