There are times when certain things are revealed to us at exactly the time that we need them to be. These revelations can appear in something complex such as an intuitive insight, or sometimes as a simple idea that can only be seen if certain other things have happened to precipitate it. Recently, this came to life for me when contemplating the myth of The Settling of the Manor of Tara. A few nights previously, I had been watching a movie called The Mysteries of the Cosmos, which was a documentary into the dawn of creation from the beginnings of the universe to the present. In the movie, it stated that Terra is the Latin word for “Earth”. This information was not exactly new to me, but because I had been studying this particular myth, it suddenly occurred to me that, although spelled and probably pronounced slightly differently, Earth could possibly be seen as not only Terra, but also in a sense, as Tara. In the beginning of the story, it states that, in the conference of Magh Bregh it was determined that the area that was Tara seemed excessive and too large an area but with no civilization and no services. Just as this was true for Tara, it is also true of the Earth, and especially of an older Earth where the population was not as large as it is today. An older Earth would also have seemed to be too large an area and also in need of partitioning. Many times when facing an immense task, it helps to go back to the basics. Just as the quarters of knowledge, battle, prosperity, music, and kingship in the center were the basics for Tara, the elements of earth, wind, fire, and water are the basic and oldest ingredients in nature’s recipe and make sense for the Earth, with spirit or consciousness as its center.
The myth also states that the nobles of Ireland were summoned to the feast of Tara by Diarmait son of Cerball, but they refused to participate in the feast until the settling of the manor of Tara was determined. This makes sense to me as well, because often we cannot move forward until we have addressed the concerns of our past. As a more obvious example, we cannot enter school if we have not first learned to walk and talk, in the same way that Tara could not be partitioned without the presence of a wise man who knew the stories of the past, because through our historical records we can better understand what is needed for our present and our future. Although Fintan was indeed old and wise, by himself he would not be enough to remember all that was needed. In much the same way that crucial information had appeared before me at just the point that I needed it, Trefuilngid Tre-eochair also appeared from the sunset at the exact moment that Tara needed him to appear. With Trefuilngid’s guidance, Fintan was able to complete this task as Trefuilngid filled in the gaps and “explained to all everything unknown”.
It seems to me that Trefuilngid represents not necessarily God, but the mere idea of God, meaning that in order to make difficult decisions, we need to be guided by a spirituality of some sort. Whether that is a physical being, a specific sense of presence that we cannot see or touch, or more of an extension of self is irrelevant. The idea is that we are all guided by some sort of force depending on our individual belief system. Though some may be uncomfortable with the idea of God, it may help to think of it as less of a Godly figure and more of a consciousness that simply enlightens us just when we need to be enlightened, helping us to stay focused in the moment. This entity is at our center and functions as spirit, governing all that we hold dear in our lives with the elements always present, not only around us but also as a part of us.
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