Customer Reviews

The Lore of the Bard: A Guide to the Celtic & Druid Mysteries

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The effort Rowan put into this tome is apparent from page one. Masterfully combining art, history, and Celtic lore he clarifies one of the most beautiful and least understood paths of the druid traditon--the bard's way. I particularly like the way Rowan deviated from current tradition. I get the feeling he looked right into the old resources and used them to try to recreate the old bard's way from scratch. While this might rub some people wrong (it rubbed me wrong at first), it shows he dared do what has to be sometimes done to keep Pagan paths from devolving--he broke new tradition to re-assert old truths. Kudos, Rowan.

The only problem I had with it is his writing is a bit deep sometimes, but it is worth having to go over it twice. I learned a lot.

I've always wondered why someone who has been a druid or a bard for ten years is still buying books about it. The reason this puzzles me is that nature has many of the answers and whether you believe that or not isn't the problem... the problem is that you've made the choice to be a druid or a bard and thus this is what your belief set states. In other words, the adage would go, why read a book when you can get the answer from the source.

You might think that this little blurb has nothing to do with Rowan's book but in fact it has everything to do with it.

Because from reading his book you can be sure of one thing... he is a bard.

Now if you judge a bard by his scholarly insight of the occult and the names of various trees invented by another 'man' or by his knowledge into the intricate and utterly unreliable history of the druids, well then he might not make the grade... but I wouldn't know because I certaintly don't have that knowledge either.

But if you judge this book on its merits, which are... that when you read this book you smile, then this book passes with flying colors. You smile because you know what he means... you felt lost before... alone in the world of the hierarchial machine of the occult. And now finally someone went out and did it. He became a bard.

You can almost see him laughing while he recites the green man poem. It makes me smile every time I recite it as it should you because that's what being a bard is all about. But this book isn't at all new agey. A person can smile without assuming that everything is all peachy.

My only criticism with this book is that it doesn't have enough practical information in it and it jumps into some very powerful meditating waaay too early.

If you really are considering being a bard however(which I actually am working on... yes it's crazy but I am) then I really think you should have a look at this book.

Maybe he didn't dot his I's or cross his T's but this isn't a class in rhetoric nor is it a class in assumptive history. It's about being a bard and having fun doing it.

I only wrote this review because I was looking for something on the Internet and wondered if he had put out anything else. When I came across the book I noticed it wasn't even available anymore as a new book via Amazon only through the used books section.

If stuff like 'The Witches' Bible' or 'Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft' have you running nauseous to the toilet then for a breath of fresh air take a look at this. Of course playing a harp for a tree and some other foliage works as well.

Arthur Rowans book is an enjoyable and informative read giving a broad general insight into Bardic lore and practice. As commented in a couple of other reviews here, it does not have a particularly scholarly approach, which for me is a good thing, if it had I probably wouldn't have read it. Anyway, I would much rather listen to a man who has entwined fear and revelation in the wild, than to a bookish scholar who has no experience of the real thing.
When we consider that the 16th and17th century recreations of modern druidry were based on fact, forgery and wishful thinking, then we must allow a little leeway in our judgement of these things. Certainly I found the book useful, scholarly and wrong by degrees, but was none the less worthy for all that. And in the true bardic tradition; 'why let the facts get in the way of a good story'. Arthur Rowan tells the story well, and in some instances, music and poetry for instance, he tells it as well as any.
If this book were to be read in isolation from all others, then, perhaps the reader may be led astray here and there; but no-one does that. We all read this and that and choose the truth in each to be our guide. In my opinion, The Lore of the Bard is as good a place to start as any.

The title of this book is misleading. There is bard lore here, yes, but also Druid and Celtic lore in profusion. The author displays both depth and breadth in book that should be read slowly and carefully as it has an amazing amount of wisdom to impart, including psychological and Celtic philosophies, Druidic and Bardic training, and more magical training than 10 other so-called magic books combined will usually render. This book lifts the Bardic traditions from mere musicianship into enchantment and is so steeped in Druidic teaching that all Druids should really give this book a look.

I was suprised and quite pleased with this book. It was scholarly and pragmatic. There is a lot to absorb here so one should take their time when reading it. It differs somewhat from the more typical druidic materials because as expected there is more emphasis on myth and music.

As someone who's been studying Celtic society, religion, and history for about 15 years now, I feel that I'm somewhat qualified to comment on books of this genre. I've been through the initial phase where you think that anything with "Celtic" on it just HAS to be genuine, and I've also been through the depressing letdown when you realize later on that many of the books out there, especially the ones professing to "teach" you an "Ancient Celtic" method of anything, are really just someone's idea of creating their own religion with the trappings of Celtic research. I have also been a practicing musician for many years and play several instruments at a professional level.

Suffice to say I purchased this book expecting several things:
1. It would be a serious work that explained in detail the art of the ancient bards, and would corroborate these things with evidence
2. It would not subscribe to the far too present vein of absolute New Age garbage that runs through so many "Celtic" books and presents the serious scholar with a severe headache.

I have read much of this book, hoping to pull some value from it. Some of the information in it is useful and interesting. In fact, his logical reasoning and comparison with Jung's theories are quite intelligent and seem to make good sense.

But it's really, really hard to take someone seriously when they constantly refer to "Celtica", a term I have NEVER heard of before I read this book. "Celtica", according to the author, sounds like some catch-all phrase for everything ancient and mystical and "neato". I've tried to read this book and have gotten nearly to the end of it and can say that as much as I was hoping it wouldn't be, it's just extremely difficult to take it seriously. I recommend you try another book.

This is good material. Anybody interested in Celtic stuff should like it. I don't know what problem the guy had who didn't like the ogham stuff in the review below. Rowan sure didn't make it up. The sources for the information are listed right in the book. Maybe he was having a bad day. Anyway, I read it and I don't regret it. I think anybody who wants to know more about Celtic spirituality would enjoy it.

While I'm sure that many of the "facts" presented in this book are correct, the obvious errors make it incredibly difficult to trust anything Rowan says. On page 163 he begins to tell how each month relates to the tree. But Celtic astrology definately does not work in this way. Each month does not correspond to a specific letter of the ogham, nor to a tree. After all, you can't say that if you're born in September, you're a virgo. it doesn't work that way, and Rowan, as a bard or druid, should understand this. it leaves the reader questioning what other "facts" he has made up.