Historical dictionary of shamanism

MACLELLAN, GORDON

(“The Toad”)
Britishenvironmentaleducator andperformerwho runs Creeping Toad Education, Training and Workshops with the mission of helping people “discover their own ways of valuing the ‘specialness’ of their homes, schools, neighborhoods and the wildlife that surrounds us,” ranging from children’s pond dipping and mask making to storytelling, sacred dance, and encounters with the fairy realm. MacLellan has described himself as “sort of a shaman,” bridging communities and environments, and to manyPagansin Great Britain, he has indeed earned the title of shaman. MacLellan says that there are three overlapping kinds of shamans: “personalhealers. . . who help people listen to themselves; community healers . . . who help people listen to each other; and patterners . . . who help the community listen to/relate to the world around them.” His educational work and publications fall largely into the last category.