Celtic Shamanism By Anam Nasca Shamanism is, first and foremost, a philosophy, a perspective on life and a way of being, that is in harmony with all things. The Shaman is in complete connection with Earth and Cosmic energy. Its focus is on how the practitioner maintains an ongoing and practical relationship with ‘God’/‘Spirit’/’Source Energy’ for the benefit of community and the world in general. Shamanism begins and ends with the heart, coming from the viewpoint that the Universe is a beneficent place and its building blocks are love and that is all that there is. Shamanism is the oldest spiritual practice known to mankind, dating back at least 50,000 years, if not more. Examples of ancient Shamanic practice can be seen through symbols and glyphs from ancient structures and temples such as those along the Nile in Egypt, Central and South America, Bru Na Boinne (Newgrange) in Ireland and through age-old cave paintings, such as those in Lascaux in France and in Sedona in the US. Although not recognised as a religion, it is suggested that Shamanism is the root of all religions. In fact, shamanism underpins and embraces the spirituality in all religions and acknowledges the importance of individual and direct routes to spirit. Shamanism has been called the ‘path of direct revelation’, in that, it allows the practitioner to connect directly with God, the Prime Creator or Source energy, without the need for intermediaries or mediating organisations. Essentially, the Shaman, or Shamanic practitioner, regards everything as energy within one central grid and everything is an element of this grid, in other words…. we are all one. This being the case, the Shaman, through the use of the ‘Shamanic journey’, has the ability to interact with this energy. So, everything is energy and therefore holds some level of consciousness, of a similar nature as our own consciousness. In the modern era, Shamanism is very much seen as a ‘catch-all’ term to describe the practices of those individuals who communicate and interact with spiritual entities in specific way. The name owes of origin to those practitioners common to the Tungus tribe of Siberia. The purpose of the Shaman is to bring healing, understanding and spiritual guidance to the community. For many of those who have a limited understanding of Shamanism, it is sometimes felt that this is a ‘Native American’ phenomenon. This could not be further from the truth. In almost all cultures, there is some form of practice where the indigenous native enters a trance-like state to communicate with the ‘Otherworld’ or Spiritworld. Taking Michael Harner’s definition of a shamanic practitioner, (a man or woman who enters an altered state of consciousness . . . to contact and utilize an ordinarily hidden reality in order to acquire knowledge, power, and to help other persons, and who has at least one, and usually more, spirits, in his personal service (Harner, M. The Way of the Shaman, Harper and Row, 1980)). We can see very clearly that there are many, many examples of Shamanism within the Celtic/Irish oral tradition of story-telling and thus within the Celtic/Irish psyche. It can be suggested that there has always been some individual practitioners following the ancient lore, carrying out ‘readings’ and healings and teaching ancient wisdoms within Irish/Celtic society. The difference being that they simply haven’t referred to themselves as Shaman. In the Irish context, the modern day Celtic or pre-Celtic Shamanic practitioner can refer to a huge and vibrant Shamanic heritage that can be traced back to the Druidic practices and beyond. For most Irish Shamanic practitioners, the Tuatha Dé Danann are a central reference point in the Irish oral tradition and many Shamanic practitioners feel a direct lineage to this mystical heritage. In Irish-Celtic mythology, the Tuatha Dé Danann (People of the goddess, Danu) were one of the great ancient tribes of Ireland and were the Irish race of Gods, whose central figure was the goddess, Danu or Anu. These gods, who originally lived on the islands in the west, (many would suggest that this refers to Atlantis) had perfected the use of magic. They travelled on a huge cloud to the land that later would be called Ireland and settled there. The Tuatha Dé Danann were a civilised and cultured people, excelling in the magical and martial arts, who brought many skills and crafts to Ireland. They brought with them four great treasures that personified their power and skills. The first was the Lia Fail Stone of Fal which would scream when a true King of Ireland stood on it. It was later placed on the Hill of Tara, the seat of the High-Kings of Ireland. The second was the Magic Sword of Nuadha, which was capable of inflicting only mortal blows when used. The third was the sling-shot of the Sun God Lugh, famed for its accuracy when used. The final treasure