Neo Paganism , Celts and the Iron Age.

Despite nearly all evidence for Pagan rituals being non-decipherable for the main part, the folk can not be held down, and neo-paganism is a blooming modern religion, the interpretation based around values and practices thought to be similar to Celtic Polytheism. No bad thing..

Most Neo-Pagan traditions have many of the following factors in common:

• their faith was almost or completely wiped out in the past and has since been reconstructed. 
• a duotheistic or polytheistic belief system (they recognize a Goddess and God, and/or believe in many deities). Like the Greeks, and Romans prior to Monotheist Jewish and Christian traditions  growing.
• many followers are solitary practitioners. You and nature, the sun and moon..
• others are involved in small groups, which various traditions call circles, covens, garths, groves, hearths, kindreds, etc.
• they celebrate four main seasonal days of celebrations each year, associated with the equinoxes and solstices.
• many also celebrate four additional days, each between a solstice and equinox. [Imbolc, Beltane, Samhain and Llug fest]
• they prefer to conduct their religious rituals outdoors where practical, preferably at ancient Stone, Bronze (Avebury) or Iron age (Stonehenge) sites, perceived ley lines , groves. etc
• They do not believe in Satan but Wiccan is a brand of paganism, and satanic was a Christian concept to show disapproval of anything not fitting with the worship of the one God.  Im not sure witchy types ever considered Satan their leader because let's face it, that would be mad.  Dark practices balance light ones though in older religions, Chrisitians sought only to worship the light.
• Modern Pagans seek to ignite within through Music, Storytelling in the verbal tradition, drumming (or more likely rattles in this part of the world at the time) etc  Stonehenge has acoustic design built in.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUUfeQ3nVu8
• they have a minimal or no hierarchical structure. Hooray ! A group of modern druids is called an Argument of Druids, which says it all - everyone's views are important.
• they have a concern for the environment and feel close to nature and its cycles.
• Wheels and Circles used to represent ideas. The Celtic wheel turns as the year progresses from Winter to Summer. The start of the day is night and the start of the year is dark. (19th C -> no real proof of that, but it makes sense that early stoneage hunters were more interested in hunting at night so would have got up then for the main work, until farming )
• They follow a behavioral code that requires them to avoid hurting themselves or others.  There is an idea that Druids never used blades, but I can't see that working well.
• merry making is not unheard of...in fact its obligatory at the end of any ceremony or occaision - in fact, any excuse !
• APath Ritual Creation Sheet (PDF link)

Let's go back a bit: What do we know about the original Celtic Polytheists (Pagans)?

Pagan is a term most often applied to Pre-Christian Polytheist religions...pretty vaugue and dismissive.

The word Paganus (of the land - country folk) is a latin description the Romans used ...  Greco-Pagan describes polytheistic religions pre Christian in nature also.

Celtic Polytheism is the more accurate and polite name for Paganism in this euro part of the world. 'Celtic' applies geographically to tribes (see below map) in the Iron Age*, and their societies, languages in this region.

The peoples of much of this part of the world were Celtic (see map) and practised Polytheism at a personal as well as community level .

Druids were Celtic Magico-religious specialists of the era in this part of the world, Vedic Priests and Shamans et al in other parts of the world.

Many Celtic Myths are swayed by Roman, Medieval and Victorian re-interpretations, but there is evidence for offerings to Riahnnon , Denu, Taranis (thunder), Lugh (Sun) and Belanos (Healing) Deities.  In fact it was monks in the 5th C who started to record many of the Irish myths to prevent them being lost. They scribed the ancient stories in a fairly unbiased way and with respect, as was their duty.  Ironic that if it wasnt for the Christians there would be very little to re-interpret.

Trees (such as Yew and Holly) , Springs and faeries all feature strongly and appear in names so must have been important culturally.

Romans reported Druids believed in Reincarnation.
Bodies such as Tollund Man have been found preserved in 'the inbetween' - places where earth meets water. Buddhism has a strong focus on the in between areas too (the pause between the breath in and out). It is through these in between places conceptually that contact between dimensions takes place. Neo Pagans often refer to the 'veils' between worlds, and Samhain is when all the veils are thin which is how spirits of ancestors become more visible. Hallowe'en rather evily takes this and runs with it to assume ghosts are bad. This would not have been the case in any ancient customs and is still not in voodoo, shamansim etc. I digress.

*  The Iron Age is an Archeaological term for a dated period of time classified by materials predominantly used in society.  The Iron Age and Polytheism are not concepts particular to this region.

Celts

Distribution of Celtic peoples:

  core Hallstatt territory, by the 6th century BC

  maximal Celtic expansion, by 275 BC

  Lusitanian area of Iberia where Celtic presence is uncertain

  the "six Celtic nations" which retained significant numbers of Celtic speakers.

  areas where Celtic languages remain widely spoken today

Celtic Qualities :

> Indo European

> Ethno-linguistically diverse set of celtic languages

> Tribal societies

> Pre-Roman, post Bronze

> Fully Celtic descendants in central Europe were the people of the Iron Age Hallstatt culture (c. 800-450 BC) named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria

> In Britain the Brigantes tribe dominated parts of the Iron age and ended after the Romans took over.

> Typical Oath : "I swear by the gods by whom my people swear" and "If I break my oath, may the land open to swallow me, the sea rise to drown me, and the sky fall upon me."

> Crescentic plaque from Llyn Cerrig Bach, Anglesey.

More on the Iron Age

In historical archaeology, the ancient literature of the Iron Age includes the earliest texts preserved in manuscript tradition. Sanskrit literature and Chinese literature flourished in this archeological Age. Other text includes the Avestan Gathas, the Indian Vedas and the oldest parts of the Hebrew Bible. The principal feature that distinguishes the Iron Age from the preceding ages is the introduction of alphabetic characters, and the consequent development of written language which enabled literature and historic record.

The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used in the manufacture of implements with a sharp edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted roughly 2.5 million years, and ended between 4500 BC to 2000 BC with the advent of metalworking. 

Stone Henge is from the late stone Age into the Bronze age [3000-2000BC], and Avebury even older.

The German Gold Hats (Look them up) were dated to about 1300BC so Bronze age.

Both then Celtic Ancestors but associated with Paganism.