The Caim Symbol: Celtic Protection in Everyday Life

In the rich tapestry of ancient Celtic symbolism, the Caim symbol stands as a powerful emblem of protection. In this blog, we will explore its origins, delve into its relevance and practical applications in our everyday, modern lives.

Origins and Meaning of the Caim Symbol

The term 'Caim' is thought to have originated from the Old Irish word 'coaim,' meaning sanctuary or protection, or from the Gaelic word ‘an caim,’ meaning sanctuary or circle, and is often referred to as a circling or encircling symbol. The sign is often represented as a circular design and is a powerful representation of the idea that the physical and spiritual worlds are closely intertwined, emphasising the importance of seeking protection and refuge in times of need.

Using the Caim Symbol Today

In Celtic spirituality, the Caim symbol was often employed in rituals and ceremonies as a means of invoking divine protection. The act of physically or mentally drawing the circle during prayer or meditation was believed to create a barrier of safety. The act of encircling symbolised a spiritual boundary, shielding the individual from harm and negative influences.

This profound connection between the symbol and spiritual protection has persisted throughout the ages and the Celtic Caim symbol can be used for protection in everyday life even now.

Practical Applications:

The versatility of the Caim symbol makes it applicable to various aspects of our daily lives. Here are some examples of how one can incorporate the Caim into their everyday life:

Personal Protection

The Caim symbol is often depicted as a circle drawn in the air or on a surface, representing a protective boundary. It is a spiritual gesture used for invoking divine protection and safeguarding oneself or others from harm. The act of creating the Caim involves tracing a circle with one's finger, the hand, or a physical object while reciting a prayer or incantation, creating a sacred space of safety. The symbol is often represented as a circular design, typically drawn by the practitioner as a gesture of creating a protective boundary around themselves or someone else.

Meditation, Contemplation, Mindfulness Practices

Many individuals incorporate the Caim into their meditation, contemplation, or mindfulness routines. By drawing the symbol and reciting affirmations, one can create a mental and spiritual shield, fostering a sense of inner peace and protection against stress and negativity. Further, envision the circle ‘filling' with the positive energy generated.

Protection in Family Life

The Caim symbol's protective nature can be seamlessly integrated into the fabric of family life. Imagine a parent performing a modern adaptation of the Caim ritual when their child embarks on a new chapter, such as starting school. As the parent draws an invisible circle around their child, they silently invoke blessings and protection, creating an emotional shield against the challenges that may arise.

Workplace Harmony

In the professional sphere, the Caim symbol can be a potent tool for establishing personal boundaries, enhancing resilience, and fostering a positive work environment. Visualising the symbol before a challenging meeting or presentation can instil a sense of confidence and protection, empowering you to navigate professional challenges with grace. Or, it can be employed to foster harmony and protection within a team. Picture a leader metaphorically drawing a Caim circle during a team meeting, setting the intention of creating a positive and supportive environment. This symbolic act can contribute to a sense of unity, shielding the team from discord and promoting collective well-being.

Educational Setting

Teachers and students alike may embrace the Caim as a symbol of protection within educational spaces. Before exams or important lessons, drawing the Caim can serve as a symbolic act of shielding against distractions and promoting a focused and secure learning environment.

Travelling Safeguard

Before embarking on a commute or a journey, use the Caim to create a protective barrier around yourself. This practice can bring a sense of security during travels. In turn, this practice fosters a positive and calm environment.

Conclusion

The Caim symbol, with its deep spiritual roots, offers a profound way to be conscious and invite protection into our lives. As we embrace this ancient Celtic tradition, we can find solace in the notion that we have the power to create a sacred space, a sanctuary, wherever we go. In the hustle and bustle of modern life, the Caim symbol serves as a reminder that we can draw upon ancient wisdom to find comfort, strength, and protection in our everyday experiences.

Drop me a line if you would like guidance in your spiritual and physical journey.

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Symbols & Dreams: A Brief History (2)

Continuing where we left in my previous article (you can read it here), where we covered the origins of interpreting symbols and dreams up to how they were regarded throughout the classical world. The level of trust, worship, guidance, healing, and wisdom assigned to symbols in the past was extraordinary compared to how we view them now. Yet, they are still of great universal importance as a valuable source of information.

