My Celtic Cosmology part 2;

The Celtic Cosmology part 2;

Anam, and Enaid; Spirit and Soul.

Anam means spirit or soul but in the general sense of spirit. Spirit as the flowing energy of Life. Whereas Enaid means your Spirit or Soul. Or one could look at it another way. Anam could mean the higher form of Spirit as in Universal Spirit or even The Divine, while Enaid would literally be an individual soul in a body; so ALL spirit as opposed to A spirit. Anam is then a word that could be understood like Prana in Hinduism or Chi in the orient. Anam is a pervading spirit that flows through all things much like Awen flows through all things. One might then also consider that Annwn as a realm permeates all realms and flows through them as point where all comes from source or Ceugant. So then Annwn is the gateway from Ceugant into Abred and one must evolve and pass through Gwenfydd before one can return to Ceugant. The Divine which most of us call God or Dia (pronounced Jee-ah or jia) in Irish nourishes and enriches Spirit and Soul from his realm of Ceugant through the vehicle of Awen. It is also interesting to Note that the phrase for “My Soul or My Spirit” in Irish as a title of affection given to a spouse or soul mate infers that when you are in true love with someone that person becomes like life itself to you. One might also and should adopt this understanding for our relationship with God. The Celi De having understood this, chose their name for exactly this reason. The Term AnamCara meaning Soul Friend which has been used for a variety of relationships historically from spouses and soul mates, to best friends, to ones spiritual advisor or confessor takes on great significance when understood in this light. It is not a title then to be bestowed lightly but with great care and discernment. So in understanding the words in this perspective; Anam is spirit, and Awen is the grace or power of Spirit. Another word that could be interchanged with Anam or the oriental term Chi is Nwyfre Pronounced New-ee-vrah according to some sources. Enaid is the state of being alive, that which has the breath of life from God incarnated in a body. Enaid is the seat of the soul inside a body. Where anam is used to refer to spirit in general terms of energy. Anam is spirit as in life, enaid is the soul in the state of being alive. So, anam becomes synonomous with prana or chi. Enaid is the actual spirit or soul inhabiting a body which is filled with the anam. Anam then is the vehicle for the awen or the imbas, just as the body is the vehicle of the enaid.

Marw is the state of being Dead. So if someone dies we say so and so is dead or marw. Marwolaeth is the state of death or equal to when we say the word Death with all its connotations. If we give ourselves to God Marwolaeth has lost its power over us forever.

The word for evil (and in modern terms the devil) is (Cythraul or) Cydtraul which is the principal of sin and destruction; that which is opposed to God and all goodness. Cythraul is destined to be ripped away from abred and annwn and be done away with in the state of hell.  Abred, annwn, and gwenfydd shall all change and merge and become the bright plain which Judeo-christianity calls the new-jerusalem or eternal heaven.

Obryn is the world of plants and minerals. Cidfil is animals, and Dyndod is humanity.

Angau is the state of liberation of the soul from its cycles in abred. So when a soul stops the cycle of reincarnation and finds a continual perpetual home in Gwenfydd it is said that the soul has reached angau. It appears from what I have read that the short present tense version of this word is ang, but I am uncertain about this, at this time.

Enaidvaddeu is when one lays down their life for another or a higher purpose and therefore is freed from the bondage of abred. A soul that does this is released to be able to permanently move on and live in Gwenfydd. This can be seen in The Divine example of Christ but; could also be seen in terms of a Hero, Like a Military person who dies in war or in the service of their nation, or a martyr who gives up their life willingly or unwillingly in the service of something they believe in, or in modern literary parallels; it is like when the character Harry Potter gave up his life for everyone else. This differs from the idea of Adbertos, which is a sacrifice made in life to edify others or ones own soul like as in the catholic tradition of lent. Adbertos can also be understood in terms of ones life; one can choose to live a life of sacrifice. Examples of this are good parents or in religious terms monks and nuns.


This is my favorite Celtic Mandala and I use it to meditate often, it represent to me the fullness of existance: The Artist is Jen Delyth;