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Crom agus Earrach, Crom and Spring Equinox

15/3/2023

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The spring time of equal day and night for 2023 is closest to exact on the 18th of March. Sun rise is at 6:33am and 91* East of North. In the Dublin region the alignment of the Sun over the dormant volcano on Lambay Island lines up with the temples on Summerhill and Knockastia (just south of Uisneach). There are many temples aligned with the Sunrise on this day and the most famous is Knowth, close to Newgrange.
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If you could stand on the Hill of Tara for the Sunrise on the 18 of March this year you could use the image below with a compass to determine where the Sun will rise, where the Sun will be at High Noon (true midday) and where the Sun will set. But it is only at true midnight that Crom, our flying Water Dragon will be in the Sky blessing the land.
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The chart below shows the source material for these calculations. Look closely and see the difference in the 'Daylenght' on the 17th and 19th with regards to the 18th. It is by adding 12 hours to the midday calculation of when the Sun is due south or High Noon that we can calculate the exact mid-night, which as you will notice is not 12:00 but 00:34.
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There really is a Starman waiting in the Sky... In the graphic below you can see where the star group named 'Starman' appears in the sky shown in yellow. At the Spring Equinox the 'Starman' crosses both the horizon and the Milky Wayas it pssses over the tail of Crom... "He'd like to come and meet us but he thinks he'd blow our minds"...
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At Rathra, a little known but huge 4 ring temple near Castlerea close to the Celtic Druid Temple in north Co. Roscommon - Niamh captured the image below of the Sun setting over the holy mountain Croagh Crom. We watch the Sun sets from Rathra every equinox and as the next images show there is a fantastic alignment of over 60 miles from Croagh Crom to Rathra when the equinox Sun sets in the west.
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You can see from the above 'best' selection of images that clouds or no clouds is what give us the chance to capture the glorious moments as the Sun sets behind a pyramid shaped mountain over 60 miles / 100 km away. It started for us on a divining worksop on Rathra and since then we try to get the alignment photo that proves the exact Earrach choice of Rathra's location.


The graphic below shows Crom at true mid night as if seen from the Hill of Tara. Crom is by far the biggest of all star constellations but it is also made of dim stars so a dark night without Moon light or clouds is required to see it. Called Hydra else where for us it is the flying Water Dragon. Here you can see its links to Asian Dragons in that it too chases the bright ball or pearl through the night sky. Procyon is the bright star of Canis Minor (little dog) and rises with Crom long before Canis Major (big dog) Sirius or Bran in the Fionn tradition. Crom's lowest star that touches the Earth is its birth organ and Crom blesses the land from Earrach to Fomhar every night at true mid night. If you see Crom during this time - just say "Crom Abú".


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Happy Earrach / Spring Equinox to everyone - never mind the clocks getting changed - the days get longer and Nature wakes up and food crops grow. May more of us wake up and grow too.
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Happy Crom Day!

6/3/2023

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Our newsletter has just been sent to our members and friends. The Druí of Celtic Druid Temple will celebrate the Full Moon with ceremony this Tuesday the 7th of March at 8pm on Tara Co. Meath, at Temple Crom, Co. Roscommon and at 7pm in Vienna, Austria. We'll also be celebrating Crom day on the 18th of March and we'll be celebrating 20 years of Celtic Druid Temple on the 25th. The Summer School for Lughnasa is taking shape, this and lots more at the link:
https://mailchi.mp/47ba73f99e7f/happycromday
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Church story of necromancy and Ogham on Yew wood....

9/2/2023

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Image - European Yew taxus baccata with story from from page 18 in "Your Celtic Path a seekers guide".

In ‘Baile in Scáil’ (The Phantom’s Frenzy) we have another church story in which the High King (Conn of the Hundred Battles) is visited by the god Lugh (Lugh had passed over by about 1000 years or more, so this is necromancy - manifesting the spirits of the dead for purposes of magically revealing the future or influencing the course of events!). Lugh recites a poem telling the names and deeds of all the future Kings of Ireland, from Conn himself to the end of time. Lugh’s poem is so long that Conn's Druids write it down in Ogham on four rods of yew wood.

