June 08th, 2019

Hello and welcome! I thought it would be a good idea to start by talking a little bit about my
spiritual practice, since it will set the tone for the various topics I write about. I am a (non-
Wiccan) Celtic pagan/witch and tarot reader. Right off I want to say I am not a Celtic
Reconstructionist (CR), mainly because there is so much mystery surrounding ancient Celtic
ritual and spirituality. It was a predominantly oral tradition lost to time. So it’s more accurate to
say that my practice is strongly influenced by what IS known. A lot of what I do is rooted in study
of various books and papers on the Celts, the Carmina Gadelica, and articles and blog posts
from CR blogs and websites… but ultimately my spiritual practice is my own. Why Celtic? Well,
although Celtic Cultures spanned the globe, they are most widely associated with the British
Isles. On both sides my heritage is predominantly Scotch-Irish, and in the interest of avoiding
cultural appropriation, I decided several years ago to de-colonize my spiritual practice and
concentrate on working within my own cultural milieu.
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​It’s a busy world, and to find time for spiritual practice can be a challenge. For me, I like to be
connected every day in small ways, although I do also do more elaborate undertakings for
various seasonal celebrations. I’ll talk more about specific practices and rituals such as those in
future posts, but for now, generally a daily spiritual practice for this Celtic Pagan looks
something like this:
I wake up in the morning and light a candle, taking a moment to meditate and say a quick verse
of gratitude. You can find many morning blessings online, or you can come up with your own. I
have a few that I use interchangeably. Since I am learning modern Irish, I sometimes use a
blessing in that language. Then, I do a simple one-card Tarot or Ogham and journal about it.
Throughout the day, I may do little things that feed my spirit in some small way like say a little
blessing over my morning magic potion (coffee ;) ) or a silent prayer of gratitude for the gentle
rain watering the flowers I just planted— that sort of thing. I also like to look for odd
coincidences or chance events since the Celts apparently were big into this kind of augury.
Another part of my daily spiritual practice is trying to spend *some* time outside in nature every
day. Taking a walk (even in February) and observing what is happening in the natural world is
important to me. Are the buds out yet? Has the ground thawed? Are the honeybees active?
These are all things I will note later in my journal under the heading Natural World (I’ll talk more
about journalling in a future post).
At work I keep a few curios and talismans around me to ground my space, and typically take a
quick 10 or 15 minute walk around mid-day. Feeling the fresh air on my face or warmth of the
sun helps reenergize me spiritually and physically for the second half of the day.
In my free time, I do a lot of reading and research, will feed any intention work I have going, play
a little music (I am learning the Irish drum (bodhrán) and tin whistle), or do some drawing or
painting. Art and creating in general is a very spiritual practice for me, even if I’m not working on
something intentionally for that purpose.
Sometimes, but not always, I may say a blessing or light an intention candle if I’m the one
preparing the evening meal.

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​When I’m washing up in the evening I have a little saining ritual I do, which consists of nothing
more than cupping water in my hands and saying a little rhyme three times as I wash and clear
away the literal and figurative dirt and dust from the day.

​Finally, on most nights I will go through my circle of stones—prayer beads I made especially for
this purpose, reciting a specific verse for each “stone” (see A Circle of Stones by
Erynn Rowan Laurie for more information on creating your own). I may or may not light a
candle before I do this, but either way, I end with a final prayer of gratitude for the day.
Well friends, I hope something here has resonated with you and that perhaps you found a useful
tidbit or two to experiment with in your own practice. Thank you so much for stopping by and
until next time, beannachtaí duit!
~Witch of Wands of Silfren Circle