Master Level Distance Course Notes
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(November 2003)
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Celtic Reiki Master/Teacher Level Celtic Reiki Mastership At the practitioner level of Celtic Reiki we discussed how the frequency of Reiki energy triggered by the Celtic symbols can be used for therapeutic treatments and additionally to aid in the manifestation of goals. At Master level we will consider ways of increasing the energy levels in order to provide more powerful healing sessions and increase the energy involved in manifestation. The attunement process will also be covered in detail, so that you may empower others to use Celtic Reiki. Being a Celtic Reiki Master is a position of considerable responsibility, not just to your students and yourself, but to nature and the guides and nature spirits that gave us these beneficial energies in the first place. You may wish to connect more with trees, spending time enjoying their vibrations and offering them Celtic Reiki in return. This will not only assist in healing the trees and the planet, but you may also receive insights into new frequencies of energy, since the Celtic Reiki system is not yet complete. By experiencing the energies in a purer form, you can often improve sensitivity, intuition and channelling ability, and there are two possible options for achieving this: The Celtic Reiki vibrations are gradually becoming available in homeopathic remedy form. Ioho is already available and Gort, Saille and Mor are still in the ‘proving’ stages and should be ready later in the year. The Ioho remedy has been potentised to 30c, which means that it is actually stronger than the Reiki vibration on its own. Some people have experienced very gentle reactions, whilst others have commented on strong clearing and detoxing. Very profound dreaming is also an effect of the remedy, as is making life-changing decisions. Alternatively, you can work with the vibrations directly, through the trees and plants whose energy this is.
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Celtic Reiki Master Degree Symbols The final set of 5 Celtic Reiki symbols are illustrated below:
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Ruis (Rweesh) R Ruis is the symbol of the Elder Tree and triggers the energy of Birth and Death, the beginning and the end. This energy allows us to know the cycle of life and can be used at any time of loss and transition in life, including the journey beyond life. In treatments, Ruis can also be used at the beginning of any session that involves dealing with deeply embedded issues that might cause fear or deep emotional/physical pain when treated. It will help the person to cope with these symptoms of the clearing. The symbol is also used in the attunement procedure to empower and open the chakras, at this time of transition between the Reiki levels.
Ioho (E-yo) I The Celtic symbol of the Yew tree and eternal life. The Yew can live for thousands of years, continually renewing itself in an eternal cycle. Ioho could be seen as the Master Symbol of Celtic Reiki, since it is the strongest vibrationally of all the energies and was the first to be channelled. Ioho works with all the symbols to increase their power and make them longer lasting. A treatment using Ioho, in conjunction with the other symbols required, will keep the vibration going long after the treatment is finished. Ioho is also used in the attunement process to empower the student to the Celtic Reiki energy, preparing them for the other frequencies. Ioho is available in potentised form, as a homeopathic remedy, for those who wish to work with its energy further.
Koad (Kode) Ch Koad is of the Grove. It is the energy of sacred sanctuary, of finding a place within that is calm and peaceful and will allow us to cope when everything around is falling apart. The Koad is surrounding and nurturing, and protects whilst healing. Koad can be used in treatment to surround and protect the client; its nature is to give peace and stillness of mind, and to laugh in the face of adversity. It can also be used when other frequencies are not working just as they should, because of emotional patterning. It will protect the other symbol from being broken down by habit and allow it to work over a period of time. Koad is used in the attunement process to isolate the student in peace and tranquillity so they are receptive to the attunement. It works best when contained in Violet Breath.
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Uilleand (Oo-lind) Pe The sweetness of the Honeysuckle energy contained in Uilleand gives us the ability to see the truth in any situation, thus bringing clarity and stillness. It gives us the focus to ignore distractions and walk our path decisively without being tempted by things that block our way. It can be used in treatments when the client is lethargic, unmotivated and feels overwhelmed by their inertia. This symbol is also used with other symbols, when the person is not learning from the lessons shown to them by those other energies. As the frequencies of energy bring things to the surface to heal, some clients will push the pain back down, repressing and not wanting to move forward. Or they may simply not have learnt from their past mistakes and continue to remake those mistakes that caused the dis-ease in the first place. Uilleand will assist the other symbols in motivating the client to learn and go forward. Uilleand is used in attunements to motivate the other energies as they enter the student.
Mor (Mohr) Xi The Sea holds the truth – the inner depths of knowledge and wisdom. We spend much of our lives on the surface of a rough ocean, letting life take us on its waves, without having any say in the direction we want to head. This energy allows us to sink down, into the still depths of the sea where we can travel through life with ease and calmness. Mor is about unknown wisdom and everything that a person can know. It allows us, with regular use, to learn more spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. It guides and shows us sacred places and themes that we never knew existed. Mor is also about travel and can help those with a fear of new ventures or a fear of travel, flying, water, etc. Mor is used in the attunement process to guide students on the journey to the next Reiki level and show them the sacred knowledge of Celtic energy and wisdom.
(Symbol descriptions written by Martyn Pentecost).
