Origin and History of Celtic Knots - Research Paper Example

?I. Introduction Celtic knots have a wide appeal. Mathematicians are attracted because of Geometric sophistication Computer Science is interested in generating knots through special software 2. Chemists are intrigued because of molecules that thread and fold and intertwine and knot, due to patterned fragments of transition metals and/or hydrogen bond sets, making knots visually reminiscent of Celtic knots. They can form linear, branched or macrocyclic patterns.3 This can be used in nanotechnology.4 Psychologists are interested in Celtic knots because of how the archetypal symbolism can be used in psychotherapy to inspire personal development 5. Religion is interested in Celtic knots because of its symbolic structuring of doctrine, the illumination of scriptural texts and the inscription of sacred architecture.6 My thesis is that the cross, the circle and the Tree of Life are archetypal images which provide a foundation for understanding the history and origin of Celtic Knot art forms, and the elemental meaning is a call to unity, renewal and balance. II Body There are a variety of types of Celtic knots and they are, and have long been, used in jewelry, fabricated in metal, carved from stone and bone, and gracing stone pillars, as protection symbols over doorways, used to illuminate scriptural texts7, and for magic and divination.8 The Trinity knot is quite famous, symbolizing water, fire, earth for nature-based spirituality9 or, for the Christian Church, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.10 The spiral is a common pattern and dates back to 2500 BCE. It is thought to represent growth and the cycle of life.11 There are key and labyrinth designs, and zoomorphic designs, the latter involving birds and animals as part of the interwoven design.12 Here are images of the main two I am choosing to focus on: the Celtic Cross with a circle, and the Tree of Life. Knotted Tree of Life in Stone 13 Tree of Life, Book of Kells 14 Tree of Life Knot Work15 “Whereas classic art is rigid, finite, precise, and axiomatic, Celtic art is abstract, iterated and unbounded” thus making it a ‘mathematical art’, a good lens from which to view the complex natural world.”16 Perhaps that is a reason why there is interest in Celtic art and resurgence (albeit no doubt modified) in Celtic spirituality. Modern day aficionados think of the ancient Celtic peoples as inherently spiritual, nature-connected, intuitive, in touch with alternate realms. This answers a longing in contemporary people.17 This results in a lot of speculative information about the Celts, their art, its meaning and its origin. Celtic knots first appeared in the British Isles during the 7th century, suddenly became extremely popular, and remained the primary art style through the tenth century.18 It was used in decorating sacred books, the most famous of which are The Book of Kells, The Book of Durrow, and the Lindisfarme Gospels.19 A fifth century copy of the book of Acts is considered to be the piece that links Middle Eastern and Celtic knot work.20 Some scholars believe that Celtic knots were adopted originally from Egypt.21 A primary symbol, the cross with circle, can be traced back to ancient Egypt, The Ankh is an Egyptian symbol, a cross with a circle above. It is a symbol still sacred to Egyptian Coptics.22 The cross represents intersection and opposition.23 The Circle represents eternity, continuity and infinity.24. Together, the symbol is one of regeneration.25 The circle is a rough approximation of the female reproductive organ, and the cross is a rough representation of the male reproductive organ.26 In Egyptian imagery, the Ankh is held in the hands of gods and near the lips of pharaohs, as though giving them breath.27 The cross and the circle are both archetypes. Archetypes, a core element in the psychology of Carl Jung, are a common pattern of image structures and shared meaning which can be identified in dreams, myths, legends, symbols, and are channels for psychic energy.28 As archetypes, the circle and cross have deep and ancient meaning. Their meaning does not need to be speculated about because they are universal symbols. The cross was drawn in caves thousands of years ago.29 It is one of the most ancient symbols, so ancient that its origin is unknown.30. It has been used to represent the four seasons, the four directions, the four elements and other sets of four.31 It represents the cross on which Jesus was crucified.32 It represents another related and very ancient symbol, The Tree of Life 33 The tree has been used as a religious symbol since at least the third millennium BCE.34 The tree is an archetypal symbol which connects the heavens with the earth and the realms beneath the earth.35 Like circles and crosses, trees are ubiquitous in our daily life and their meaning is very