The Second Sight, or An Dara Sealladh

Article taken from The Irish Ulster Heritage Magazine

The Second Sight, or an dara sealladh, is one of the more curious, but constant cultural phenomenons, in Celtic lands and those places where Celts have settled around the world. It is the sixth sense, the ability to see and perceive, images or knowledge of events, of death to come, either near or distant. It most associated with Gaels of Highland Scottish or Hebridean ancestry, but is also known throughout Ireland and Scotland. Modern science, in an attempt to classify the phenomenon, describes it as the paranormal perception at a distance in time and space and the parapsychologist place the Second Sight along side ESP, or extra sensory perception.

A frequent vision seen by those with the Second Sight is a premonition of a death shortly to occur in the community. This can take the form of seeing an apparition of the person, his wraith, no matter how far away the person might be. There are also reports of those gifted seeing lights around the person that is fated soon to pass over.

Sometimes the Second Sight concerns more mundane occurrences, such as the sure knowledge that comes to those gifted of a future outcome or occurrence. This is not a case of luck or coincidence, but rather the complete, certain and accurate knowledge, of an event in the future or even a case of just 'knowing' where something that has been mislaid is.

The Second Sight is called a 'gift', but is not considered so by those afflicted with the sense. The episodes come on them not of their own choosing, but in spells which they have no control. The burden of knowing where death will call among friends and family, or just the burden of knowledge of the nature of people, or their never to be realised dreams, etc., often makes those with the sense solitary by choice. They will often seek to live in wooded cabins, or seashore or mountain homes, places where they do not have to discourse with people, just to escape episodes of the Second Sight. They live lonely lives of solitude, deep in thoughts and knowledge of how mysterious life really is.

Science only now is perhaps providing some explanation into the Second Sight. As leading physicists develop theories into quantum physics, into String Theory, or of multiple universes and dimensions no further away than our finger tips, perhaps some explanation into the Second Sight can be understood. Perhaps in the population among certain people, in Scotland for instance, some families have long had abilities perceive these things, to have access to time and space, not as a linear progression, but access to the entire flow of events.

The Second Sight is thought to be hereditary and it 'runs' in some families. As is often the case in genetics, the Second Sight may skip one or two generations, and then return, like some regressive trait for hair colour or shape of ears. The phenomenon is much too authenticated to pretend it does not exist.

While this is so, here in the 21st Century amid a society based on consumerism and values taken from a very material world, instances of the Second Sight seem to be waning. The massive intrusion of media, the incessant TV and radio programs, Cell phone signals, satellite communications, computers and more, could very well make the all too fragile links to the other world to frayed and cloudy for those with the Second Sight to perceive their reality anymore. Only in rural areas in Scotland and Ireland, and in the Southern hills and uplands in the United States, where so many Irish and Scottish settled, are there still reports of people with the Second Sight.

Very interesting post on a subject new to me.

Could all these electronic waves also be having a negative effect on contemporary mediumism, do you think?

Jim

An darna sealladh.

""The Second Sight is called a 'gift', but is not considered so by those afflicted with the sense. ""- Azur

An darna sealladh is natural mediumship, spontaneous in practice and I could not agree with Azur's description of it, although some might. It is to be found among peoples less tainted by modern materialism - Celts, native Redman, Australian Aboriginals and presumaby Mongols, Inuits and of course Romanys. This also would seem to confirm the oft-quoted 'Mediums are born - not made'. Development can enhance but not create. Is this true, I wonder?

Those fortunate to be possessed of it may or may not relish it as a blessing, but this depends to a large extent on the individual and their understanding of life.

There have been long term attempts to quietly encourage 'uniformity' by some societies - but the natural way is in diversity. Even identical twins have very real differences. Going against nature in this way cannot be either healthy in the fuller sense, or wise. As has been said, Mediums often prefer their own space at times of their choosing and consequently choose to live alone with 'outside' contact selectively limited, This seems to be due to needing to avoid mixing with conflicting energies (an example might be crowded areas with heavy doses of materialism - christmas shopping - and events like football spectating. Uugh!) Even in the home, restricted materialism is peferred, eg, I do not have, or want or need a TV set, preferring suitable music, but more usually just silence.

All mediumship has been the target of self-appointed 'knowledgeable superiors' down the ages, basically because they do not experience it, cannot understand it and most certainly cannot 'control' it. The 'religous' set natural mediums on fire publically, for maximum impact. Various tortures were devised, today public ridicule is used (although this is again waning).

The Brahan Seer, Kenneth MacKenzie, who foretold the Caledonian Canal by some 300 years and informed the House of Seaforth of their imminent demise - being rewarded by being boiled alive in a barrell of tar -, Joan of Arc and a range of others, brutally killed for just being true to themselves.

