Celtic Shamanism: A Brief Introduction
When one thinks of Druids and the Celts, one generally brings to mind images of Merlin and Morganna, people in long flowing robes with extraordinary magical powers. Powers to harm or heal, powers to curse or cure. What few automatically bring to mind is their deeper, more personal mysteries. What gave the Druids their powers? With so many records and accounts destroyed or permanently altered by the Christian invaders, we can only guess based on what is actually known of the time. The solitary nature of the Druids, their affinity for nature and their seeming ability to speak to it lead to the logical conclusion that we are dealing with a form of European, and indeed, Celtic, Shamanism.
A Shaman is considered to be a person who acts as a mediator between the spiritual and material worlds. As such, shamanism can exist side by side with other spiritual beliefs without conflict. It is not, in and of itself, a religion. It does not require group participation. In fact, group participation can often be detrimental to the practice as it inhibits one from going as deep spirituality as they could.
Unlike many other religious leaders, Shamans understand that there are aspects of their lives that must be brought into balance before their abilities can be used to help others. It's a lifetime journey. One where the Shaman is constantly working to improve him/herself as well as helping others. Since all life springs first from the spiritual realm, that area must be tended to before those on the material plane can be healed. Dedication, discipline, control, patience and reflection are all required of the aspiring Shaman. A true Shaman tends to be a healer first, a prophet second. In fact, it's the healing traits that are in highest demand.
While in ancient times the training of an aspiring Shaman could be dangerous, even fatal, that is no longer the case. Shamanism, unlike so many other religious practices has grown and changed with society. It had no choice. By being static it would have become useless. Training today is as easy as reading a few books, meeting with a teacher or two, or even learning from valid internet sites.
What is different about Celtic Shamanism as opposed to the better known Native American Shamanism? In practice not much. Many of the exercises are similar and many of the ways in which people are helped are similar. The difference is in the heritage of the Shaman. The symbols that may be encountered and the paths that may be walked may have vastly different meanings depending on the heritage of the Shaman. Many of these symbols have come about because of the personal experiences of our ancestors. Over time the Shaman will learn these. In spiritual practices where you connect with yourself many times, as in past life healing, your own heritage and that of your past lives comes into play a great deal. These things must be taken into account on a continual basis. It is a lifetime journey and not something possible to accomplish overnight.
If this is a path you wish to examine further then I urge you to read everything you can on the subject. It's a fascinating study into the deepest workings of the human soul and the part we play in the universe.
Mitakuye Oyasin
Silver Eagle
posted by Silver Eagle | 1:50 AM
3 Comments:
July 5, 2004
Regarding shamanism & aloneness or being alone, ... Yesterday, while a day of national celebration of our country's freedom and independence, I found myself in solitude and deep reflection. In past years, I would have likely been out at the park with friends having a BBQ and partying. But for the last two years, my celebrations have been private and personal.
As I have felt the shaman's path and shaman's call to service. I find it a paradox in that through alcoholic's anonymous and narcotics anonymous we learn that we are not unique. But in connection with the shaman's call & path, it is more correctly stated that we are not unique in our "disease" but the shaman themself is extremely unique in many ways.
For if we are true to our call as shaman's we most likely are eccentric, eclectic, and egalitarian (spelling?). We are definitely unique and as the shaman's cave stated like the shaman's of old, typically on the outer edges of "normal" society, to where we are not considered a part of society for most interactions, but yet when "normal" society has a problem, it is us, the shaman's, that they come to for help.
It requires a strong personal spirit and even stronger personal power to live the life of a shaman and a warrior of the Spirit. I say that because we must be secure in not only ourselves but in our spirit. As is written in the last lines of Oriah the Mountain Dreamer, "I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep....in the empty moments...."
Where am I going with this? I have come to find that as shamans we will not typically have many true "friends" other than those who are also shamans and those of the "craft". We may have many acquaintances, but for the most part, these are truly not much more than a doctor or physician has clients. Those who only come to us when they need something from us, whether it be help, temporary companionship, or something else.
It is for this reason that we must be secure in our spirit and ourselves. We must continually remind ourselves of our gifts and position as shaman.
We must learn Don't take anything personal. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.
We must learn to be impeccable with our word. Speak with integrity. Say only what we mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
We must learn to be selfless and yet selfish but not self-centered. We must walk our path with integrity and honesty, Always doing our best. Our best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when we are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do our best, and we will avoid self-judgment; self-abuse; and regret.
