Recommended Readings
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A book with the scope of Eliade's "Shamanism" but much more readable and interesting. Kalweit draws on many world cultures and uses first-person accounts and quotes from indigenous shamans and tribal healers to create one of the best cross-cultural sources for shamanic practice. A book that will confirm many of your own core practices, and inspire you to explore or create other shamanic techniques. |
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De Waal, a Welsh mystic, organizes this wonderful book around these chapters: God's world, monks and hermits, pilgrims and exiles, the universe, common creation, healing, sin and sorrow, salvation, the Cross, a world made whole. Using many poems and prayers from ancient times, she stresses the interconnectedness and inter-relationship of all things in the Universe. De Waal claims that Celtic Christianity has never been pantheistic because everything points beyond itself to the Creator, but she musters strong evidence that this "beyond" is not very far from the created world itself. An inspiring book for healers and shamanists who work with the divine energy found in the natural world. |
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This 109-page overview of Celtic Christianity focuses on key mystics: Pelagius and Erigena, two early writers thought to have been influenced by older Druid beliefs; the rural Highland mysticism found in the Carmina Gadelica, a collection of prayers, spells, songs, and rituals from 19th century Scotland; and George MacDonald, a 19th century fantasy novelist, and George MacLeod, a 20th century Anglican minister. A final chapter contrasts the mystical view of St. John which colored Celtic thinking with the view of St. Peter which dominated the established Churches. In brief, Newell argues that the Celtic spirit has always been based on the immanence of the Creator in creation, the goodness of creation (including human beings), the sacredness of nature, and the presence of the spirit (and spirits) in ordinary daily life. The author champions this Celtic view as a corrective to problems in the Church and the modern world. This book can provide a strong Celtic spiritual context for practicing shamanism. |
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The ancient art of transmutation is presented here as a modern practice to transform toxic substances into safe substances. Ingerman provides visualizations, ceremonies, rituals, and chants based on ancient healing practices that can be used by modern healers. This book is the basis for healing work now being done the world over by groups of shamanic practitioners to heal and restore the life-giving capacity of the earth. |
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Jones uses prayers, songs, spells, and chants from the Carmina Gadelica by Alexander Carmichael to re-create the spiritual life of a "typical" Highland woman in the 19th century. Chapters include: Woman of the House, Woman of Loving, Woman of Mothering, Woman of Nature, Woman of Healing, Woman of the Fays, Woman of Dying. A final chapter discusses Celtic spirituality for today. |
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A very accessible history of the early Celts organized around topics, such as women, farmers, warriors, physicians, religion, myth and legend, druids, chieftains, roadbuilders, architecture, etc. Ellis uses myth, legend, Celtic words and names, and archeology to develop a straightfoward, readable history (230 pages). A history for people who don't ordinarily like history. |
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MacEowen's personal account of how he discovered his Celtic heritage and the value it holds for all people looking to align their lives with the indigenous wisdom of ancient cultures. Here are the major themes of the Celtic way: longing, the beauty of nature, the power of the elements, the great song of the universe, the mothering heart of God, the sacred place of the hearth, and more, along with visionary practices for the reader. MacEowen also shows from his own experiences how these ancient ways and values can help us confront modern problems such as environmental crises, the poor and homeless, the uncertainties of a dangerous world, and the deadening effects of our consumer culture. A richly, lyrical, poetic, and inspiring book. |
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An anthology of 18 contemporary articles on Druidism, with practical applications for modern people. Contributors include Philip Carr-Gomm, Isaac Bonewits, Frank MacEowen, Caitlin Matthews, Mara Freeman, Erynn Rowan Laurie, Philip Shallcrass, and others. Formerly published as "The Druid Renaissance," this new edition has a resource guide for Druid groups, services, books, magazines, training programs, and internet connections. It also has a new preface by Tom Cowan. |
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A collection of four mythic stories from the four directions, each tale embodying a different cultural form of shamanism: from the Arctic, Japan, Australia, and South America. Drury's tales concern the call of the Earth for healing as heard by four shamans and the way each responds to the crisis. The American edition published by Skylight Path has an introduction by Tom Cowan. |
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A book "channeled" by a writer who admits to not having had many positive things to say about channeling over the years. Yet the experience that opened his consciousness to this material "feels right" as does the basic drift of his message. At a time when the Sidhe seem to be returning, this is a valuable book to awaken our own intimations of the wisdom that can come from the Otherworld. |
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MacEowen has written an inspiring guide on how to use ancient traditions to explore modern problems based on the Celtic love of nature, sacred places, ancestors, the sacramental universe, and the divine spirit that permeates all of life. Most importantly, MacEowen retells the ancient myth of the Dananns in a fresh, new way to discover, Dana, a key life-concept for the early Celts. He shows how the "dana energies" can be understood as the ancient mother of all life, the life-force similar to chi or mana, and the tending spirits found in nature, the elements, and the animal world. MacEowen encourages us to muse deeply on Dana, where we just might find the "original instructions" from the Celtic and pre-Celtic world. |
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The classic work that introduced shamanic practice to the Western world. Harner's personal experiences in the Amazon and as an anthropologist led him to discover and develop "core shamanism," a method for using shamanic techniques for healing, personal transformation, and spiritual renewal. Using the power of the drum to alter consciousness, Harner gives step by step instructions, based on universal shamanic practices, for beginning a shamanic practice appropriate for the modern world. A must read for anyone interested in shamanism. |
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A book of interviews with 24 shamans including Sandra Ingerman, Gabrielle Roth, Malidoma Some, Rabbi Gershon Winkler, Simon Buxton, Allie Knowlton and Evelyn Rysdyk, John Perkins, Christina Pratt, Brant Secunda, Oscar Miro-Quesada, Larry Peters, Brooke Medicine Eagle, Hank Wesselman, Elena Avila, Serge Kahili King, Tom Cowan, and others. |
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