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Welcome to Tairis!
After something of a hiatus from adding any new content recently, and focusing on overhauling some of the existing sections, there are now some more new articles up. I've also finished overhauling another page in the Introduction section, which now completes my revisions of each of the articles there. The last article - So what do you believe? - is now up again, and it's almost a complete rewrite from how it used to be.
Of the new content I've finally got around to, the first of them is an article on Gessi and Buada, which explores some aspects of what we might call 'prohibitions and prescriptions' in early Irish literature. It might be useful to read that one before going on to the next article, a four-part series on the subject of Values (focusing mainly on early Irish source material, but with some discussion of how they might apply in modern Gaelic Polytheist practice):
Part One focuses on the introductory background stuff, and Part Two is where we get into the meat of the subject, which carries on into parts Three and Four. The final section of Part Four is intended to wrap things up and discuss how what we find in the sources can apply in moder Gaelic Polytheist practice. As usual, these articles are intended to be stand-alone as much as they're part of the greater whole, so I've tried to minimise any repetition as much as possible. There are some bits that will inevitably overlap, but I hope that won't spoil your enjoyment of them otherwise.
As ever, I hope you enjoy and find something useful in them, and if you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or whatever, feel free to comment over on the blog or
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. They are always appreciated!
Please remember: Don't steal, kids. It's naughty. Mmmkay?
A little background
So what's Tairis all about, then? I'm a Gaelic Reconstructionist Polytheist who is lucky enough to live in Scotland, and this website is all about the many different things I've been researching and looking into over the years. As I write, I learn, and it helps me to focus and think about things. Hopefully this site will give a good idea of how I interpret Gaelic Reconstructionist Polytheism, and in a wider context, Celtic Reconstructionism too. You can also find me at my blog, which hosts all my CR-oriented blether.
Reconstructionism is a path that requires a lot of legwork and for the most part I stick to what I know best - Scottish and, to a lesser extent, Irish beliefs and customs. I take a fairly conservative approach to my practises and generally stick to the Scottish side of things, but I do find that comparative work and research with Irish practice is very helpful since Scotland's Gaelic heritage owes so much to Ireland and many of the avenues of my research lead back there. What I do is constantly evolving and hopefully I'll be able to reflect that by keeping the site up to date. Feel free to
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with your thoughts, questions, ideas.
During the course of my involvement in CR I've participated in many of the online forums and groups and I strongly believe that Gaelic Polytheism can be nothing without community. I am currently serving as the Leas-Uachtarán (Vice President) of Gaol Naofa, an international organisation that aims to provide community and support for Gaelic Polytheists, as well as furthering the practices and resources available to seekers and dedicated Gaelic Polytheists alike. I am also a council member of CAORANN - Celts Against Oppression, Racism and Neo-Nazism - a group of Celtic Reconstructionists and allies who are dedicated to speaking out against racism, cultural appropriation, and the misuse and abuse of Celtic spiritualities and symbolism.
And why 'Tairis'? To be perfectly honest, I stumbled across the word in Macbain's dictionary. Its meaning was given as, "the dairymaid's cry to calm a cow" and really, it just made me laugh. It sums up a lot of the things I love about Scotland - that there's a word for such an act, so integral to the culture, so succinct. And I like cows, so it seemed apt. More seriously though, other meanings are given: In Scots Gaelic, it means loving or kind; going back to early Irish, it meant loyal, true. All this speaks to the core of what I do and how I feel about the culture I live in and am now a part of. I love what I do, and at the heart of it, I see and seek truth in it.
Beannachd leibh,
Seren
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