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Treatment Techniques Celtic Reiki Mastership is based on two specific concepts, which attribute to its uniqueness. The second is particular to Celtic Reiki alone, although aspects of this are apparent in all energy work. The Celtic Reiki symbols can be combined in order to create new energies, the vibration of which can be likened to a ‘forest’ of energy. Each individual forest is clearly unique, being comprised of different combinations of the tree energies. The letters of the Celtic alphabet are used to form words that can be utilised to write a ‘book’ of treatments and symptom cures. Employing Celtic Reiki in this manner works on a multitude of levels and can change a person multi-dimensionally, allowing them to alter their life path and find their niche within the universe. The Celtic Reiki trinity is incredibly powerful: Energies, Wisdom and Life combined in an amazing synthesis. The process of ‘writing’ Celtic Reiki treatments is rather different from the normal practice of using a symbol, treating, and then changing the frequency, since the Celtic Reiki technique involves using the single frequencies one after the other. By writing a Celtic Treatment Sentence, a refined and specific new energy is created which is suitable for use throughout a whole treatment, resonating stronger and travelling deeper. In order to illustrate the potential of employing a Celtic Treatment Sentence, consider the following scenario concerning someone who has lost their way in life. They are unable to see a way forward and look only to the near future, trying to find the benefits in a short-term answer, rather than seeing the whole long-term picture. Eventually they reach the point where their perpetual thinking causes an inability to do anything and they become stuck. A suitable sentence would be: Finding the way through the labyrinth: Gort Seeing the bigger picture: Ailim Clearing mental confusion: Huathe Finding the truth: Uilleand Creating a sanctuary: Koad Creating stillness: Mor Increasing the power of the treatment: Ioho Commencing the treatment with a request for your guides’ assistance, you would then draw the sentence on your palms, over the client, or simply visualise it: GAHUKMI. Then you can use the hand positions, Reiji Ho, or Byosen to complete the entire treatment, redrawing the symbols if you feel this is necessary. The more you practice the symbols, the energies behind them will become fixed in your body’s memory and intuitive knowledge, thus enabling you to create more and more elaborate treatment sentences. Initially guidance will help you, but with time the ability to use the symbols to perform powerful treatments will become second nature. It is essential to draw the symbols in a
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word, rather than a letter here and another there throughout the treatment, since this will effectively confuse the energy and cause it to become too bitty. The second Celtic Reiki Master technique encompasses the Celtic Calendar. It is not possible to explain this technique fully, since it is very individual and depends on your personal astrology. Basically, the Evergreen trees are more potent in winter, the Deciduous trees in summer and the emphasis in the energy fluctuates throughout the year. For instance, the cycle of Ruis is more relevant to preparation for changes in spring, along with the acceptance of change in autumn. You will also note that sometimes, certain symbols are stronger overall than at other times of the year. This is due to the fact their resonance is in line with your resonance, and it is a good idea to make notes of these shifts in a diary, as you will soon notice an emerging pattern. This can be used to ascertain your golden symbols, for golden times. Usually there will be one or possibly two symbols per month and these should be used at peak times as much as possible, on both yourself and others for heightened results. It is also interesting to note that energy phases and moon cycles play a big part in the Celtic energy system. If you work with the energies in the days from a New Moon to a Full Moon, it works more effectively than from a Full to a New Moon.
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Attunement Procedures Preparatory Work There are many variations on attunement methods depending on the style of Reiki in question, but two techniques that are frequently used include the Microcosmic Orbit and the Violet Breath. The Microcosmic Orbit employs the functional and governor channels (meridians), which run in the mid-line along the front and back of the body. By connecting both meridians during a treatment or while performing an attunement, you become a stronger channel for the Reiki energy. This is done by placing your tongue to the roof of your mouth (just behind the teeth) and contracting the Hui Yin point as described in Level 1. The Violet Breath technique is a method of transmitting Reiki energy during an attunement using the breath. It forms an important part of the Western attunement process, and is used to transfer Reiki energy, together with the Tibetan Master Symbol, into the crown of the student being attuned. With regular practice the Violet Breath technique will become much easier, bringing about highly effective results in terms of energy accumulation and transfer. It is performed as follows: 1. Contract the Hui Yin point, placing your tongue to the roof of your mouth. 2. Draw in a breath imagining it as white light coming down through the crown chakra, through the tongue, down the front of the body through the Hui Yin point and back up the spine filling the centre of the head. 3. Visualise the white light turning blue and rotating clockwise, then turning violet. 4. Picture a golden symbol within the violet light. 5. Exhale gently, imagine the symbol on your breath and mentally say the name of the symbol three times.
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First Degree Attunement 1. Say a silent prayer, asking for the help of the Reiki guides and spirit guides of both yourself and the attunee, the Celtic gods and goddesses, tree spirits, animal spirits and elementals, etc. 2. Silently state that this is to be a Celtic Reiki Level 1 attunement. 3. Draw the Ioho symbol and the Ruis symbol on your palms. 4. Draw the Ruis symbol on each chakra and over your whole body, to empower and open yourself. 5. Draw all five Celtic Master symbols in the air, intending their power to fill the room. Visualise the symbols in violet, or green as if on a great screen in the middle of the room, and say their names three times, mantra-style, to empower them. Use this order: Mor, Uilleand, Koad, Ioho, and Ruis. 6. Contract the Hui Yin and place the tongue to the top of the mouth. Remember to hold the Hui Yin throughout the entire attunement process. 7. Move towards your first student and stand behind them. Draw the Uilleand from the top of the student’s head, down the spine. 8. Place both hands on the shoulders and close your eyes to gain rapport with the student. 9. Produce the Violet Breath, visualise the Koad symbol in the violet light. 10. Place your hands on the student’s crown; opening your hands to breathe the Koad symbol and violet light into the student’s Crown chakra. Use your right hand as a guide and picture the symbol moving through the head to the base of the brain, while repeating the name three times to yourself, in mantra style. 11. Draw the Ioho symbol over the head and, using your right hand as a guide, picture the symbol moving into the Crown chakra and through the head to the base of the brain, while repeating the name three times to yourself, in mantra style. 12. Squeeze the student’s left shoulder, which is the cue to raise their hands to the top of their head. If they don’t respond to the signal, then reach forwards and guide their hands to the right position yourself.
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13. Hold your student’s hands with your left hand and draw the Level One symbols in the air over the hands. Using your right hand as a guide, picture each symbol moving into the hands, through the Crown chakra to the base of the brain, while repeating the symbol names three times to yourself in mantra style as each symbol goes in. 14. Move the student’s hands from the top of their head back down to the heart.
