Celtic tradition, along with other Primal spiritual traditions like the Norse and Greek, sprang from earlier Indo-European tradition, forming the basis for the Western world-view. Consequently, modern Westerners live within a very Celtic cosmology that encourages each person to realize his or her potential. It celebrates life in the world and success in the field of action.
Unfortunately, the spiritual foundation of the tradition was lost to
most people, and without the spirit, the cosmology makes little sense.
This rift can be healed. Healing, in both Old Irish and English literally
means "to make whole." One can be passionately engaged in the world and
just as passionately connected to Spirit.
In this experiential workshop, we will have the opportunity to have
a direct, personal experience of contact with the Sid or Otherworld: the
spiritual aspect of reality. Sid also means peace in Old Irish. We find
our truest selves, and the purpose God and the Spirits have for us, by
harmonizing with the peace of the Otherworld. The workshop begins with
meditation to guide us into the specific state of spiritual awareness required
for all spiritual work, especially the visionary technique of the spirit
journey that follows. We will use chant and movement to experience, ever
more vividly, the Divine within us and outside of us, in this world and
the Other.
Through these techniques and in traditional ceremonies, we discover connections to the Celtic Trinity of God, Goddess, and Creator, the spirits of the land, the spirits of our ancestors, and our own personal spirit guides and totems. The Primal Celtic tradition stresses the personal experience of God, and the shamanic techniques at its core have been practiced universally by all faiths. That makes these practices compatible with any tradition that celebrates our diversity while acknowledging the unity of Spirit.
Geo Cameron is a hereditary shaman-priest, writer, composer, and artist. Her mother's family came from Scotland and Ireland, handing on their traditional knowledge from generation to generation. She has spoken and taught at the invitation of numerous organizations and graduated Master of Science Magna Cum Laude in Celtic Studies from Edinburgh University, where she is currently completing her doctorate. She completed the three-year program and the only masters program taught by the Foundation for Shamanic Studies and also studied at the Gestalt Psychotherapy Training Center of Washington, D.C. She has degrees in art and film, and has used the media of film, television, art, and music to explore mythic themes, including writing the story for the Star Trek: Voyager episode Sacred Ground. Her book, Over the Ninth Wave: An Illumination of Celtic Spiritual Tradition, will be published soon and we welcome the return of this rare and gifted teacher.