Health & wellness

Throughout history people have used music as a form of healing. Whether this be to soothe an ailment or calm the mind, music has many healing properties. This is also true for the Celtic people.

 

The Celts believed in the 10 elemental constructs for healing,  water, herbs, stones, fire, music, Nature, symbols, storytelling, deities, and rituals. In Celtic healing rituals no matter if it was based on fire, water, herbs, or any of the other pillars music was typically an addition to every ritual. The use of drums was quite common in healing ceremonies as they were seen as a grounding tool for the soul. With the Celt's great connection to nature, they viewed grounding themselves to the earth to be an essential step to curing many ailments. Another common use of music in healing is the flute. The flute was commonly related to spirits and again was a way to reconnect the soul with the earth. 

 

Ancient Ireland also had musical therapy. Several times in history you see music being used as a form of calming in stressful situations or when people are injured. Traditional metal horns were often used for these practices as well as trumpets and other wind instruments. Music was also used for meditation, people would sit outside playing harp or other commonly found instruments in an attempt to process emotions and reconnect to the spirits and mother nature. 

 

This is still true today as many people are still studying the health benefits of Celtic music and people all over are still using it to meditate and ground themselves. It has also been proven that there is a connection between Celtic music and the fast healing of injuries and wounds, including cancer and other terminal ailments. 

 

All and all while we are not aware of the exact rituals used in Celtic healing, we know music was widely used, and the Celts knew of the power of music before even modern medicine and phycologists did. The power of Music has been passed down through the generations and still holds great meaning and power to everyone.