Welcome to the Deiuokara FAQ — An Introduction to our Tradition.

What is Deiuokara?

Deiuokara is a proto-Celtic word for our spiritual path meaning "Reverence of the Divine".   It is a modern construction of a polytheistic devotional path consisting of beliefs, customs & practices that are inspired, influenced, & balanced by the study of Pan-Celtic history, culture, language, mythology, traditions, archaeology, as well as by the development of continuing spiritual direction from our Pan-Celtic Gods, Goddesses, & ancestors.  We use the information and principles highlighted by noted Celtic scholar Alexei Kondratiev in his book "The Apple Branch - A Path to Celtic Ritual", as well as his other web articles here in our archives. 

What do you mean by  the word “Celtic”?

For the purpose of definition, the word Celtic here refers to the Celtic language family, with its extinct and extant branches, and by extension, to also the peoples and cultures, extinct and extant, speaking those language branches, from the past till today.

The Goidelic Q-Celtic languages are Irish, Scottish, and Manx. The Brythonic P-Celtic languages are Welsh, Breton, and Cornish.

What is Celtic Spirituality?

Let us start with defining spirituality. 

Spirit: an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms.

Spiritual: of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit : <man's spiritual needs>; of or relating to sacred matters <spiritual songs>; ecclesiastical rather than lay or temporal <spiritual authority> <lords spiritual>; concerned with religious values; related or joined in spirit <our spiritual home> <his spiritual heir>; of or relating to supernatural beings or phenomena b : of, relating to, or involving spiritualism.

Spirituality: sensitivity or attachment to religious or spiritual values; the quality or state of being spiritual.

Without spirit, the animating, vital principle held to give life, man is dead.  As we take in food, water, and air to keep our physical bodies alive and healthy (which reflects our physical needs), so too, our spirit must be nourished and strengthened with spiritual sustenance (which reflects our spiritual needs).  Our spirituality is our sensitivity to our spiritual needs and the things we hold sacred (set apart) in our contemplation of such things.

Now to apply the adjective Celtic to the word spirituality, our sensitivity to our spiritual needs and things we hold sacred would have to be greatly influenced by a Celtic worldview.  One develops this worldview through learning a Celtic language, studying Celtic Mythos through the lens or cultural filter of that language, studying the works of others who have that worldview, and if possible, spending time in the living cultures themselves.

Is Deiuokara a “Reconstruction” like CR?

There are elements of reconstruction in Deiuokara.  One is along the lines of supporting the reconstruction of Celtic languages. Indeed, the word Deiuokara itself is a reconstructed word from Proto-Celtic.  Another is through archaeological reconstruction attempts to better understand early Celtic culture, temple layout, and traditions.  Although we believe scholarly reconstruction efforts as a methodology in certain areas of our spirituality are proper when attempted with due respect to early and living Celtic cultures and traditions, we are not associated with Celtic Reconstructionism Paganism or Celtic Restorationists /ism (CR) as an American religious movement. We are not attempting, as CR does, to reconstruct pre-Christian Celtic spirituality into what we think it would be like today, nor do we pay lip service to language and culture while pursuing non-Celtic political agendas within our tradition. It is our belief that those movements,  as self described in their "CR FAQs" are modern creations that spring from American Pagan worldviews that, in some cases, lack respect for the living cultures themselves and those of us who believe that minority cultural spirituality cannot ignore or be separated from its language, tradition and culture.

It is our belief that one should approach Celtic spirituality through the cultural continuum of Celtic traditions.  It involves a Celtic way of thinking and imagining the world.  The elements of Celtic polytheistic spirituality exist today within Celtic culture.  There is no need to "reconstruct" a non-Celtic model.

Is Deiuokara a religion or a culture?

In America, where the majority of people separate the spiritual from their daily lives to practice once a day on a weekend and call it religion, it would be viewed as a religion.  For the purposes of defining it to the State, it would be recognized as a religion, since it has most of the tenets that define a religious practice.

In our reality, though, it is neither.  It is a tradition that is a way of life.  Since the ancient Celts had no known old word for religion, the concept as we view religion today is an alien one to early Celtic tradition.

