Exploration of Shamanism in the Celtic Culture
by Kenneth R. White
Copyright Kenneth R.  White 2003 All Rights Reserved


The existence of Shamanism within the Celtic culture has seen heated debate over the last decade, supporters and opponents of the theory of Celtic Shamanism have written extensively on the subject. Many Opponents have argued against the idea of Celtic Shamanism with a very narrow minded approach, arguing the meaning of words rather than examining the actual practices of the ancient Celtic people. These opponents view the interest in modern Celtic Shamanism as a “fad.” Most people tend to get caught up on the word “shaman” and those who are against the notion of the Celtic shaman usually begin their arguments from this position. Shaman is derived from the Siberian Tungusic root word “Saman.” And many will use the fact that the Siberian peoples did not have any contact with the Celts so there is no way that the Celts or the Druids for that matter, could have been practicing shaman. The use of the word shaman is taken out of context by both critics and proponents of the idea that shamanism exists in the Celtic religions. Giving those who place the argument against shamanism some consideration, the Celts did not call their practitioners of these rituals shaman, they had their own names: Druid, Fili, and Faithi. But neither do the First Nations people call their spiritual practitioners “shaman.” Putting titles and names aside, it does not take a “salmon’s leap” to see the many similarities between “core” shamanism and many of the beliefs of the ancient Celt. There is evidence in the Celtic cultural and literary record that supports the theory that the Celts practiced a form of shamanism. Aside from the evidence found in the myths and the cultural beliefs, shamanistic techniques work using a system of purely Celtic symbols. Instead of getting caught up in the definitions of words I am approaching the topic by showing the similarities between Druidry and shamanism using modern interpretations and definitions as well as evidence from the literary records and myths.

Druidry and Shamanism-Common Elements

Shamanism has been defined and redefined since Mircea Elide first published the first major work on the subject. Looking for a modern definition of the practice of shamanism I found that given by Dr. Roger N. Walsh in his book “The Spirit of Shamanism.” Dr. Walsh defines shamanism as: “a family of traditions whose practitioners focus on voluntarily entering altered states of consciousness in which they experience themselves or their spirits, traveling to other realms at will, and interacting with other entities in order to serve their community.” I set out to find elements in Druidry that fit within the scope of this definition. But I also had to look at the deeper elements of practice within shamanism. Elide and Harner have both identified elements in common between cultural interpretations and practices of shamanism. Harner calls these elements, when divested from their particular cultural influences “core shamanism.” The elements common to all cultures that practice shamanism can briefly be described as:

Belief in three distinct worlds of being, usually given as above, middle, and below.
Shamanism involves the use of helper spirits or animal allies who assist the shaman in his healing and other tasks.
The idea of the central axis or world tree that enables the shaman to enter the worlds above or below by climbing into its branches or down into the roots.
Entry to the underworld by use of a cave, spring or well.
Belief in the ability of the shaman to shape shift to accomplish certain shamanic tasks or receive certain knowledge.
Belief in communion and conversation with the ancestors.
Practice of techniques intended to alter the consciousness of the shaman. These techniques may either be through ritual dancing, drumming, music, meditation or through the use of some mind altering substance.
Belief that the shaman is “one” with nature and the rest of creation, or is on the path to be so.

Though this is just a short list of elements of shamanic practice I chose those elements that have the most in common with Celtic spiritual practice, whether ancient or modern.

Elements of Shamanism in Celtic Belief

Another central element of shamanism is that all in nature is equal, whether human, animal or plant and the shaman are one with nature. This same concept is identifiable in the Welsh belief in “Manred.”1 The belief of the interconnectedness of nature still exists in modern Celtic thought. Bamford, in his book The Voice of the Eagle: The heart of Celtic Christianity tells us: “The human being consists of a body and a soul. Binding together the body of this world and the soul of the otherworld, the human being, humanity, creates a single cosmos. For the body possesses all bodily nature and the soul all spiritual nature, and these fitting together into a single harmony make up the cosmic world of the human being.”

In Irish Druidry we see existence as being composed of three “realms” those being the realms of Sea, Land and Sky. The Realm of the Sky or the upper world, is known traditionally as Magh Mor (Moy more) “The Great Plain” is the realm of stars, celestial beings, and is the dwelling place of many gods and spirits of the sky and air. The Earthly realm known as “mide,” which means simply “middle” or “center” is our home that we share with the animals and spirits of nature. The Realm of the Sea is the lower world and is known as Tir Andomain (Cheer An-do-vain), which means “The land under-wave” Tir Andomain is traditionally viewed as being a world that exists parallel to ours as well as under the ocean and other bodies of water. This is the land of the dead and the ancestors. Here the Druid will find many allies and can draw wisdom directly from the ancestors.

