Beginning on a Celtic shaman’s path

I’ve recently begun reading The Celtic Shaman by John Matthews, an excellent read so far. I’ve appreciated John and Caitlin Matthews’ work for some time already but still have never fully delved into the world of Celtic shamanism. I’ve felt it tugging at me for a long time. My ancestral roots come from the Emerald Isle. In my spirit i’ve always had a longing to get back there. I strongly feel now is the time.

The beginning of the shaman’s journey is most difficult. In the dark cave of the unconscious i will have to face my other selves. My weaker selves, my shadows and fears will stand before me. The meditation may need to be done several times to bring all the ugliest aspects of myself to the surface. I will have to face all of my limiting and self-deceiving selves as well. I assume this will be emotionally painful, and i do not look forward to it. I’ve continued reading while working up the courage to begin.

The first step is deciding when would be the best time and place for my daily meditation. With the house full of children, and the little free time i have this is something that requires a bit of planning for me. As far as materials and tools go i need two journals to start. One to record my observations after journeying and one to begin recording my dreams after waking. I would also like to buy some special incense and a couple of candles to do a self dedication ritual before venturing out on my new path. Eventually i will also need to acquire a hand drum of some sort or a drum cd i can play during some of my journeying.

One tool i appreciate already having and have worked with a bit in the past is John Matthews’ Celtic Oracle. Unlike most other oracles and tarot decks this tool is more geared towards exploring the inner worlds of the Celtic shaman than merely being a divining tool. The main purpose of the deck is for use in pathworking, meditation, and dream work. I imagine i’ll be utilizing it quite a bit after the initial self work i need to start with.

I’ll be posting updates on my progress as i have time.

13 rules and factoids related to safe ferret ownership

(Safety for the owners, not the ferrets )

1. Do not wear long skirts while your ferrets are out to play unless you intend to dance or hide on the bed.
2. It may seem cute when your kit treats your arm like another ferret, but you’re wrong.
3. If ferrets do not receive enough playtime they will spaz like they are on crack when you finally let them out. (This can be hazardous for all parties involved.)
4. Open toed sandals are not shoes. (Seth!)
5. That lump under the blanket isn’t a shark, but it may as well be. (Ferrets are referred to as carpet sharks for a reason.)
6. Clipping a kit’s nails can be an ugly job, but someone’s got to do it.
7. Be prepared to cut open your furniture with scissors to retrieve your ferrets. (Not really related to owner safety, but i thought i’d throw it in anyway.)
8. It may be fun to chase your ferrets, but they WILL chase you back, and that hissing noise you hear usually isn’t a good thing.
9. Any greasy food left on your hands tastes delightful to your ferrets. They will let you know this, some in more gentle ways than others.
10. Your ferrets will strategically ambush you if you are not watching all 360 degrees around your body at once.
11. Never under any circumstances attempt to kiss a kit on the nose. (Tristan taught me this one.)
12. Snuggly wrapping your ferret in a blanket or towel to administer medicine is referred to as “burritoing” the ferret and is usually a necessary precaution.
13. I have compiled this list in jest. In reality kittens are much more dangerous than ferrets.  My kitten causes more bodily harm to humans in a single day than all three of my ferrets ever have.

“Texas” and “summer” should not be allowed in the same sentence

It’s only the beginning of summer and the temps are already reaching 100 degrees here. The boys and i spend most of our days in the house to avoid the heat and mosquitoes. I go out early in the morning before the heat is unbearable and sometimes in the evenings listening and watching for the birds. Of course there are still the mosquitoes, and Seth never wants to be outside when he’s home because he works in the heat all day. Not that i blame him. It’s still hard on me considering the strong need i have to spend time outdoors and how little time Seth and i have to spend together.

I don’t usually get very excited about the Summer Solstice. Living in Texas will do that to you, i think. The only thing i look forward to related to summer is swimming. I really enjoy swimming. We haven’t been out to the state park yet this year, but i’m going to start putting the pressure on Seth about going out to the lake on the evenings he doesn’t work too late.  Going to the state park does us all good whether Seth wants to admit it or not. He enjoys himself once we are there, and of course the boys look forward to swimming too.

There’s also the slacking. I’ve really been slacking on my outdoor chores since it’s been so hot. It’s hard to keep up with hanging the laundry. I stopped cleaning up after the dogs in the yard, and my bird bath is in horrid condition. I need to change my sleeping schedule to better take advantage of the couple of cooler hours in the mornings. I’d also like to start walking the dogs in the evenings after dark. I haven’t been successful at motivating myself to do that yet, but i will prevail!

Maybe some day we’ll just get the heck outta Dodge and move somewhere with a cooler and less humid summer climate. That would be nice. We talk about it from time to time and have been considering it more seriously lately. I bet no other state has such awesome displays of wildflowers in the spring though. It was gorgeous a month or two ago! Absolutely amazing just driving down the road past huge pastures blanketed in color. I also love the summer storms when we get them. I guess there are some things about living in Texas that balance out.