Celtic nations like Ireland and Scotland have more in common with the Portuguese and Spanish than with “Celts” — the name commonly used for a group of people from ancient Alpine Europe, scientists say. (
Genetic studies hint at unexpected origins of clans)
When I found my way to the Goddess and fell in love with Her, I started exploring what a Goddess Spirituality or Goddess Religion might be like, and assumed I'd find rich and relevant information by exploring ancient cults, cultures and cosmologies associated with historical goddesses.
Like most of us, my introduction to Goddess was through neopaganism, Wicca, "the Craft," contemporary witchcraft. So in addition to exploring ancient and near-ancient myths and practices, there were the contemporary traditions to sort through and then some thinking to do about their roots in western occultism (derived from Jewish, Christian, and Egyptian cosmologies and practices -- Kaballah, alchemy, ceremonial magic).
Truthfully, I'm still wading through all of this and probably will be doing so until my eyes and brain cells give out. Fertile ground for a seeker.
Somewhere along the line, I became interested in the
"celtic" roots of neopaganism, and in my own "Celtic" heritage. More confusion. Consider:
Celtic identity is a chronically vague and indefinable concept, but also one of special importance at the present stage in our history. (It is) a subject of profound uncertainty and over-heated debate amongst both the public at large and academic specialists. (
The Celtic Languages and Cultural Identity: A Multidsiciplinary Synthesis)
The idea of a Pan-European Celtic culture is a myth; rather, aspects of art and technology were shared over wide areas among diverse cultures. (
The Carnyx)
During the 19th century, nationalist groups in Great Britain and France took on the mantle of 'Celtic' culture as a way to unify their various movements and to identify themselves with a unique and proud history. A mythology of 'Celtic' tradition was particularly popular in Victorian England...Much of what we now think of as 'Celtic' is a creation of 19th-century romanticism -- and almost nothing in our popular image of Welsh and Irish culture can be directly traced back to the culture of the Celts who fought Julius Caesar back in the 1st century BC. (
Celtic)
Hmmm. More sorting to do on the Celtic thing. I hope I live long enough to see how genetic studies reshape our thinking about our cultural origins. Fascinating stuff!
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