The Human Being

A Druidic view of the Human Being

The Body is not the whole of our being. Within, around and beyond our body is our spiritual presence, our "soul", intimately tied to our physical body whilst we are alive, yet immortal and unbound by physcial reality, normailty or existence in the way we percieve it. And yet, where does our soul end? is it seperate from the person next to us? is it too an individual, seperate from the rest of the souls that exist in this vast universe? or is it part of a giant collective consciousness? are we seperate from "god" or part of it? That is for our own beliefs to decide.

To the Druid, the soul is the core of our being, not the physical body which our soul inhabits for a short time. All diseases have a spiritual basis and begin in the soul way before they affect the body and it is the soul that the Shaman/Druid heals before moving on to the body, thus repairing the whole being. Druids and other shamanic characters will try to bring back a harmony to the soul and the body in order to affect the healing fully but will also align the whole being with the natural environment in order to make this healing complete.

It is important to bring and maintain a balance between the being and the environment because within Druidry and within other shamanic cultures we believe that the soul is in fact an integral part of the universe, that each sickly soul adds up to create a sickly universe. This belief is an extension of the view of the "Web of Creation", with this view we can understand that the health of the soul affects and is related to the health of the universe.

Of course, health, to the Druid/Shaman extends beyond "illness" and "disease" into the health of our mind, the balance between ourselves and the environment, family, tribe, world and universe. For the Druid/Shaman it is important to maintain a perfect balance and understanding of all aspects of the universe beacuse within these traditions we see that the universe and cycles of nature are relative to the life and health of the Human being, to understand the universe is to understand the self, and thus to understand the self is to understand the universe.

So How does the Druid/Shaman see the Soul and the Body?

The Soul and the Human being

Perhaps it would be easier to explain this by saying "the Soul parts ". The Human being can be seen as having three distinct "soul parts" This view ties in beautifully with that of Druid Cosmolgy, as in that there are three main layers to the universe. Below is a description of each soul part and an explanation of the part of a human that I personally relate the soul to. I'll keep it simple and refer to the soul parts as "Mind", "Body" and "Spirit"

The Mind

The Mind is best described as the Upper world soul part. It can often seen as a bird made of light and it is our Consicous self and it is through the Mind that we "control" much of what happens in our world. We use it to make decisions and it holds our intent, although Intent is always driven by the desires of both Body and Spirit.

In many ways, as it is under our conscious control it is our most poweful tool for change. However it is the Body that affects that change.

Seek to expand the mind, care for it, try not to let it get stressed, constricted or controlled by modern society. Keep the mind free and open, there is much about this world that we need to learn and we can only learn it if our mind is open. Our minds are hungry things, the more we feed them, the more they grow and ask for more, so try to experience as many things as possible, never stop learning, feed the mind and it will become a tree instead of a small, withered weed.

The Body

The Body is the lower world soul part. It follows our family lines and contains genetic and ancestral memory.

The Body is a gift from Our Mother and Father as well as the land around us (Mother Earth) and the sky above us (Father Sky). We could not experience physical reality without it and although we are in it, it is not ours; it is on loan sooner or later, the earth wants it back. To mistreat the body is an insult. Tattooing or piercing the Body is not mistreatment, a tattoo or piercing is a form of individual expression and these practices have formed part of our ancestors healing rites and other ceremonies, such as coming of age.

The Body cannot exist without the Mind and the Spirit as the Mind guides the Body and the Spirit is the link between Body and Mind. However it is the Body and it's own set of memories that controls bodily functions from heartbeat to sweating, and from running to flinching. It reacts to stress by creating tensions in certain areas and through these tensions it learns how to react. However, by using the Mind we can control the things we learn, remember and how we react to all situations in life.

Looking after the body is a way of saying thank you for the gift of this chance to experience physical existence. Look after your body and enjoy it in every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it and don’t care about what other people think of it, make use of it while you have it, because when its gone it is gone forever and no matter what society may say about your body, Society is not a part of your Mind, Body or Spirit, your Body is beautiful in it's own way, it is how you affect the world and the most powerful instrument you will ever own.

The Spirit

The Spirit can be best described as the middle world soul part. It does not re-incarnate, rather it is created when you are born and when you die it goes out into nature to settle in a place in nature and become an ancestor spirit. The Spirit is your unique personality and is shaped by your life experience.

The Spirit is only created when our body and our mind come together, yet it is Immortal from then on. The spirit is seen as our Superconsciousness, The bridge between the subconscious and the conscious and yet extending beyond that into being part of the universal consciousness. The spirit as seen by the Celtic peoples, rests in the head. In fact it is a well known fact that Celtic warriors would remove the heads of those that they slay and enbalm them in cedar oil to almost keep the spirits of those people captive, lest they should rise again to seek retribution. Also the practice of burying the heads of important people and of the skulls of totem Animals in or around the roundhouse for protectuion goes back way before the Celtic peoples could be called Celtic.

The Spirit is our drive; it is what keeps us going. It is what causes us to seek freedom from the trappings of a non-spiritual culture. Looking after our spirit is easy but requires commitment. We can look after it by retaining our freedom and passion, being spiritual and always seeking ways to allow it to express itself. The spirit, unlike the body or mind only speaks in truth, and this can be harsh, but if we can learn to accept the truth and remain truthful, it gets a lot easier. The spirit is often the most repressed part of ourselves; it is the first part of us that modern society tries to stamp out, but in truth, it is like trying to put out a forest fire with a single bucket of sand.

Death and the Soul Parts

At death the Spirit retains all the knowledge of the Mind and Body along with what it has learned itself. From there it can go out and become an ancestor spirit, it can bond with a tree, rock, stream, mountain or other part of the natural world and guide us as a nature spirit, it can continue it's journey through this or other worlds by re-incarnation, or, if it's extremely lucky (if it has truly helped the world and all her creatures including man it can become a deity as the people that it has affected will remember it, tell tales of it. This is how we can become a deity.