Go on to the next person, until all your students have received this part.
15. Move to your student’s front and open their hands out flat, overlapping each other, holding your left hand under the student’s hands. 16. Draw the Level One symbols in front of their Third Eye chakra, tapping towards their Third Eye three times with your right hand, while visualising each symbol moving into the Third Eye and saying the symbol names to yourself three times in mantra style as each symbol enters the Third Eye. 17. Draw the Level One symbols in the air above their hands. Picture the symbols moving into the hands while repeating the symbol names to yourself three times in mantra style as each symbols enters. 18. Place the student’s hands together in front of the heart. Blow from the hands down to the Base chakra, up the body to the crown, down the body to the base, and up to the hands again.
Go on to the next person, until all your students have received this part.
19. Move to your student’s back and place your hands on their shoulders for a few moments, to gain rapport again. Look down through the Crown chakra and see a ball of white light moving into the Heart chakra. State a positive affirmation to yourself, three times. Intend the affirmation to be accepted by the subconscious mind. Try this: “You are a successful and confident Celtic Reiki Practitioner.” 20. Place your thumbs at the base of their skull and say to yourself: “I now seal this process with divine love and wisdom”, while picturing a door 10
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with the Ruis symbol on it being closed and locked. Intend that the process is sealed and complete and that the student is permanently connected to the Reiki source. 21. Place your hands back on the student’s shoulders and say to yourself: “We are both blessed by this process.”
Go on to the next person, until all your students have received this part.
22. Move to the front of your student and place their hands on their legs, palms down. 23. Move back so that you are facing all your students, and thank the guides, etc. that you invited at the start of the procedure. Hold your hands at waist level with your palms facing your students, exhale, and release the Hui Yin and tongue. 24. Ask the students to take a few long deep breaths and to come back slowly and open their eyes.
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Second Degree Attunement 1. Say a silent prayer, asking for the help of the Reiki guides and spirit guides of both yourself and the attunee, the Celtic gods and goddesses, tree spirits, animal spirits and elementals, etc. 2. Silently state that this is to be a Celtic Reiki 2 attunement. 3. Draw the Ioho symbol and the Ruis symbol on your palms. 4. Draw the Ruis symbol on each chakra and over your whole body, to empower and open yourself. 5. Draw all five Celtic Master symbols in the air, intending their power to fill the room. Visualise the symbols in violet, or green as if on a great screen in the middle of the room, and say their names three times, mantra-style, to empower them. Use this order: Mor, Uilleand, Koad, Ioho, and Ruis. 6. Contract the Hui Yin; place the tongue to the top of the mouth. Remember to hold the Hui Yin throughout the entire attunement process. 7. Move towards your first student and stand behind them. Draw the Uilleand from the top of the student’s head, down the spine. 8. Place both hands on the shoulders and close your eyes to gain rapport with the student. 9. Produce the Violet Breath, visualise the Koad symbol in the violet light. 10. Place your hands on the student’s crown; opening your hands to breathe the Koad symbol and violet light into the student’s Crown chakra. Use your right hand as a guide and picture the symbol moving through the head to the base of the brain, while repeating the name three times to yourself, in mantra style. 11. Draw the Ioho symbol over the head and, using your right hand as a guide, picture the symbol moving into the Crown chakra and through the head to the base of the brain, while repeating the name three times to yourself, in mantra style. 12. Squeeze the student’s left shoulder, which is the cue to raise their hands to the top of their head. If they don’t respond to the signal, then reach forwards and guide their hands to the right position yourself.
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13. Hold your student’s hands with your left hand and draw the Level Two symbols in the air over the hands. Using your right hand as a guide, picture each symbol moving into the hands, through the Crown chakra to the base of the brain, while repeating the symbol names three times to yourself in mantra style as each symbol goes in. 14. Move the student’s hands from the top of their head back down to the heart.
Go on to the next person, until all your students have received this part.
15. Move to your student’s front and open their hands out flat, overlapping each other, holding your left hand under the student’s hands. 16. Draw the Level Two symbols in front of their Third Eye chakra, tapping towards their Third Eye three times with your right hand, while visualising each symbol moving into the Third Eye and saying the symbol names to yourself three times in mantra style as each symbol enters the Third Eye. 17. Draw the Level Two symbols in the air above their hands. Picture the symbols moving into the hands while repeating the symbol names to yourself three times in mantra style as each symbols enters. 18. Place the student’s hands together in front of the heart. Blow from the hands down to the Base chakra, up the body to the crown, down the body to the base, and up to the hands again.
Go on to the next person, until all your students have received this part.
19. Move to your student’s back and place your hands on their shoulders for a few moments, to gain rapport again. Look down through the Crown chakra and see a ball of white light moving into the Heart chakra. State a positive affirmation to yourself, three times. Intend the affirmation to be accepted by the subconscious mind. Try this: “You are a successful and confident Celtic Reiki Practitioner.” 20. Place your thumbs at the base of their skull and say to yourself: “I now seal this process with divine love and wisdom”, while picturing a door 13
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with the Ruis symbol on it being closed and locked. Intend that the process is sealed and complete and that the student is permanently connected to the Reiki source. 21. Place your hands back on the student’s shoulders and say to yourself: “We are both blessed by this process.”
Go on to the next person, until all your students have received this part.
22. Move to the front of your student and place their hands on their legs, palms down. 23. Move back so that you are facing all your students, and thank the guides, etc. that you invited at the start of the procedure. Hold your hands at waist level with your palms facing your students, exhale, and release the Hui Yin and tongue. 24. Ask the students to take a few long deep breaths and to come back slowly and open their eyes.
