Kindling the Celtic Spirit: Ancient Traditions to Illumine Your Life Through the Seasons [Hardcover]

Mara Freeman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 26, 2000

In this beautiful treasury of sacred wisdom, Mara Freeman shares the rich legacy of the Celts -- the festivals, gods and goddesses, saints, faeries, music, poetry, and storytelling that anchor this magical tradition. Discover myths, rituals, recipes, and crafts for every month of theyear. Honor Saint Brigit with a prayer in February, or ensure a merry start to May with a bowl of frothy syllabub. Come together with friends and neighbors to celebrate community in the high days of August, then learn to weave a solstice wreath in snowy December.

Traditional blessings, ancient lore, and guided meditations inspire you to reconnect with the rhythms of the natural world, and view the sacred as an integral part of every day. Rediscover the wisdom and healing power of nature, and cultivate and honor your soul as you would the earth. Let the spirit of the ancient Celts enchant you in every season, year after year.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For over 2,000 years, oppressors and natural disasters have worked against the Celts, threatening to obliterate the ancient tribe's language, traditions, and spirituality. "Yet in the past 30 years or so, many willing minds and hands have undertaken the task of rekindling the guttering flame of the Celtic spirit," writes author Mara Freeman in Kindling the Celtic Spirit. Freeman is, in fact, one of those maintaining the fire, having spent 35 years studying Celtic traditions and assembling this well-written and organized tribute. Following the format of the Celtic calendar, Freeman shares the stories, recipes, spells, and Gaelic expressions that go with each of the monthly festivals and celebrations. The February chapter celebrates the Festival of Brigit (the goddess who represents the bride or young maiden). October pays tribute to the Festival of Samhain (the celebration that marks the beginning of winter and may have been the Celtic New Year). She recounts the origins of Samhain Eve, or "Mischief Night," which Americans celebrate by trick-or-treating. She teaches magical spells, tells a spine-chilling spooky story, and shows readers how to carve turnip lanterns, using a large rutabaga.

Although she writes about faeries, tree spirits, and other mythological creatures, Freeman narrates with confidence and maturity, so that readers feel as though they are sitting with a learned scholar. The elegant pen-and-ink illustrations by Linda Carol Risso capture the humble pagan origins while respecting the sophistication of Celtic design. The upshot is a beautifully crafted book with plenty of substance for those who like immersing themselves in this enchanting, age-old tribe. --Gail Hudson

Review

"...Mara Freeman brings a depth of scholarship and clarity of presentation that outshines the rest." -- R. J. Stewart, author of the bestselling Merlin Tarot, and many books on meditation, music and magic

"...a stunning book, rich in enchantments, legend and lore...abounding in practical wisdom to nourish body and soul." -- Margie McArthur, author of The Wisdom of the Elements

"A very important work...[a] long awaited and much needed inspirational manual..." -- Elizabeth Murray, author of Cultivating Sacred Space

"Mara Freeman has written a book that is fun, deep, playful, serious, useful, magical and enlightening." -- Matthew Fox, author of One River, Many Wells and Original Blessing

"Mara Freeman...has a profound understanding and appreciation of [Celtic] tradition, and a talent for sharing it effectively." -- Alexei Kondratiev, author of The Apple Branch: A Path to Celtic Ritual

"This is an excellent book, offering a bright window into the Celtic World." -- John Matthews, author of Drinking From the Sacred Well

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; 1st edition (December 26, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006251685X
• ISBN-13: 978-0062516855
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 7.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #208,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Celtic

