Celtic Symbols, Knotwork, Music & Magic

symbology ~ books ~ Tarot & Divination Cards ~ cds

celtic knots

Ancient Celtic art was full of interlacing patterns, elaborate knotwork, spirals, animal forms and zoomorphics. The Celts lived close to the natural world but also had a strong spiritual sense. The Celts believed in the "oneness" of nature and that nature had the ability to transform itself on all levels of existance. Typical Celtic designs have a flowing, interconnected quality, from "endless knots" to spirals to zoomorphic animal designs in which body parts of a single animal or multiple animals are joined together in graceful knot-like configurations.

Celtic Knotwork
The intricate weave and flow of Celtic knotwork symbolizes the endless flow of the life force through the cosmos through birth, death and rebirth and the interconnectedness of all things.

Triquetra
The triquetra (pronounced try-KET-ra, Latin for "three cornered") is a Celtic knot with a triangular design symbolizing all trinities including the Triple Goddess (Maiden, Mother & Crone); the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth, and the realms of Air, Earth and Sea which, to the ancient Celts, represented the entire Universe. To Christians, the triquetra has been used to symbolize the Holy Trinity (Father, Son & Holy Ghost) In fact, many cultures and religions have considered the number three to be holy or divine for millenia. A symbol of three interlocking circles looking somewhat like a three-leaf clover without out stem has been found on religious statues in India that were made 5000 years ago.

zoomorphic lion Zoomorphics
These are animal images that are twisted upon themselves, with tails ears and body parts weaving in and out of other parts, much like regular knotwork interlace. triskele Celtic spiral symbol Triskele (Celtic Spiral)
The spiral is an ancient symbol reflecting the universal pattern of growth and evolution. The spiral pattern appears again and again in the natural world from the milky way galaxy to snail shells. The living spiral does not begin or end, it is an ongoing process of innocence, discovery, community, and the essence that connects all things. A common Celtic spiral type pattern is the Triskele representing to the ancient Celts, the triad of Sky/Earth/Sea and/or Triple Gods/Goddesses and to Christians, the Holy Trinity.

celtic knots

Books: Celtic Art & Design

Celtic Design: Knotwork
The Secret Method of the Scribes
by Aidan Meehan

101 Celtic Knotwork Designs
by Courtney Davis

How To Draw Celtic Knotwork: A Practical Handbook
by Andy Sloss

Celtic Knotwork Designs
by Sheila Sturrock

Celtic Designs for Artists and Craftspeople CD-ROM and Book
Dover Electronic Clip Art Collection

Celtic Art: From Its Beginnings to the Book of Kells
by Ruth Megaw & Vincent Megaw

A Celtic Life: Pathworking, Traditions & Magic

Celtic Book of the Dead
boxed set: cards, book & spread cloth with Celtic symbols
A Guide for Your Voyage to the Celtic Otherworld
by Caitlin Matthews

The Celtic Tree Oracle: A System of Divination
boxed set: cards & book
by Colin Murray

The Celtic Wisdom Tarot Cards: Book and Deck
by Caitlin Matthews

The Celtic Dragon Tarot
by D. J. Conway & Lisa Hunt

Druid Animal Oracle Cards with Book
by Philip Carr-gomm

The Spiral of Memory and Belonging
A Celtic Path of Soul and Kinship
by Frank Henderson Maceowen

The Encyclopaedia of Celtic Myth and Legend
A Definitive Sourcebook of Magic, Vision, and Lore
by John Matthews, Caitlin Matthews

The Mist-Filled Path
Celtic Wisdom for Exiles, Wanderers, and Seekers
by Frank Henderson Maceowen & Tom Cowan

Druid Magic: The Practice of Celtic Wisdom
by Maya Magee Sutton & Nicholas R. Mann

Celtic Traditions: Druids, Faeries, and Wiccan Rituals
by Sirona Knight

Clan of the Goddess: Celtic Wisdom and Ritual for Women
by C. C. Brondwin

The Lore of the Bard: A Guide to the Celtic and Druid Mysteries
by Arthur Rowan

Celtic Music

Celtic Twilight Volume 1
The first Celtic Twilight CD combines traditional Celtic whistles, acoustic strings, and bagpipes with contemporary keyboards. Gentle, lilting and romantic, these songs are the music of the ocean and rolling green hills, of that magical pink-sky time of evening when the lines between myth and reality blur in a most pleasing fashion. This collection of 14 pieces includes songs from some of the best Celtic-inspired musicians around including Loreena McKennitt, Bill Douglas, Jane Grimes, Steven McDonald, Mychael Danna, John Boswell and Alasdair Fraser. Also check out Volume 3: Lullabies, Volume 4: Celtic Planet There are also some nice songs on Volumes 2 & 5, but for me they don't hold together as well as the others.

Loreena McKennitt CDs The Book of Secrets is the latest studio CD by Loreena McKennitt. If you saw the The Mists of Avalon miniseries you heard some of Loreena's hypnotically beautiful music. Loreena has been making Celtic inspired musical magic since her first album Elemental in 1985, a combination of traditional Celtic folk songs & classic romantic poems by W.B. Yeats and William Blake set to her own original music. Parallel Dreams features unique rhythms blending Celtic with Native American styles & a lot of original material while remaining true to the sound & feel of traditional Celtic music. The Visit blends traditional tunes with even more original compositions and also adds a mysterious middle eastern sound to the mix; the ancient Celts probably started from as far away as India before being driven to the western margins of Europe in the British Isles. And the best way to describe The Mask and the Mirror is to say it reminds me of a magical Renaissance Faire :-)

celtic band from Titanic Gaelic Storm
Remember the music that was playing during the steerage party in Titanic? That was Gaelic Storm, who on their self-titled debut present an engaging mix of traditional music, dance music, and songs, all performed with infectuous energy and enthusiasm. (They landed the movie part while still drinking pints and playing weekly at O'Brien's, a pub in their adopted home-town of Santa Monica, California.) Just try to NOT get up and dance to this music...or hoot and and howl and stomp your feet loudly in between gulps of Guinness :-) Their follow up CDs, Herding Cats, Tree and How Are We Getting Home are excellent too.


Celtic Music: A Complete Guide
by June Skinner Sawyers

Gypsy and Celtic-inspired jewelry, including Charmed Triquetra Designs
Gypsy Cat Jewelry

celtic knots




Thanks to AON for the first Celtic knot illustration & zoomorph