The British Isles

‘The British Isles' is the name given to the archipelago consisting of the two large islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and many smaller surrounding islands. This is derived from the original use of the name Britannia (or Brittannia), the Latinised form of the Greek Prettanike, to refer to the collection of islands known today as the British Isles. It is only later, in the 1st century BC, that Britannia was used to refer to the Roman province of Britain, with Scotland being referred to as Caledonia and Ireland as Hibernia.

Europa

The British Isles are part of the continent of Europe, which takes its name from the myth of Europa and the Bull—a story that is written in the heavens in the hieroglyph of the constellation of Taurus. This profound myth from the mystery schools of antiquity provides a key to understanding the role of Europe in the world. It is also an aid to understanding the relationship of the British Isles to the rest of the European continent, as indeed to the rest of the world.

From the geomythological viewpoint, Europa is a symbolic name for the three lands known historically as The British Isles—namely, Scotland, Ireland and Britain (i.e. England & Wales), whilst the Bull is signified by the mainland of Europe.

The Triple Goddess

Each of the three lands of Europa is an integral whole in its own right, with its own complete cosmos of archetypes underlying the landscape. However, these three lands are intimately associated with each other and together compose a trinity that is manifesting Europa—a trinity known in myth as the Triple Goddess. The goddess of Ireland is Éire, the young maiden; the goddess of Britain is Britannia, synonymous with Mary, the mother; the goddess of Scotland is Scotia, the Caillech or crone.

Each of the three lands (Scotland, Ireland and Britain) has its own national landscape zodiac as well as a major chakra system. Remarkably, the geomantic heart-centres of these three lands link together in an almost perfect equilateral triangle. These sacred or royal centres are Dunsinane (Scotland), Uishneach (Ireland) and High Cross (Britain).

The ancient rulers and sages of each land recognised and used their sacred centre accordingly, and laid out their land geocosmologically around it with a ‘wheel of life’ (Greek, zodiac) containing fourfold, fivefold and sixfold divisions (and the same doubled—eightfold, tenfold and twelvefold, the latter being what most people equate with the zodiac). From time to time, later rulers and sages also worked with this geomantic knowledge. Many stories are associated with such people and the geocosmology of the land.

The overall geomantic landscape of the British Isles has its own set of chakras and Tree of Life pattern, of which the three zodiacs of the three lands form an integral and essential part.

Maia & the Pleiades

In the starry heavens, Europa is represented by the star cluster in the constellation of Taurus known as the Pleiades. These are nine in number and represent the Seven Sisters of Greek mythology: Maia, Sterope, Merope, Electra, Taygete, Celaeno and Alcyone, together with their parents Atlas and Pleione, the Phoenix King and Queen of Atlantis. Like their parents, the sisters are symbolised as doves or phoenixes.

The eldest of the Seven Sisters is Maia, who was considered to be the most beautiful in the heavens and who as a result was wooed by Zeus, resulting in the birth of Hermes (Mercury). She is also said to have raised the infant Arcas, son of Zeus, to protect him from Hera, who had turned his mother Callisto into a bear. Arcas became the renowned shepherd-king of Arcadia. Arcadia is associated with the ‘Bear’ constellations of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, with the former representing Callisto and the latter her son, and with the star in Ursa Minor that is at present our North Pole Star (Polaris) being named Arcas. These two ‘Bear’ constellations were once alternatively referred to as 'Doves'.

Venus

At another level of myth, all the stars of the Pleiades collectively represent Maia, symbolised as a dove resting on the neck and shoulders of Taurus, the Bull. As such, she relates not only to Europa but also to the goddess Venus, the ruler of Taurus in astrological tradition. Venus is the mother of Cupid, the Christ-child, just as Europa (Maia) is the mother of Hermes/Mercury in the Pleiadean myth. Mercury is another name for Christ, both names being derived from the Ancient Egyptian Maat Kheru, ‘The True Word’.

Leda

Another myth that pertains to Europe is that of Leda and the Swan. The Swan can be found in the landscape of Europe as the Heart Cross of Europe, whilst Leda is represented by the British Isles.

Hyperborea

Lying behind all these mythological representations of the British Isles, which help to tell of the role that this landscape plays in the world, is the mystery and secret of Hyperborea, 'The Land beyond the North Wind'.

© Peter Dawkins