Henge of Keltria

12/21/2025

Wishing all a blessed, happy, and prosperous Solstice Season.

03/21/2025

Happy Equinox to all.

03/14/2025

Last night's Blood Moon.

02/25/2025

Book Review: The Lost Book of the Grail: The Sevenfold Path of the Grail and the Restoration of the Faery Accord, by Caitlín & John Matthews, Inner Traditions, 2019.

Reviewed by Karl Schlotterbeck, ArchDruid Emeritus.

I found this an excellent book to help bring some order into the chaos of various renditions of Grail stories that have often confused me; and it includes a new translation of a 13th-century text of The Elucidation of the Grail.
The Matthews trace historical appearances of mentions of the Grail and differentiate two strains of the legends. One of these myth lines is the Christianized version of the cup that was used in the Last Supper and that caught the blood of the dying Christ and was carried by Joseph of Arimathea to England, along with the lance. The other myth line denotes the cup as a vessel of hospitality from a time when each well was seen to have its spirit attendant. Visitors to the well were served marvelous things from the cup brought to them by a female spirit there. This was a part of the “Faery Accord” during the time when humanity and the People of the Sidh were on good terms. This cup was a “vessel that joins people of different dispositions into a state of accord and unity.”
They suggest that the Lance also has its double life, serving the Christian motif as the weapon that pierced the side of the dying Christ/God, as well as a Faery weapon that could kill or heal (as in the club of the Dagda).
A third layer looks at the grail, lance, platter and sword in one of the grail processions as related to the Hallows given to humankind by the Tuatha de Danann or Faery Folk.
The wasteland (parallel to the “fall from grace” narrative), often presented as caused by the wounded king, finds another version in being caused by wounding of maidens who are Agents of the Goddess of Sovereignty. In the latter version, the Faery Accord is broken when one of the kings takes for himself one of these maidens, thus dishonoring his (and humanity’s) relationship with the Faery Folk.
We see, too, that the Grail Quest in earlier versions was for the healing of the land – a collective task for a collective healing.
One of the significant distinctions made between the Christianized Grail story of redemption and that of the more primally Celtic is that the latter shows that healing and wounding occur in cycles: the Grail can be seen, lost and found again if we remember to ask the questions that restore the accord between humanity and the Otherworld.
This brief review hardly does justice to the many nuances of this book, but I hope it fairly represents some of the highlights.

I can easily recommend this work from the fruitful pens and keyboards of the Matthews. It was released in August 2019.

02/05/2025

Last week's Imbolc fire.

11/03/2024

We mark the passing of Amy "Naomi" Heiser. We've known Amy (also known as Naomi) as courageous in the many struggles of her life, inspiring in her love for her husband, valiant in the face of her battle with cancer, untiring in her search for truth, persistent in seeking ways to heal others, fearless in the face of her mortality, and carrying a radiance that buoyed the spirits of others. Open to exploring the world beyond ordinary boundaries, she has now crossed another boundary. May her journey be smooth, her memories treasured, and her friends and family comforted as she walks among her ancestors.
Her obituary can be found at:
https://www.newcomergreenbay.com/obituaries/dr-amy-heiser?fbclid=IwY2xjawGTXXlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHcX-SqHGQkO3SUTYCVeY2YVwhTsMQcnKcTAu4E50pxV3DvdeoVklLnAM1w_aem_eML_F5z4CgKWX6KjSYq8xw&sfnsn=mo

View Dr. Amy Heiser's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

09/19/2024

08/01/2024

Happy Lughnasadh to all the Celtophiles out there.

05/02/2024

Happy Beltane/May Day to All.
My mother circa 1930.

12/22/2023

Something I wrote at the Solstice of 2005:

Shining in the Shadows

Trees stand naked against the wind.
They’ve drawn their life deep within,
But still they stand in the open air –
Remind us that they’re always there.

Winds blow bold,
The night comes fast.
Sun shines cold,
The night sky vast.

It’s waiting that makes the night seem long.
Surrender to the dark and offer up your song.
Enter the mystery and resolve to know
What the night and dark would gladly show.

There’s a light that’s hid
In the dark of night –
A shining in the shadows.
The open-heart’s glow must show the way
Through the deepest night and brightest day.

We learn in the dark
Again and again:
The truest star
Shines within.

12/21/2023

This year's Solstice fire.