4: Foundations: The Three Realms – Cáer
Magic happens where the realms meet: on a shoreline, in the mists, in the high places that look over the land…
Liminality is a very important concept when considering the Three Realms. In our liturgy, when we speak of the realms, we say, “where these three meet is our Sacred Centre, the place of flowing together.” The very heart of magic exists around a sacred fire between all of the realms. It is like a place outside of a place, but it is not — it is every place. It is important for us to understand what makes up every place in its own right.
We can familiarise ourselves with our own ideas of Land, Sea, and Sky, based on our geographical region and what we are familiar with. We all know what they contain. So when we come to a place that is more than one — a high hill, or the edge of a lake — we can cross worlds, as we are in neither, but both. Waterbirds are among the imagery found in the artifacts of the Celts. Manannán rides on the sea with a chariot, fish are like cattle.
We cannot overlook those realms themselves, either. Many of us probably have the deepest connection to the Land, because immersion in the Land is most readily available. We would find the Sea or Sky an alien place, because it is not where we reside. The Sky is the realm of heavenly bodies that we observe from afar. The Sea is full of creatures that we have never seen. Immersion into the realms is also a place where we can find magic.
I find it difficult to talk about the realms themselves as removed from the rest of the cosmology. Everything interacts and has relationships with each other. In this way, the cosmology is dynamic. To parse it out seems strange to me, like it becomes less alive.
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