The Druids
Celtic divination was practised by the Druids, a priestly class who served as judges, teachers, healers, and seers. Classical sources describe Druids interpreting the flight of birds, the movements of animals, and the patterns of clouds. The Ogham alphabet, carved on stones and staves, may have served a divinatory function similar to runes — each of its 20-25 characters associated with a tree.
The Wheel of the Year
The Celtic calendar was lunar-solar, and the year was divided into light and dark halves by Beltane (May 1) and Samhain (October 31). The Celts believed in the Otherworld, a parallel realm accessible at liminal times and places, and divination was a way of communicating across that boundary. The cultural context of the modern tarot revival runs through here.
Related Traditions
- Wheel of the Year tool — the eight sabbats
- Tarot — the cultural context of the revival
- Tarot tool — the working tool
- The Cosmic Library