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Master Degree Attunement
1. Say a silent prayer, asking for the help of the Reiki guides and spirit guides of both yourself and the attunee, the Celtic gods and goddesses, tree spirits, animal spirits and elementals, etc. 2. Silently state that this is to be a Celtic Reiki Master attunement. 3. Draw the Ioho symbol and the Ruis symbol on your palms. 4. Draw the Ruis symbol on each chakra and over the whole body, to empower and open yourself. 5. Draw all five Celtic Master symbols in the air, intending their power to fill the room. Visualise the symbols in violet, or green as if on a great screen in the middle of the room, and say their names three times, mantra-style, to empower them. Use this order: Mor, Uilleand, Koad, Ioho, and Ruis. 6. Contract the Hui Yin; place the tongue to the top of the mouth. Remember to hold the Hui Yin throughout the entire attunement process. 7. Move towards your first student and stand behind them. Draw the Uilleand from the top of the student’s head, down the spine. 8. Place both hands on the shoulders and close your eyes to gain rapport with the student. 9. Produce the Violet Breath, visualise the Koad symbol in the violet light. 10. Place your hands on the student’s crown; opening your hands to breathe the Koad symbol and violet light into the student’s Crown chakra. Use your right hand as a guide and picture the symbol moving through the head to the base of the brain, while repeating the name three times to yourself, in mantra style. 11. Draw the Ioho symbol over the head and, using your right hand as a guide, picture the symbol moving into the Crown chakra and through the head to the base of the brain, while repeating the name three times to yourself, in mantra style. 12. Squeeze the student’s left shoulder, which is the cue to raise their hands to the top of their head. If they don’t respond to the signal, then reach forwards and guide their hands to the right position yourself. 15
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13. Hold your student’s hands with your left hand and draw the Master symbols in the air over the hands. Using your right hand as a guide, picture each symbol moving into the hands, through the Crown chakra to the base of the brain, while repeating the symbol names three times to yourself in mantra style as each symbol goes in. 14. Move the student’s hands from the top of their head back down to the heart.
Go on to the next person, until all your students have received this part.
15. Move to your student’s front and open their hands out flat, overlapping each other, holding your left hand under the student’s. 16. Draw the Master symbols in front of their Third Eye chakra, tapping towards their Third Eye three times with your right hand, while visualising each symbol moving into the Third Eye and saying the symbol names to yourself three times in mantra style as each symbol enters the Third Eye. 17. Draw the Master symbols in the air above their hands. Picture the symbols moving into the hands while repeating the symbol names to yourself three times in mantra style as each symbols enters. 18. Place the student’s hands together in front of the heart. Blow from the hands down to the base chakra, up the body to the crown, down the body to the base, and up to the hands again.
Go on to the next person, until all your students have received this part.
19. Move to your student’s back and place your hands on their shoulders for a few moments, to gain rapport again. Look down through the Crown chakra and see a ball of white light moving into the Heart chakra. State a positive affirmation to yourself, three times. Intend the affirmation to be accepted by the subconscious mind. Try this: “You are a successful and confident Celtic Reiki Master.” 20. Place your thumbs at the base of their skull and say to yourself: “I now seal this process with divine love and wisdom”, while picturing a door 16
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with the Ruis symbol on it being closed and locked. Intend that the process is sealed and complete and that the student is permanently connected to the Reiki source. 21. Place your hands back on the student’s shoulders and say to yourself: “We are both blessed by this process.”
Go on to the next person, until all your students have received this part.
22. Move to the front of your student and place their hands on their legs, palms down. 23. Move back so that you are facing all your students, and thank the guides, etc. that you invited at the start of the procedure. Hold your hands at waist level with your palms facing your students, exhale, and release the Hui Yin and tongue. 24. Ask the students to take a few long deep breaths and to come back slowly and open their eyes.
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Distance Attunements If the student is not physically present for the attunement, you can send it over long distances by using a representation for the student such as a teddy bear. It’s most practical to have this sitting on a chair, so you can easily move around and follow the instructions laid out above. Before you start, you must clearly state your intention to attune this person by means of your representation. You must tell the Universe the name and address/location of the person this attunement is meant for, as well as the time (and time zone) that it should arrive at. Then you can follow the attunement procedure exactly as outlined above for a physically present person. Or, if your visualisation skills are very good, instead of using a representation, you can imagine the person sitting on a chair while you walk around placing the symbols in their chakras.
Timing Between Attunements As there are no specific time limits necessary between the Celtic Reiki attunements, theoretically it is possible to join them together and you could therefore combine Levels 1 and 2, or do a complete Celtic Reiki attunement covering all levels. One thing to consider though, is that the Celtic Reiki symbols can often be hard to learn because of their similarity, so in practice it is a much better approach to stagger the attunements, allowing at least one week between them. This will ensure that students have a chance to learn the symbols properly.
Celtic Reiki Lineage For your Celtic Reiki lineage simply add your name to the end of the following list: Martyn Pentecost Pamela Jordan
Teaching Celtic Reiki Being a Celtic Reiki Master is about much more than just receiving the attunements. It means that the various techniques of sending the energy, the symbols and the attunement process are well known and practised by you. Thorough practice (on a daily basis if possible) will increase your confidence in the Celtic Reiki system and in yourself as a competent channel. I would strongly recommend waiting for a couple of months before teaching others. If, after that time, you decide to give courses then you should start with individuals or small groups. When teaching physically present students it is better to keep group-size down to a maximum of six people, so as to ensure
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that everyone is given full attention. You should allow plenty of time for answering questions and for students to practice the techniques on themselves and each other where appropriate. Celtic Reiki lends itself particularly well to distance learning as you can email or post the course manuals to the student and send them the attunements long distance. They can then work through the course at their own pace, and contact you if they have any queries or problems. When practising or teaching Celtic Reiki, it is most important to make sure that your clients or students fully understand the implications of the disclaimer given at the end of this page.
