Druid Magic: The Practice of Celtic Wisdom (Paperback)

~ Nicholas R. Mann (Author) "You are the magicians!..." (more)
Key Phrases: Land of the Living, Tuatha De Danann, World Tree (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

  Perhaps the most mystical, magical people ever known were the Druids. They were wizards, storytellers, teachers and spiritual leaders. They were attuned to the Earth and the Sun. And they were very powerful.
ouldn''t it be amazing if you could be a Druid? Now you can with the secrets revealed in Druid Magick.
  This book presents everything you need to know to become a Druid and even start your own Druid "Grove" (the name of a Druid group). You''ll learn about the Druid''s tools - the sickle, wand, cord and more - and how to make and use them. You''ll discover all of the beliefs the Druids hold, including the emphasis on honor and ethics. You''ll learn how a Druid sees the Divine in everything and how even sex can be sacred.
 And of course you''ll learn the secrets of the magic of the Druids. You''ll learn how to do protection spells and how to use magic to find missing items. You''ll learn how you can visit other "worlds" or levels of reality. You''ll even learn how to do shapeshifting and experience the world as an animal!
  Are you having a mental block? With this book you''ll learn how to tap into the creativity that was a hallmark of the Druids. You''ll be able to write, draw, write or perform music with much greater ease and depth than ever before. Become a Druid can bring you all this and more!
  Druidry is far more than historic Celtic leadership. It is a living, growing, spiritual tradition that can bring you more self-assurance and self-development than you''ve ever had before. Jump out of the ordinary! Try something new to bring that spark back into your life. Discover the secrets of Druid Magic.

Winner of the 2001 Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Award for best Magic Book

From the Publisher

  This is the type of a book I refer to as a "bridge." It contains information on both the Druids of yesterday and the Druids of today. In this way, Druid Magic bridges the ancient and modern and lets you learn the best of both worlds.
  This is one of the most complete books on the subject ever. It was written by Maya Magee Sutton who has taught courses at the University of New Mexico for twenty years and Nicholas R. Mann who has written several books on Celtic traditions. Together, they have created a dynamic book that is always clear and accessible, making some of the most complex ideas easy to understand. The history and traditions presented here are just enough to explain and reveal the secrets of Druidry so you can make use of them in your life.
  And that is what this book is really all about. You'll learn how to cast shields of protection, create and use the Druid's magical tools, journey to other spiritual worlds, and even initiate yourself into Druidry. You'll even find out how to start your own Druid group (a "Grove") and contact other Druids in your area and around the world.
  You may have heard of "shapeshifting." In Druidry it's called fith-fath (pronounced "fee-fawh"), which means taking on the aspect of a deer. However, you don't have to be limited to stag or doe. You can also take on the aspect of swift swallows or agile weasels. You can even take on the aspect of dragons!
his is one of those special books that is both interesting to read and exciting to use. If you are thinking of changing your direction in life to start something new, or if you are already involved with Druids and want to know more, this is the book you must have.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567184812
• ISBN-13: 978-1567184815
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #111,553 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some Spirit, Some Inaccuracies, May 31, 2002

By	Frank MacEowen (California-Georgia-Ireland) - See all my reviews

Druid Magic is a book that is certainly an interesting look at the beliefs and worldview of neo-Pagan Druidry--the contemporary reconstructionist Druid philosophy that has largely been inspired by the English 17th century Romanticist movement of Edward Williams. However, I feel that it is important to make note that it cannot be taken as an accurate representation of the Druid tradition as a whole--the ancient religion of the various Celtic peoples.

The book attempts too much, attempting to serve as an authoritative historical perspective (which it falls short of, including a couple of glaring inaccuracies), and an offering of the practices of modern Druidry (which it could have done more of).

New students and seekers exploring these ways will certainly find some valuable basic material addressing certain components of orientation that one will find in both neo-Pagan Druidry and in Druidism (the ancient druidic religious stream, as opposed to the neo-Druidry of today, which does in fact survive today in certain practices that have their source with continuing rural Celtic folk faiths as opposed to neo-reconstructionism).

