Take the Celtic Path to Shamanism
By Oak, Ash, & Thorn presents a workable, modern form of Celtic shamanism that will raise your spiritual awareness. Here, in simple, practical terms, you will learn the specific exercises and techniques that will strengthen your spiritual ties with the natural world and lead you down the path of the shaman.
PART ONE: OAK
The appeal of Celtic shamanism as opposed to other types of shamanism; traditional shamanism; what is a shaman?; why shamanism must be modernized; shamanism in Celtic myth and legend; practicing solitary shamanism; ethics; a personal shamanism test; shamanic journaling; correction of the body’s light centers; realigning energy; meditations
PART TWO: ASH
The Three Realms of the Celtic Otherworlds; Celtic shamanic tools; helpful tools and their use in Celtic mythology; use of the labyrinth in meditation and trance; channeling of Earth energies; what is the shadow self and how to encounter it; Otherworld Beings and Allies: the Good Folk; Animal Allies; the Shining Ones; Vision Quest; the signs of a shattered soul; how to retrieve soul parts; meditations
PART THREE: THORN
Divination by Celtic methods; ogam alphabet; the importance of trees; how to use the elements and Celtic magick in the Otherworlds; cord magick; various shamanic healing methods; Celtic shape-shifting and how to use it; shamanic belief in the connection between humans, all creatures and the world; how shamanic actions change people and the world; how shamanism enhances the spiritual body of the practicing shaman; meditations
APPENDICES
Glossary; the ancient Celtic Calendar; Gaelic place names, seasons, colors, months and other words of interest; supernatural beings and heroes/heroines; Celtic herbs; bibliography
About the Author
D. J. Conway was born in Hood River, Oregon, to a family of Irish-North Germanic-Native American descent. She began her quest for knowledge of the occult more than 25 years ago, and has been involved in many aspects of New Age religion from the teachings of Yogananda to study of the Qabala, healing, herbs, and Wicca. Although an ordained minister in two New Age churches and holder of a Doctor of Divinity degree, Conway claims that her heart lies within the Pagan cultures. No longer actively lecturing and teaching as she did for years, Conway has centered her energies on writing. Several of her stories have been published in magazines, such as Encounters, which pertain to the field of science fantasy.
To Write to the Author
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D. J. Conway
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By Oak, Ash, & Thorn
By Oak, Ash, & Thorn
Modern Celtic Shamanism
Anna-Marie Ferguson
Llewellyn Publications
Woodbury, Minnesota
D. J. Conway
Illustrated by
By Oak, Ash, & Thorn. Copyright © 1995 by D. J. Conway. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
FIRST EDITION
Twenty-fourth Printing, 2020
Cover painting: Anna-Marie Ferguson
Cover design: Anne Marie Garrison
Interior illustrations: Anna-Marie Ferguson (except pages 69, 132, 186, and 194 by Tom Grewe based on sketches by D. J. Conway)
Book design and layout: Jessica Thoreson
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Conway, D. J. (Deanna J.)
By oak, ash, & thorn: modern Celtic Shamanism / D.J. Conway. — 1st ed. p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 13: 978-1-56718-166-1
ISBN 10: 1-56718-166-X
1.Shamanism. 2. Celts—Religion. I. Title. II. Title: By oak, ash, and thorn.
BL900.C66 1994
299’.16—dc20
94-40820 CIP
Llewellyn Worldwide does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business transactions between our authors and the public. All mail addressed to the author is forwarded but the publisher cannot, unless specifically instructed by the author, give out an address or phone number.
Llewellyn Publications
A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. 2143 Wooddale Drive Woodbury, MN 55125-2989 www.llewellyn.com
Llewellyn is a registered trademark of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. Printed in the United States of America
Other Books by the Author
Animal Magick
Celtic Dragon Tarot (with Lisa Hunt)
Celtic Magic
Dancing with Dragons
The Dream Warrior (fiction)
Falcon Feather & Valkyrie Sword
Flying Without a Broom
Lord of Light & Shadow
Magick of the Gods & Goddesses
Magickal, Mystical Creatures
Maiden, Mother, Crone
Moon Magick
Mysterious, Magickal Cat
Norse Magic
Perfect Love
Shapeshifter Tarot (with Sirona Knight)
Soothslayer (fiction)
Warrior of Shadows (fiction)
Mystical Dragon Magick
Guides, Guardians, and Angels
For Merren Kathleen, the littlest member of the clan, And Charles, Nancy, and Rod, all natural shamans in the heart.
Immrama
Drum beat. Pounding into my mind.
Heart beat. Drum beat in my blood.
My spirit rises to the Upperworld. It burrows deep to the Underworld. I run through time and space, Watching, listening, questioning.
Worlds of wonders and great knowledge Are mine for the journeying. On my shoulder a hawk and an owl. Treading softly beside me the cats.