Celtic Reiki Master Level Exercises Please memorise all five symbols, their meanings and methods of use. You may also wish to meditate and work further on each individual symbol. As before, please practice the techniques suggested above and keep a record of all your experiences. Be creative with your treatment sentences and allow yourself to be guided by your intuition. Also, if you are planning to teach Celtic Reiki, practice the attunement process on friends and family first until it becomes second nature. Try to find as many of the Celtic Reiki Master Level trees and shrubs as possible in your vicinity and get to know them!
Disclaimer Please be aware that the information given in this Celtic Reiki course is for educational purposes only. Celtic Reiki is a wonderful ‘hands-on’ method of energy balancing for the purpose of stress reduction and relaxation, that works in conjunction with any and all other healthcare practices you may be using. However, it is not meant as a substitute for proper medical diagnosis and treatment provided by licensed healthcare professionals. Celtic Reiki practitioners do not diagnose conditions, nor do they perform medical treatments, prescribe substances, or interfere with the treatment of a licensed medical professional. It is strongly recommended that you contact your physician or healthcare specialist for any physical or psychological ailment you may have.
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Celtic Reiki Master Level Resources As Celtic Reiki is a continually evolving system, the manuals will be periodically updated when new information becomes available. If you would like to be added to a mailing list to receive the revised manuals, please send an email with the heading ‘Celtic Reiki Updates’ to:
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Recommended reading: Celtic Tree Month Information http://www.crystalforest1.homestead.com/CrystalForestCelticTreeMonths. html (This is a fascinating series of pages detailing the phases of Celtic Tree Astrology. Right click on the tree name beneath each symbol to open a new page for each lunar month).
Elder - Ruis Sambucus Mara Freeman, May 1997 The elder is a small but bountiful tree, covered with edible fragrant blossoms in summer and juicy purple berries in autumn which country people have used for centuries in jams, jellies, medicinal syrups and wine. Its hollow branches have proved useful for all manner of pipes and bellows; in fact, its name probably originates with the Anglo-Saxon _eller, meaning a kindler of fire. In Ireland elder was a sacred tree, and it was forbidden to break even one twig. Like the willow, it seems to have strong feminine associations. In Denmark, peasants would not cut down an elder for fear of Hyldemor, the Eldermother, who dwelt in its trunk. This belief is also found in Eastern England. In Lincolnshire until quite recently, it was important to ask permission of the "Old Lady" or "Old Girl." The correct way to approach the tree was to say: "Old Woman, give me some of thy wood and I will give thee some of mine when I grow into a tree." If this Procedure was not adopted. ill-luck could befall. Earlier this century, a writer visited the mother of a sick baby. The mother explained: "It were all along of my maister’s thick ‘ead. It were in this ‘ow: t’rocker comed off t'cradle, and he hadn’t no more gumption than to mak’ a new ‘un out on illerwood (elder wood) without axing the Old Lady’s leave, and in course she didn’t like that, and she came and
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pinched the wean (baby) that outrageous he were a’most black in t’ face; but I bashed un off, and putten an eshen (ashen) on, and the wean is gallus (well?) as owt agin." Unfortunately, the Elder-Mother, who had probably once been a powerful female figure venerated for the healing properties of her tree, became feared as a witch in Christian times. In Ireland, witches were thought to use elder boughs as magic horses, while in England the crooked-branched tree was thought to be the form of a bent old witch, who would bleed if she were cut. An elder-tree witch features in the legend of the famous Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire. A king and his army were marching across the land, when a witch approached him and called out a challenge:
"Seven long strides shalt thou take, If Long Compton thou can see, King of England thou shalt be. " Now, the village of Long Compton is just hidden behind a low mound known as the archdruid’s barrow. After the king had taken seven strides, the witch called out:
"As Long Compton thou canst not see, King of England thou shalt not be. Rise up stick and rise up stone, For King of England thou shalt be none. Thou and thy men hoar stones shall be And myself an eldern-tree. " The king became the lone stone known as the King Stone, while his men huddle together as "The Whispering Knights", a group of five stones to the east. The stone circle itself is known as the Kings’ Men. The elder's reputation went from bad to worse with a Christian legend that claimed that the crucifix was made from its wood and Judas Iscariot was said to have hanged himself on the elder. An old carol called, ‘The Twelve Apostles" tells the story, and in the last verse denounces the elder, which stands as an outcast from the other trees. (Any group of trees was known colloquially as the "Twelve Apostles".)
The twelve apostles they were standing by, Their roots in the river, and their leaves in the sky, The beasts all thrive wherever they be.
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But Judas was a-hunged on an elder tree And in Scotland, where the elder is known as the "bour-tree", an old rhyme points to the tree’s small stature and crooked branches as punishment for its part in Jesus’ death:
Bour-tree, bour-tree, crookit rung, Never straight and never strong, Eer bush, and never tree, Since our Lord was nailed t'ye Soon the much-maligned tree became synonymous with the Devil himself. Many feared to burn elder-logs for fear they would "bring the Devil into the house." Aubrey tells an amusing story about this, concerning a "good old gentleman’’ called Mr. Allen, who was reputed to be a sorcerer. This gentleman acquired a watch in the days when such instruments were rare. When a couple of maids entered his room and heard the watch ticking in its case, they thought it must be his familiar or even the Devil himself. They took it by the chain and threw it out the window into the moat, hoping to drown him. But by chance, the chain caught on an elder tree that was growing out of the bank, which confirmed their opinion that it was indeed an instrument of the Devil! Fortunately, this meant Mr. Allen got his watch back again. In other parts of the British Isles the elder was less feared, but still retained its magical associations. If the eyes are bathed in the green juice of the wood, you might see fairies and witches. If you stand under an elder-tree at Samhain in Scotland, you can see the faery host riding by. Elderberries plucked on Midsummer’s Eve confer magic powers. In the Isle of Man, elders are the main dwelling-place for elves. Also in the Isle of Man, an elder tree outside the cottage door actually kept witches away, according to a Manx folk-tale called, "Old Nance and the Buggane." In other places too it was viewed favourably as a benevolent, protective tree. A 17th century manuscript gives a recipe for a protective amulet made from plucking an elder twig in October just before the full moon. The wood between the knots must be cut into nine pieces, which are bound in a piece of linen and hung around the neck so that they touch the heart. They hang there until the thread breaks, at which point the amulet has to be buried where it may not be found. In some parts of Scotland it ranked only second to rowan in its ability to ward off evil spells and witchcraft. Crosses made of elder twigs hung over stables and barns to protect the livestock. Drivers of hearses carried whiphandles made of elder to ward off evil influences.
