Exploring the Wisdom and Practices of Celtic Shamanism

What is Celtic Shamanism all about?

If you are drawn to the topic of Celtic Shamanism or Celtic Shamanism training, today is your lucky day!

Listen in as I interview Celtic Shamanism practitioner, teacher, author, and engaging storyteller, Jane Burns.

Jane has been a Celtic shamanism trainer for over a decade and a gifted practitioner of sacred and time-honored Celtic shamanic practices, including soul retrieval, extraction, spiritual healing, ancestral healing, community healing, and reconnection to our soul’s purpose and life plan.

From sacred spaces and spiritual healings to earth-based rituals, Celtic shamanism is a compelling practice steeped in the ancient wisdom of the Celts. Learn how to make it a part of your daily life and open yourself up to a new realm of possibilities here today.

To understand the nature of Celtic shamanism, first, it is essential to know that the Celts considered the whole world around them to be alive, animated with spirit energy, and filled with profound wisdom. They believed in a connection between all living creatures and respected their energetic interdependence. As part of this belief system, they used tools such as runes, herbs, and ceremonies to access the spirit realms and gain insight into life’s mysteries.

Celtic shamanism focuses on using natural and spiritual powers to access more profound levels of understanding. These practices are also often connected to a reverence for ancient wisdom, as they seek their connection with the gods and goddesses and unity with the natural world.

In contemporary times, Celtic shamanism is often explored through modern-day practices like meditation, shamanic journeying, and energy healing techniques such as Reiki.

By using your intuition and following an inner path, you can tap into the power of Celtic shamanism for yourself, especially if you have familial ties or cultural roots in Ireland, Scotland, or Wales.

Celtic shamanism has become increasingly popular in recent years, with authors like John and Caitlin Mathews, Tom Cowan and others sharing their knowledge of the subject through books and workshops.

As a result, classes focusing on Celtic shamanism are now available in many areas as students learn to qualify as practitioners of the tradition. However, this modern practice has led to much debate about its true ancient roots and whether a real Celtic shaman existed in the past.

Typically, a shaman would be seen as a spiritual practitioner who engages in practices to enter alternative realities, such as trance experiences, and to bring back teachings from those visits.

While modern shamans can come from many cultures worldwide, it is believed that the Celtic spiritual tradition was likely one of the oldest civilizations to practice shamanic rituals.

Ancient Celtic shamans were said to hold ceremonies on sacred sites like stone circles and springs to honor their connection with nature and spirit and call upon their gods for guidance. As the Celtic religion has become popularized in recent years, some of its ancient teachings have been lost or misinterpreted over time which has caused much debate about what authentic Celtic shamanism meant in its earliest form.

Do Ireland’s lush, green lands call to you with their healing energies of the ancestors… ancient Gods and Goddesses… and the Bards, Druids, and fairies of Celtic history and lore?

These energies, the stories of these lands, and the practices inspired by Celtic shamanism offer us medicine to bring us back home… to our true Self.

They help us reach beyond the mundane and overwhelm of our stressful modern lives and be more attentive, present, and receptive to the beauty and wisdom of the land…

Shamanic teacher and healer Jane Burns will help you discover myth and ritual to evoke the ancient medicine of Celtic shamanism —and open you to the wonder, wisdom, and wildness of both the natural world and your inner landscape — during a FREE video event, The Gifts of Celtic Shamanism: Living from Gratitude, Courage, Generosity & Wonder.

Celtic shamanism is a spiritual tradition that goes back to ancient times. At its core, it involves the belief in a person’s ability to journey out of their body and access hidden realms of knowledge.

Through this practice of spirit traveling, shamans gain wisdom and insight into things from strength and healing to forces of nature, both good and bad.

Celtic shamans also have their own practices, like “mastery over fire” and “magical flight, ” which are unique to this tradition.

Celtic shamanism is one of the oldest forms of shamanism, and it is rooted in the belief that a shaman acts as an intermediary between the physical realm and the realm of spirits.

According to Michael Harner, shamans utilize an altered state of consciousness to contact the spirit world to gain knowledge and power.

They also work to restore balance and harmony by restoring valuable sources or extracting harmful power (or lower consciousness) from an individual patient. While most Celtic shamans specialize in shamanic healing, other types, such as warrior shamanism, and hunting shamanism, are found in some cases.

Celtic shamanism is an age-old practice of connecting with the spirit world to seek guidance, healing, and ritual. This spiritual tradition goes back thousands of years, to the dawn of humanity when we lived as hunter-gatherers in small tribes.

The teachings and rituals were passed down orally from ancestors and keepers of ancient wisdom, known as shamans, who believed that everything in the universe is alive and connected. Even today, many ancient Celtic shamanic practices remain in use among some tribal peoples seeking wisdom, healing or connection with their ancestral spirits.

The Celts were one of the oldest European cultures, and it is believed that they kept some archaic traditions alive beyond other Northern and Western European peoples. One of these may have been Celtic shamanism – a form of spiritual practice traced back to the Paleolithic period. It involves practices such as shamanic journeying, trance healing, and shamanic-induced altered states of consciousness.

