The Celtic Cross

The Celtic cross necklace has become a very popular piece of jewelry, though very few people actually know the history and the folklore behind the ancient Celtic symbol. There is limited record of Celtic religion and beliefs and most of the information that anthropologists and historians have access to comes from the Romans’ point of view. However, many people who study Celtic religion believe that a basic necessity in understanding the Celts is through meditation. They stress the importance of spending time with ancient Celts through meditation, and coming away with your own understanding of the symbols and what they represent. With this in mind, there can be no straightforward “dictionary definition” for each symbol, though there are certain areas of Celtic symbolism that are agreed upon by most.

The Celtic cross takes many different forms, the most important of which is the cross with 4 arms of equal length. Each of the four arms represents self, God, the nature that surrounds us and our wisdom. The cross shape represents our desire to understand life’s mysteries regarding the 4 arms. The center of the cross is the area where are of the divine energies on this Earth converge to form a powerful meeting point. Most people are familiar with the Celtic cross that has a circular pattern surrounding this center point of convergence. This circle is meant to draw our gaze and our attention to this exact point. If you concentrate all of your energy on this one center point, you begin to feel the togetherness of self, God, nature and wisdom.

Some people view the Celtic cross as a religious compass, in a spiritual sense. When they need spiritual guidance, honing in on the meeting point of self, God, nature and wisdom will help lead them in the correct direction. Another way of viewing the 4 arms of the Celtic cross are as the markings of the seasons, or as the Celts saw it, the 4 fire festivals (Samhain, Imbolc, Beltain, and Lughnasadh). The cross can be used to symbolize the passing of time as a cyclical event.

Some people see the horizontal line of the cross to represent the horizon, and the circle to be the rising and setting sun. Others take it a step further and say the circle represents your consciousness or spiritual awareness. The vertical line can represent past and future, and it is you who has the power to determine which point on the Celtic cross holds the most energy for you.

The beauty of the Celtic cross lies in the lack of information we have about its origins. It grants the individual the opportunity to explore themselves and their spiritual awareness, to come to their own conclusions about the convergence of self, God, nature and wisdom. The Celtics had powerful beliefs about the time of Samhain which falls on October 31^st, when the Other world realm is in close contact with our world. If you are interested in personal awakening and spiritual awareness, in following the Celts’ beliefs, this would be the best time to focus on the convergence of all 4 arms and seek spiritual guidance from the creators of the symbol itself.