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Elder has been prescribed throughout the ages for healing ailments from blindness to epilepsy. The leaves gathered on May Eve had the power to cure wounds, and warts could be removed by rubbing them on a green elder stick and burning it: as it rotted away, so did the warts. In Denmark a cure for toothache consisted of placing an elder twig in the mouth and then sticking it in a wall, saying: "Depart thou evil spirit!" The herbalist John Evelyn declared: "If the medicinal properties of the leaves, bark, berries, etc. were thoroughly known, I cannot tell what our countryman could ail for which he might not fetch a remedy from every (elder) hedge either for sickness or wound." In Ireland, it was one of the magical trees carried in procession at Beltane. If you celebrate this merry month, let the Elder-Mother once more take her place in summer’s bouquet as this ancient Beltane song declares:
Holly and hazel Elder and Rowen and bright ash from beside the ford
http://druidry.org/obod/trees/elder.html
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Yew - Ioho Taxus
"Patriarch of Long-lasting Woods.... "
Mara Freeman, 1996
In early times, the darkly glorious yew-tree was probably the only evergreen tree in Britain. Both Druids with their belief in reincarnation, and later Christians with their teaching of the resurrection, regarded it as a natural emblem of everlasting life. Its capacity for great age enriched its symbolic value. The early Irish regarded it as one of the most ancient beings on earth. Yew is the last on a list of oldest things in a passage from the fourteenth century Book of Lismore: "Three lifetimes of the yew for the world from its beginning to its end." The yew's reputation for long life is due to the unique way in which the tree grows. Its branches grow down into the ground to form new stems, which then rise up around the old central growth as separate but linked trunks. After a time, they cannot be distinguished from the original tree. So the yew has always been a symbol of death and rebirth, the new that springs out of the old, and a fitting tree for us to study at the beginning of this new year. As the days now grow longer with the beginning of a new solar cycle, we move into the future on the achievements of the past, new creativity springs forth grounded in the accomplishments of the year gone by. In Irish mythology, the yew is one of the five sacred trees brought from the Otherworld at the division of the land into five parts. Known as the Tree of Ross, it was said to be the "offspring of the tree that is in Paradise", and it brought lasting plenty to Ireland. In the Brehon Laws, it is named as one of the Seven Chieftain Trees, with heavy penalties for felling one. Ownership of a yew-tree is the cause of a great battle in the twelfth century tale, "Yew Tree of the Disputing Sons". The tree's high status is also shown in an Irish tale from the Historical Cycle in which a swine herd dreamed he saw a yew tree upon a rock, with an oratory in front of it. Angels ascended and descended from a flagstone at the threshold. He told a druid who interpreted the dream to mean that the rock would be the seat of kings of Munster from that day forth, and the first king would be he who kindled a fire beneath the yew. Staves of yew were kept in pagan graveyards in Ireland where they were used for measuring corpses and graves. In the tragic love story of Baile and Ailinn from the Historical Cycle, Baile dies of grief for the beautiful Ailinn. When he is buried, a yew-tree grew out of his grave, and "the likeness of
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his head was in the branches." After seven years, poets cut down the yew and made writing tablets out of it. Another use of yew-wood by poets is recounted in a tale of Conn of the Hundred Battles, who with his druids and poets, lost his way in a mist and came to a supernatural world where a druid was recording names of every prince from Conn's time onwards on staves of yew. In the bardic schools, poets used staves of yew to help them memorize long incantations. We hear tell how the poet Cesarn cut (the words) in Ogam into 4 rods of yew. Each was 24' long and had 8 sides. Staves of yew were also used for carving Ogam letters for magical use, according to the evidence of early literature. In The Wooing of Etaine, the beautiful heroine was abducted from her husband, Eochaid, who searched for her for a year and a day to no avail. Finally, he sought the help of his druid, Dalla/n 'who made four rods of yew and inscribed them with Ogam. Through this means he discovered that Etaine was on the side of Bri Leith, with the faery king, Midir. Veneration of the yew continued into Christian times where they have always been associated with churchyards. An early medieval Irish poem fragment refers to a yew outside an early Celtic Christian cell:
There is here above the brotherhood A bright tall glossy yew; The melodious bell sends out a clear keen note In St. Columba's church. Although from Ireland, this verse may refer to the Isle of Iona, the sacred island of St. Columba off western Mull, Scotland, which is said to derive its name from the Gaelic word for 'yew-tree', Ioho or Ioha. The island was once a powerful Druid centre, planted with sacred groves of yew, and the traditions of Iona traditionally involve rebirth and reincarnation. On mainland Scotland, St. Ninian, a priest in Roman Britain, planted numerous yews in the churchyards, including the famous Fortingale Yew in Perthshire where Beltane fires were lit each year in a cleft of the trunk. A rhyme about this tree states:
"Here Druid priests their altars placed, And sun and moon adored." For yew was one of the nine sacred trees for kindling Beltane fires, and the old Scottish rhyme about the need-fire calls it 'the tree of resilience.’ Another famous Scottish yew stood at the Tobar an luthair, the Yew Tree
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Well in Easter Ross. Its presence lent healing qualities to the water, until someone cut the tree down. Whoever did the deed must have regretted it, for an old curse stated:
Well of the Yew Tree, Well of the Yew Tree, To thee should honour be given; In Hell a bed is ready for him Who cuts the tree about thine ears. A similar fate awaited an individual at the church of St. Kevin of Glendalough, in County Wicklow, Ireland, who was cursed because, as a rhyme states:
He cut down the Sacred Yew That holy Kevin planted. After the Norman Conquest a spate of church building led to the planting of many churchyard yews. Some still thrive today, although over 900 years old. Fortunately their function as icons of everlasting life had been forgotten by the 17th century, or they would have probably not survived destruction by the Puritans. The yew trees were usually planted in a deliberate manner: one beside the path leading from the funeral gateway of the churchyard to the main door of the church, and the other beside the path leading to the lesser doorway. In early times, the priest and clerks would gather under the first yew to await the corpse-bearers. The remains of Anglo-Saxon churches suggest that the early English planted yews in a circle around the church, which were usually built upon a central mound. There is also a tradition that the Cross was a yew tree, perhaps because of its symbolism of immortality. A verse from a traditional carol from Herefordshire, The Seven Virgins, runs:
Go you down, go you down to yonder town, And sit in the gallery: And there you'll find sweet Jesus Christ, Nailed to a big yew-tree. The famous yew-trees of Nevern in Dyfed, Wales, are said to bleed a red substance every year in sympathy with Christ. Branches of yew were borne in Palm Sunday processions instead of palm or olive and the altars of many churches were traditionally decked with branches of yew on Easter Day. The yew is also associated with another time of resurrection - New Year's Day, where in some parishes, villagers would gather beneath the churchyard yew to see in the New Year.
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In later times, only the death side of the Yew's symbolism remained in the popular mind. Shakespeare wrote of "the dismal yew" and his witches bore "slips of yew slivered in the moon's eclipse." 19th century naturalist Gilbert White described the trees as "an emblem of mortality by their funereal appearance." A dark-canopied grove of yews was often regarded as a place to be shunned, and a bough brought into the house portended a death in the family. The cemetery is nowadays looked upon as a place of fear rather than a sacred place of return to the ancestral realm. So let us return to the wisdom of the Druids and remember at the turning of the year the teachings of the sacred yew: that darkness is the matrix from which light springs forth, and that out of death, life arises. Mara Freeman, 1996 http://druidry.org/obod/trees/yew.html
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Celtic Tree Calendar The Moon is humanity's oldest calendar. Evidence of ancient peoples keeping time by the phases of the moon have been found carved into rocks and cave walls the world over. The famous tree calendar of the Celts was such a time-keeping device, and, like other tribal cultures, the Celts found names and associations for their moon, which were developed and codified over many years of ritual and experimentation. Each moon phase was assigned a corresponding tree, each tree being sacred to either feminine energy and to the Goddess, or to masculine energy and to the God. The lunar tree calendar of the Celts has long been a source of controversy amongst Celtic scholars. Some even claim it was never a part of the old Celtic world, but was an invention of author/researcher Robert Graves. The Druids are generally given credit by other researchers for creating this system. There seems to be no scholarly evidence to prove otherwise, yet many Celtic Pagans feel that the system pre-dates the time of Druidic influence over Celtic religious matters. It is probably reasonable to believe that the truth lies somewhere in between these three extremes. It is most likely that the tree system was in place, with minor regional variations before the time of the Druids who experimented with it, discovered the magickal properties of each tree, and codified all the information into the system we have today. The trees the Druids selected for the thirteen months were already trees which were sources of magick and myth in Celtic folklore. Several of the trees are said to be attractive to faery folk, and others were sources of magick herbs or medicines. Today the counting of the Celtic tree calendar begins with the full moon nearest Yule. Perhaps it once began with the full moon nearest Samhain since, until the influence of the Norse, Samhain marked the beginning of the Celtic New Year. When you have pinpointed the full moon closest to Yule, count off the thirteen moons of the lunar year and mark them with their Tree Calendar names.*
MOON NAME Birch Moon
Rowan Moon
POLARITY
NICKNAMES
MAGICKAL PROPERTIES
Feminine
Protection of children; Moon of Inception; purification; creativity Moon of Beginning
Masculine
Moon of Vision; Healing; Personal Spirit Moon; Empowerment; Astral Travel Moon Divination
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Ash Moon
Alder Moon
Willow Moon
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Feminine
Moon of Waters
Masculine
Moon of Utility; Moon of Efficacy; Moon of SelfGuidance
Feminine
The Witches' Moon; Moon of Balance
Prosperity; Protection; Healing Spirituality; Teaching; Weather magick; Duty; Mental Prowess; Romantic Love; Healing; Protection; Fertility; Magick for Women
Hawthorn Moon Masculine
Moon of Restraint; Fertility; Peace; Moon of Hindrance; Prosperity; Binding Summer Moon
Oak Moon
Masculine
Moon of Strength; Moon of Security; Bear Moon
All positive purposes; Magick for Men; Fidelity
Feminine
Moon of Encirclement; Moon of Polarity
Protection; Prophecy; Magick for Animals; Sex Magick
Hazel Moon
Feminine
Manifestation; Spirit Moon of the Wise; Contact; Protection; Crone Moon Fertility
Vine Moon
(Property dependent on the type of vine) Blackberry Prosperity; Protection; Sacred to Brid Blueberry Moon of Celebration Androgynous Spirituality; Dream Magick Grape - Fertility; Inspiration; Prosperity; Binding Thistle - Courage; Protection; Strength
Ivy Moon
Masculine
Moon of Buoyancy; Healing; Protection; Moon of Resilience Cooperation; Exorcism
Reed Moon
Feminine
Moon of the Home; Hearth Moon; Fertility; Protection; Winter Moon; Love; Family Concerns Moon which Manifests Truth
Elder Moon
Masculine
Moon of Completeness
Holly Moon
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Exorcism; Prosperity; Banishing; Healing
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"The Ogham (pronounced owam), or sacred Druidic alphabet, contained hidden secrets for magic and divination. Only the initiated could understand these occult meanings. The ancient Celts had a kinship with trees which is shown in this magical alphabet and in their tree calendar. Further proof of their respect for trees is in the old Celtic word for oak (Duir); the word Derwydd or Duirwydd (oak-seer) was probably the origin of the word Druid. The Celts believed that many trees where inhabited by spirits or had spirits of their own. This idea most notably applied to any tree with a strong aura around it. They also believed that certain trees had a healing influence on humans. From this ancient respect for the power of trees came the expressions 'touch wood' and 'knock on wood'. Oak, ash, and thorn were called the faery triad of trees. Where they grow together,it is still said that faeries live. The ancient Celts used the Ogham alphabet in performing magick. They also threw divination sticks engraved with the signs of the Ogham alphabet. For divination, paint or engrave the symbols on one side of some flat sticks. Ice cream sticks or tongue depressors work well for this purpose. The symbols can also be drawn on cards and read as you do tarot. Choose seven sticks without looking. Concentrate on your question while holding them in both hands. Then gently toss them on the ground or floor in front of you.