We must learn how to be connected with all life, but yet live detached from it. For as we walk the shaman's path, the warrior's path, we come to understand the meaning of personal power, how to wield it, and how to choose our battles considering the circumstances and consequences for each action. For each battle, no matter how small or large, is truly a battle of life and death. How we are able to compress time, because each moment is in truth an eternity in time in this battle of life and death.
I have yet to come to a conclusion, but I am coming to believe that as a shaman, we truly must experience a shaman's death (if that's the right term). What I am speaking of is a death to our personal emotions, and I'm not even sure that's completely right. I believe that may be "emotional detachment" may be more correct of a term. Not necessary devoid of emotion(s) but rather unemotional other than sharing with those of like-mind and like-spirit. For to share our emotional power with those who are not of like-mind and like-spirit results in a one-way energy flow, outward from us. Hence the solitary nature of a Shaman, and the choice of being alone.
Mitakuye Oyasin,
A Guardian and Servant of Spirit,
Silver Eagle
Themes that recur in the lives of the genuine shaman:
Lifelong sense of oneself as different; inability to fit in completely; an intuitive or spiritual take on life that feels more intrinsic than learned.
Chosen by the shamanic call rather than choosing it, the call manifesting as a life-altering event of intense personal meaning and numinosity; accompanying feelings of guilt, ecstasy, unworthiness; fear that one is crazy (worse in cultures that do not recognize/legitimize the budding adept); synchronistic affirmations of the calling; illness if it isn't followed.
Long spell of physical or psychological illness incurable by traditional methods: if the potential shaman can heal himself by reaching far enough into himself, he has passed the real initiation, whatever minor ones he undergoes later.
Either a family history of shamanic initiations (e.g., a grandmother who was a shaman) or inner references to ancestors (e.g., a dream figure remarking, "Your mother didn't like us, so now it's your turn").
Receipt of a "true" or spiritual name from a figure (spirit, guide, archetype, power animal) in a dream or vision.
Training in consciousness-altering techniques under the guidance of both inner and outer guides.
Spontaneous healing manifestations within the community, whether or not in the shaman's immediate physical proximity; an obvious increase in incidents of good fortune that disappears when the shaman leaves the area.
Ready recognition of synchronistic events (usually thought of as signs or omens).
Tattooing, piercing, scarification, or other kinds of marking may signify a key life lesson, healing or initiation.
The Starseed Quiz
How Do You Score?
Prior to grading yourself (or using the auto-computed score), please note that though many of the questions may have seemed as obvious "YES" questions to anyone, it is quite possible for a truly "average" person to score with less than 30 YES's. In fact, as this test was in its final stage of creation, I had it given to a class of business majors ~ the class average was 43... Please also remember the frequent use of such words as "more/less than the average/norm", etc. On the other hand, if you grew up in a very conservative environment, that alone could be a reason why you scored lower than expected... And, of late, we have discovered that among certain advanced Star People who sense the impending shift of everything, the present/future does hold more excitement than any point in the past ~ and then, there is a sense of duty for the work that is to assist the shifting ~ if you chose the present over the past with question 99, for either of those two reasons, change your NO to a YES.
Some men, even some women, might be muttering "unfair" at the questions relating to female superiority & deity ~ those two questions are from the original prime personality-profile study (created in England, in the 1960s - the source of the quiz), and over half of those studied were men... Also, you might well concern yourself about a racial bias in the test ~ as referencing the questions regarding colour of hair & eyes. Those two answers-destined-to-be-quiz-questions were the only ones I excluded from the 1st stage of the quiz. Then, I sponsored a gathering of Star Seed people which happened to contain representatives of Asian & African gene pools.
I happened to reference the two questions I had excluded ~ and promptly received a lesson on "never assume" ~ each represented Asian & African who had scored high on the test, also had hazel eyes. So...allowing a point for every YES...
Starseed Quiz
Auto-Computed Score from 97
40 + ... You may have some ancestral roots in the Pleiades
50 + ... You have some cousins out there
60 + ... They are 1st cousins
70 + ... You will be, or have been, contacted ~ do not be afraid -- it was for a family reunion.
80 + ... You will have a special place in the 5th world, prepare for it.
90 + ... Start preparing NOW! In some way they will connect you to your purpose
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