Through each of the three realms grows the sacred “Bile” (Be-leh) the otherworldly tree of the Irish. Many practitioners of Celtic shamanism utilize this sacred tree to reach the otherworldly realms. The Druid journeys from realm to realm by climbing the tree or descending to the lower world by climbing down the roots. The ancient Irish also had many sacred trees. Usually located at the center of each province or tribal lands, these ancient trees if not used in a shamanic sense familiar to us, were the gathering places for important meetings and discussions. Here beneath the bows of the tree sacred to the tribe alliances were forged and binding contracts were entered into, for these trees were direct conduits of otherworldly influence. The gods and the ancestors witnessed the events that transpired beneath the branches of such a tree.

All shamanistic cultures believe that the shaman actually travels to the realm above or below in search of hidden knowledge. These journeys are also found in the Irish literary record in the form of Immrama2 such as the “Voyage of Bran” and the “Voyage of Maelduin.” In many cases, journeys to the Otherworld in Irish Myth seem to be by invitation of the beings of those realms. Bran, Cormac and Connla were all invited or enticed to begin their otherworldly adventures, most often by an Otherworld being of the opposite gender. In the case of Connla:

“Connla the Fair was standing on the hill of Usnach with some companions when a strange woman told him:
‘I come from the Lands of the Living, where there is neither death nor want nor sin. We keep perpetual feast without need for service. Peace reigns among us without strife. A great fairy-mound it is, in which we live; where we are called folk of the fairy-mound.” Connla's companions could not see or hear the woman, and one of the court Druids drove her away, but she managed to toss an apple to Connla first. After that, Connla could neither eat nor drink, save for the apple, which continually renewed itself. In the end, Connla no longer cared to remain in this world, and after he encountered the woman once more, he set off on a sea journey with her to the Land of Youth. 4

The heroes who enter the landscape of the Irish Otherworld are most often in search of wisdom and knowledge and sometimes they are drawn simply by lust or desire to see the beauty of the being that initiated the journey. The major difference between the Otherworld journeys of Irish myth and those taken by shaman is appears to mostly be the means by which the journey is taken. In Celtic myth the Otherworld and the mundane world overlapped making it easy to “slip” from one reality to another. Irish myth is rich in such tales of the normal person being taken or accidentally wandering into the Otherworld.

But many more of the immrama were taken voluntarily in order to recover some hidden knowledge as in the tales “The Voyage of Bran” and the “Voyage of Maelduin” or to find and retrieve a friend or family member who had been taken into the other world such as the tale of The Adventures of Cormac in the Land of Promise.

In many shamanistic cultures the shaman enters the underworld via a hole, cave or some other type of opening in the earth. Though the well or spring is less often a passage used to reach the Otherworld they are the focus of communication with Otherworldly beings. There are many references in Celtic myth of people entering caves, openings in burial mounds or springs to reach the Otherworld 3. Celtic myth is rich in lore concerning wells and springs, as is evidenced by the large numbers of springs scattered throughout the British Isles and Ireland that are still held as sacred. Within Irish myth there is a story relating to a sacred well that exists at the center of the underworld. Known as the Well of Connla, there are nine hazel trees growing around the edges of the well. The hazel trees drop nuts filled with mystical wisdom and inspiration into the water. Within the well live five salmon, who eat the nuts and send the shells floating down the streams. The well is the dispenser of wisdom and the path to the well is the senses. The senses flow as seven streams to the well and from the well. We explore the well through our senses and the wisdom of the well is returned in the same manner. What the well grants us is determined by the conscious and unconscious needs of the individual. There are literally thousands of holy wells still venerated by the modern Irish for their particular healing powers. Each well had an attendant spirit, usually a goddess who interacted with the petitioner, and brought divine aid in the form of healing or wisdom.

Shape shifting is found in both shamanism and Druidry.5 The shaman will often shift his form in order to travel more freely in the Otherworld or to obtain wisdom. The belief in shape shifting is very strong in the Celtic tradition. The Druids used shape shifting as a form of protection and more often as a form of punishment. There are many tales in the tradition of people being turned into animals in order that they might learn a valuable lesson.

The Welsh story of Math ap Mathonwy we find an example of shape shifting used as a punishment. Gwydion and his brother Gilfaethwy create problems for Math when they start a war with Pryderi, King of Annwn. This war is all to draw Math away from his royal foot holder Goewin. Gwydion kills Pryderi and Gilfaethwy rapes Goewin. Math in a rage over these transgressions changes Gilfaethwy and Gwydion into deer. Gwydion a stag and Gilfaethwy a doe. In these bodies they are forced to live as mates until death at which time they are again transformed, this time Gwydion becomes a sow and Gilfaethwy a boar. Again, they live life as mates and produce many off spring. After the "incarnation" as pigs they live again as wolves. Gwydion the he-wolf and Gilfaethwy as the she-wolf.

