New video: Offerings in Gaelic Polytheism

Since our most recent video – A’ Ghealach Ùr (The New Moon) – which was released back in February, we’ve been working on a number of projects for the website and for future publication. We’ve had such great feedback from the videos we’ve been doing for the Gaol Naofa Youtube channel, though, that we decided it was high time for another one, so we’ve taken a short break from things to put together our newest video, titled Offerings in Gaelic Polytheism.

Offerings are an important part of our religious practice, and – in theory – they are also one of the most simple things a person can do to make the transition from someone who’s interested in Gaelic Polytheism, to someone who is a practising Gaelic Polytheist. Our latest video is intended to be a brief introduction to the subject, giving an idea of why we make offerings, and how we can go about making them:

If you want to find out more about the subject then one of our earliest publications here on the Gaol Naofa website, Offerings in Gaelic Polytheism, is well worth a read. The article has been expanded and revised over the years, and you can also read up on the historical and archaeological evidence over on the Tairis site along with a breakdown of different types of offerings that can be made. The video includes a prayer from one of our publications last year, our article on Children and Family in Gaelic Polytheism, which gives a simple overview of how to get started (whether you have kids or not!).

Wherever you are in the world, we believe it’s important that offerings should be made with respect to the local spirits. Offerings should not harm the environment or local wildlife, and we would urge careful consideration and contemplation about how your offering(s) may impact the local area. In recent times, this especially needs to be stressed when tying clooties or other things on trees. Although traditions evolve naturally over time, and the type of offerings that are being tied to trees are no exception, the increasingly common trend of tying non-biodegradable items (including, for some reason, things like iPhone cases and even nappies/diapers) tightly onto branches ends up stunting the tree’s growth or even killing them. The practice of leaving pennies or other coins worked into the tree trunks or natural cracks in stone is equally damaging. We believe that the Nature Spirits whom we honour will be better-disposed to you if you don’t harm their abodes and if the offering you make is truly something that honours, feeds, and beautifies the tree or sacred site instead of damaging it. Similarly, as much as we try to keep pets from getting at food offerings, there is always the risk of strays getting into them, and in many places wild animals commonly consume the offerings. Small amounts of human foods are usually not dangerous, but just to be on the safe side be aware of local wildlife, and familiarize yourself with what foods may be harmful if consumed by local animals.

As always, we hope you find the video useful! If there are any subjects you’d like us to cover in future, why not let us know on the Gaol Naofa Facebook page.

We leave you with this ‘Good Wish’, excerpted from the Carmina Gadelica #282, Dùrachd:

^{Photo credit: John McSporran, used under Creative Commons Licence.}

August 24, 2015

Samhain Video and Website Move

Samhain will soon be here, and we have released a new video for the occasion. The longest of our videos so far, this completes the cycle of Gaelic Fire Festivals on our festivals playlist. We have more in the works, of course, but those will come a bit later.

Our Samhain video has traditional music and poetry for the beginning of the dark half of the year, and for honouring the Cailleach, the Cailleachan, and the ancestors. Also suitable for Samhain is our video featuring the Prophecy of the Morrígan, which was first sung by the Badb on Samhain, after The Second Battle of Mag Tuired.

You may notice that we are now at gaolnaofa.org. We still have mirrored pages or redirects at our .com address, but as we are a not for profit organisation, the move to .org seemed overdue. Please forgive us for any odd formatting or difficulty finding content that may have happened during the move. Hopefully it is all straightened out now.

May the warmth of the Samhain sacred fires burn brightly, in our homes, hearts and communities. May the warmth of our bonds with one another sustain us through the coming winter. Thank you for joining us on this journey. Slàinte Mhath!

September 29, 2014

Youtube Update – New Videos

Following on from the launch of Gaol Naofa’s dedicated Youtube channel back in March, we are pleased to announce the addition of five new videos.

These videos continue the focus on festivals that our first two videos on St Patrick’s Day began, and we are ultimately aiming to cover the whole of the festival calendar. In contrast with Gaol Naofa’s more substantial publications, our aim with these videos is to offer a brief introduction to the subjects we’ll be covering, in this case giving an overview of some of the lore and traditions associated with the festivals, and giving an idea of how Gaelic Polytheists might celebrate. On this occasion we have:

• Lá Fhéile Bríde – Detailing the lore and traditions associated with the festival that marks the first flourish of Spring
• Là na Caillich – The Day of the Cailleach in Scotland, which falls on March 25th and marks the beginning of the Cailleach’s rest period, until she reawakens in winter
• Bealtaine – Focusing on the traditions and customs of the festival of Summer
• Midsummer: Áine and Grian – Introducing the Midsummer traditions in Ireland, and the issue of solar deities in Gaelic tradition
• Midsummer: Manannán mac Lir – Taking a look at the Midsummer tradition of “paying the rent to Manannán mac Lir, which originates on the Isle of Man

The release of these videos coincides with the Isle of Man’s national holiday, Tynwald Day, which was once a part of the island’s Midsummer celebrations. On this day, we wish you all the blessings of Manannán Beg mac y Leir.

Slaynt vie!

July 7, 2014