Awen/Imbas

The Three Illuminations

Copyright by Searles O'Dubhain
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Oft times in the past, I have noticed some questions requesting the meanings of
certain Celtic terms. I have endeavored to explain three of these terms here to
the best of my ability. There isn't a lot of easily available information on any
of these ancient techniques/terms (so what else is new?). A lot of what I'm pos
ting here is my *interpretation* based on my own studies and my own experiences.
A more thorough and scholarly investigation needs to be done toconclusively "na
il down" each technique. It is my hope, that someone will be inspired to do such
a study and subsequently post their findings here as well. The terms in questio
n are: Tenm Laida, Dichetal Do Chennaib and Imbas Forosna
The Three Illuminations
"Who is this poet, wrapped in a splendid robe Who shows himself before he has c
hanted his poetry?" .... Ferchertne
Tenm Laida, Dichetal Do Chennaib and Imbas Forosna are the "Three Illuminations"
of the Filidh. These three techniques were used to achieve "Illumination", whic
h is called "Imbas" in Irish and "Awen" in Welsh. These are the three techniques
of poetic inspiration and divination that a Druid or a Fili could be expected t
o know after passing through the eighth year of study in a Druidic/Poetic school
. They are the height of what I call "passive Drai/ocht". It is my belief that t
he more active forms of Drai/ocht were reserved for the final four years of a Dr
uid/Fili's schooling.
Tenm Laida
Tenm Laida (Illumination by Song) is an altered state that is achieved by
chanting or singing a repetitive pattern (usually calling on the gods in some
form). This could possibly also have included drumming and dancing as
alternative means of achieving the proper altered state. Such activities are now
known to synchronize the body and mind to an external rhythm, allowing one to c
ast off the chains of normal perception. The practioner of this art must first f
loat at peace within the rhythm of the song (dance, beat, mantra,etc.). The stat
e of inner quietness and focus that wasto be achieved by such chanting may well
be considered to be an "altered state". In uch a state, communion with the ances
tors and the gods could and did occur more readily, allowing prophecies and insi
ghts to be made. Sometimes the space for such an illumination might have been ma
rked off using rods of the appropriate woods (yew/hazel) which might themselves
have been marked with Oghamic inscriptions.
Dichetal Do Chennaib

Dichetal Do Chennaib (Cracking open the Nuts of Wisdom) is a state achieved by r

elaxation and clearing the mind in a Ritual environment. It usually involved usi
ng some sort of Magical implement such as a knife, a sword or a staff. Sometimes
the Druid had to actually touch the subject (if alive, usually upon the head) o
r directly handle an item to discover what secret knowledge was contained within
it. This information could be almost anything: events from a person's past life
, a detailed history of who and what had happened to an object or even how and w
hy the subject was bespelled or enchanted. The examples that I've seen seem to s
uggest to me that a spontaneous flow of information and/or poetic verse might ac
company the first contact that occurred between the seer and the object. This ve
rse would then be interpreted based upon the vast storehouse of Druidic knowledg
e that had been accumulated through many years of study, experiment, observation
and experience. It is this interpreting of the extemporaneous recital of verse
that involves the act of "cracking open the nuts of wisdom". This suggests that
the divination contained many levels of meaning (frequently the poetic compositi
ons also contained many levels of knowledge and encrypted meaning).
Imbas Forosna
Imbas Forosna (Illumination of Tradition or Sudden Illumination) was a form of a
ltered state used by seers and Fili to create and/or see visions. The seers woul
d totally isolate themselves from all sensory inputs, sounds, lights and feeling
s. This could be enhanced by being closed up within a very dark room or laying u
nder a covering of hides (though it could also be done in a mundane situation, e
ven on a battlefield). The Seer would pronounce incantations over his/her hands,
placing then crosswise upon the face and eyes. While lying or standing within i
solation (sometimes in the company of their hand gods and/or idols/Ogham rods),
they would attempt to float and relax, going into a more receptive state. When t
he proper state was achieved, a signal would be given for the hides to be remove
d or for the door to be opened. The sudden, instantaneous transition from Darkne
ss to Light would trigger spontaneous visions or poetic utterance. In such an "i
n-between time and place" prophecies could be made more easily. A heightened awa
reness of the secret knowledge of the surrounding space might also be made avail
able to the seer. It is in the rush of perceptions and altered lighting conditio
ns, that a kind of prophetic magnetism was generated (this is like gases rushing
into a vaccuum or a balancing out of the charges within a chemical mixture of i
sotopes). The key to the technique seems to have been in the sudden changes of e
xternal/internal stimuli. Sometimes, Imbas Forosna was practiced by chewing the
flesh of a dog, a cat, a pig or a bull while meditating with the palms upon the
eyes. In this practice, it is similar to the actions of the Tarbh Feis (though t
hat ritual involved actual prophetic dreaming vs the meditative state/change of
Imbas Forosna).
Outlawed by Padraig
It is said that during the days of the early Celtic Church, Padraig outlawed the
techniques of Imbas Forosna and Tenm Laida because they used pagan idols and Ma
gical symbols. Dichetal Do Chenaib was allowed to continue because it was though
t to be based more upon knowledge acquired from the study of poetry and scientif
ic information and did not utilize idols or invocations to the pagan gods.
Tenm Laida and Imbas Forosnai Revisited