was the Cauldron of Daghda from which an endless supply of food issued. Important members are of the Tuatha Dé are: Dagda, Brigid, Nuada, Lugh, Dian Cecht, Ogma, and Manann Mac Lir. In the Gaelic oral tradition, Fionn MacCumhal is the very archetype of the Shamanic figure, though by no means the only one demonstrating Shamanic abilities. During Fionn’s early years, he undergoes the training to become a fennid, being raised in exile in the wilderness by two foster mothers, one known as a druid, who train him in the arts of hunting and fighting. Joseph Nagy suggests, In early Irish literature, the Fennid usually appears as an individual living and functioning outside or on the margins of the tribal territory and community (the tuath). The Fennidi together form a group called a Fian, or war band. These Fennidi functioned as outlaws, mercenaries and policed the law in ancient Ireland. Fionn was trained in the Fennedi practices and martial arts and eventually becomes a leader of the Fennedi. Fionn, also frequently used his strong connection to the spirit world or, as its termed in the Celtic and pre-Celtic cultures, the ‘Otherworld’ and gained much of his power from this source. This can be seen by the many examples of his ‘journeys’ to the Otherworld realms. There are many examples of Fionn’s adventures in the Otherworld, where he often met with helping spirits and spirits, who were sometimes not so helping. There are many similarities between the tales of Fionn and the tales told by many North, Central and South American tribes. Another example of the Gaelic Otherworld journey, known in the Gaelic tradition as ‘immramma’, is that highlighted in the tales of Maelduin. Immramma usually refers to a voyage by sea, into the ‘Lowerworld’ as seen in the Celtic cosmology. In Immram Curaig Maelduin Inso or The Voyage of Maelduins Boat, dating back to the beginning of the common era, but may be much older, being translated from the Gaelic oral tradition, the hero, Maelduin sets out to avenge his fathers murder. He firstly consults with a wise druid for counsel before commencing his travels. As the tale unfolds, he eventually ends up journeying with seventeen men in a curragh, or skin boat, to thirty three distinct Otherworld islands. Maelduin and his shipmates undergo numerous adventures on the magical islands with names like the Island of the Falcon, the Island of Giant Ants and the Island of the Crystal Keep, where they encounter beautiful women, ancestors, and strange spiritual beings. An important aspect of these tales is that the islands visited are described as very real, solid places filled with beautiful valleys and glens, with magical flowing rivers and spirit guides and animals who accompany Maelduin on his exploits. There are many references to the Shamanic practitioner and the Shamanic journey in Irish literature throughout the years. Notably in the tales of the Formorians, the Tuatha De Dannan and the Milesians, descending from the oral tradition, such as the Ulster Cycle of Chuchulain and Queen Meabh, and tales such as the Children of Lir, which highlights the Shamanic tradition of ‘shape-shifting’. The story of ‘Tir Na N’Og’ is another typical example of a Shamanic journey. In more modern literature, the work of W.B. Yeats is rich with Shamanic imagery and philosophy, as is the poetry of the more recent John Moriarty. The Celtic tales of England, Scotland and Wales also have this very same cultural tradition of heroes who ‘journey’ to the ‘Otherworld’ in search of healing, knowledge or power for their community. The tales of King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table and Merlin are some of the most famous Celtic tales to involve the shamanic journey. King Arthurs journey to Annwn, the Underworld of the British Celts, to find the Cauldron of Inspiration and Rebirth, is a Celtic Otherworld journey. In the Welsh tradition, Arthur is accompanied on these journeys by a shaman by the name of Taliesin. In more recent scholarly and radical volumes, it has, in fact, been suggested that the pre-Celtic civilizations of Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, (as historically we were all one and connected by ‘Land Bridges’) originated from the island of Atlantis. They went on to inform the rest of the world in relation to the core Shamanic, Spiritual and social practices through the druidic colleges that were established throughout the world. Michael Tsarion (2007) and Jordan Maxwell (2007) offer a compelling and alternative version of accepted history by suggesting that civilisation actually spread from west to east, initiated by the druidic colleges. (Jordan Maxwell, Comyns Beaumont (1946) Ignatius Donnelly (1882), & Michael Tsarion (2007)) (© Anam Nasca, 2014)
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 13:18:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015