Cosmology
Why Bother with Cosmology?
We need to know our hearth culture's cosmology for the same reason we look at a map before going on a trip: To figure out how to get where we want to go! By knowing cosmology at least a little, we can connect to what we need to properly perform our Druid rituals. It gives us an idea of the Spiritual Geography we are participating in.
Spiritual Geography: The Physical spaces, spiritual realms, and architecture we inhabit with the corporeal and non-corporeal beings aroun us.
Cosmology
The Indo-European peoples have a shared cosmological root in the ancient I.E. 3 worlds model. This changed over time and geography and became distinct in each daughter culture such as the Celtic, Germanic, Slavic, and Vedic branches. The commonalities, however, allow us to harness these cosmologies in our rituals to connect us to all worlds which empowers our work and relationship with Kindreds.
In ritual, we call on the 3 gates to connect us to the 3 worlds of this model. The Fire is the gate of the upper world The Well is the gate of the lower world, The Cosmic Backbone is the gate to the middle world. These also have different forms based on the hearth culture. It may look radically different between an Irish ritual and a Hittite one for instance. The only common element that is required by ADF is the Fire which marks us as doing Indo-European Druidry.
Let's explore some Cosmology together!
Germanic Cosmology
Greek Cosmology
Celtic Cosmology
The broad idea of Celtic cosmology is that the cosmos is an interaction between the three forces of Sky, Sea, and Earth. In a three worlds model this corresponds to Upper World, Lower World, and Middle World respectively. This is often portrayed in modern Paganism by the Triskele symbol.