Druid’s Magic Symbols

The Druids were the Celtic tribes’ soothsayers, healers and warriors. The leaders of the tribes would consult with their Druid for everything, from choosing the right time to plant crops, to going into battle. Druids thrived in Britain before the invasion of the Romans in the first and second AD.

Druids believe that there is power within nature, that the gods dwell within the landscape and that they speak to you through symbols and signs that work on your inner instincts. (Something modern men have long forgotten to use!) Druids lived and breathed nature. They lived among the mountains and the groves, working with nature and honouring the gods and goddesses within it. They followed the cycle of the sun, the moon and the stars, worshipping the rivers and pools, the sea and sky.

‘Druid’ means, ‘wise one of the Oak’. They wore robes, or nothing at all, but they adorned their bodies and clothing with symbols that, to them, wove the magic of nature into them and enhanced their magic. Those symbols remain as potent as they did centuries ago.

The following are the four major symbols used by Druids and Pagans, even to this day, myself included.

The Triskele

This symbol has no end and no beginning, connecting three flowing spirals in an endless figure. The Druids believed that this symbol represented three vital life forces. These could be the sea, earth and sky, or breath, blood and bone, or it could represent emotions, such as courage, serenity and wisdom. Druids offer this symbol when speaking the ‘Serenity Prayer’,

‘Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’

The Celtic Magic Knot

This knot reminds us that everything in life is linked and everything depends on each one.

Druids were well aware that all life was linked and everything depended on the whole, and the whole depends on the parts. Life and its meaning could be a mystery, yet within this magic knot, there is pattern and essence. A symmetrical shape that symbolises balance within every one of us. We need interlocking balance to be alive and thrive. When one thing is off balance, we feel it.

The Triquetra

This symbol relates to the triple goddess, Mother, Maiden, and Crone. Right now in spring, we are in the maiden energy of beginnings, pure, fertile, playful, growth. Now is the time to plant seeds, manifestation, set your intentions and allow them to germinate, like the seeds you’d sow now for harvest.

The Celts considered the triple goddess, sacred as the triquetra portrays the stages of womanhood when in balance, as well as the stages of life. The Druids knew the importance of Goddess power, the power to, rather than the power over. Woman offers balance, feminine energy for growth, power, nurture, sensual, strength, and life.

The Arwen

Druids believe the Arwen directs you towards new paths, and a need to change your direction whether that’s in your lifestyle, job or mindset. The Arwen calls upon you to expand your consciousness and begin to develop your intuition as you move forward in life.

The Druids believe this depicts three suns with three beams of light shining from them. It represents the three points of sunrise at significant times of the year, the summer Solstice, the winter Solstice and the Equinoxes.

The Druids worshipped both the moon and the sun, watching their cycles carefully and listening to the rhythm of nature as it danced to the different energies, proving to the Druids that there was more to life, something greater, more powerful.

As a Pagan, I use most of these symbols in my life, having them tattooed on my body to bring me the serenity, wisdom and grace of both nature and the goddess.

With Love

P.J. Roscoe

www.pjroscoe.co.uk