Aster's Pictures

  At the heart of all modern magic, is the shaman, and the Celtic shaman, like the ancient British and Irish shamans before them, understood the central importance of good relations with the spirits which surround us. They recognised, like shamans all across the world today, that the mortal soul is a spirit in its own right, in need of sustenance and support form the spirit realm, and sometimes in need of protection and retrieval from it, in times of sickness, trouble or disempowerment. At such times, a walker between the worlds is essential as an ambassador and warrior, as well as a healer, standing for the human need amidst the spirit realm, facing the numinous as a pioneer and guardian of the human soul. Unlike New Age shamanism, or Neo-shamanism as it is sometimes called, Celtic shamanism recognises the dark and perilous side of the spirit world, as well as within human and all mortal nature. Central to the shamans work therefore is the attainment of allies, of guides and guardians from the spirit realm to help the shaman in their work. These are relationships based on trust and mutual assistance, at least in the Celtic tradition, where many allies are called ‘cousins’ or ‘co-walkers’, benefiting from the exchange of experiences. Thus when a shaman works with an ally that is a salmon for example, they experience life as a salmon and learn their ways, and the spirit salmon in turn experiences some of the life of the shaman. This is known as shape shifting. Allies, like any spirits, can be of any form, from animal, ancestor, to weather front, plant or tree, or indeed spirits that have no foundation in the physical world at all. Copyrights:Danu Forest