The Celtic Book of Living and Dying The Illustrated Guide to Celtic Wisdom

by Wood, Juliette

• ISBN13: 9781402714184
• ISBN10: 1402714181
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-02-15
• Publisher: Sterling

Summary

Modeled on both the Egyptian and TibetanBook of the Dead, this beautifully illustrated guide to Celtic belief traces the journey of the soul, revealing along the way the lessons it must learn in the course of a lifetime. At the heart of the spiritual voyage from birth to death lie the key themes of Celtic wisdom: time, the afterlife, destiny, prophecy, courage, and fertility, all visualized with magnificent artwork and evocative landscapes, as well as color photographs of superb artifacts. A wealth of lore and literature, including timeless poetry and epic battle scenes, show the Celtic imagination at its most fertile and illuminate Druidic practice. The underlying spiritual significance of Celtic myth appears in all its splendor, helping those who wish to move closer to its true essence.

Author Biography

Juliette Wood, PhD, has taught, lectured widely, and written extensively on Celtic tradition and folklore, and is president of the Folklore Society. She is honorary lecturer in the Department of Welsh at the University of Wales, College of Cardiff, and is a tutor at the University of Reading in England

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 6
An Eagle's Flight	p. 8
The Wise Child	p. 10
The Warrior's Way	p. 12
The Honour of Women	p. 16
Last Things	p. 20
This Was the House	p. 22
The Wheel of Nature	p. 24
Two Faces: Growth and Decay	p. 26
The Wisdom of the Weather	p. 30
The Wisdom of the Seasons	p. 34
The Sun and the Moon	p. 40
Echoes of the Otherworld	p. 42
The Islands Beyond	p. 44
Impossibilities	p. 48
Veils of Illusion	p. 50
Mystical Creatures	p. 54
Talismans of Power	p. 58
Fairy Mounds	p. 60
Voyages Between Realms	p. 62
The Threshold of the Beyond	p. 64
The Enchanted Archipelago	p. 68
Visions of Our Ancestors	p. 72
The Wisdom of Water	p. 76
Vessels of Truth	p. 78
In the Guise of a Swan	p. 82
Fate and Foreknowledge	p. 84
Our Yesterdays are Our Tomorrows	p. 86
The Wisdom of the Salmon	p. 90
The Mystery of the Head	p. 92
Birds of Destruction	p. 94
Guardians of the Soul	p. 96
The Wisdom of the Druids	p. 98
Magical Contests	p. 102
The Fortress of Love	p. 104
The Wisdom of Inspiration	p. 108
Saints and Angels	p. 112
The Power of Three	p. 114
Spiritual Healing	p. 116
The Wisdom of the Bards	p. 120
The Wisdom of Eternity	p. 124
The Creatures in the Pattern	p. 126
The Twisted Vine	p. 128
The Endless Knot	p. 130
The Great Bard	p. 132
How to Live, How to Die	p. 134
Pronunciation Guide	p. 136
Primary Sources	p. 136
Further Reading	p. 137
Index	p. 138
Acknowledgments	p. 144
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