Title: The Celtic Shaman: A Practical Guide
Author: John Matthews
Reviewed: 2005
Author Website: http://www.hallowquest.org.uk/celtic-wisdom
Description
Discover how Celtic shamanism cuts across all self-imposed barriers and has its own life-enhancing methods, techniques and traditions. This book deals with the practical methods of Celtic shamanism with stories and myths about the way of the shaman, and the theory and practice of Celtic shamanism.
Review One
For anyone interested in the Western traditions, *anything* by either of the Matthews is always worth a look. This book provides a useful introduction, with lots of ‘hands on’ experience that will provide some new experiences for those who’ve been doing this stuff for a while.
My only quibble with this (and, I admit, just about every other practical book on the subject) is its dogmatic tone – which perhaps is necessary for beginners, since we’ve all got to start somewhere. But all of these books seem to miss the point that the otherworldly forces (if you believe in such) can manifest in many different forms, and are not bound to assume the appearances of certain carefully described gods and heroes. They clothe themselves from the stuff of our imagination, and (in my own humble opinion!) it’s not necessary for the shaman to burden him/herself with the task of learning what the gods and heroes ‘look like’, though admittedly it can be interesting to do so.
On the theoretical front, there was so much dogmatic ‘*this* is how it is’ stuff in the book that I was going to give it three stars (being a catmatic person, myself). However, given that there is so much superb practical material in the book, I’ve reconsidered and award it four.
Review Two
An alternative review, in response to Review One:
I find it logical and accurate that the author describes the gods and goddesses in a ‘the way it is’ fashion. Going back to the title of the book “The Celtic Shaman”, the author is giving information concerning a method and tradition of shamanism that is culturally ‘Celtic’. He therefore has no reason to describe some universal divine essence projecting itself through all the different gods and goddesses in the known world. Maybe if he was writing a book titled “The Wiccan Shaman”. But Matthews is trying to convey, as close as he knows, the religious and cultural aspects of the subject, as well as magical. It would be humorous to see someone from 2005 trying to convince an ancient Celt that his gods aren’t actually real but just his imagination.
September 2005. Reviewed 2023