The Three Gods of Danu
Searles O'Dubhain
searles@summerlands.com
Tue Dec 14 12:00:04 1999
The Three Gods of Danu*p*Question: Why believe in a deity if you cannot objectively demonstrate their existence?*p*Answer: Not hard to say. Everyone can experience and perceive the deities if they are willing to be open in their studies, their perceptions and their mental disciplines.*p*The Three Gods of Danu are variously known as Brian, Iuchar and Iucharba or as Goibniu Luchta and Crédne. Sometimes, these three gods can be considered to be called An Dagda, Lugh and Ogma. Whatever name we assign to these deities, I submit that everyone has already experienced these Three Gods of Danu, but some (of us, especially the questioners) are probably only aware that they follow one of them to the exclusion of the other two. They've made many assumptions about reality and our individual interpretations of it and are overlooking some obvious concepts. One idea that is being overlooked here is that a belief in a deity in no way precludes any of us from doing our own work or advancing our own art. Such beliefs are personal beliefs for each person to resolve on their own. Any religion that attempts to think for anyone or to maintain spirituality (or an absence of it) for a person is indeed a cult. The obvious rancor and anger of those who attack spiritual beliefs are evidence that the author considers it the provenance of his/her ilk to do this for each of us. We are challenged to produce a perception of deity within the closed mind of a non-believer. How can we do this without mind control or some other form of spiritual interference? The answer is that we can't think, feel or perceive for anyone else without permission. The external evidence is clear for all to see that there is an established order to parts of the universe that obeys certain natural laws. Life itself is a phenomenon that has an ultimate or circular origin.*p*The creative process in the human mind is an example of how such natural laws can be influenced by spirit (whether external or internal). We can choose to believe that reality around us has been established by spirit or by chance. If we choose spirit, then that is the form of our deity. If we choose chance then it is no less our god and our belief. In the final analysis, things do happen. We do experience them ourselves and our attitudes about them determine our actions and our responses. Each of us can find a presence in the universe with which to associate our own spiritual activities. This presence can be personal and harmonious or it can be impersonal to the extreme, so as to be relegated only to cause and effect. If we do not seek a deity then we will probably not find one or be able to realize that one has acted in our lives, especially if we have our eyes, minds and spirits closed to their presence.*p*If we seek only cause and effect, then we will eventually accept that existence is circular with every cause eventually being determined by a related effect. In that case, the circle of events is our deity.:-) If we assume creation out of nothing, then creation is our deity. If we say that we do not know, then our deity is unknown to us. If we say that there is no deity, then we presume to know all knowledge and all information. That makes us a deity of sorts when compared to other beings.:-) In the final analysis we can only experience reality in three ways or a combination of these three:*p*We can experience reality as a memory or a history that has been recorded for us. This is the deity of traditions.*p*We can experience reality through perception and interaction with it. This is the god of experiences.*p*We can experience reality through altered states of consciousness. This is the gift of imbas or illuminations.*p*These three gods: tradition, experience and illumination are the three gods of Danu. In a sense, if we believe in our own existence, and the existence of other beings and things, then we believe in these three deities in some form or combination. In the final analysis, and in my belief system, if a person has existence then they follow at least one of these deities in their own way of being. If we have no being, then we have no deities. Otherwise, we clearly demonstrate to others by our actions and statements which deity we follow. This truth is obvious whether we acknowledge it or not.*p*The person asking the original question above appears to follow the god of experience but has yet to encounter his/her mystical nature. There are two times in every person's life when spirit is unquestionably experienced. These are the time of birth and the time of death. In the case of birth, we have only to remember its occurrence to know how spirit creates within the universe. In the case of death, we can conjecture and imagine what life will or will not be afterwards. During the in-between-time of this life, we can simulate either experience through mental disciplines that affect our outlook on existence. This can sometimes be caused by drugs, and at other times through meditation or inspiration. What we learn and see during such altered states is an individual epiphany that shapes us and the course of our lives. Those who've had these experiences (of imbas) can be found seeking correlation to them in the experiences of others by communication in places like this or they can be found researching these phenomena in the writings and traditions of the world and its people.*p*As a follower of the Druid way, I choose to honor all three deities. I honor the deity of traditions. I seek out the god of experiences. I go beyond these two parts of existence to a symbiotic whole by including the great spirit of imbas. The names I give to these gods are not so important as the wholeness of being that can be had through each pathway to them. If I also have a connection to other people through open communication, ritual sharing and mutual inspiration, then my own life is increased beyond the bounds that individual capability and perception can obtain. If the combination of tradition, experience and imbas can give me insights into Nature, Creation and Destiny, then I am enriched beyond my own worth to myself or to others. Closing this doorway to sharing is a personal choice for isolation, which is not mine to make for another (nor can any attempts on my part actually accomplish this if I chose to pursue it as a goal).*p*Finally, the gods are there for each to know in their own way and by the names that are used to describe them. How each of us names these names and describes these deities is a window on our selves for others to see. It makes no difference whether we call these deities An Dagda, Lugh and Ogma, or if we call them Brian, Iuchar and Iucharba. We can even call them Fios, Eolas and Tochmart for tradition, experience and inquiry. We could even call their combination into a greater being Danu, life, the waters of being or existence. Names are a way of bounding with description what our awareness can conceive. They are artificial constructs that attempt to limit and control what actually is. Our clarity and our sensibilities in sharing this information are the only limits that we can place on the existence of these deities or the beliefs and experiences of others in them. The person asking the question for objective proof of the existence of deity has a deity in their own experience. I would not presume to try to change that for them (nor could I if I made the attempt). May the service of experience serve them well. The rest of us will I hope honor all three gods and their offspring as each combination of them continues to influence us and our reality. *p*Searles*p**p*