MATTHEWS, JOHN AND CAITLIN

Britishneo-shamanswho, following their work on “the Western mystery tradition,” pioneered the study and practice of “Celticshamanism.” John Matthews’sTheCeltic Shaman(1991a) andTaliesin:Shamanism and the Bardic Mysteriesin Britain and Ireland(1991c) not only offered considerable evidence for ancient Celtic shamanic practices, such as analysis of the medieval Welsh poet Taliesin as a shaman, but also popularized how modern Westerners might use these sources in their own neoshamanisms. This work has been scrutinized by such academics asRonald Hutton, Leslie Ellen Jones, andRobert Wallis, who problematize, among other issues, the application of the termshamanto medieval sources that are enigmatic, incomplete, and often poorly translated. Jones comments on the contrast between Matthews’s apparently accessible and “safe” practices vis-à-vis the more challenging, even dangerous, path of otherindigenousshamanisms, and she dismisses his practices as lightweight andNew Age. Wallis agrees, but adds that Celtic shamanism today is by no means singular and that there are practitioners who not only integrate their practices into the challenges of everyday life but also engage with the “dark side” of the shaman. Caitlin Matthews’s solo-authored work includesSinging the Soul Back Home:Shamanism in Daily Life(1995), concerned especially withsoul retrieval. Following the lead of the Matthewses, there are now numerous volumes on Celtic shamanism, including those by Tom Cowan,Jan Fries, and Frank MacEowen.