The Complete Idiot's Guide to Celtic Wisdom

by Carl McColman

Book Overview

This book is a comprehensive look at Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and continental Celtic traditions, encompassing both Pagan and Christian traditions. This book tells the entire story of Celtic spirituality, offering practical tools for those who would like to walk the Celtic path today.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0028644174
• ISBN13: 9780028644172
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: Alpha Books
• Length: 366 Pages
• Weight: 1.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.4" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Indespensible

I quite honestly bought this book on a lark but found it to be jam packed with useful information. I still have copies of his "Living the Celtic Life" as well as others copied in my day planner. Full of mythology, practice, and, yes, wisdom, I truly recommend this book to absolutely anyone with an interest in Celtic wisdom streams.

Nifty Introduction to the Celtic World

I've always been intrigued by Irish and Welsh culture, not just a lot of famous Irish blessings which I enjoy but also their music (some of my favorite musical artists are Irish and even Welsh in origin). When I found out about this book, I was further intrigued and was very pleased by what I read. This book takes a great overall look at the great amount of information known about "Celtic lore." The book's chapters cover topics like the history of the Celts, the "otherworld," information about bards, ovates, and druids, Irish & Welsh mythology, "Celtic Christianity," revering your ancestors, "befriending the good people," and a lot more. Reading this book brought up some emotion for me in that I felt reading through it I was being transported "back home" in a way, which probably is no surprise given my Celtic heritage.The book is an excellent introduction to all things Celtic. Anyone like me who has an interest in Celtic lore will definitely enjoy this book and it will likely leave the reader wanting to know much more. In fact the author includes a great number of related book titles throughout the book and at the book's end for that very reason. I'm looking forward now to doing more reading and studying of the Celtic world thanks to this book.

Very Comprehensive

This is a great start to research in the topics of Celtic wisdom and mythology, as well as Wicca, Grail lore, and more. It is very readable, and well laid out. The sidebars are more interesting that some other Idiot's Guides I have read.A great investment for your mythology or occult library!

A Perspective to Consider

The Idiot's Guide to Celtic Wisdom is what it is. All of the Idiot's Guides, whether dealing with computers, meditation, Feng Shui, or Celtic Wisdom, set out with a singular task in mind: to make a wide brushstroke in such a way as to educate the reader to the variety of facets that they might not otherwise have known about in a particular area. In this case, the area is Celtic tradition, and in this regard I think the author has taken on a monumental task: to attempt to give voice and shape to a tradition of multiple expressions that not only defy being pinned down, but also often contradict one another.To make an attempt at such a thing might be described as pure folly, or a fool's task, and yet McColman has succeeded in describing the multiple perspectives in which Celtic tradition is perceived, and he does so in such a way that is rather hands-off, meaning he leaves it up to the reader to decode and decide for themselves. Whether we as readers agree with all of those perspectives presented (such as Ogham being a divination system, the existence of "Celtic Wicca", etc.), one cannot debate the fact that the author has done an immense job of speaking about the various camps that do exist.The Idiot's Guide is not a book for purist Celtic scholars. I do not believe its author held that intention. What readers will find with the Idiot's Guide to Celtic Wisdom is a work that seeks to give due diligence to the various manifestations or expressions that the Celtic spirit has taken over time, including in the now. Its author is someone who sought to give voice to these various expressions, even though he himself may not be an adherant of all of the expressions and perspectives articulated. The Idiot's Guide to Celtic Wisdom is a good book for someone who comes to the realm of Celtic tradition with absolutely no idea of how to make heads or tails of the Celtic phenomenon. Is Celtic considered shamanic? By some, yes. Is Celtic considered to be Christian? By some, yes. Is Celtic considered to be Wiccan? Though not by traditionalists, there are others who relate to Celtic tradition in that way.Although I personally take issue with the Celtic-Wicca connections that people seem to make (Wicca is an Anglo-Saxon tradition), what I value about Carl's treatment of the subject is that he has not alienated anyone by his writing style. He has attempted to describe how the Celtic spirit manifests with contemporary Druids, contemporary Celtic-Christians, contemporary shamanic practitioners, and, low and behold, yes, even Wiccans. Contrary to the negative reviews of this work I do not perceive The Idiot's Guide to Celtic Wisdom to be "New Age". Indeed, if anything it is the author's valiant attempt to wrap language around a sociological and cultural phenomenon, to offer some sense of how he works with his own spirituality as a Celtic descendent, and to point toward how the Celtic spiritual stream is rather "Old Age" but is re-forming and re-shaping itself

An Inclusive, Comprehensive and Practical Book!

Although I'm not a huge fan of anything that professes to be a book for idiots, I'm a fan of Carl McColman's previous work and thought I would check it out. I'm really glad that I did. I found the book a very well researched, comprehensive introduction to a variety of Celtic topics. Celtic lore is a large part of my own spirituality as a modern pagan, so I have a strong interest in seeing that it be explained in a responsible way, yet friendly for the reader who is not an anthropologist or linguist. The cultures, time periods and beliefs are so vast, its hard to sum up complex ideas in simple statements, but this book does it quite well. I'm always looking for books to recommend to friends, families and students to explain my path, but not oversimplify it. I feel confident in recommending Celtic Wisdom. The two main selling points for me was 1) the inclusiveness and 2) the practical tips. The book successfully includes Celtic spirituality ranging from ancient paganism, to Celtic Christianity to an honest look at modern Celtic influenced neo-paganism, including Wicca. While some would like to focus Celtic wisdom from one time period, this book embraces them all, showing the similarities and differences. I loved the clear renditions of the Arthurian themes in both a pagan and Christian context. A strong point of inclusiveness is made for those of us Celtic in spirit, if not in full blood. The practical hints are obviously from a practicing mystic who has used many of these techniques in his own life. Yet they are sensitive for those on each of the paths - discussing things like Celtic Magic and divination, yet being sensitive that many Celtic Christians might not find their path in Celtic forms of magic. All in all I wealth of information, history and practice. The tone is very real and very readable, infused with the qualities of Celtic culture - honor, scholarship, practicality and a welcoming spirit. I recommend it highly.