However, unfortunately, many readers may be duped by DRUID MAGIC into taking their rendition of neo-Pagan Druidry to somehow be the full spectrum of the actual Druid tradition, and this is inaccurate.

I have to agree with the reviewer from Boulder, Colorado (see below) on two points as well.

There WERE in fact organized colleges or learning centers of Druidism, most especially in Ireland and Scotland, including the Isle of Iona and North Uist. The authors make a claim against such a phenomenon, yet even a scanty survey of druid history will suggest that many of the Celtic countries sent fledgling students to Scotland for tutelage. One of the most famous of the Draoi (druids) in Scotland was named Durach, who maintained a learning center on the Isle of Iona (known even today to some Scottish Highlanders as Isla na Druideach, Isle of the Druids) where he transmitted, essentially, the arts and skills of advanced psychic ability and extra-sensory perception ...

Likewise, the evidence is also overwhelmingly clear that in parts of Scotland and Ireland certain families of Druidic origin (namely the O'Cassidys, the MacPhersons, the MacMillans, the Lamonts, the MacEwens, etc.) transitioned into either bardic roles or church ecclesiastical roles within the Celtic Church, or both.

The authors make the classic mistake of neo-Pagan scholarship today (which almost always has an instant knee-jerk reaction to anything Christian without holding open the reality that there were very druidic-like versions of contemplative Christian practice) by suggesting that Druidism and the pre-Roman Celtic Christian contemplative and mystical traditions were somehow completely at odds, which they were not, historically, nor even theologically up to a certain point ("Christ the Word has always been among us. There has never been a time when the Druids of Britain did not know of the Word."--Taliesin)

The authors do offer some interesting visualizations and meditations for the seeker and practitioner, to at least attune themselves to the spirit of certain druidic orientations and themes (the Otherworld, nature, etc.)--which might be helpful to some, but like so many of the Llewelyn books I was disappointed.

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Druid Hokum, October 3, 2002

By	Todd Covert (Sherman Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a practicing Druidic Neopagan and a teacher of the history of the Celtic nations and their spiritual traditions, I've been frankly astounded at some of the recommendations I've seen for this book. Serious-minded modern Druidic practitioners who have argued for years against claims for shamanic traditions among the ancient Druids seem to have laid down their arguments wholesale in the face of a book that does nothing more than relabel most of those practices as "Druid Magic", rather than "Celtic Shamanism". If one sets aside quibbles over labels like these, there are vastly better and more reliable works out there, such as THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CELTIC WISDOM.

Setting aside the historical inaccuracies covered by others who have already reviewed this book, in general, this is an overinflated hodgepodge of a few quotes from primary source materials taken out of context and tarted up for inclusion in a sort of "DIY" modern Druid training scheme mixed with the New Agey men's group sexual agenda of co-author Mann--most of which has nothing whatsoever to do with the sexual politics of the ancient British Isles (for which readers would be better off starting with SEX AND MARRIAGE IN ANCIENT IRELAND).

Though this book is nowhere near the level of idiocy to be found in books like THE 21 LESSONS OF MERLIN or WITTA, it is still rarely better than silly.

...And don't fall for the "Ph.D." after co-author Sutton's name...it apparently stands for her self-bestowed title, "Practicing Holistic Druid."

38 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource!, April 1, 2000

By	Jennifer Whildin "sassy devil" (Vineland, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There's lots of information in this book, including what is and isn't a Celt, what is and isn't a Druid, info on shapeshifting and other magic, spirituality, symbols, the Tree Alphabet, sources for further reading, and much more. I'm not a Druid, but I have an interest in Celtic history and culture. This is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in Celts, Druids, or magic in general.

The book is written in a way that's easy to understand, even if you're not familiar with Celtic lore or magic. Even if you don't intend to practice, it's great reading, and will help you understand the difference between magic in fairy tales and real magic.

DRUID MAGIC dispels the myths that surround magic cultures and opens the path to Druid wisdom for those seeking it.