These four rods are eight-sided and twenty-four feet long. That was a very long poem to be carved into 768 foot (234m) of Yew which has an unpredictable grain pattern. Was such a thing even possible? At just 4 Ogham symbols per foot it is over 3072 Ogham  symbols long. How many king names were recorded? Yew is a tough, flexible, toxic wood with lots of little pin knots in it that make it difficult to carve straight lines such as 3,000+ Ogham symbols. It is simply not believable that 768 foot (234m) of Yew was craved with Ogham symbols, just like the necromancy of Lugh being brought to ‘life’ to tell Conn about a king list...

But if such a poem was recorded on Yew wood in Ogham it implies many interesting things - that this Ogham poem of a ‘future king list’ was intended to be kept somewhere safe, that Druids were used to recording long poems and essays in Ogham on wood and that because Conn died in 157CE at Tara and is buried at Tara we see a continuity of use of Ogham from the Bronze Age into the Iron Age! This implies that the Druids of the Tuatha De Dannan used Ogham (because Ogma invented it) and that Ogham was still in use by the Druids of the Iron Age in 157CE!

Exerpt from the Book - "Your Celtic Path a seekers guide" now available at https://www.celticdruidtemple.com/ogamnua-book.html

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Moonthly newsletter

3/1/2023

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Full Moon Ceremony, Imbolg gathering, Brigid's cross making, Tree planting, Indigenous Summer School, OgamNua Belts, Afternoon Tours, Weekend of Celtic Spirituality and more in this moonth's newsletter read it in full at the following link: https://mailchi.mp/9e275aadf675/happyfullmoon-20246322
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A simple Logcabin Concept

28/12/2022

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Logcabin Concept
A 500sqft logcabin concept I sketched in 2005. This was a simple design that was based on the abundance of 12" diameter sitka spruce logs less than 20' long (30cm x 6m). There is a huge abundance of these logs all over Ireland and there is lots of machinery to cut and trim, haul and to transport them to every part of our country.

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Moderate skills and basic chainsaw ability combined with physical strength of 4 adults was what I reckoned as the workforce needs. The lifting of these logs into the final position was to be done by a simple tripod of logs with a pulley wheel and rope. Knowing that these Irish logs would shrink was not a problem as they would all shrink the same amount and stay together because of notched jointing and gravity.

Constructing the outer walls and roofing logs that create the basic structure was estimated at 3 weeks. Internal dividing walls would be from shop bought timber. A sod or earth roof was to be cut from the footprint of the hut as 100mm (4") thick of sod or earth and this would sit on fish netting to prevent slippage. Under this was butyl rubber over geotextile membrane all sitting on treated decking. Stainless steel chains were to be used as simple drains for the roof runoff during the rains = a very solid durable roof.
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Double glazed windows in hardwood frames was a nod to luxury and would be bought pre-assembled and fitted as the walls were raised. Traditional tongue and groove flooring would hide the underfloor heating system that was to be powered by a simple wood burning stove with a wrap around hot water jacket. As the stove pipe is inside the house it can be a single wall pipe giving heat to the air, it would become a twin wall stainless steel pipe as it exits the roof.

A bedroom, a pc room and a full bathroom with whb and wc takes 300 sqft of floor area while the living room and kitchen gets 200sqft approx. The loft or attic area is described as storage and would have the water service tanks and hot water cylinder, and of course boxes of "stuff". As standard circulating pumps have limited capacity in relation to the length of 1/2" (15mm) pipework that they can get hot water through without wearing out too quickly I envisaged 2 circuits - and inner spiral of approx 200' long and a perimeter spiral of about 200' long as well. All waste water was to go to a simple basic 2 chamber tank before feeding into a 4sq yard of a reedbed system.

