Celtic Gate Working

by Michael Kelly

This Working is designed to open any piece of Celtic ritual work effectively. It has inevitable echoes of
the old Golden Dawn pentagram rites and even closer echoes of the Hammer Rite of the Rune-Gild. As
Peter Carroll observed when introducing a similar ritual in his Liber Kaos, magicians in this day and
age tend to expect such a rite. If it is expected, if it fits into people's understanding of what constitutes
a ritual, then it will be effective. It is in this spirit that I offer this simple ritual to those who Work with
the lore of the Celts. I have (so far – always be prepared for the surprise that tomorrow may bring)
found no trace of a rite of this sort in old Celtic sources. But the symbols and structure are perfectly
authentic: the triskelion; the Gods; the pattern of the fifths plus the vertical dimension; the ordering of
the ogham fews. Given that the old Celts must have used some means of opening their rites, this ritual
is as genuine as we can get given current Understanding of the mythic patterns and modern magical
practice. I have used it many times over the past few years and found it very effective; it gets the job
done. Can't say fairer than that. There is little original here, but there is something that fills a need.
It should be pointed out that this rite is by no means a 'banishing ritual', such as the Golden
Dawn's pentagram rites were. In fact, this Working is the opposite. It seeks to attune the Initiate to the
various world levels and directions of the Celtic cosmic pattern and set the oghams resonating within
their inner and outer pathways. In other words, it creates an atmosphere which 'warms the engine' and
makes subsequent Work easier. Thus, it fulfils its function as a good opener and as an alternative,
expanded warm-up to the rites given in the Book of Ogham.

Part 1: The Rite of the Triskelion

1. Stand facing North. Take a few moments to still your mind.

2. Imagine the cosmos as a vast tree, its branches extending high above you and the roots stretching
deep, deep below.

3. Imagine yourself expanding to fill the cosmos, until the tree is contained within your own body.

4. Once the above has been achieved, return to your normal perspective, but remain very aware that
you are standing at the centremost point of the cosmos, in the place of sovereignty.

5. Facing North, extend your arm at full stretch and draw a large circle clockwise in the air before you,
tracing its outline continuously three times (once for each arm of the triskelion). As you trace the
outline of the circle, visualise a triskelion forming within it, rotating along with your arm. The
 triskelion blazes with a golden light.

6. After the third revolution, mentally project the spinning, glowing triskelion to the outer limit of your
working area, there to act as a portal between the worlds.

7. Turn clockwise to the East and repeat steps 5 and 6 in that direction, establishing another blazing,
spinning triskelion.

8. Repeat also to the South and West, each in turn, then return to the centre facing North.

9. Create another triskelion directly above you, projected up the vertical axis from the centre of your
working area.

10.Finally, project a further triskelion down the vertical axis beneath your feet.

11.You have now created gateways between the worlds in all of the fifths of your working area. You
have also established the threefold vertical dimension of above and below. Moreover, the gateways
are symbolised and empowered by the triskelion, itself a symbol of the interconnections between the
worlds, centred in Self, the sovereign point.

12.Extend your arms horizontally out from the sides of your body in a cross shape and feel the energies
flowing into, through and from you, via all the realms of the multiverse.

13.There follows an invocation to the ancestral Gods to inspire your consciousness:

Before me stands Eriu in Fal,

on my right stands Nuada in Gor,
on my left stands the Dagda in Mur,
and at my back stands Lugh in Fin.
May each bless me and go before me in all that I do here.
I have established the ancient roads,
I have walked upon strange paths,
following the footsteps of my father's fathers.
The gates of the Sidhe mounds stand open for me.
I call upon all the Gods and Goddesses on which
my forebears called and swore their oaths.
 Come, be with me in all I do here.
I call upon the Dagda, the Good-God,
upon Lugh the Shining One,
upon the strong Ogma,
and upon Manannán of the Deep.
Behold, I stand at the centre of the worlds,
I stand in the place of sovereignty.
The King and the Land are One!

Part 2: The Tree Working

To keep the rite simple, the following description will use the colours and sound values ascribed solely
to the vowel fews. However, as familiarity and proficiency with the ogham is gained, you may wish to
add further levels of meaning to your invocation, concentrating upon drawing the full power of all four
fews attributed to a given locus (for example ailm, beithe, huath and muin all resonate with the
Underworld locus beneath the soles of the feet). It may also prove useful to use the colour attributions
of one of the other rows on occasion, when the energies appropriate to that row are particularly desired
for a specific purpose. These are all tabulated in the Book of Ogham. But to begin with, keep it simple
and stick with the vowel sounds, colours and symbolism. In certain respects, the vowel row may be
interpreted as an encapsulation and restatement of the entire span of fews. It can certainly be
empowering to construct the entire tree structure on occasion, though.

1. Stand up straight with your arms close by your sides. Take a few moments to relax and establish a
regular breathing pattern.

2. Concentrate upon the fact that you stand in the centre of all worlds: the branches of the Otherworld
reach high above you and the roots of the Underworld stretch far below.

3. Focus this awareness of your present position within your solar plexus region. Strongly visualise a
sphere of golden, resinous energy forming there. As you do so, concentrate upon the fact that your
passion is the key that unlocks the gateways which give you access to other worlds.

4. When the sensation of the sphere is strongly realised, take a deep breath and utter the vowel sound
'U' [Ooooooooo] long and sonorously on the outbreath. Try to 'vibrate' the sound and 'centre' it in
the sphere.

5. Whilst maintaining the sphere at your solar plexus, allow a stream of energy to flow from it, forming
a second sphere in your genital region. This second sphere is a fertile dun colour. Concentrate upon
the hidden wisdom you can gather from the denizens of the subterranean tunnels that lead to the
Underworld.

6. When the sphere is established, vibrate the 'O' sound [Ohhhhhhhhh], focusing the vibrations in its
region.

7. Now send a stream of energy up from the central sphere at your solar plexus to establish a third
sphere at your throat. This one is a vibrant red colour. Concentrate upon how you can overcome all
obstacles by drawing down energies and insights from the Otherworld to empower you.

8. When the sphere is established, vibrate the 'E' sound [Eyyyyyyyyyy], concentrating the sound at its
 location.

9. Return your attention to the second sphere at the genitals and send a further pulse down to establish
a sphere in the Underworld proper, located just below the soles of your feet. This one is piebald and
you should consider that you are the sovereign lord (or lady) of your own inner realm.

10.When this sphere is established, vibrate the sound 'A' [Ahhhhhhhh] within it.

11.Finally, send a further pulse of energy up from the sphere at your throat to establish a final one in the
Otherworld, at the very crown of your head. This one is a light, whitish brilliance. You should
strive to realise that within you which is truly immortal and imperishable, the isolate spark of pure
consciousness.

12.When this last sphere is established, vibrate the 'I' [Eeeeeeeee] sound at its position.

13.Return your attention to the central sphere and focus your whole conscious awareness there. Now
move that focus of consciousness up and down the central column of your body, experiencing and
activating each sphere in turn as you pass through them. Do this several times.

With time and practice, the whole map of worlds and ogham pathways may be mapped out in the subtle
body of the practitioner.