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Overview
A comprehensive look at Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and continental Celtic traditions, both pagan and Christian, this guide includes the Celtic approach to shamanism, fairies, Wicca, neopaganism, magic, and Druidism. It draws a map for today’s Celtic quest, with the way of the pilgrim, honor of one’s ancestors, and the language and culture.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Yorkshire Celtic Wisdom helps you understand the many varieties of celtic spirituality and mysticism. In this Complete Idiot’s Guide®, you get:
• The spiritual history of the Celts, from ancient shamans to renowned druids to modern paganism.
• The magical realm of spirit—otherwise known as the otherworld.
• The mysticism of the natural world, from standing to holy wells
• Why myths and stories are so important to the Celtic tradition.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Yorkshire Celtic Wisdom helps you understand the many varieties of celtic spirituality and mysticism. In this Complete Idiot’s Guide®, you get:
• The spiritual history of the Celts, from ancient shamans to renowned druids to modern paganism.
• The magical realm of spirit—otherwise known as the otherworld.
• The mysticism of the natural world, from standing to holy wells
• Why myths and stories are so important to the Celtic tradition.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781440695810 |
---|---|
Publisher: | DK |
Publication date: | 05/06/2003 |
Series: | COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE |
Sold by: | Penguin Group |
Format: | eBook |
Pages: | 384 |
File size: | 4 MB |
About the Author
CARL McCOLMAN is a freelance writer and spiritual teacher based in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the author of several books including The Well-Read Witch and The Aspiring Mystic. A practitioner of nature spirituality for more than a decade, he is the co-founder and former leader of a druid grove and currently is the co-leader of an interfaith pagan meditation circle.
Table of Contents
Part 1 | Welcome to Celtic Wisdom | 1 |
1 | Introducing the World of Celtic Wisdom | 3 |
The Heart of a Warrior | 4 | |
What Makes a Celt Tick? | 6 | |
Entry-Points to the Celtic Tradition | 6 | |
Spirituality, Wisdom, Tradition: Understanding the Path | 13 | |
What's in It for Me: The Benefits of the Celtic Way | 14 | |
2 | A History of a Proud People | 17 |
Why History Matters | 18 | |
Before the Celts Were Celts | 19 | |
Celtic Archaeology: From Hallstatt to La Tene | 19 | |
The Coming of Christianity | 23 | |
The Six Nations: Today's Celtic World | 26 | |
The Lessons of History | 29 | |
3 | The Concept of Celticity | 31 |
Defining Celticity | 32 | |
Real Celts and Cardiac Celts | 36 | |
The Wisdom of Being a Marginal Culture | 37 | |
Wisdom, Language, and Celticity | 38 | |
Of Pipes, Whistles, and Fiddles: Celtic Music | 39 | |
4 | The Seven Dimensions of Celtic Wisdom | 41 |
A Few Basic Celtic Wisdom Principles | 42 | |
The Seven Branches of Celtic Wisdom | 45 | |
Finding Your Path | 53 | |
Activity: Keep a Journal | 54 | |
5 | The Sovereignty of Nature | 55 |
The Secret of Celtic Wisdom: Partnership with Nature | 56 | |
Nature: The Heart of Celtic Wisdom | 58 | |
The Sovereignty of the Land | 60 | |
Putting Spirituality in Its Place | 63 | |
More About Holy Wells | 65 | |
Walk Your Talk | 68 | |
6 | The Otherworld: Nature's Dance Partner | 69 |
What Is the Otherworld? | 70 | |
A Geography of the Otherworld | 73 | |
Gateways to the Otherworld | 74 | |
Denizens of the Otherworld | 76 | |
The Psychology of the Otherworld | 79 | |
Part 2 | The Three Paths | 81 |
7 | Singers, Seers, and Sages | 83 |
"Song of Amergin" | 84 | |
What the Classical Writers Had to Say About the Druids | 85 | |
Celtic Quiz: Which Path Is Right for You? | 86 | |
The Bards: Keepers of the Past | 90 | |
The Ovates: Keepers of the Future | 91 | |
The Druids: Keepers of the Present | 91 | |
8 | Songs and Stories: The Path of the Bard | 93 |
The Quest for the Imbas: Fire in the Head | 93 | |
Taliesin: The Quintessential Bard | 95 | |
Other Elements of the Bardic Tradition | 97 | |
Samildanach: To Be Talented in Many Ways | 101 | |
Nine Steps Toward Becoming a Bard | 104 | |
9 | Psychic Development: The Path of the Seer | 109 |
What Is an Ovate? | 110 | |
The Elements of the Seer's Craft | 112 | |
Examples of Famous Seers | 114 | |
The Lorica: A Key to Psychic Self-Defense | 115 | |
Nine Steps to Becoming a Seer | 118 | |
10 | Devotion to the Ways of Wisdom: The Path of the Druid | 123 |
Just What Is a Druid? | 124 | |
The Three Ages of the Druids | 124 | |
More Than Just Priests: The Wisdom Aspect of Druidry | 127 | |
Druids as Counselors: The Anamchara | 128 | |
Other Pieces of the Druid Puzzle | 132 | |