The reason that a human after death can become something other than human is that the human spirit is not, in fact, human. The spirit is not bound by any laws or rules save the laws and rules of the universe which are basically that, anything is possible.

The Chakras

The Chakras are known by almost all cultures and religions. Even Christianity acknowledges them in the form of the Halo. Everything has Chakras.

A Chakra is a power Centre in the body, and there are thousands of them all over you. I work with the main seven that are the most recognised, plus another that is less recognised, although some Shamans work with yet another that I shall not mention here. The Chakras are all linked to our spiritual axis, which is parallel to the spine and runs from the Centre of the Universe/Great Spirit to the Centre of the Mother Earth. They are also slightly outside the body, about six inches out from the skin. They cannot be knocked or covered with clothing as they are spiritual.

The Chakras are each responsible for different parts of our being, emotional parts, physical parts, mental parts and spiritual parts. They all affect and are affected by our health and to have knowledge of them and to be able to work with them is a great expansion on our healthy lifestyles.

I will list tem in order from the bottom upwards. (numbers 2-8 are the most commonly used, all others are ones sunbird personally worls with)

The Earth Chakra; located just beneath our feet, this is the lesser-recognised Chakra that I work with in my path. It is your link to both Physical reality and the Mother Earth. When it is open and healthy it is a dark reddish brown, and power from the Mother Earth flows freely into us. If it is open and healthy we feel connected to the Mother Earth and all things around us and we are more able to journey. When closed or unhealthy, we feel disconnected, and separate from the world and all in it.
The Base Chakra; this Chakra is Red when open and Healthy. It is located at our Perineum, the place between our Scrotum or Vagina and our Anus. It is our link to our physical body and to physical situations. When it is closed, we have a problem with our bodies and we can suffer many illnesses as a result, such as hemorrhoids, bowel cancer and other illnesses of that area. When open and healthy we have healthy bowel movements and the rest of that area is healthy.
The Sacral Chakra; Located just above our Genitals this Chakra is Orange when open and healthy. It is linked t our sexuality, reproductive organs and our creativity. When unhealthy or closed we can suffer from sexual health issues, illnesses of the genitals and of the urinary tract.
The Solar Plexus Chakra; this Chakra is over our stomach and Intestines. It is Yellow when open and healthy and is the seat of our gut reactions and instinct. When healthy and open we are in tune with our animal side and we are open to instinct and intuition. When closed or unhealthy we are out of touch with this essential part of ourselves, we become too analytical and begin to think with our heads, rather than feel with out hearts. We also begin to suffer with complaints of the digestive tract and have issues with self-confidence.
The Heart Chakra; Located over our Heart, this is the seat of our emotions. It is also the seat of our personal power. When open and healthy, it is pink in Children and Babies, and green in adults. It can return to pink if closed or unhealthy as this Chakra is related also to nurture, if we need nurturing it closes. The pink relates to an innocence and the need for nurture, the green relates to a nurturing love. When unhealthy or closed we can suffer from heart or lung complaints and loose the ability to feel emotion.
The Throat Chakra; Located over our Larynx it is blue when open and healthy. It is the Chakra that helps us tell the truth and to lie will close it up. If we are truthful it remains open and bright. If unhealthy or closed we can suffer problems in the throat, mouth, nose and shoulders.
The Third Eye Chakra; This is the most famous of the Chakras, being the one that gives us our spiritual sight. It is Indigo when open and healthy and allows spiritual vision and dreams, it also affects the eyes and ears, so when closed or unhealthy we suffer from problems in this area and loose our spiritual sight and we have nightmares.
The Crown Chakra; This Chakra is located on the Crown and is White, although some people say Violet. This is the Chakra is our link to Father Sky and the upper world. When closed or unhealthy we suffer from brain problems or mental difficulties, we also loose our connection to Father Sun and the upper world.
The Sky Chakra; This Chakra lies abover our head. It is often seen as Gold and has been depicted in Christian artwork as the Halo. if blocked it can lead to a quickly developing sinking feeling, feelings of loss, uncertainty, lack of direction and depression.

Now that you have seen what these Chakras are responsible for and what problems may arise from blocked, unhealthy or closed Chakras, you can begin to look at where your health problems may be coming from. To unblock these is relatively easy.

Exercises for unblocking and opening the Chakras are included later in the page Everyday Practices that you can use.

Sex and Duality

Just as Time and Space are an illusion created for this physical existence, so is the separateness of the two sexes. Humans and in fact all things capable of sexual reproduction, have both male and female genes within them. All carbon-based life forms begin their development in the womb or egg as female. It is only down to certain genetic coding that some turn into males.

The Druid sometimes emulates both sexes in his or her costume and practice. This is not simply Transvestite tendencies, it is an acknowledgement if the sacred male and female energies within ourselves and within the universe. Frequently a Druid's guide spirit will be of the opposite sex, so that when the spirit works through the Druid in his or her work, the Druid almost becomes androgynous.

Along with this knowledge comes the acceptance of an individual's sexuality, be they Gay, Straight or Bisexual. The Bisexual people of our ancestors, and within shamanic cultures are often seen to be "purer", in touch with both the sacred masculine and sacred feminine powers. Also, Just as the Druid's guide can become a spirit lover, it is not uncommon for the Druid to have sex with his or her guide, regardless of whether the guide is of the same or a different sex. Non-Heterosexual people are not thought of as unnatural, sinful, weird or bad, as they are were more recently in today's western society. They are regarded as equal members of society and are often given greater respect.