What is meant by the term Celtic?
The best explanation I have found so far is by the author and Celtic shamanic practitioner, John Matthews, in his book The Celtic Shaman – Earth Quest 1991.
‘Celtic is here taken to refer to the traditions and ways of people native to the British Isles. In fact, the Celts are no more ‘British’ than the Saxons or Normans who came after them. They were themselves incomers from the Indo-European world, and incorporated their own practices with those of the indigenous people, thereby honouring the sacredness of the land they had come to dwell in. The Greek historian Herodotus mentions incidentally the Keltoi as living in and around the Danube about 550BC. The reference apparently needed no qualification or explanation, from which we may surmise that the Celts were well established by this time, and had already had some interchange with the Greeks. Certainly they had reached Britain and Ireland by this date and had subjugated the previous inhabitants, a shadowy folk sometimes identified as the Picts in the north of Britain, and as the Fomorians in Ireland. These peoples left little indication of either their culture or beliefs, though these may well have influenced the incoming tribes, and thus helped create our powerful Celtic traditions. The term ‘Celtic’ has thus come to stand for a path that is recognizably of the lands of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.’
So, whenever I write about the term Celtic spirituality, shamanism or magic, I’m speaking about those things with a direct connection to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
A practitioner might work with a drum or rattle, use guided visualisation, undertake a spiritual journey, explore animal guides, connect with ancestors or engage with figures from Celtic mythology, work with divination, as well as forms of magic.
Others may focus on the relationship between the physical world and the Otherworld, the faery realms, so often mentioned in myths, legends and old lore.
There is also ancestor work. Most traditions, and particularly Celtic spirituality, revere and work with ancestors, as a direct link to who we are today.
I work in all of these areas. But not everyone does. What is important is that Celtic Shamanism has no rulebook or manual. Each person approaches it in their own unique way. Others can offer advice, teach techniques and hold spaces, but the individual must do their own work and walk their own path.
The Importance of the Land, the sea and the sky.
One of the most compelling aspects of Celtic-inspired spirituality is the relationship between place, identity and the natural world.
In ancient societies, the landscape was not merely a backdrop against which human life unfolded. Rivers, springs, hills, caves, groves and other places could carry religious significance. Archaeological discoveries, inscriptions and offerings provide evidence that certain locations held particular importance for communities across the ancient Celtic world.
Water, for example, features prominently in archaeological evidence for ritual offerings. Objects were deposited in rivers, lakes and other watery places, although the precise meaning of these practices varied and cannot always be established with certainty.
Sacred landscapes also feature strongly in later Irish and Welsh literature, where particular hills, wells, islands and other locations may be associated with supernatural encounters or legendary events.
For a modern Celtic Shamanism practitioner, this relationship with place can become central to spiritual practice.
You might spend time in a local woodland, sit beside a stream, walk across a windswept moor or visit an ancient monument, such as Stonehenge. The purpose is not simply to admire the scenery, but to become more attentive to your surroundings and to explore the relationship you experience with the land.
You may use quiet contemplation, meditation, prayer, ritual or an intuitive practice to deepen that connection.
You might also explore the folklore of your local area, discovering stories associated with a particular hill, spring, tree or stretch of coastline and the sea beyond.
The land beneath your feet matters, too.
Wherever you live you can explore the ancient history, folklore and distinctive landscape of your own region. You can learn about its prehistoric monuments, local legends, rivers, woodlands and coastline, while also studying Celtic mythology and spiritual traditions.
Of course for those people living outside of The British Isles, working as a Celtic practitioner is a little more difficult, but certainly not impossible. Those energy streams know no distance. As long as you are sincere and work diligently Celtic connections can be made.
Many born overseas have Celtic in their blood and bones. DNA tests are now more popular than ever. Mine is interesting as I have strands relating to Scotland linked through Vikings, early kings of South Wales and three different areas of Ireland, so a Celt indeed.
Mind you it didn’t stop me from walking a number of spiritual paths from other countries and traditions, before at last returning to my roots. I have no regrets, because i have knowledge from many different areas and traditions.
Druidry
For me, druidry is another important aspect of my path, but it isn’t for everyone. You can read about this if it’s of interest here.
The Wheel of the Year and the Cycles of Nature
Seasonal observance is another important part of many modern Celtic-inspired spiritual paths.
You may encounter the festivals of Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane and Lughnasadh, which have roots in Irish seasonal tradition and are now widely observed within contemporary Paganism and related spiritual paths such as witchcraft.
These festivals are often associated with particular stages in the agricultural year and with themes such as renewal, fertility, harvest, remembrance and the changing relationship between light and darkness.
Modern practitioners may celebrate them through ritual, meditation, offerings, seasonal altars, storytelling and time spent outdoors.
The familiar eightfold Wheel of the Year, which also includes the solstices and equinoxes, is a modern Pagan framework combining festivals drawn from different historical and cultural sources. It should not be mistaken for a single, universally observed calendar used by every ancient Celtic community.
Nevertheless, seasonal spirituality can offer a meaningful way to reconnect with the natural world.
For those drawn to a Celtic path, it can offer everything you might ever ask for.