Question About Druidism & Symbol

[Mystie.Graves]

I saw someone post this image online...

https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/proje ... 97fa4a.png

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/56 ... ee7176.jpg

It supposedly is a symbol of a druid tree of life. I can't find much on this symbol. There are other "driud tree of life" symbols not like it & only a handful of this, but not much info that is clear about what it is, where it came from, etc...

Does anyone know about this, what it means in druidism & where (perhaps a link) I might be able to read more about it?

It kinda drew me in... Nothing major just, stood out to me. I'd like to find out why lol

=)

[Firebird]

I've never seen it before. It's pretty interesting.
A couple things come to kind though,
the square in the middle seems foundational and maybe indicating hearth and home. The here and now. The home and it's many rooms or the self and it's manys layers and the center where lies the sanctum sanctorum, the holiest of holies.
The top point looks like a wheel of the year which would be emphasis on the heavens and the eight solar stops. The worlds beyond.
The spiral on the bottom seems like the helix of life and we all must take that journey into death, into the earth, in order to be born again. The underworld quest.
There also seemed to be 2 cressents...as above so below? Goddess cups of life and death?
I'm going on memory, let me go look again .....
......
The bars across the main shaft are the barriers between the worlds, indicating we live in the tween place.
Course that's just my take.
Let us know if you find out more.
blessings,
Firebird

[SpiritTalker]

I think it's an artistic & totally modern emblem, drawing on familiar symbols of the three worlds. The spiral emblem for underground wells & serpent earth energy, the triple layered and Maze-quartered square is a mid-earth emblem, and crescent moon and sunburst obviously heavenly emblems. The concepts are Druidic, not the emblem specifically.

[Mystie.Graves]

I'm definitely going to look farther into it.

It's unique for sure.

If I find more I'll let you all know. If anyone else finds or knows something please let me know.

The more it eludes me to more I want to know lol!

=#=Mystie.Graves=#=

[Firebird]

Do you know who the original artist is?
I would imagine if it were an ancient symbol we would have seen it somewhere?
Waiting to see what you uncover.
Bb, Firebird

[RyukaAscendant]

I've been looking into sigil and it keeps popping up on druidic sites as a sigil of the cosmos. Other than that it seems to be a commonly accepted design part of their craft.

Here's one of the reference pages I found with it.
https://www.adf.org/articles/working/sigils.html

Hope it helps.

[SpiritTalker]

Thanks for finding the designer's meaning. I learned something...didn't know the hall of Lugh symbol, although I've seen it. Very helpful.

[Mystie.Graves]

Oh thank you for the link. I went to that site but didn't see that!

That's really awesome. It has quiet a bit too it.

=D

=#=Mystie.Graves=#=

[RyukaAscendant]

No problem always happy to help

[SpiritTalker]

Y'know this symbol is a good'un to use in visualizing the connection for channeling energy or witch-power. The tap root from the mundane center connects to Underworld center for grounding, and rises through the crown to the Cosmic center. We simultaneously pull power from both ways to pool into the gut to be programmed with intent, & then pushed through the hands and gaze. Hmmm...(wanders off, mumbling to herself in thought)...

[vivianne_lefay]

My dear Mistie...My spiritual guides are serving you this message as they are Druids themselves...and they say this symbol should never be painted red.... always either paited black or green... and it's inverted in both pictures! It's a symbol that means the circle of life, the tree of life and "as above so below"... a warning for humans not to get attached to materialism!

Hope that I helped you

Blessed be!

[Corbin]

It refers / relates to "barddas" by the delightfully tricksy but farsighted Iolo Morganwg's "circles of being"

The "circles of being" from Annwn (lowest state - fairyland; the spiral), Abred (probation state - the central "web"), Gwynfyd (perfect liberty - the center of the "web") and Ceugant (infinity - the celestial "spike" at the top).

It is often depicted as a tree (axis mundi), three vertical intersecting circles with a tree ... two vertical intersecting circles with a line through them (the cosmic axis) or as "The Vesica Piscis" (chalice well symbol, two interlocking circles where the circumference of one circle goes through the center of another identical circle. Its geometry symbolizing a union, of heaven and earth or spirit. RJ Stewart also linked it to the Kabbalic tree of life.

[Corbin]

Hall of Lugh is interesting idea ... I wonder if it refers to "life" - lugh was a master of all arts in his story, he would indeed sit most welcome at the very center.

[vivianne_lefay]

It refers / relates to "barddas" by the delightfully tricksy but farsighted Iolo Morganwg's four "circles of being"

The "circles of being" from Annwn (lowest state - fairyland; the spiral), Abred (probation state - the central "web"), Gwynfyd (perfect liberty - the center of the "web") and Ceugant (infinity - the celestial "spike" at the top).

It is often depicted as a tree (axis mundi), three vertical intersecting circles with a tree ... two vertical intersecting circles with a line through them (the cosmic axis) or as "The Vesica Piscis" (chalice well symbol, two interlocking circles where the circumference of one circle goes through the center of another identical circle. Its geometry symbolizing a union, of heaven and earth or spirit. RJ Stewart also linked it to the Kabbalic tree of life.

So... basically what I said... My spiritual guides are amazing!

[Siona]

It's perhaps worth pointing out that this is not an ancient symbol, nor is is specifically meant to be solely Celtic inspired. It was created by Ian Corrigan for the ADF tradition. Which, while they use the word druid, and Lugh is mentioned in the symbolism used (as shown in a previous link), it is also meant to incorporate more pan-Indo-European ideas within it, as well. (ADF isn't completely a Celtic tradition, it's comprised of many different 'hearth cultures.') So, the symbol is meant to have a broader meaning, not limited to a pantheon or one ancient Culture, but to the cosmology of the modern ADF tradition. The symbol is worn on a scarf-type of clothing by some of the ADF clergy. (It's not a scarf, but I can't remember the actual word for it...) But it's not a symbol that necessarily represents the entire tradition, either (like one might think of a cross for Christianity).

So, while I certainly wouldn't say you need to belong to ADF to use or even understand the symbol, if you are not a member of that tradition, and are not familiar with the ritual structure, symbolism, etc, that is central to the tradition, you are missing quite a bit of context as to why it was created, and why it looks the way it does, etc, - and it is not always red, it can be other colors, it is often green on the clergy, but it is certainly not upside down as used in the tradition! Sometimes it is shown inverted, this has it's own meaning if I understand correctly, but it is not the only 'correct' way to view the symbol.

I believe there was a video put out some time ago on the ADF Facebook which explained the symbol in more detail. I'll try to dig around for it later tonight when I have a bit more time. (Edit: Unfortunately I can't find a video or post about this in the public group, which makes it think it was posted in one of the members only groups, so I don't think the video itself would be public.)

((Second edit: Although not specifically explaining the symbol, here's a link to a massive blog post/transcript of some workshop, which may help to explain the cosmology behind the symbol. https://fulachtnamorrigna.wordpress.com ... rituality/ -- I think a lot of the concepts would be familiar to those looking more to the reconstructed side of Celtic, or even Norse, or other Indo-European paths. The world tree (or mountain), the splitting of it into three realms, the symbolism of fire/water/earth - or the tree, well, and flame. In essence, the use of a flame, well, and tree in ADF ritual is to recreate the cosmos in the ritual space, and that is also what the sigil represents. It is literally the sigil of the cosmos in the ADF tradition. Hope any of that makes sense. Again, I don't think you have to be in ADF to understand or see benefit in using the sigil. Many traditions have that under/middle/upper world cosmology, but that is the origin of it. Hope any of that helps!)