The Mysteries of Britain

The Mysteries of Britain: Secret Rites and Traditions of Ancient Britain by Lewis Spence
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was originally written in 1922, when academic standards on these topics was a bit more lax than they are today. As the blurb indicates, Spence theorizes that a "cult of the dead" arose in northwestern Africa during the Paleolithic era, and made its way by separate emigration routes to Egypt and Britain, where it was adopted and revised by the Celts. "Druidism", as Spence refers to it, became an initiatory mystery religion, tied to the myth of the earth goddess Cerridwen's cauldron and the sky god Hu/Esus/Hesus, who became equated with Arthur. The cauldron, which figures in both Welsh and British mythology, became transformed into the Grail myth. Spence also argues that Celtic Christianity was the natural result of the fusion of these two religions. Spence argues that the Druids themselves survived as the Culdee sect of Christianity.
On a more esoteric level, Spence cites the "Barddas" collected by Iolo Morganwg, referring to three circles of existence: Annwn, the watery abyss, Abred the plane of physical existence, living and dead, and Gwynvyd, the realm of animated and immortal beings. The fourth realm, Ceugant, contains only God, and may refer to the Sun itself. Spence ends with a call for the restoration and revival of Britain's native Secret Tradition.
Not being an expert on Druidry, I can't really comment on the validity of his claims. It may, however, make a good if somewhat antiquated starting point for anyone interested in modern Druidry.

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