The Mystical Powers of Celtic Magic

What is Unique About Celtic Magic?

Everyone wants more magic in their life, right? Well, I know I do and I’m pretty sure you do, or you wouldn’t be reading this.

So that makes me wonder how we can invite more magic into our lives in ways that really make a difference. According to the oft repeated quote from Dion Fortune, “Magic is the art of changing consciousness at will.”

I like that definition. It means we always have the power to magically transform our lives by intentionally shifting our consciousness. It’s pretty much the same thing Abraham-Hicks tells us. Whatever we focus on is drawn to us — or to put it another way, whatever we focus on IS our experience.

Out of the infinite possibilities around us, we get to sift through and pick the things that are most important to us. Unfortunately, until we learn better, we may tend to pick the most threatening or painful things to focus on. Apparently, our brains are wired that way for self preservation.

However, we can change the way our brains work by intentionally choosing to pay attention to things we appreciate and enjoy.

The more we focus on the wonderful things, the uplifting feelings, the positive experiences, and all that good stuff, the more the neural pathways in our brains will lead us to recognize those positive things.

Even in the worst of times, there is always something we can find to admire, appreciate or enjoy. Make that a habit and your life will become magical. You will be changing your consciousness at will.

But what does any of that have to do with the Celts?

Before we can understand the magical practices of our Celtic ancestors, it is important to have an idea of who they were and how magic was woven into their culture.

Though most people today seem to think of Ireland or Scotland when they hear about the Celts, Celtic origins can actually be traced back to the late Bronze Age, around 1200 BC, in Central Europe’s Danube river valley.

Celtic culture flourished there and expanded over the centuries. By 500 BC, Celtic tribes had settled across a vast area spanning from present-day Turkey through Germany, France and Spain, to the the United Kingdom and Ireland. This period is considered the pinnacle of Celtic art and culture, and Celtic influence was felt across most of Europe.

It was during these significant migrations and cultural exchanges that Celtic art, language, and traditions, including Celtic magic, began to take root and flourish in different regions.

The migration of the Celts gradually slowed with the expansion of the Roman Empire. In regions like Gaul (modern-day France), Celtic tribes were either assimilated into Roman culture or pushed to less accessible areas like the highlands of Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Here, in these remote regions, the Celtic culture, language, and traditions survived, evolving over time and continuing to influence our modern societies all over the world.

Focusing on Celtic Magic

Known for its potent connection with the natural world and the elements, Celtic magic is both an intriguing historical phenomenon and a living practice influencing many of today’s magical traditions.

In the Celtic world, magic wasn’t just for Druids, magi and witches. Even for the common folk, the world was full of enchantment, where every tree, river, or stone held a spirit and every action held the potential for magic. This strong connection with Nature became a foundational principle of Celtic magic.

Druids were the leading practitioners of Celtic magic, often serving as priests, judges, scholars, and teachers. Despite the absence of written Druidic records — for their knowledge was only shared orally — historical accounts, such as those from Roman chroniclers, provide some insights into their practices. Apparently, their magic incorporated elements of divination, healing, and communication with the spirit realm.

One unique aspect of Celtic magic was the belief in the Otherworld, a parallel realm inhabited by deities, faeries and other supernatural beings that could also be accessed by living humans. In the Celtic consciousness, there is an expectation of interactions between the faery and human realms.

Though belief in the faery realm has been slowly eroded by modern intellectual concepts, there is still a cultural awareness of faeries and their realm that lingers on in the general population, particularly in Ireland, Scandinavia and the British Isles.

Liminal Places and Times

Celtic magic also revolved around sacred spaces or nemata (nemeton in the singular). Stone circles, wells, sacred groves, clearings in a forest and other natural formations were recognized as places of power, where the veil between the human world and the Otherworld was thin.

Of course, this wouldn’t be just any grove or well. There had to be a sacred feeling about it — a sense that the Otherworld was near. Rituals and ceremonies were often held at these sites to harness their energies, a practice reflected in many contemporary magical traditions.

Today these spaces might be called vortexes or power spots. Some of them are so potent that we can shift our consciousness just by walking into them. Be aware when you are out in Nature. Notice the “thin places.” To me they feel like stepping into a very old cathedral. There’s a sense of a hush or stillness in the air, and often a feeling that invisible beings are watching.

This feeling can also be found in the times between day and night, known as twilight, or at any spot where one thing becomes another. That is the feeling of touching the edge of the faery realm.

There is Magic in All of It!

Going back to the idea of changing consciousness at will, we can get a sense of the uniquely Celtic approach to magic. For the Celts, the sacred spaces were not temples, churches or elaborate cathedrals. Nature was the temple, especially the “thin places” in Nature where the Otherworld could be easily accessed.

Without that connection with the Otherworld, the magic of life would be lost. Theirs was not a religion intent on escaping earthly life, but rather it was focused on immersing oneself in life so thoroughly that there could be no separation. That is the magic that draws us even to this day.

We change our consciousness dramatically by consciously stepping into the liminal times and spaces of our reality to touch another reality that is actually not separate from our own. We remember our connection with life, with Nature and with our ancient cousins in the faery realm — and that changes who we are.

It’s magic!

And once we tap into that magic, our lives begin to change. Our sense of wonder grows and new possibilities open to us.

It doesn’t really matter if we know the “right” spells, incantations, or ancient rituals. The magic happens inside of us. It IS who we are. We just begin to remember it.

That is the gift of the Otherworld and the faeries. They live magic all the time and they want us to remember. We don’t have to live with limited beliefs, imposed rules, struggle and hardship. We can tap into magic just as the faeries do. That is the heart of Celtic magic and its enduring promise to us.

Though the Celts have now been scattered far and wide, the influence of their culture and of Celtic magic is far-reaching. Its echoes resonate in practices such as modern Wicca, Neo-Druidism, and various forms of witchcraft and pagan traditions. The respect for Nature, the belief in the power of symbols and words, and the reverence for Otherworld beings found in Celtic magic continue to shape how we view and engage with the world of the mystical.

Tap Into More Celtic Magic

If you have a thirst for real experiences of Celtic magic, come and join us in our exploration of the Faery Queen Guinevere, King Arthur and the magical kingdom of Camelot.

You will be immersed in the magic!

Learn more here

More upcoming events with Faehallows School of Magic