From: redvane@atheling.demon.co.uk (Redvane Fox)
Subject: Re: Celtic creation mythos
Date: Sat, 4 Sep 1993 16:25:44 +0000

geoff@smaug.West.Sun.COM writes:
> References:* 
> The Celtic Tradition,  Caitlan Matthews.  
> Taliesin: <i forgot the subtitle>, John and Caitlan Matthews.  
> Celtic Shamanism, John Matthews.  
> 
> *Yeah, it's all by this Mr&Mrs.  I've read other works on Celtic
> culture, but the Matthews' make the rest sound like amateurs.  Of
> course, this is IMHO, YMMV, Maybe they're full of it.  Comments?

IMHO the Mathews book "Celtic Shamanism" has plenty of good stuff in
it on "shamanic" techniques (albeit of the "how to find your totem
spirit on the comfort of your own living room" variety) but the Celts
did not have shamen in the original Siberian sense of the word.  Also
a friend tells me that at conference he heard JM say, from the podium
"There was never any such thing as Celtic Shamanism"...

.. three years later he writes a book on it ;-)

That said the Matthews' books on the reinterpretation of the Celtic
Craft are probably as good as you'll get and are well worth a read.

Redvane