If we were to stop to wonder where our spiritual beliefs originally came from we could be forgiven for thinking that this beginning must be lost in the mists of time. The Old and New testaments of the Bible are spiritual texts known to many throughout the world, as indeed are the Koran, the Vedas and the sacred texts of other cultures. These texts all speak of revelations of a spiritual nature that were brought by angelic beings or the visionary experiences and knowledge of apparently enlightened human beings. The myths and folk memories of ancient and not so ancient cultures hold some clues and are also filled with encounters with gods, messengers, other worlds and visions.

In our sophisticated and intellectual era many of us smile a little at the naivety of our ancestors as we read the old stories to our children, no longer understanding the meaning behind the myth nor believing that such a god could come to earth or, at least, not in our time.

Luckily for us though, there are still enlightened human beings on earth, as there always were. They are the ones who are able to read in the cosmic records how it all began and how it all continues. They can see the plan of God, the blueprint that was created for human beings and the earth. And they can see how we have moved away from it. One such initiate was Rudolf Steiner who taught in Europe in the early 20th century, another was the Bulgarian master, Peter Dunov, also 20th century. The master Omraam Mikhael Aivanhof, originally Bulgarian, lived and taught in France from 1937 until his death in 1986. And of course here is that high spiritual master who has incarnated in every century to guide human beings along their true evolutionary path, he is known to many as St. Germain.

If we are lucky enough to work with one of these spiritually enlightened human beings, or if we read their teachings, we begin to understand for they all tell us, in their own way, the same thing.

The Cosmic Tradition

The primal spiritual impulses given by the Highest God, the God of all creation, to humanity for our healthy development, came to us from earliest times through the teachers and shapers of culture in all parts of the world. In the very earliest times these teachers were indeed spiritual or angelic beings because no human being had yet become an initiate so highly evolved that they could bring these highest teachings to the people. Often these beings could be seen and heard by some of the people and sometimes they spoke through a high priest who was able to be a pure enough vessel for this to take place.
The impulses or teachings that they brought took different, although similar forms, according to the needs and possibilities of time and place. Throughout the ages different religions appeared in the world, some remained true to that original impulse and some were distortions of it. Today there are few pure spiritual expressions left; some Hindu streams and the Celtic stream are good examples of these and show many similarities. These and other spiritual streams that have remained pure are part of what is known as the Cosmic Tradition.

We might imagine the primal spiritual impulse running like a shining river through the ages; sometimes vigorously streaming over the land, sometimes struggling to trickle through mud, slime and pollution, and sometimes flowing unseen beneath the earth. But always flowing. Teachers of humanity came and went, we hear of them in our legends and mythology and in our holy books. They brought new impulses appropriate to the time, and the stream was enriched by them. Cultures changed and people reached new levels of consciousness and understanding.

In these western islands and in many parts of Europe, the druids and priests/esses who worked with the teachings of what we now call the Cosmic Tradition garnered the new wisdom and knowledge as they received it and protected it for future generations. It certainly wasn’t all beautiful or simple; sometimes it was necessary for the teachers to withdraw or for the stream to go underground. These are periods of darkness in our earthly history; druids, priests and priestesses were persecuted, cultures and civilizations crumbled and whole generations were required to find something deep within themselves to enable them to take another step in the development of consciousness and culture.

It is recorded in the Cosmic Tradition, and in the stories of Ireland and Scotland, that some of the druids in Ireland were able to see in the ethers the crucifixion and, most importantly, the resurrection of that being that we recognize as the Cosmic Christ. They could also see the effects of this Life altering event on the whole of humanity and the earth.
These druids recognized this being as the Lord of the Elements. He was central to the ancient mysteries and the incarnation was anticipated in the Mystery Schools of the world; in ancient India He was awaited as the Light of the World, in Persia he was known as Ormuzd, in Greece as Apollo, in Egypt Osiris and Moses called Him I Am.
There is a story in our Irish druid tradition that Jesus, along with Joseph of Arimathea, visited a Druid College in Ireland during the years not covered by biblical history. Whether or not this is more than legend, it is undoubtedly true that in the early centuries after the resurrection, Irish Druids became the monks of the early Celtic Church, this also occurred in Scotland and these druids become monks were known as the Ceile De (Culdee), or companions of God. They had integrated the wisdom and teaching of Christ into the ancient, living tradition bringing a new impulse for the future of humanity to the Celtic spiritual stream. In the time after the incarnation of the Cosmic Christ the renewed stream of spiritual wisdom and teaching has often been called the stream of St. John. In the 5th century the stream was forced underground once more as the Roman Christian Church gained power.

