What is Celtic Shamanism?

Celtic shamanism refers to the spiritual practices and beliefs of the ancient Celtic peoples who lived in various parts of Europe from around 500 BCE to 400 CE. It is a term used to describe the indigenous spiritual traditions and practices of the Celts, who had a rich and complex belief system that included a reverence for nature, animism (the belief that everything possesses a spirit), and a close connection to the land.

This work lives in the land, not just the language.

To be perfectly honest, I'm uncomfortable using the word "shamanism" to describe the spiritually-rooted, nature-based practices I hold so near and dear to my heart. Alongside that discomfort, however, I hold the wisdom of my teachers, their teachers, and their teachers as sacred, respected, and profound. I stand on their shoulders, and there is a tall tower of us holding up a lineage that reaches far beyond Celtic origins.

I walk this path with reverence, not ownership.

I also know these healing practices are nothing short of miraculous and that we are not only benefactors of their medicine but also caretakers of them. I share them in the spirit of all who've gone before me and have chosen to call them "shamanism".

You may know of the ancient orders of Bards, Ovates, and Druids of the Celtic Isles. They held the practice of oral storytelling and wisdom sharing, ensuring the survival of sacred knowledge through millennia. When Christian monks began writing down the stories and cultural memory of earlier traditions, they preserved far more than they erased. Much of what we know today about the mythic imagination of the Celtic world survives because of their care as scribes. What reached us was shaped by their worldview, certainly, but it was also protected by their willingness to record what they had received.

Truth buried still has roots. And roots remember.

The surviving manuscripts carry echoes of an older way of knowing, preserved through generations of storytellers and scribes who recognized their value even as the cultural landscape changed.  It is also evident that the knowledge held within the Celtic cultures was also held everywhere else. In many lands such as Siberia, Africa, Australia, Asia, New Zealand, and the Americas, the remnants of shamanic practices survived and auspiciously resonate with ancient Celtic cultures.

Our ancestors discovered a way to explore existence through a natural and mystical connection with the world around them. This exploration led to deep inner awareness and the revelation of new levels of consciousness. In these domains, they accessed the very essence of life and developed the ability to interact with the energy systems of themselves, other beings, and the Earth.

They spoke with the trees. They listened to the fire. They remembered.

Though the term "shaman" originates from Siberian culture, the archetype of the healer within tribal societies is found worldwide among indigenous cultures. This concept is profoundly sacred, as individuals are chosen by Nature to serve as healers or medicine people for their communities. Many are called to this role through physical transformative experiences such as surviving lightning strikes, enduring incurable illnesses, encounters with wild animals, or near-death experiences, as well as psychospiritual traumas and soul recovery.

The wound becomes the window. The rupture becomes the return.

These intense encounters with the natural world and/or the collective shadow often awaken extraordinary healing abilities within shamans, enabling them not only to heal from their own traumas but also to assist others in their healing journeys.

In indigenous cultures, apprentice shamans learn from elder practitioners through specific practices, rituals, and ceremonies that sustain the well-being of their tribes. They learn to interpret weather patterns, secure resources like food and shelter, and channel healing energies for physical and spiritual ailments.

In our contemporary world, many are drawn to study these ancient traditions with deep respect and reverence for Nature and all of Life. As humanity seeks to reconnect with the fundamental essence of the human spirit, there is a growing demand for guides who can facilitate healing on a global and cosmic scale.

We don’t need new systems. We need remembered ones.

Shamanic therapy offers a holistic way of working through blocks, challenges, and life's issues. We work outside the realm of time and space as we direct our consciousness into the imaginal realm, or what Celtic ancestors would have called the "Otherworld." The Otherworld is not seen as being separate from the physical world, but rather deeply embedded within it. Through simple, easy-to-follow techniques, we can engage with this Otherworld and find comfort, solace, and deep healing.

Shamanic therapy can be taken in isolation or combined with sound therapy and/or energy clearing. Shamanic therapy is typically considered a complementary or alternative approach to well-being and is not a replacement for conventional or psychological treatment when needed. It is often used in conjunction with other holistic and wellness practices to promote overall well-being.  

Shamanic energy therapy is not the same as talk therapy.  It is not a psychology session, and it does not rely on analysis or interpretation as its primary tools.  While conversation may arise, the work itself happens through intention, attention, presence, breath, and the subtle movement of energy within the body and the imaginal field.

Modern psychology offers many valuable ways of understanding experience. This work moves differently. It listens for what is emerging rather than trying to explain what has already happened.

How the work sometimes unfolds

In the lineage of work I practice, there are several ways we sometimes recognize that the energy field has been shaped by life experience. These are not diagnoses, but patterns that help guide attention during a session.

• At times there are places where energy has become held or blocked.

• Sometimes there are energetic ties that once served a purpose but are no longer supportive.

• Perhaps an essential aspect of self has withdrawn in response to difficulty or shock, a pattern often described in traditional language as soul loss.

• And occasionally the work involves supporting the completion of a transition for someone who has died but has not yet fully moved on, a role sometimes known as psychopomp work.

Not every session includes all of these elements. They are simply among the ways the work may unfold as the deeper intelligence of the system begins to move.

This work is a return. Not to what we were taught, but to what longs to be remembered.

Most issues can be addressed in three sessions. 

Each step builds on the last, so you can stand on new ground. 

This work continues beyond the session through integration into daily life.

You can read more about what that often looks like here.