I am singer of the Moon, sister to the drum. By oak, ash, and thorn I meet the Gentle Folk. I shake the Silver Branch And all is quiet within my mind.
I listen …
To the Elder voices, To the music of the universe, To the voices of all creatures.
I ride the voice of the drum on my journey.
Drum beat.
Heart beat.
Soul song.
Part One: Oak
1. The Lost Light ..................................
The appeal of Celtic shamanism as opposed to other types of shamanism.
2. Shamanism: Ancient & Modern ..................... 7 Traditional shamanism throughout the world. What is a shaman. Why shamanism must be modernized.
3. Hidden Seeds ..................................
19 Eastern connections of the Celts. Examples of shamanism in Celtic myth and legend.
4. The Challenge .................................
37 Practicing solitary shamanism. The ethics involved in shamanism. A personal test to find your weak and strong points.
5. Empowering the Self ............................
53 The shamanic journal. Beginning meditation. Methods for dealing with past problems (both in this life and others) which are affecting you. Pendulum and color correction of the body’s light centers. Realigning the various bodies of a person.
Meditations: Beginning Meditation, Journey to a Woodland Waterfall, Projecting Into Matter, Seasonal Journeys, The Lesser Initiation.
Part Two: Ash
6. The Celtic Shaman’s Worlds ......................
81
The three realms of the Celtic Otherworlds.
Meditations: Glimpsing the Otherworlds, Underworld Voyage, Upperworld Journey, Middleworld Journey.
7. Celtic Shamanic Tools ..........................
109
Tools that are helpful to the Celtic shaman. Their examples in Celtic mythology.
Meditation: Journey of Blessing.
8. Treading the Labyrinth .........................
129
Spiritual symbolism behind the labyrinth design. Use of the labyrinth in meditation and trance. The reasons it is necessary to use the labyrinth in some inner journeys. Labyrinth layout and channeling of Earth energies.
Meditation: Treading the Labyrinth.
9. Otherworld Beings & Allies ......................
137
The Good Folk, Animal Allies, Protectors, and the Shining Ones that the shaman will encounter during Otherworld travels.
Meditation: Vision Quest.
10. The Shadow Self .............................. 161
What is the shadow self. What to do when it is encountered. The importance of this encounter.
Meditation: Seeking the Shadow Self.
11. The Shattered Soul ............................
167
The signs of a shattered soul. How to retrieve the soul parts.
Meditation: Mending the Soul-Self.
Part Three: Thorn
12. By Stone & Omen Stick .........................
183 Divination by Celtic methods. The ogam alphabet. The importance of trees to the Celts.
Meditation: Omen Journey.
13. Weaving the Web .............................
201 How to use the Elements and Celtic magick while in the Otherworlds. Cord magick.
Meditation: Earth, Air, Fire, Water.
14. The Healing Spring ............................
213 Various shamanic healing methods.
Meditation: The Wells of Conla and Brigit.
15. Kin With Fur, Feather & Fin ......................
219 The reality behind the Celtic practice of shape-shifting and what it really is. How to use shape-shifting to improve spiritual and physical life. Becoming invisible or transparent.
Meditation: Shape-Shifting Journey.
16. One With All Creation .........................
231 The shamanic belief in a connection between humans and all other creatures and the world itself.
Meditations: Traveling the Universe, Earth Healing Journey.
17. The Long Journey .............................
239 How shamanic actions provide subtle spiritual changes in others and in the world. How shamanism evolves, enhances, and develops the spiritual body of the practicing shaman.
Meditations: Cerridwen’s Cauldron, The Greater Initiation.
Part One
Sacred far back into pre-history in Ireland, Britain, and Europe. Protection, healing, luck.
Bri11g a NewBala11ce to YourLifc
Many seekers are interested in shamanism because it is a spiritual path that can be followed in conjunction with any religion or other spiritual belief without conflict. But the Native American and African peoples were not the only cultures to traditionally practice shamanism. For centuries, shamanism was practiced by the Europeans, as wellincluding the Celts.
By Oak, Ash, & Thom presents a modern system of Celtic shamanism, inspired by old writings that suggest that the Druidic order was not the sole system of Celtic religious practice-that other Celts, who were neither Druids nor bards, possessed and used shamanic powers of healing and prophecy. This practical guide, which blends the best of shamanism's old ways and new, tells you how to:
Heal shamanically by correcting the color of the body's light centers through controlling and realigning energy
Use shape-shifting to improve your spiritual and bodily existence-and to become invisible
~. Learn how to recognize the signs of a shattered soul, and how to mend the soul self
Divine by Celtic methods: stone, omen stick and Ogam alphabet
Find how to use magick and identify various beings while pathworking in the three Celtic Otherworlds
Take a personal test to help you understand your true feelings and motives for wanting to become a shaman
Until now, very little has been written about the more private mystical practices of the Celts. This inspiring book ensures that Celtic shamanism will take its rightful place among the spiritual practices that help us lead richer lives.