Today, in imperialistic cultures, many people practice their religion or spirituality as a compartment of their lives, separated deliberately from every day life.  In early Celtic cultures, this was not the case. Every day living was immersed in spirituality, a spirituality which encompassed and permeated every mundane action, until there was no clear distinction between what was sacred and what was mundane. Through the use of deliberate ritual action, seemingly every ordinary act of daily living was made sacred.

To illustrate, the Sioux Nations have native spiritual customs, practices, and rituals that are bound up in their culture and expressed through their language.  What do the Sioux call their spirituality and their customs that express it?  There is no specific name for it because it is a permeating influence in every day living, bound up in the language and the worldview of Sioux culture.

Is Deiuokara a new or old tradition?

Deiuokara is the name we have adopted for our tradition  we began developing in 1999 based on the scholarly study of and gradual immersion into Celtic culture.  Though its movement springs from the Diapsora outside of living Celtic culture today, we realize that our spirituality must come from within the Celtic cultural continuum for it to have validity as a Celtic spirituality; therefore our efforts are governed by that realization.  We hold the culture itself to be the authority, while looking to those scholars, writers, teachers, and artists of that culture for our direction along the path, as we continue to learn the languages, the traditions, and see the mythos of those cultures through the eyes of a Celtic worldview. This is a lifetime journey towards the eventual goal of the development of a Celtic cultural worldview.

When and How did Deiuokara start?

In 1999, after 15 years in the Christian ministry and another 13 years as an agnostic studying Indo European archaeology and spiritualities,  Tearlach Roibeard Luder began developing a personal path to satisfy his desire to more closely walk with the ways of his ancestors.  Drawn to Celtic cultures by his study of continental and insular European history, archaeology and personal family ancestry, Luder started the original Celtic Nation USA website on AOL to serve as a focal point to develop this path, then establishing the site on his own domain the following year.  In December 1999, Luder started the Celtic Nation Onelist E group with 6 other locals of like mind in Pensacola, Florida in order to promote discussion amongst other polytheists interested in developing a Celtic spirituality. 

Luder began developing the tradition using  Kondratiev's "Apple Branch" as the primary guide.  In late 1999, the term Deiuokara coined by IMBAS council members as one of a number of possible terms to be chosen to describe their movement and advertised on the Imbas-Public One-list e-group (now Yahoo), but was not selected (Senistrognata was the eventual winner).  In 2000, in order to satisfy state ministerial requirements to functionally practice as clergy, Luder became ordained by the ULC. On Imbolc (February 1st), using the Celtic language rituals in "The Apple Branch", he began hosting regular quarter festival celebrations, as well as other significant Celtic cultural celebrations, in an oak grove behind his property.  Though the term was rejected by IMBAS, Luder held a fondness for the simplicity of meaning relating to the term Deiuokara and would begin using it as moniker for his path.

In a short time, Onelist was purchased by E-groups, which was then purchased by Yahoo.  At its height of popularity in late 2004, the Celtic Nation e-group boasted over 1500 active members from all over the world.  Luder shut down the E group list in early 2005 to pursue further development of the Celtic Nation USA website and the Deiuokara path. 

What practices does Deiuokara involve?

We believe that the most important bond of our people is with the land.  Every activity of the group involves an interaction with the land and its Goddess.  Using Professor Garrett Olmsted's Gaulish calendar work and Alexei Kondratiev's "Apple Branch" as our guide, we observe the Cycle of the Earth and Sun by honoring four Celtic quarterly earth feasts . We also observe the Cycle of the Moon by ritually following its phases throughout the changing year, as well as the Cycle of the Tribe which consists of ritualizing historical events that help establish the historical identities of each of the six extant Celtic cultures. We honor Celtic deity and ancestors.  We make offerings to  them.  We pray to them.  We work to develop a life immersed in everyday spirituality. We consecrate our life events. We regularly study Celtic history, culture, traditions, and folklore.

MORE TO COME

Last Updated: 08/14/08