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I  share this idea now because I just found these pictures on my computer - all saved in the wrong file... I was looking for something very different but on finding 'my logcabin plan' I reckoned that some people might find inspiration from it. Use and modify freely if it helps.

At the same time, I draw your attention to two things -
1) the current housing crisis in Ireland. This has been engineered by a greedy corrupt political class because it profits them as landlords. It is part of their war on the people of the land.
2) the vast amount of processed logs produced in Ireland every year is unbelievable - most of it becomes pulp or chips for export under the blind eyes of the state forest company Coillte. The logs are standing, the people are needy and the solution is not too difficult but we cannot expect those who profit from wrongdoing to put things right. If you build a 'temporary' wood hut you can refer to it as a 'forest ranger hut' or if you have stock (cows, sheep, horses, even donkeys) on land you own then you have aright to build a hut to look after their needs.

Your truth is so important - their system will deny (fluoridated) drinking water and waste water treatment services to you unless you have planning permission. This is yet another scam - if you ask for any permission the system will not say 'yes' as it makes money off you when they repeatedly say 'no'. Compost all personal and domestic waste and plant trees, harvest rainwater and stream water and filter it through quartz sand and charcoal and boiling. Build your forester's hut or stockkeeper's hut away from the sight of public roads, be nice to your neighbours, respect the land and enjoy every step of the path.
Con
Dec 2022

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December Full Moon Ceremony and newsletter

8/12/2022

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The Druí of Celtic Druid Temple will celebrate the Full Moon with ceremony this Thursday the 8th of December at 8pm on Tara Co. Meath, at Temple Crom, Co. Roscommon and at 7pm in Vienna, Austria. You can read more about joining our Full Moon ceremony on our website here There is lots happening this moonth.The Ursid, Hydrids and Geminid Meteor showers are all taking place, the Moon is full and its occulting Mars, and the winter solstice will take place on the 21st.....read our full newsletter at the link below:

https://mailchi.mp/2ce4fd9a15d0/happyfullmoon
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First Full Moon of the Celtic New Year and it's eclipsed!

7/11/2022

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Our newsletter is now live. The Druí of Celtic Druid Temple will celebrate the 1st Full Moon of the Celtic New Year with ceremony this Tuesday the 8th of November at 8pm on Tara Co. Meath, at Temple Crom, Co. Roscommon and at 7pm in Vienna, Austria and for a large segment of the earth there will be a visible total lunar eclipse....read about this and our other activites in this month's newsletter at the following link: https://mailchi.mp/baab4f921aef/happy-celtic-new-year-20205598
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Sun Samhain calculations 2022

31/10/2022

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We get regular questions about how we calculate the timing for the Celtic New Year and for Sun Samhain. The method to determine the Celtic New Year is when the Sun sets with the Dark Moon of Samhain. Scroll back here on fb to read more on this.
Sun Samhain (pics below of 2020, 2021 and 2022) is when the Sun sets with the heliacal setting of one of the 4 royal stars called Antares in Scorpio, we call this star Tlachtga. Tlachtga sets below the western horizon shortly after sunset. This is the last visible setting of the star until next year. This is the "heliacal setting" when the star is at 3* above the horizon and sets after sunset when the Sun is already 7* below ie far enough below the horizon to let the star become visible just before setting. The angle of the star to the horizon enlarges it to make it seem bigger but only for a few seconds - a wink if you like.

Interpolation is a mathematical technique used by those who want to escape the commercial church calendar but have not enough knowledge or awareness of the obvious links of the Eightfold Year to the Zodiac and its four bright stars. This is far too detailed for fb but is a part of our online course at https://www.celticdruidtemple.com/druidschool.html

This year Sun Samhain is on the 2nd of November. Watch out for the bandits who use the catholic calendar and call halloween 'Samhain' and for the interpolators who say Samhain is when the Sun is at 15* of Scorpio because they calculated it with a slide rule and a catholic calendar... Note - there is no visible star at 15* of Scorpio while one of the 4 brightest stars of the Zodiac shines very brightly but briefly on the 2nd of November just after the Sun has set! Do you reckon our ancestors used slide rules, mathematics and calendars that did not exist back then to time their celebrations for the Eightfold Year or do you reckon they looked to the Realm of Sky???