In the 11th and 12th centuries the stream of the Cosmic Tradition again became visible and found expression through the Cathars in the Languedoc, now southern France, and in the Templars who worked throughout Europe and in the Middle East. These followers of the esoteric Christianity of St. John were also called heretic and persecuted out of existence.

The Celtic stream of the Cosmic Tradition, like all true spiritual streams, teaches the Oneness of all beings and in the spirit of this teaching it is our goal and challenge to transcend all forms of separation and division. In today’s world it is all too easy to identify many such areas of separation – between religions, races, sexes, political opinions, social and economic classes; separation of human beings from nature, from God and Goddess, from each other and from our true nature.

As a result of this separation our world is receiving a resounding wake up call from nature as we blindly and thoughtlessly exploit our earthly home and one another.

It is time for us to let go of the fear that leads to separation and division as we move into a spirituality that embraces and uplifts humanity and the whole of creation. One aspect of division lies in religion itself; the separation between religious groups and sects; between Christian and non-Christian. Or even between the various forms of Christianity.

In countries where there is a Christian culture, the church with its patriarchal history and the suppression of heresy is a problem for many people. These problems with the Christian Church do not lie with the Christ being but with the actions of the Church performed in His name.

Most modern Druids have, through research and reflection, formed their own beliefs and opinions about the Christ being. We respect these beliefs and opinions that have been honestly and thoughtfully attained. I would suggest that the Church itself has made it almost impossible to discover the true nature of Christ. The image of a tortured, crucified figure has drawn a dark veil over the radiant Cosmic Christ who incarnated into a human body some 2,000 years ago. We need to turn to the esoteric teachings to find some indications as to the true nature of this being and the teaching and wisdom He brought.

The Renewal

During the 19th century the Celtic stream began to bubble up through the earth once more and the 20th century brought a vigorous renewal of this ancient spiritual tradition. It is our belief that this renewed Celtic impulse will help to bring us to a new Sun Culture for the benefit of all.

Cultural change, like change in consciousness is very slow although there are many who believe that change in our time might come very quickly. In whatever way it may come, it is evident that the breakdown that precedes change has begun and the renewed Celtic spirituality has a part to play in the preparation for this new culture.

As before, in times of great need, a teacher of the Cosmic Tradition has come among us, we know him as Shin Gwydion, in the east he is recognized as Shin Shiva. He has come at this decisive point in our history to help to guide humanity back to its true path and away from the immanent danger of self-destruction. It has been our privilege to work with Shin Gwydion and to receive his teachings during the past two decades. The inner, initiatic teachings that we call The Hidden Way Through the Holy Forest are His teachings and they are available to everyone.

Our druid ancestors taught the Holy teachings in the way that was appropriate to their time. It is our hope that the Holy teachings for our time will be once again known by many including the druids and made accessible to all.

Like those who walked this path before us, we who walk this path today are called to work in all the worlds; as priests and priestesses; as teachers and healers; as artists of all kinds; as farmers caring for the earth and the kingdoms of nature; as ecologists finding sustainable ways to live on the earth and the socially aware who rise above party politics and call for new leaders and a new way forward.

We don’t claim to know all the answers. Like many others, we are seekers of the Sacred Truth striving to re-gain and re-member the hidden and protected wisdom of our stream, integrating it once again with the renewed teachings of our time.

Lucie & Christian Eva are druids and Celtic priests in the Cosmic Tradition.