Celtic Corner
Original designs inspired by the art of the Celts
by Alastair Luke

The Path of Wisdom

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In a number of Celtic stories, such as the Adventures of Cormac, one will find references to a sacred well of water. When I first read about it I was struck by the symbolism to such an extent that I wanted to do a design incorporating all that it said. At first I wanted to include all the symbolic numbers and images but in the end I found that a more simple approach was what was going to happen. Also I wanted to add a few ideas of my own.

'In a nut shell', the path of wisdom, or knowledge, according to the stories, starts with the sacred well. Around the well are nine hazel bushes or trees, which drop hazel nuts into the water. These are in turn, snapped up by the nine salmon which are swimming in the pool. The knowledge is then passed on to humans when they eat the salmon, as in the case of Fionn MacCumhail. One can also drink from either the well itself, or from the five streams which flow from it. These streams represent the five senses through which knowledge is garnered. It is said that to drink from the well is good for the soul and heart, while to drink from the streams guarantees excellence in the things you want most.

In this design I have wisdom flowing in different ways. We can start with the life-giving rays of the sun, which turn into the hazel bushes. The hazel nuts are dropped into the water which are eaten by the salmon who are eaten by us, if we are lucky enough to catch one. Different but parallel, is another path more applicable to our times. Here the sun symbolizes inspiration which is transferred to words in a book. From this book others can read and learn. In the older way, learning is more experiential, where we live immersed in the flow of knowledge and life. The study of books, separates us from this flow to a certain degree, but greater facilitates our ability to build on the ideas of others.

On a nifty note, the expression, 'in a nutshell' comes from this area of Celtic folklore. The hazel nuts were thought to contain all knowledge.