This form of spirituality survived throughout the transition from hunter-gatherer to agriculturalist or pastoralist lifestyles and was even seen in modernized societies, evidenced by contemporary Native American culture.

While it is difficult to know precisely what Celtic shamanism was like, we know that it was a form of spiritism; centered on connecting with the spiritual realm and working with those energies. In general, shamans in Celtic cultures were believed to be more connected or gifted than priests or other religious figures, able to shape-shift into spiritual creatures, heal physical ailments and mental suffering and protect against evil spirits.

Shamans would typically hold drumming, dancing, and chanting rituals, accompanied by offerings such as food or alcohol to access the spirit world. As such, contemporary practitioners still carry out similar rituals today to pay homage to their ancestors’ practice.

Celtic shamanism is an ancient spiritual practice that looks to access the spirit realms of nature for guidance, healing and protection. It has been practiced in many parts of Europe from pre-historic times up to the present day, with roots derived from druidic beliefs and practices.

Celtic shamans are known as spirit workers, using their spiritual powers to help heal people by bringing peace and balance between them and the world around them.

Can the idea of shamanism be traced back to Celtic culture? In recent years, many authors and presenters have tried to demonstrate that the ancient Celts had their own shamanistic practices similar to other First Nations or indigenous peoples.

This chapter will explore these claims by looking into textual evidence from both classical and modern times and oral traditions.

Through this examination, we hope to understand better if any validity can be found in Celtic Shamanism.

Celtic shamanism is sometimes referred to as the ‘Old Religion’ and pre-dates Christianity in Britain. Historical and archaeological evidence shows that the Celts were a complex tribal culture in Iron Age Europe—spread across modern-day France, England, Germany, Ireland, and Scotland—around 2000 BCE.

Much of their religion has been lost to time; however, we can still glean some insight into their spiritual beliefs from numerous written works, such as the Gaulish Druids’ commentaries on divination or Caesar’s descriptions of Celtic religious practice when he invaded Germanic tribes.

We also have surviving stories from oral tradition that may hint at the role of shamans in Celtic society. As more research is done on this topic, more evidence will become available to support further the theory that Celtic shamanism was an integral part of their religion for thousands of years.

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One of the most critical components of Celtic Shamanism is understanding the preferences and beliefs of the Celts.

Knowing them as a culture will aid you in better understanding their shamanic beliefs, lessons, and practices.

Some topics that could be explored include myths, gods, symbols, astrology and divination practices. Understanding these perspectives will provide insight into how they approach the spirit world.

Additionally, books on mythology or medicinal herbs could offer additional information.

It is crucial, as with any spirituality, to be mindful of your own cultural perspectives and how they may differ from those of the Celts. While there are some overlapping beliefs, it is vital to consider and honor both perspectives when researching or learning more about this topic.

Finally, consider any resources that may offer additional information on shamanic journeys, visualizations or rituals you may want to try yourself. There are potential workshops or online courses available that could provide structure and guidance.

Ancient Celtic healing practices are a form of natural healing steeped in the spiritual and mystical beliefs of the Celts. These practices include rituals such as burning herbs and plants, drinking herbal teas, massaging the body with oils, chanting prayers, and other spiritual activities. Learning about these practices could help you to understand and integrate Celtic Shamanism into your modern life.

For those interested in ancient Celtic healings, it’s best to begin by studying the culture and beliefs of the Celts.

Books, articles, and websites are abundant and devoted to learning about Celtic shamanism and healing practices. It is also essential to understand how these forms of healing intertwine with nature, as understanding the importance of living in harmony with nature will further deepen your experience.

Taking classes, online courses, or attending workshops can also provide beneficial insight into Celtic Shamanism.

Experiencing rituals such as drumming circles is one way to connect with the natural flow and find a connection between mind, body, and spirit while embodying ancient traditions.

Celtic shamans, or druids as they were sometimes referred to, believed in an alternate realm of existence. This concept, still found in modern spiritual ceremonies and rituals, is essential to Celtic Shamanism.

According to scholars and historians, the Celts believed in gods that transcended the physical plane and possessed certain powers regarding nature’s elements.

Accepting and understanding the fluidity between human efforts and divine interventions helps shape one’s beliefs on health and well-being. Incorporating ancient Celtic healing practices such as prayer runes, smudging with herbs or incense during meditation, chanting for prosperity, moon gazing for healing, walking sacred land to restore peace within oneself, or connecting with totems animals can serve as a powerful ritual for those looking to deepen their personal growth quests.

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One of the key elements in Celtic shamanism is connecting with your ancestral spirits and guidance counselors. These spirit guides can provide insight, wisdom, and guidance that can be used to make informed decisions in life.

You can create a spiritual connection with these spirits through rituals and meditations, such as communing with trees or listening to the sounds of nature.

Through this practice, you can gain access to powerful insights about yourself and your place in the world.

By making a conscious effort to connect with your ancestral spirits, you can cultivate an inner wisdom that becomes part of your spiritual journey.

This communication can help shape your view of yourself and the world around you and give you access to powerful insight into the nature of reality.

Through regular meditation and focused exploration, Celtic shamanism allows practitioners to discover a hidden realm within themselves and experience how it can lead them toward healing and transformation on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels.

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