Symbols are at the heart of my oracle and tea leaf reading work. I studied them for many years and it is a subject that truly fascinates me.

An article on one of the Gilgamesh Dream Tablets prompted me to write this and share it with you.  Let’s continue from where we left off.

In the ancient Arab world, Muhammad Ibn Sirin,

from Basra, wrote a compendium on the meaning of symbols in dreams titled ‘Apomasares' in the eighth century. Followed by another text of note by Gadborrahman.

Interestingly, both texts are said to form an important basis, together with the Jewish Kabbalah, for the popular Italian dream Kabbalah, called La Smorfia.

This detailed book analyses the symbols in dreams and translates them into numbers from 1 to 90, which are then used to play on the Italian national Lotto (devised in a form very similar to how it is played now in 1539 Genoa). The most famous Smorfia comes from Naples, but other versions exist and are in use in other areas of Italy. It is an ever-growing and evolving collection of symbols and their meanings, adding modern objects, experiences, and personalities as time goes by.

If you feel like winning with La Smorfia, losing a tooth is 45, teeth is 50. This becomes 70 if the tooth has a cavity; 75 if it’s a fake tooth falling off; or 26 if made of gold. If it's only loose 73; if painful 84; and 68 if you happen to see a detached human tooth somewhere. There is more, naturally, but it is beyond the scope of this article to present it here.

A fascinating glimpse into symbols and diplomacy is offered by a famous story on Caliph al-Mansur, founder of the Abbasid Caliphate and of Baghdad, who dreamt of losing all his teeth.

He asked for the meaning of such a dream. According to the established tradition, the first court diviner interpreted the symbols and said ‘All your relatives will perish’.

The Caliph was little pleased and had him flogged for his audacity. Step forward the second court diviner, who, more carefully stated ‘You will survive all your relatives’ and was rewarded.

The final message provided by the symbols is the same, but what a difference!

Celtic wisdom relied on many types of prophecy and divination, all based on the natural environment the Celts inhabited. The Celts gave symbolic meanings to trees; animals and plants; the shape of clouds; and naturally to dreams. There was a ritual to ask for assistance or healing through incubating dreams in sacred groves. Depending on the type of trees growing in the grove, specific help would be provided. So, the Celts would select a particular grove depending on the issue at hand, and following the ritual, would sleep there. The dream would then be interpreted by the Druid or the one who sees with the aid of the oak tree. The oak tree was considered the chief God actualised in a tree, so it was highly revered and considered to hold divine powers. As a symbol, the oak tree was extremely powerful and sleeping next to it was said to ensure prophetic dreams. The druids were a group of trained and high-ranking individuals who served in a variety of roles, from religious to political leaders, from poets to doctors. Even if the majority of druids were males, there were also females in the fold.

The custom of incubating dreams in special places to receive symbolic messages, healing, visions and so on, was a common feature throughout Europe.

The practice was halted by the Christian Church through the religious fervour that accompanied the Middle Ages. They believed that dreams, and the symbols in it, were associated with temptations of all sorts, sinning, sexual desires, communing with the devil. Basically, a fanciful way to tempt the weakness of the flesh.

Vivid dreams, visions and all that was cultivated before to help people in the form of what we now call divination, had to disappear, go underground, or face the inquisition. Even St Augustine struggled to control his dreams and he recorded his concern, fearing God would hold him responsible for them. We must assume others chose to keep quiet.

Disturbingly, the Christian Church selectively overlooked and forgot the many prophetic dreams and visions recounted in the Old and New Testament.

Sadly, a similar path has been taken by other religions, or more precisely interpretations, that seem to have rejected what is at the core of their establishment.

What do you dream of mostly? Do you understand the messages you receive? Get in touch if you need help interpreting symbols for greater clarity and understanding.

Resource about the tablet: http://trobisch.com/david/wb/media/material/Gilgamesh%20tablet_AW.pdf

All photographs by Jr Korpa

#dreams #symbols #diviner #dowser #divining #FridaywithFreya #blog

Symbols & Dreams: A Brief History (1)

Symbols are at the heart of my oracle and tea leaf reading work. 

An article sparked my idea of sharing an unusual but well-known angle, to make us more present to our inner source of wisdom: our dreams. 