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The closest sticks represent the present; the farthest represent the future. Any sticks that touch or overlap have a direct and enhanced influence on each other. The Ogham signs may also be carved into candles or used in writing out requests to be presented to the gods during rituals."**
The trees of the Ogham alphabet were divided into three classifications, which had nothing to do with their physical form. They merely represented their order of importance to the Druids. Chieftains came first, followed by peasants and shrubs. Two symbols, the Grove and the Sea, are not actually trees; their inclusion points out the Druidic acknowledgments of the power of both the sea itself and a group of trees. The last five letters are called the Crane Bag and were given by the sea god Manannan.**
Beth – Birch Month: November Color: White Class: Peasant Letter: B Meaning: New Beginnings; Changes; Purification. Luis – Rowan Month: December Color: Grey and Red Class: Peasant Letter: L Meaning: Controlling your life; Protection against control by others. Fearn – Alder Month: January Color: Crimson Class: Chieftain Letter: F, V Meaning: Help in making choices; spiritual guidance and protection. Saille – Willow Month: February Color: Listed only as bright Class: Peasant Letter: S Meaning: Gaining balance in your life.
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Nuin – Ash Month: March Color: Glass Green Class: Chieftain Letter: N Meaning: Locked into a chain of events; Feeling bound. Huathe – Hawthorne Month: April Color: Purple Class: Peasant Letter: H Meaning: Being held back for a period of time. Duir – Oak Month: May Color: Black and Dark Brown Class: Chieftain Letter: D Meaning: Security; Strength. Tinne – Holly Month: June Color: Dark Grey Class: Peasant Letter: T Meaning: Energy and guidance for problems to come. Coll – Hazel Month: July Color: Brown Class: Chieftain Letter: C, K Meaning: Creative energies for work or projects. Quert – Apple Month: None Color: Green Class: Shrub Letter: Q Meaning: A choice must be made.
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Muin – Vine Month: August Color: Variegated Class: Chieftain Letter: M Meaning: Inner development occurring, but take time for relaxation. Gort – Ivy Month: September Color: Sky Blue Class: Chieftain Letter: G Meaning: Take time to soul search or you will make a wrong decision. Ngetal – Reed Month: October Color: Grass Green Class: Shrub Letter: NG Meaning: Upsets or surprises. Straif – Blackthorn Month: None Color: Purple Class: Chieftain Letter: SS, Z, ST Meaning: Resentment; Confusion; Refusing to see the truth. Ruis – Elder Month: Makeup days of the thirteenth Moon Color: Red Class: Shrub Letter: R Meaning: End of a cycle or problem. Ailim - Silver Fir Month: None Color: Light Blue Class: Shrub Letter: A Meaning: Learning from past mistakes; Take care in choices.
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Ohn – Furze Month: None Color: Yellow Gold Class: Chieftain Letter: O Meaning: Information that could change your life. Ur - Heather and Mistletoe Month: None Color: Purple Class: Heather is Peasant; Mistletoe is Chieftain Letter: U Meaning: Healing and development on the spiritual level. Eadha - White Poplar or Aspen Month: None Color: Silver White Class: Shrub Letter: E Meaning: Problems; Doubts; Fears. Ioho – Yew Month: None Color: Dark Green Class: Chieftain Letter: I, J, Y Meaning: Complete change in life-direction or attitude. Koad – Grove Month: None Color: Many Shades of Green Class: None Letter: CH, KH, EA Meaning: Wisdom gained by seeing past illusions. Oir – Spindle Month: None Color: White Class: Peasant Letter: TH, OI Meaning: Finish obligations and tasks or your life cannot move forward.
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Uilleand – Honeysuckle Month: None Color: Yellow-white Class: Peasant Letter: P, PE, UI Meaning: Proceed with caution. Phagos – Beech Month: None Color: Orange-brown Class: Chieftain Letter: PH, IO Meaning: New experiences and information coming. Mor - the Sea Month: None Color: Blue-green Class: none Letter: AE, X, XI Meaning: Travel. *From "Celtic Myth and Magick" by Edain McCoy ** From "Celtic Magic" by DJ Conway http://www.joellessacredgrove.com/Celtic/tree.html
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