Both Shamanism and Druidry utilize ecstatic trance states in order to make their journeys to the Otherworld to obtain wisdom or to facilitate healing. Several ancient Irish manuscripts describe some of the methods used by the Druids to obtain and maintain shifts in consciousness in order to communicate with otherworldly beings and the Gods. Cormac’s Glossary written in the 9th or 10th C.E. lists “Three Illuminations” known as Imbas Forosna, Tenm Laida and Dichetal do Chennaib. Imbas Forosna and Tenm Laida were outlawed by St. Patrick because they utilized “Pagan idols.”

Imbas Forosna has many elements in common with core shamanism. Imbas Forosnai involves ritual sleep, or "dream incubation" and may also have involved light deprivation. The use of sensory deprivation is common throughout the world for bringing the practitioner closer to the spirits, whether this be fasting in the Christian sense or depriving a person of light in the Druidical. There are instances of light deprivation all throughout Celtic myth, the poet (or prophet) would be sealed in a cave or hut for several hours or days, after a given time he would be released and upon being exposed to the light would "recite diverse prophecies in poetical forms." It should be noted here that the journey from dark to light is symbolic of rebirth and the opposite is symbolic of death. Something each of us must experience on the path to spiritual enlightenment.

Druidry, like shamanism, is not a religion, but a philosophy of life. The two are so vastly similar we can easily integrate the two, the historical elements are there to support the modern practitioner of Celtic Shamanism. Most magickal art practiced by Druids, ancient and modern rely on direct contact with the other world, a spiritual helper (usually a patron deity) not to mention many other common elements. Whether the Druids or Celts called it Shamanism or something else is irrelevant. What is relevant is that the modalities between shamanism and many Celtic spiritual practices are similar if not identical.


Notes:
1. Manred is essential to Celtic philosophy. The concept of Manred states that humans are not separate from nature. Nothing to the Celt was separate and discrete there is constant recognition that everything is an aspect of the whole – animals, plants, minerals, humans, and gods.
2. The Celtic word, immrama, means “wonder voyage” and refers to a literal spiritual voyage to the Otherworld.
3. In the story “The Adventure of Nera” Nera follows some warriors to the Cave of Cruachan. They enter this cave and soon come to the lands of the Sidhe, there Nera has an exchange with the king of those lands and is forced to perform manual labor until he is able to escape. This story comes from the Book of Leinster (c.1160), and has been dated linguistically to the ninth century.
4. Adventures of Connla the Fair. Translated by Cross and Slover, Ancient Irish Tales pp. 488.
5. See my article on Shape Shifting in Celtic Myth at http://www.realmagick.com/articles/82/2082.html


Sources:
Dr. Roger N. Walsh, (1990) The Spirit of Shamanism
Mircea Elaide (1971) Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy
Kuno Meyer (1889), "The Adventures of Nera", Revue Celtique 10, pp. 212-228
Tom Peete Cross & Clark Harris Slover (1936), Ancient Irish Tales
Michael Harner, (1990) The Way of the Shaman
Tom Cowan, (1993) Fire in the Head: Shamanism and the Celtic Spirit
Tom Cowan, (1996) Shamanism: As a Spiritual Practice for Daily Life
Sandra Ingerman, (1991) Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self Through Shamanic Practice
John Matthews, (1992) The Celtic Shaman: A Handbook
John Matthews, (2002) Taliesin: The Last Celtic Shaman
Caitlin Matthews, (1995) Singing the Soul Back Home: Shamanism in Daily Life
Caitlin Matthews and John Matthews (2000) The Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom
Jeannette M. Gagan Ph.D. (1998) Journeying: Where Shamanism and Psychology Meet
Carl Gustav Jung, (1955) Modern Man in Search of a Soul
Carl Gustav Jung, (1998, reissue) Man and His Symbols
C. Bamford, (1990) The Voice of the Eagle: The Heart of Celtic Christianity
O’Donohue, John (1998) Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom


About the Author:
Kenneth R. White has been a practicing Druid for 17 years. He is currently serving as Chosen Chief for the Ord Draiochta Na Uisnech (Druid Order of Uisnech). He is a teacher of Druidry, a prolific writer of poetry, and scholarly research articles on the ancient Irish Druidry both ancient and modern. You may read more of his articles on similar topics at http://www.geocities.com/irishdruid or at the official website of the Ord Draiochta Na Uisnech at http://www.irishdruidry.org