VOLUME ONE, NUMBER 2
NOVEMBER 1991
CONCEPTIONS OF LIGHT
Megalithic Art in Ireland
By SEAMUS MCMAHON
RIPLE-SPIRAL MANDALA, a sculptured metalwork in the Celtic tradition, was designed by Seamus McMahon to be hung on a wall. The mandala is not only pleasing to the eye, but, as Seamus remarks, "When you trace yourfingers over it, you will find yourself in touch with the civilization from which it arose."
Here's how Seamus describes the steps involved in creating a mandala such as this:
'The design is incised or chased onto the sheet metal with an engraver's burin. The metal is then heated over a charcoal fire which allows greater depth or relief to be worked through the reverse side of the softened metal, via the repousse method. The engraved metal is then mounted onto a timber base and placed out of doors to weather,
and so acquire a natural patina or colour.
After this oxidization, the work is cleaned down with super-fine wool, and finally polished with a domestic metal cleaner. Copper and brass, being natural metals, react to environmental pollution in the atmosphere. This has the effect of deadening the material. A few minutes of polishing quickly restores the inherent brilliance of the metals. Alternatively, the plaques can be protected with lacquer or varnish. I recommend polishing the metal, not only because it is more natural but also because it brings the owner into closer contact with the design."
r
ive thousand years ago, a tribe called the Tuatha De Danann (Peoples of the Goddess Danu) lived in the oldest light observatory in the world. The megalithic mound complex atNewgrange, Knowth and Dowth in Ireland pre-date Stonehenge by 1,700 years and the pyramids of Egypt by half a millennium.
TheNewgrangecomplex,a stunning jewel, has astonished modern scientis ts with the knowledge of geometry, physics, astronomy and engineering implicit in its design and construction.
At Winter Solstice, the shortest day in the solar year, the rays of the sun at dawn are channelled into a narrow beamof light which penetrates the womb-shaped passage built into the mound. The beam of light snakes deep into the passage illuminating the mos t beautiful geometric artwork. At the back of the passage, the light beam strikes a deeply engraved image of the triple spiral. After 20 minutes, and as the sun climbs higher in the sky outside, the trajectory of the light beam is shut off and the passage plunges into darkness. The birth of a new solar year has been celebrated.
AdjacentmoundsatKnowthand Dowth also have precisely engineered light beam conduits which accurately calibrate sunrise /sunset at a spring and autumn equinox. Anywhere in the world at Equinox the sun will rise due East and set at due west. There is no doubt about the superb technical skills of the builders. Archaeologists describe the mounds as tombs or passage graves. This is too narrow an interpretation and underlines the danger of over-specialization in any one field of science. Carl G. Jung said that "myth is the first form of science," and Irish mythology has much to say about Newgrange and the magical Tuatha De Dannan who lived there.
The builders of Newgrange knew that light is a key factor for existence. The speed of light is con-
stant and crucial in the measurement of time. White light is the sum of all colours. From earliest times, shamans, poets, spiritualists of all hues have used light as a metaphor to reveal fundamental truths.
Newgrange is described in Irish mythology as BrunaBoinne. Bru means house or stone mansion. In Egypt, the word Pharaoh means "He of the great house". Why do archaeologists describe these s tone mansions as tombs or mausoleums when all the evidence shows that the structures celebrate life and creation, and that death is only a component of the matrix? Temple of Light would be equally valid a description.
Celtic mythology is full of references to the relativity of time and space. Solstice means sun's standstill. Visual art uses light to create mood and reflectan ambience that lets loose our imaginations into different dimensions. The Celts called these imaginative flights of fancy immrama or wonder-voyages. Scientists are very familiar with this imaginative mind-set which, however illogically, seems
SEAMUS McMAHON,
a graduate of University College, Dublin, is a stained-glass creator, sculptor and playwright, who emigrated from his family home in West Clare, Ireland, to Canada in 1989. He now lives in North Vancouver, B.C. One of his works, an early Christian Celtic image, was sold on the first night of a province-wide juried exhibition "Images and Objects." Seamus is pictured with his most recent work, entitled "Symmetry", which displays a slice of Brazilian agate that is millions of years old. Seamus sensitively framed it in hand-cut glass. In doing so, Seamus displayed an uncanny ability to evoke the art potential of this timeless object.
to cast brilliant new insights upon old problems.
In the next issue, we will examine in detail the scientific achievements of Newgrange and the fas-cinating mythology of this magnificent civilization. One story will give a foretaste of what you can expect. Angus, son of Dagda, the Great Celtic God and Boann, the river Goddess, lived at Newgrange and on hearing of the tragic death of Diarmuid, lover of Grainne, brought his body back to Newgrange so that he could "put on aerial life into him and converse every day". Re-incarnation or re-birth?
The point is that the story of Diarmuid and Grainne is one of the most enduring love stories of all time. The Tuatha De Danann could have easily defeated the invading Milesian Celts in battle. But they chose instead to loosen the shackles of bodily form and became pure spirit. They were to become the little people or leprechauns beloved by Hollywood. They have inspired artists for thousand of years. Their spirit has endured +
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THE CELTIC VOICE OF NORTH AMERICA
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