The Celtic Threes and Fours in Druidic Draíocht and Rituals.

The Gold lunula (plural: lunulae) is a distinctive type of late Neolithic, Chalcolithic or (most often) early Bronze Age necklace or collar shaped like a crescent moon.

>>seems that the favorite type of golden trinkets of the late 3rd millennium Irish were these two types of gold objects: a peculiar gold lunulae and even more peculiar gold cross discs:<<Ref. http://oldeuropeanculture.blogspot.com/2015/07/or-irelands-gold.html


Note, in Gold Disk above (coinage?):

 The Circles, use of Threes, and use of Fours, quarters or balanced Cross.

So we see enclosing outer Circles  containing a Quarters Cross whose arms are made of the staves or lines.

How very interesting as some say Druids did not or should not need or use "Binding Circles" and calls to Quarters or the Four Compass Points but only Three's (Sky, Land and Sea) in their Rituals.

While the Call to Quarters (Four Compass Points, Winds, Guardians or Watch Towers) is most often relegated to being allowed in Ceremonial Magick or Witch Craft Rituals by many Neo-Druids.


I will first make a small position on why the Ancient Druid's  may have been into the Fours as much as Neo-Druids today claim the threes.

1) One is that of Balance in the Rituals and on the Altars.

2) To me it seems reasonable that the roots of Ceremonial Magick and all forms of Witch Crafts,  emerged  as part of or parallel to the roots of Druidic Ancient Draíocht or Magick and Conjure.
And therefore should not be thrown out of our Rituals and Draíocht Cauldrons without careful study and consideration.

3) The Three Realms of the Irish, Land, Sea and Sky. An Thríbhís Mhòr (The Great Triple Spiral).


{W. Welsh; I. Irish}

The Upper World associated with Potential Reality and all Possible futures where abstract concepts dwell with the Divine. 

Nemos or Unidomagos (W. nef or gwynfa, I. neamh or Magh find / Magh Findrgat)
Sky:   (I. nem)

The Middle World, a earthy realm associated with Manifested Reality.
(W. Mediomagos, I.Magh Mide); Land: > I. talam (earth)


The Lower World or Underworld associated with the past. A watery abode beneath the Earth. The Sea and other bodies of Water.
Andumnos or Antumnos; (W.Annun,or Annwfn, I. Andomhain)
Sea (I.muir )

A far more detailed study of Irish Seanchas of the Three Realms found here: 

(http://www.tairis.co.uk/cosmology/sources-for-the-three-realms/)

I believe that much of the Three's popular  positions also stems from the monumental works of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century works of Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg and the Edward Williams and the very wide study and adoption of concepts and ideas in the publications of  "The Barddas of Iolo Morganwg, J. Williams Ab Ithel (editor)" in 1862.

Irish sources for reference to the Three Realms:

A) Táin Bó Cuailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley, often referred to as the Táin for short), a tale belonging to the Ulster Cycle [Sky, Land & Sea]

B) Cath Maige Léna (The Battle of Mag Lena) [Shy]

C) Comthoth Lóegairi co cretim 7 a aided (The Conversion of Lóegaire to the Faith and his Violent Death) [Sea & Land]D) The poem Carmun, from the Metrichal Dindshencha [ Sky, Land & Sea]
And of Course many many more can be found, how you interpreted their importance is up to the Reader.

4) The Triads.
>>The use of the triad form (arrangement into threes) to encapsulate certain ideas is neither distinctively Irish nor Celtic, but can be widely attested in many societies over the world, in part owing to its usefulness as a mnemonic device. It does appear to be particularly popular in the literatures of Celtic-speaking areas, one notable other example being the later Welsh collection Trioedd Ynys Prydein ("Triads of the Isle of Britain").<<
Ref. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triads_of_Ireland)

Wisdom saying in three parts:
Ref. (http://www.egreenway.com/druids/triads.htm)

Druid Speak:
Ref.(http://thedruidking.blogspot.com/2013/03/ds-or-druid-speak.html)

Three sided Celtic symbols:
>>Triquetra (/traɪˈkwɛtrə/; Latin tri- "three" and quetrus"cornered") originally meant "triangle" and was used to refer to various three-cornered shapes. It has come to refer exclusively to a particular more complicated shape formed of three vesicae piscis, sometimes with an added circle in or around it. Also known as a "trinity knot", the design is used as a religious symbol adapted from ancient Celtic images by Christianity. <<Ref.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triquetra)


THE FOUR'S:

1)  The Four  Cites and Four Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann:

In the Mythological Cycle of early Irish literature, the four treasures (or jewels) of the Tuatha Dé Danann are four magical items which the mythological Tuatha Dé Danann are supposed to have brought with them from the four island cities when they arrived in Ireland.

a) The Four Cities:

Murias
Falias
Gorias
Findias

b) The Four Treasures:
The Tuatha Dé Danann brought four magical treasures with them to Ireland, one apiece from their Four Cities.

The Dagda's Cauldron
The Spear of Lugh
The Stone of Fal
The Sword of Light of Nuada

So here we have Four ancient and (lost) Islands, each with a very High Technology City of the Gods.
Is this so different from the Four Guardians and the Four Watchtowers, or Lamps of the Art?

Along with Four Treasures. Are these not fit to be represented in our rituals and by the tools on the Druidic Altar?