Nine Steps to Becoming a Druid | 134 | |
11 | Rituals and Tools: Supplies for the Celtic Wisdomseeker | 141 |
Your Personal Altar | 142 | |
The Virtue of Asking | 146 | |
What Is Ritual? | 147 | |
A Sample Ritual | 150 | |
Part 3 | Mythology and Lore | 155 |
12 | Storytelling: The Waltz of Remembering | 157 |
The Role of the Shanachie in Celtic Wisdom | 158 | |
The Monks and the Myths: Preserving the Stories | 161 | |
Overview of the Mythic Sources | 163 | |
Common Themes and Motifs in Celtic Myth and Legend | 166 | |
Making Your Own Connection with the Lore | 168 | |
Storytelling for the Future | 169 | |
13 | The Irish Tradition | 171 |
The Four Cycles of Irish Myth | 172 | |
Key Themes in the Myths | 174 | |
Meet the Characters of Irish Myth | 175 | |
Where to Go for Further Study | 183 | |
14 | The Welsh Tradition | 185 |
The Main Stories and Themes of Welsh Tradition | 186 | |
The Poetry and Triads of Wales | 188 | |
The Legacy of the Welsh Tradition: The Arthurian Cycle | 188 | |
Who's Who in Welsh Myth | 189 | |
Where to Go for Further Study | 194 | |
15 | Archaeology, Folklore, and the Living Tradition | 195 |
Archaeology: Every Picture (and Artifact) Tells a Story | 196 | |
Folklore as a Source of Wisdom | 197 | |
The Power of Place | 198 | |
Modern Interpretations of Celtic Deity | 200 | |
A Who's Who of Other Celtic Deities | 203 | |
Comparative Mythology: The Ultimate Research Adventure | 204 | |
Where to Go for Further Study | 205 | |
Part 4 | Further Steps Along the Path | 207 |
16 | Quest for a Disciplined Mind | 209 |
Please Pass the Elbow Grease | 209 | |
The Disciplined Mind of the Druid | 210 | |
Elements of a Disciplined Mind | 212 | |
Unleashing Your Inner Druid | 217 | |
17 | Reaching Out to the Otherworld | 219 |
The Path of the Celtic Shaman | 220 | |
What Is Shamanism? | 220 | |
Entering the Otherworld: The Quintessential Shamanic Activity | 222 | |
Contacting Otherworld Guides | 223 | |
What Is the Purpose of Shamanism? | 224 | |
Key Voices in Celtic Shamanism | 225 | |
Tree and Landscape Meditation | 226 | |
18 | Revering the Ancestors | 229 |
Honor Your Father(s) and Mother(s) | 230 | |
The Concept of Worship | 231 | |
How to Honor the Ancestors | 233 | |
Celtic Reconstruction: One Way to Honor the Ancestors | 237 | |
The Ultimate Honor: Living an Honorable Life | 238 | |
19 | Befriending the Good People | 239 |
Where Do Faeries Come From? | 240 | |
What's Unique About Celtic Faeries | 241 | |
The History of Faery Contact | 243 | |
Sites Associated with the Faeries | 245 | |
What's So Wise About the Faeries? | 250 | |
Faery Protocol | 251 | |
20 | Celtic Spirituality and Christianity: Cultivating the Heart of Holiness | 253 |
The Story of the Coming of Christianity | 254 | |
How Celtic Wisdom + Christianity = Celtic Christianity | 257 | |
Brigid: Christian Saint, or Goddess Makeover? | 259 | |
Christianity and Hostility | 261 | |
Christopaganism: A Celtic Possibility | 263 | |
Key Voices in Celtic Christianity | 265 | |
Cultivating the Heart of Holiness as a Celtic Wisdomseeker | 266 | |
21 | Mastering the Magical Arts | 267 |
The Controversial Concept of Magic | 267 | |
Celtic Magic 101 | 269 | |
Celtic Witchcraft?! | 273 | |
Wicca and Celtic Magic | 275 | |
Magical Ethics: The Wiccan Rede and the Law of Three | 279 | |
Key Voices in Celtic Wicca | 280 | |
22 | The Quest for the Grail | 281 |
The Grail Tradition | 282 | |
Key Themes of the Grail Quest | 288 | |
Embarking on Your Own Grail Quest | 291 | |
Key Voices in the Grail Quest | 292 | |
Part 5 | Applied Celtic Wisdom | 293 |
23 | Divination: The Theory and Practice of Spiritual Guidance | 295 |
The History of Celtic Divination | 296 | |
Celtic Divination Today | 297 | |
The Tree Ogham: A Modern Celtic Oracle | 300 | |
Commercially Available Celtic Divination Systems | 306 | |
24 | The Cycles of Time | 309 |
The Real Reason Why Clocks Are Round! | 310 | |
The Wheel of the Year | 310 | |
Samhain: Roaming Spirits and the Chill of Death | 314 | |
Imbolc: Bridget's Milk and Pregnant Ewes | 315 | |
Beltain: Blossoming Hawthorn and Nighttime Revels | 316 | |
Lughnasa: Sporting Games and a Harvest of Grain | 317 | |
Solstices and Equinoxes | 318 | |
The Dark Comes First: The Symbolism of the Cycle | 319 | |
The Cycles of Time and the Nature of Human Existence | 320 | |
25 | Practical Celtic Wisdom: Living the Celtic Life Today | 321 |
A Nine-Step Process to Living the Celtic Life | 322 | |
By Yourself or with Others: Living the Life of a Wisdomkeeper | 328 | |
Celtic Spirituality in a Group Setting | 329 | |
Honoring the Path of Wisdom: Celtic Ethics | 331 | |
The Virtues of Brigid as a Template for Honor | 332 | |
Appendixes | ||
A | Bibliography | 335 |
B | Online Resources | 345 |
C | Timeline of Celtic History | 351 |
Index | 357 |
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