The Celtic Shaman

Matthews offers a concise introduction into the realm of Celtic traditions. This book is especially useful, not only to those who are new to the "old religions", but also to those who are looking for a more solitary approach. My only problem with the text is the generally phallocentric viewpoint of the material, and those who endeavor to read this title should take that into consideration.

This is a wonderful book for beginners, with enough accurate research to satisfy advanced students and purists. People drawn to Celtic practices, particularly Shamanism instead of Wiccan traditions, will find this book a valuable addition to any Pagan/religious library.

For those called to or interested in a Celtic path, Harner's "The Way of the Shaman": is useful in a broad sense, but basically useless in the specific, as it ignores almost totally the Indo-European traditions. This books fills that information gap, and does much more as well. More scholarly than some of the other books on the subject, but still very practical, it provides a good mix of information and exploration. The only major problem is in the early exercises; Matthews emphasizes their importance, but the instructions to do them are very vague, making this book a little more difficult for the beginner to enter into; nonetheless. it is still where to begin..