Other Terms:::

D::

Draíocht - One of the three primary arts, the word is used to refer to what we would now called "magick" (in both the simple and the ritual sense). It means "the use of powers to effect ends." Spell-casting, the use of evocations and invocations, the practice of chanting, circle dancing (intended to bring about a particular end) and other arts are all considered disciplines of draíocht.  http://www.isisbooks.com/celtic-springs.asp

S::

Seanchas (I) > In the Gaelic language ‘senchus’ (pronounced shen-uh-kuhs) means “history”

T::

Tuatha Dé Danann:

The Tuath(a) Dé Danann (usually translated as "people(s)/tribe(s) of the goddess Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"),

Ref. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuatha_D%C3%A9_Danann)

For more terms details see:
http://hoodoo-vodou-druido-grove.blogspot.com/2014/03/old-irish-terms-i-have-used.html


For a my study of the Fives see:
http://hoodoo-vodou-druido-grove.blogspot.com/2014/05/penta-pentacle-pentagram.html


FYI:
I myself make use of The Three Realms, The Four compass points (Lamps of the Art, Compass Points, Guardians, Watchtowers, call of Quarter. Circles, Squares and Rectangles for Nemetonic Spaces and Altars plus the Five's,  Pentacles and Pentagrams and other references to Five..

Moon Rising

Babel Risen

TDK / The Druid King


P.S. ttThis is a living Blog and may be updated at any time with new data or fixing my endless typos.
04-20-16a

Use of a Ritual Blade in Altar Work.

The Seen and the Un-Seen can be Cut.

Is not the Altar the Portal between Life (here) and Death (Summelands / Astral)? 

As is not the Blade the ancient Key to unlock Death?
She / He that holds the Key of Death holds the Power of Life.
Can there be any stronger symbology .
TDK

Waking the Blessings Row Ritual

Walking the Blessings Row:

This is a full moon cycle ritual, 28 days but can be shorted to one if need be or is not in a farming like homestead or area / tribe / community environment.

While I use Druidic Draíocht reference in this ritual, I will just say its source of inspiration  or authurity is, UPG /Awen and personal experiences with a large dose of understanding certain technical aspects of Draíocht or Magick (yes I use K version like the Great Beast A.C.) 

While I am writing this ritual for a group of people, you may just modify it for one family or single individual.

Background: Working the rows and walking the spaces between them brings visions back breaking work, plowing, seeding, hoeing, weeding and picking the scared blessing of food.

But I am proposing another kind of kinder walk, filled with love, healing and sharing with the land and crops to yet come up or to to better them, as the Blessing Walk can be in an any or many phases of the land and crops cycles.

TDK

The "Walking the Blessings Row Ritual"

1) The Finding:
If possible start on a full moon and have everyone seek out the best loom or topsoil that they can find each day till the start of new Moon.

2) The Gathering:
On the start of New Moon if Possible. Gatherer a hand full  or perhaps quart or so (depends or size of area to be blesses and number of people helping) of

the best loom /soil or finished output of mulching pile. If urban a bag of best top soil will do and take a bit out each night.

*( Not fertilizer), if using store bought open bag and if you can leave outside to gather Sun , Moon and Rain for you Loom / Top Soil source.

*( From here on gathered / Loom / Top Soil will be refereed to as the "Offering"

This process should continue till night of New Moon.

3) Each family / individual should have a container big enough to get your hands in it and mix offering. This should be keep inside home or outside with a good cover / lid.

4) For first have of 28 day cycle (if using full Moon cycle) otherwise, it can be reduced to say three days before full Moon.

4a) Each night you will add more soil / loom to offering, mix with hands and Bless, drain days's energy into it via your hands into offering. (yes they will get dirty).

4b) Each morning again using hands bless and give the collected offering the feeling of Morning Sun on happy Sun gathering plants.

4c) Each night give the energy of Moon and happy plant growth pushing up from its roots to get the day's Sun coming soon.

5) The Gathering:
On the night before the Full Moon, all the Offerings should be brought to one place and mixed together again with energy blessing and LOVE.

6) The Blessing Row Walk. While this will vary widely depending of size of area to be blessed and number of  people doing blessing.

6a) Bring whole Mixed Offering to Field to be blessed (or your garden area or just pots).

6b) Have all there Give a final blessing to the Offering, either in a group lead circle around it or each coming up and touching it giving their own blessing (Verbal or  Silent).

7) The Casting:
Have each person take a coup / basket or bag of the offering. And with eldest first to youngest last. Form a line and start the Blessings Row Walk. The first in line will cast out little by little their share of the offering (remember this is not like a Fertilizer but a Energizer, so a little goes a long way. When the caster at head of line is out, they should slip back to ehe end or back to start (to rest if needed). And the next person takes over casting out their share of the offering, till the whole field or area is done.



References::

Blessing Energies:
Here refer to various visualizations and one's own "Soul - Lifeforce / Draíocht / Chi - collected Prana Energies"
Chi:Is a Chinese word meaning aliveness, life forceenergy or life breath. - also known as Ki, Qi or Prana. The Definition of Chi: "Theories of traditional Chinese medicine assert that the body has natural patterns of qi associated with it that circulate in channels called meridians in English.
Draíocht: One of the three primary {Druidic} arts, the word is used to refer to what we would now called "magick" (in both the simple and the ritual sense). It means "the use of powers to effect ends." Spell-casting, the use of evocations and invocations, the practice of chanting, circle dancing (intended to bring about a particular end) and other arts are all considered disciplines of draíocht. 

Gods and Goddess:
Honoring or Invoking none any, I leave up to you. Remember the Offering is charged with your own Life Energies already.

Singing and Chants:
These I leave up to you and your own ways and what you are growing in the fields or gardens.