More About the Author

Mara Freeman is from Britain and has been a leading teacher of Celtic spirituality and magic for over twenty years. She is an initiate of the Western Mystery Tradition, an Archdruidess of the Irish Druid Clan of Dana and Honored Bard with the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. (See: www.chalicecentre.net.)
Her book, Kindling the Celtic Spirit, (Harper SanFrancisco, 2001) has been hailed as the best modern introduction to Celtic spirituality and sacred traditions. She has also produced three albums of Celtic stories and meditations set to music.
Dividing her time between California and West Wales, Mara teaches at many universities and learning centers, including Omega Institute, New York, Naropa University, Colorado, and the University of California in Santa Cruz. She leads annual retreats and pilgrimages in the British Isles and Ireland. (See www.celticspiritjourneys.com.) In 2005, Mara founded the Avalon Mystery School, a three-year training program in the Western esoteric arts, which can be taken online or at intensive workshops in the U.S. and abroad. (See www.avalonmysteryschool.net.) Mara also has a spiritual counseling practice in the Celtic tradition of Anamcara, or soul-guidance work, using her extensive training in the arts of psychotherapy and seership.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic as well as beautiful!, April 6, 2002

By 

Jacquelyn Smith (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kindling the Celtic Spirit: Ancient Traditions to Illumine Your Life Through the Seasons (Hardcover)

As a graduate of a medieval studies program specializing in Irish literature, I am prompted to write this review to let people know how thrilled I am to have come across a book that contributes so much to our understanding of Celtic spirituality and how to apply its teachings in a modern context. Far from being "new-agey" this book is head and shoulders above the usual Wiccan and pagan-based junk that passes for "Celtic." "Kindling the Celtic Spirit" is lucidly written, honest about what we know and what we don't know about the Celts, inspiring, and above all, offers an accessible introduction to many of the key aspects of Celtic mythology and spirituality - I particularly loved the sections about music and animals, the chapter on tree-lore and the many marvelous recipes! The author really knows her stuff and is an exceptionally lyrical writer of a caliber not to be found in most popular books on the market today. It's definitely a book to keep or to give to friends to get them hopelessly addicted to the beauty of Celtica!

52 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not quite reconstructionist, but still tops, August 31, 2001

By 

RoseWelsh "rosewelsh" (St. George, UT United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kindling the Celtic Spirit: Ancient Traditions to Illumine Your Life Through the Seasons (Hardcover)

I'm a Celtic Reconstructionist (for more on that see imbas.org). This book is full of good information, though I do not like the way she puts the sun holy days in prominance (not something the old Celts did.) But she does mention Sam & Gam energies of the year (basically light and dark) which is good.

What I like most is the way she uses poetry and her choices of poetry. Most books on Celtic spirit tend to use poetry that doesn't flow or connect to my heart. Most of her choices, or choices of translations, are wonderful.

I don't like the way she collects all her information (animal lore, myths, seasonal crafts ect) under a particular month ONLY because it's hard to reference later.

Her uses of stories are also done well. She choses good stories to tell that illustrate the holy day and then tells them beautifully.

The only thing I really don't like is the fact that the book, like Faery Wicca by Stepanich, is a way to gather "followers" and bring in the dough through classes, trips, workshops and divination. At least if you don't read the appendixes you won't see that part though ;o)

Oh, another useful thing she does is give prononciations (sp) of Celtic words! :o) :o)

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic as well as beautiful!, April 6, 2002

By 

Jacquelyn Smith (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kindling the Celtic Spirit: Ancient Traditions to Illumine Your Life Through the Seasons (Hardcover)

As a graduate of a medieval studies program specializing in Irish literature, I am prompted to write this review to let people know how thrilled I am to have come across a book that contributes so much to our understanding of Celtic spirituality and how to apply its teachings in a modern context. Far from being "new-agey" this book is head and shoulders above the usual Wiccan and pagan-based junk that passes for "Celtic." "Kindling the Celtic Spirit" is lucidly written, honest about what we know and what we don't know about the Celts, inspiring, and above all, offers an accessible introduction to many of the key aspects of Celtic mythology and spirituality - I particularly loved the sections about music and animals, the chapter on tree-lore and the many marvelous recipes! The author really knows her stuff and is an exceptionally lyrical writer of a caliber not to be found in most popular books on the market today. It's definitely a book to keep or to give to friends to get them hopelessly addicted to the beauty of Celtica!