deep. There is the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Life in the Kabbalah, the Bo Tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, the tree on which Christ was crucified. Tree, as archetype, unites the physical with the sacred, bringing knowledge and wisdom.36 Famous Lakota leader, Black Elk, had a mystical vision, at age 9, in which he saw the sacred tree of life inside a hoop defined by the circle of his Lakota people and the circles of other peoples, and he described the tree as holy and the image as showing the unity of all things and people.37 The circle represents wholeness and relationship with others, and the Tree of Life represents individual growth and reaching out, climbing the tree as we develop spiritually and going down the tree to explore our roots, the deep psyche within. 38 Some cultures emphasize the circle (Taoism, for example, with its yin and yang Tao symbol), while other cultures emphasize the tree (Christianity, with its cross and crucifixion scenario being crucial to redemption and reconnection with God), but both together make wholeness. The Christians’ two greatest commandments are to love God (the Tree of Life enables access) and to love others (the circle creates relationship).This two- dimension image has been important from ancient times all the way to modern times.39 Even our DNA appears in a hoop and tree pattern (an extended hoop around a vertical tree). The ancient Celts were allegedly very connected to trees and their symbolism. They developed sophisticated understanding about trees, tree symbolism. tree stories, and consensual tree associations. These were formalized into tree ogham, a set of tree-centered teachings, similar to runes.40 Tree magic is a particular kind of tree mysticism. Mysticism is the highest form of art.41 Now we are looking at the very core of my thesis, that an exploration into the origin and history of Celtic knots leads us to the underlying archetypes of the cross, circle and tree. Immersion in nature, I think, gives rise to art and particularly to mysticism, art’s highest form, This happens because the archetypes are manifested in consort with nature. . III Conclusion Until fairly recently, the ancient Celts were considered to have been primitive, superstitious and uncivilized.42 Celtic knots provide evidence to the contrary. Connected to nature, the Celtic People lived a more whole approach to being human, and this was reflected in their art. Celtic knots are mystical. They are mathematical. They are magical. They invite us to reach down into our roots, up for the sacred, to treasure balance, renewal and growth. They are ancient and as modern as Computer Graphic Design and the chemistry at the basis of nanotechnology. The circle, cross, and tree, archetypes channel our psyche as they did for our ancestors, including the Celts. These archetypes, the foundation of Celtic knots and the meaning contained in them, invite us to unity and balance with the earth, the sky, and all living beings. Bibliography Ancient Symbols.com, “Celtic Knots: History and Symbolism” (2010) Davis, Courtney, 101 Celtic Knotwork Designs (Cincinnati, David & Charles, 2004) Dietrich-Buchecker, Christiane; Colasson, Benoit X and Sauvage, Jean-Pierre.“Molecular Knots 1.”Topics in Current Chemistry Vol. 249 (2005) 211-225 Doran, Brent R, “Mathematical Sophistication of the Insular Celts – Spirals, Symmetries and Knots as a Window Onto Their World View,” Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium Vol. 15, (1995), 258-289 Lon Milo Duquette, The Ankh: Key of Life (San Francisco, Red Wheel Weiser, 2007) Hoffman, Chris,The Hoop and the Tree: A Compass for Finding Deeper Relationship With All Life (San Francisco: Council Oak Books, 2000) Koch, John T, Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia, Vol. 1-5 (Greenwood, ABC- /CLIO, 2006) 1622 Lukin, Oleg and Vogtle, Fritz, “Knotting and Threading of Molecules: Chemistry and Chirality of Molecular Knots and Their Assemblies,” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Vol. 44 (2005)1456–1477 Miller, Joelle, “Specific Types of Celtic Knots and What They Signify”, (1998) http://www.joellessacredgrove.com/Celtic/art.html Monday, Ralph, “The Archetypal Symbolism of Trees: Spiritual and Religious Dimensions. http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/a/archetypal_symbolism_of_trees_the.html Mueller, Mickie, Voice of the Trees: A Celtic Divination Oracle (Woodbury, Llewellyn Pub., 2011) Parks, Hunter G, “A Process for Creating Celtic Knot Work,” Thess, Texas A&M U. (May 2003) Philpot, J. H., The Sacred Tree in Religion and Myth (New York, Macmillan, 1897 Regardie, Israel, The Tree of Life: A Study in Magic (York Beach, Samuel Weiser, 1972) “The Circle as Archetype,” http://www.delasalleoaklands.ca/Lists/Chalkboard/Attachments/566/ Archetype%20Theory%20Answer%20Keys.doc Read More