Practices

Do you use magic?
Some members may choose to use magic; it is not prohibited by Conair an Cheo, but it is in no way necessary.


Do you have a holy book?
It depends on how you define "holy". We look to the stories that have survived for guidance and precedent, but we do not see them as a final authority (especially as many are contradictory, as well as written long after Christianity had settled in the Celtic lands).


What kind of groups do you work in?
Members of Conair an Cheo work in a family-like setting; 2 or more members can come together to form a teallach, or hearth. Each teallach is their own entity, and generally one does not answer to any other; all members are like family (though not necessarily related), however, and loyalty to one's teallach is loyalty to all. Each teallach is led by the teallach-coimeádaí or hearth keeper. Members can also work individually, if there is no teallach near them to join.


How do you worship?
Worship is a personal thing, and though we all have similarities we have as many differences. Offerings are held to be very important and integrated into all rituals, but a person's devotional acts are very specific to the person.

There is, though, a practice that connects all members, which is called An Triscéil Beatha, the Triskele of Life. Every member walks all three of Na Bhísí Beannaithe, the Sacred Spirals, that make up An Triscéil Beatha, to some extent. The Sacred Spirals are An Bhís Gealach, The Moon Spiral, which is personal to each member and is very introspective and focused on self improvement; An Bhís Grian, The Sun Spiral, which is a community oriented spiral, bringing members together in celebration of the gods and the milestones of life; An Bhís Cloch, The Stone Spiral, which focuses on the world outside Conair an Cheo and often includes charity and environmental work.


Are you all priests?
No. The definition of priest can vary considerably depending on the source; in Christianity, a priest is most often a guide of the laity, and in many pagan religions, a priest is considered a servant of a particular deity, and we are neither. Though some members can be religious guides and advisers to the laity, many will lead a ritual and most consider themselves servants of their deities, we are not priests. Knowing the gods and being connected to them does not make one a priest- it makes one a functioning member of a particular religion. All life paths, all jobs, are divine and godly in their own way, and these do not make us all priests.


Do you worship the Lord and Lady?
No. We are not focused on dualities or balance; many of us are in the service of multiple deities. Also, we are not soft polytheists, and so do not condense all our female deities into one overarching Lady, and all our male deities into one overarching Lord.


Do you create sacred space?
No. We believe that all space (and all of existence, for that matter) is sacred all on its own.


What holidays do you celebrate?
A lot! Each branch of An Triscéil Beatha has its own set of holidays; some mark the changing of the environment around us, whereas some are dedicated to a particular deity.


What kinds of rituals do you have?
The same kinds as any other religious or spiritual path would have, I imagine- ones that honor the divine, ones that mark milestones in life, etcetera.


Do you have to be a priest/ess to perform a ritual?
No.


How do I make offerings?
Offerings are traditionally left in a body of water, poured or buried in the earth, or burnt. Of course, we do not advocate littering, so offerings should be made responsibly in appropriate places, and when burning offerings, they should be carefully supervised with appropriate precautions taken. Offerings are usually given with prayer, after ritual or contemplation, and should be prepared with awareness and care.


Do you perform sacrifices?
All offerings are a form of sacrifice- giving up something of importance. If animal sacrifice is performed, it is with proper training and equipment, and attempts to be as painless as possible to the animal involved. Most importantly, the animal's life is never wasted- it will be consumed and used in the proper way. Generally speaking, though, animal sacrifice is not performed, as many do not have the training nor the stomachs to do it properly.


What kinds of practices are involved daily?
This is entirely dependent on the practitioner, and cannot be satisfactorily answered in a general way.


Where does nature fit into your practices?
This is a tricky question to answer. In one sense, it is inherent in all our practices, as nature is inherent in all of us and everything we do. We do not consider ourselves to be earth or nature centered or oriented, as some define pagan practices to be, however. The natural world is probably addressed most in An Bhís Cloch, The Stone Spiral, and one's attentions to the land spirits.


Do you take special names?
Some do, some do not; it is a personal choice and is not necessary. Those that do often feel a disconnect to their given name but do not wish to change it, are "in the broom closet" and have no desire to be outed as a pagan yet, or feel a strong pull to a particular name often for 'spiritual' reasons they cannot quite articulate.


Do you have a Book of Shadows?
Though some members may choose to keep a religious or spiritual journal, we do not have a Book of Shadows or grimoire.


Do you work skyclad?
No.


Do you have familiars?
No.