In Ireland, the Banshee - Am bean-sithe (the female fairy) is reputed to appear for those about to die, but this may be attributable to the effects of religion and superstition. Certainly, whenever I've 'seen' a death, it was never as described, on the contrary, it was incredibably beautiful and peaceful. This may, probably, reflect the state of the departing Soul and the reaping what was sown, rather than anything else.

An interesting topic, thank you for posting.

A similar matter is the occasional sighting of 'the little people' which also occurs in similar spontaneous ways, with folklore describing very similar events in many lands. Something in it? Perhaps.

hiorta wrote:An darna sealladh.

""The Second Sight is called a 'gift', but is not considered so by those afflicted with the sense. ""- Azur

An darna sealladh is natural mediumship, spontaneous in practice and I could not agree with Azur's description of it, although some might. It is to be found among peoples less tainted by modern materialism - Celts, native Redman, Australian Aboriginals and presumaby Mongols, Inuits and of course Romanys. This also would seem to confirm the oft-quoted 'Mediums are born - not made'. Development can enhance but not create. Is this true, I wonder?

Those fortunate to be possessed of it may or may not relish it as a blessing, but this depends to a large extent on the individual and their understanding of life.

There have been long term attempts to quietly encourage 'uniformity' by some societies - but the natural way is in diversity. Even identical twins have very real differences. Going against nature in this way cannot be either healthy in the fuller sense, or wise. As has been said, Mediums often prefer their own space at times of their choosing and consequently choose to live alone with 'outside' contact selectively limited, This seems to be due to needing to avoid mixing with conflicting energies (an example might be crowded areas with heavy doses of materialism - christmas shopping - and events like football spectating. Uugh!) Even in the home, restricted materialism is peferred, eg, I do not have, or want or need a TV set, preferring suitable music, but more usually just silence.

All mediumship has been the target of self-appointed 'knowledgeable superiors' down the ages, basically because they do not experience it, cannot understand it and most certainly cannot 'control' it. The 'religous' set natural mediums on fire publically, for maximum impact. Various tortures were devised, today public ridicule is used (although this is again waning).

The Brahan Seer, Kenneth MacKenzie, who foretold the Caledonian Canal by some 300 years and informed the House of Seaforth of their imminent demise - being rewarded by being boiled alive in a barrell of tar -, Joan of Arc and a range of others, brutally killed for just being true to themselves.

In Ireland, the Banshee - Am bean-sithe (the female fairy) is reputed to appear for those about to die, but this may be attributable to the effects of religion and superstition. Certainly, whenever I've 'seen' a death, it was never as described, on the contrary, it was incredibably beautiful and peaceful. This may, probably, reflect the state of the departing Soul and the reaping what was sown, rather than anything else.

An interesting topic, thank you for posting.

A similar matter is the occasional sighting of 'the little people' which also occurs in similar spontaneous ways, with folklore describing very similar events in many lands. Something in it? Perhaps.

It's not my article hiorta, as it said above taken from ''The Irish Ulster Heritage Magazine''

Personally, I think it depends on the individual, throughout the centuries some have welcomed the gift of sight, while others thought it a curse.

D.D. Home had the gift of second sight, so to had his mother Betsy and her predecessors, Mr. McKenzie and her great uncle Colin Uruqhart.

Like I said, it all depends on the individual, no one experiences the same gift in the same way.

I think people born with the gift of second sight walk in a thin place just like some places where the veil between this world and the other world are thin.

I found this video, hope you enjoy



'hiorta wrote:- 'A similar matter is the occasional sighting of 'the little people' which also occurs in similar spontaneous ways, with folklore describing very similar events in many lands. Something in it? Perhaps''

Perhaps. In the case of fairy changelings which is rich in Irish supernatural folklore, which reminds me of Bridget Cleary who was murdered by her husband in the late 1800's. He believed Bridget had been abducted by fairies and a changeling left in her place; he claimed to have slain only the changeling, Perhaps Mr Clearly was nothing more than a superstitious mad man.

An Irish nursery rhyme reads,

Are you a witch, or are you a fairy, Or are you the wife of Michael Cleary?

Here's the link for those interested in reading ''The Burning of Bridget Cleary''

http://www.irishidentity.com/extras/supernat/stories/cleary.htm

Left Behind wrote:Very interesting post on a subject new to me.

Could all these electronic waves also be having a negative effect on contemporary mediumism, do you think?

Jim

Absolutely Jim electronic waves have an effect on mediumship, so to can the weather effect mediumistic phenomena.