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A very special Celtic New Year 25 Oct 22

17/10/2022

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On the 25th of October 2022 we have a very special event because at the setting of the Sun there is an incredible alignment with the sun, mercury, venus and the dark moon just as one of the 4 the royal stars has its heliacal setting. This is the end and start of the Celtic New Year here in Ireland.

To put this fully into perspective it is important for us to know a few things first. This is not a catholic calendar event and it is not an interpolated or mathematically calculated event - this is like what our ancestors saw in the Realm of Sky and used to determine the end and start of their year. Our ancestors saw the start of the day/night cycle as beginning when the Sun would set. Our ancestors also saw the Celtic New Year start when the Sun and the Dark Moon aligned on the day/night that the star Antares (we call Tlachtga) had its heliacal setting. Antares is one of the 4 brightest stars in the belt of the zodiac and these 4 stars form an equal arm cross as part of the eight fold year. All part of the homestudy course details here.

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Breaking the above down - Dark Moon = there is a night every moonth when we get to see the last crescent of the Moon and there is also a night two nights later when we get to see the first crescent of the Moon, in-between the last and first crescent we get the Dark Moon, shown as )o( with the circle in black. It is not 'no Moon' it is simply that there is no sunlight reflected to us here on Earth because the Moon is directly in between the Earth and the Sun. So on the nights of the Dark Moons we know that the Earth has the Moon between it and the Sun, on the full Moon however - the Earth is between the Moon and the Sun which fully illuminates the Moon and we get to see it as the Full Moon.

Heliacal setting is an important magical thing that happens at dusk, the special time that is not day and not night, a liminal space where things change in the skies and here on Earth too - the birdsong stops, the temperature drops and we button up our coats... When the Sun has gone over 5* below the horizon and we cannot see it but its beams of light brighten the under cloud space and the royal star Antares (we call Tlachtga) gets to 3* or just above the horizon a special magic happens because the brightness of Tlachtga escapes the glare of the Sun and shines its own light through to us. It is a brief event but it is spectacular! The curvature of the atmosphere (meaning vapour ball) magnifies this and enlarges the star even more so it seems to get bigger as it shines its light to us before it too goes into the underworld. This is a 'unaided eye' visual experience that happens ever year even if cloud cover hides it from us. Recap - the Sun sets with the Dark Moon inside its inner circle and shortly after this the royal star becomes visible and gets bigger before it too goes into the underworld. But this Celtic New Year is even more fantastic than usual because the fast moving planets Mercury and Venus are also between the Sun and Earth as they set with the Dark Moon! That is two planets: Mercury and Venus with the Moon setting inside the Sun's circle and shortly afterwards the royal star Tlachtga gets brighter and bigger shining its own light briefly to us here on the third rock from the Sun before it too goes to the underworld.

Look south west at dusk, choose a high place with little or no light pollution, wrap up with a warm coat, scarf and hat and honour the Celtic New Year just as our ancestors did. Remember, if you are in the right place at the right time looking in the right direction calling on the right energy then maybe, just maybe there is a chance you could be heard.

Happy Celtic New Year to everyone on a Celtic Path.

/i\ Con 17/10/2022.
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Happy Celtic New Year!

7/10/2022

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Our newsletter is now live, included in this moonth is an invitation to our full moon ceremony on the 9th and information about our upcoming samhain celebrations including how we time our celebrations with the Moon the Sun and a star called Tlachtga. Con has also made a video about his new book....the full newsletter is in the link:
https://mailchi.mp/b7e45cd52966/happy-celtic-new-year

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    Niamh and Con are founding members of Celtic Druid Temple and walk the path of Celtic Druids in Roscommon, Eire.

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