“In ancient times, knowledge of the tides and seasons was vital, sacred knowledge that kept the tribe in harmony with the laws of nature. The mysteries of sun, moon, and stars that collectively describe the intricate dance of the day, the month, and the year were so important that a whole new class of society sprang up: the sacred clan who, under a variety of names, maintained watchful vigil over these movements that governed the sowing and reaping of crops, the movement of animals, the run of fish. These people were those who had an aptitude for minute and careful observation. They also had an infinite patience that we now find hard to comprehend.
They would watch and record the patterns and cycles every day, every month, every year, over a whole lifetime. Their work was continued by their offspring into many generations, until eventually the vast workings of the cosmos formed meaningful shapes and patterns. Over the centuries, their observations would result in the erection of stone circles and megaliths, each stone sited according to their observations. It was said of St. Columba that he could understand the harmonious dance of the moon and sun, read the tides of the sea, and enumerate the stars of heaven. This alone is proof that as late as the sixth century, the foundation lore of the sacred clan was being passed down.
Today, though we possess tide tables, calendars, and ephemerides with which to track the seas, the days, and the movements of the heavens, the sacred knowledge of their mysteries is own own special heritage.”
From The Celtic Spirit: Daily Meditations for the Turning Year by Caitlin Matthews
Chorlton Unitarians 