I'd like to add some additional information to the statements I've already made
about Imbas Forosna in this presentation. Please recall, that I previously state
d that during a ritual of Imbas Forosna, the ancient Fili would chew the flesh o
f a dog, a cat, a red pig or a bull while seeking "illumination". That is not st
rictly how it is defined in Cormac's Glossary (which is found within The Yellow
Book of Lecan). In that work, it is stated that the poet chews the flesh first,
then places it upon the flagstone behind the door as an offering to his spirits.
If he does not receive immediate illumination, then he pronounces incantations
upon his palms, calls his spirits again and places his hands crosswise upon his
face. It is at this point that he seeks inspiration within sleep (or trance). He
is watched to make certain that he is not disturbed. Answers can come in minute
s or hours. Illumination is sought until the answers are received. Now, that is
what Cormac, a ninth or tenth century Christian monk, had to say about the proce
ss for achieving Imbas Forosna. Much of what I had posted in my original message
was contained in a lecture by Eugene O'Curry entitled, "Druids and Druidism in
Ancient Ireland". To quote Dr. O'Curry, "The Poet chews a bit of raw red flesh o
f a pig, a dog or a cat, and then retires with it to his bed, behind the door, w
here he pronounces an oration upon it, and offers it to his idol gods." The room
was then guarded, (... paraphrasing now ...), and the poet continued his incant
ations, (even sleeping with his idols), for days if necessary. He would then com
e forth and reveal the knowledge of his
"illumination". What else do Druids have to say about Imbas Forosna and what
else do we know about the processes behind the rituals ourselves? Tenm Laida and
Imbas Forosna are really just two differenent forms of the same kind of activit
y (one achieves illumination from the outside-in and the other from the inside-o
ut ... in this both O'Curry and the "Senchus Mor" seem to support my opinion BTW
).
Spirit, Divination and Animal Lifeforce
Imbas Forsona contains another form of "chewing" which is accomplished following
the sacrifice of a dog, a cat, a red pig or a bull. One thing should be immedia
tely apparent to us, (especially since we've already discussed the Tarbh Feis),
there is a definate connection between spirit, divination and animal lifeforce i
n this Magical procedure as well. If the conscious mind is not senstive enough t
o perceive the communications of the Otherworld, (while consciously performing i
ncantations in this world), then it must be quieted. This is done by going into
an altered state of consciousness to increase the mind's sensitivity to Otherwor
ldly communications. This altered state is itself a form of ritualized dreaming
or trance. An Ollamh, (or even an Anrun), might achieve such a state easily whil
e in any environment, however distracting, (such as Fedelm, the Fili, who prophe
sied doom, while standing in her war chariot, to Maeve and her army gathered upo
n the plains of Cruachan Ai..... "I see it crimson, I see it red." No isolation
chamber for that warrior woman!) Achieving such an altered state normally requir
es a secluded, safe and quiet location for us lesser mortals. We cannot instantl
y achieve the desired Otherworldly connection with the ease of a Finn or the dra
ma of a Fedelm. We must free ourselves absolutely from outside interruptions, to
tally securing and isolating
our "security zone" from external threats and fears to achieve this type of
connection (... this also goes for most of the other Druids as well, if we are t
o believe Cormac ... it seems they required peace and quiet as well). One of the
best ways of constructing such an isolated environment is to be completely depr
ived of sensory inputs. We do this in today's world by using sensory deprivation
tanks, hypnosis or deep meditation. In the ancient world, this was done by goin
g into caves or darkened rooms; away from humankind and the cares of the mundane
world. The need for such sensory deprivation is obvious: the mind/spirit/soul n
eeds to connect to the Otherworld and not to this one. If we are constantly proc
essing external information, how can we hope to receive (or ask for) esoteric in

formation? (This is one reason why telescopes are located away from major popula
tion centers....there is simply far too much "background" illumination/noise aro
und the cities). It is within such isolation, away from distracting sensory stim
uli, that we can expect our greatest opportunity to achieve inner quietness. It
is within this inner quietness that we can hear the mind of our familiar spirits
and gods. It is from out of the utter darkness of the inner mind that actual il
lumination comes. The key or trigger of Imbas Forosna is the darkness into which
the light is manifested. My previous example made use of the transition between
the utter darkness and the light outside. All that is truly necessary is the li
ght that comes from one's own spirit guides and Otherworldly familiars.
How do I know this?
How do I know this? Did I read it in a book? Is it some dead art from
yesteryear? Did someone tell me? Yes and No! Both and either! This is no
conjecture or wild speculation on my part. I know this is the way of Imbas
Forosna because this is how it actually happens for me. In Imbas Forosna, Light
comes to the darkness. In Tenm Laida, silence comes within the rythms of the cha
nt (complete synchronization). In these altered states we receive both illuminat
ion and knowledge.
Totemic and Symbolic
The use of the animal's flesh to perform Imbas Forosna is purely totemic and
symbolic. It is as unnecessary to the actual illumination as are the
incantations and the isolation (or the use of the hands upon the face/eyes). If
one has achieved the proper contact with the spirits of the Otherworld, all else
is merely "window dressing". The offerings, the animal sacrifice, the palms on
the eyes, the dream state, are all props that are used to "trigger" a connection
between the seer and his spirits. That is the long and the short of it. The "bl
ood Magick" and the totemic connection to the Otherworldly aspects of the sacrif
iced animal all provide energy for the seer to use (or not to use, even to avoid
if desired). They are not absolutely necessary to the process. All that is real
ly required is the triad of the seer, his spirits and the "sudden illumination"
itself. Try it and see for yourself. Don't take my word for it.