Whether prophetic, unrestrained, or simply a reflection of the day’s experiences, dreams are the important language between our conscious, unconscious, superconscious, reality, and external stimuli. This language speaks to us using symbols and its history is as old as we are.

Humanity has always dreamt and treasured this special experience.

Prehistorical cave paintings show us what can be interpreted as the drawing of dreams above the head of people hunting. The symbolic meaning is there, right from the very beginning. I can’t help, but take note and ask: Do we symbolically create and attract outcomes?

The very first dream written records are clay tablets, in cuneiform characters, telling the story of Gilgamesh, the legendary warrior king of Sumer. Gilgamesh had bad dreams plaguing him, so he decided to ask the goddess Ninsun, his mother, to decipher them. All her interpretations proved true.

In Babylon, dream work was integral to standard religious beliefs. Large temples dedicated to Mamu, the goddess of dreams, and to An Za Qa, the god of dreams, were built.

Do we value our dreams in the same way?

In ancient Egypt, temples called Serapeums were dedicated to Serapis, the god of dreams and dreaming. Dreams were experienced as going to another world, accessible every night with the astral body, simply passing through a threshold. 

It is in Egypt, we find the first record regarding dream incubation, a practice widely practised in ancient times by many civilisations to receive answers and guidance.

Incidentally, there was also a way to put an end to any bad, recurring dreams. On waking, the dreamer would blow out the dream into a wooden container, which was then burned. The fire consumed the receptacle and the dream, clearing the way ahead.

How do we remove unsuitable creations from our reality?

Let’s pick a symbol we all know and look at how it got interpreted. For the ancient Egyptians, the symbology of losing a tooth in a dream meant the death of a relative.

Dreams had a share in the religious life of a community and symbols were understood as messages from the Divine.

In Ancient Greece, Zeus was said to use Hypnos, the god of sleep, and Morpheus, the god of dreams, to communicate directly with people.

Homer is the first classic writer to mention dreams, differentiating between significant, true dreams and empty, false dreams. Taking this concept further, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, used the symbols of dreams as a diagnostic tool. He trained in healing temples, called Asclepion, dedicated to the god of medicine Asclepius, where people would come to incubate dreams or have a dream analysed.

The philosopher Aristotle took a stance on dreams which many still use today: anybody dreams; personal sensations may be highlighted and translated in a dream; a dream can reveal something we had not realised before and makes us consciously aware.

The philosopher Plato instead realised that dreams can be wild, unruly, and truly irrational. In being so, they are freeing a part of the psyche we strictly control when awake. 

Continuing our brief excursion in the classical world, the Romans were fascinated by the symbolic and prophetic power of dreams. They classified all theories and interpretations known to create a solid body of knowledge. 

One of the major contributors to this research was Artemidorus, who travelled extensively around the Roman Empire to collect data from past and present. From his research, he compiled the first dream dictionary as we know it, the 'Oneirokritika', where symbols are clearly identified and their meaning defined.

Going back to the example of the loss of a tooth, with Artemidorus we get into specifics: the position of each tooth symbolised different people. The arch of the upper teeth refers to important people; the lower, more common people. The right part, of either dental arches, symbolises a male and the left a female. Incisor teeth represent someone young; canine teeth, middle-aged; molars, an elder.

Carrying on with our tooth interpretation through the ages: Vespasian dreamt he would become Emperor only after Nero had lost a tooth and this is exactly what happened, on top of the rest.

Plutarch, the Roman historian, recorded quite a few prophetic dreams. The most famous are: Calpurnia dreaming of her husband Julius Caesar's assassination the night before it happened; Emperor Caligula dreaming of his own demise. It seems that these dreams were very straightforward and clear in conveying their message, without obscure tokens.

What do you dream of mostly? Do you understand the messages you receive? Get in touch if you need help interpreting symbols for greater clarity and understanding. For your information, the article was about an ancient Mesopotamian tablet, known as the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet, and its recent whereabouts. You can find it here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52692846 Resource about the tablet: http://trobisch.com/david/wb/media/material/Gilgamesh%20tablet_AW.pdf All photographs by Jr Korpa

#dreams #symbols #diviner #dowser #divining #FridaywithFreya #blog