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www.shamansociety.org31ofthisfamilywerefrequentlyconsultedabouteventsinthefuture.10Otherlateeighteenthcenturyaccountsofthetaghairmmentionasimilarsetofritualelements.ReverendMcQueenfromKilmuirwroteaboutafamilywhosehereditaryofficeinvolvedtheuseofthetaghairm.Alargedrycrev-icewhichcouldholdfourorfivepeoplewasresortedtointheriteandoneofthemenlaydowncoveredinacowshide.Oneofthemeninthefamilylaidmanyblowsuponthemanpossiblywithastickofhazeltheaccountisalittleunclearwhichseemedtoalmostdrivehimoutofhissensesinapropheticfury.Hiswordsandgroanswerelistenedtocarefullyforanswerstothequestionsposedbyeachperson.Thosewhocon-sultedtheoraclepaidhimasheepforhisefforts.TheritualwascensuredbythechurchaftertheReformationlikemanynativepractices.11TherearemanycommonelementsbetweentheseearlymodernScottishtaghairmceremoniesandtheearlierIrishaccountsofthebull-sleepdivinationtakingplacenearabodyofwaterariverorwaterfallchoosingonepersontoactasaseeronbehalfofthecommunitywrappingtheseerinacoworoxhidesolitaryconfinementinanaturalset-tingritualtakingplaceforanentirenightuseofsacredwoodbirchalderhazelseerperceivedaspieceofsacredtreesensoryoverloadsoundofrushingwaterbeatingwithwandsorrodsbeliefinappearanceofspiritbeingstoprovideinformationInamodernversionoftheScottishtaghairmritualthedreamerisonceagainwrappedinabullshide.Inthiscasehowevertheyarenotchantedoverasinthebullsleepbutareleftovernightinanaturalsettingnexttoarushingriverorbehindawaterfall.Inthisritualthesoundsofnaturewhicharerichinover-tonesprovidetheauralinputneededtoputthedreamerintoanalteredstateofawareness.Inthetarbfeisthedreamerlaysuponbranchesofsacredwood.Inthetaghairmhoweversticksorwandsofsa-credwoodcanbeusedtobeatupontheoutsideofthehideinordertointensifytheordealandinvokethefrenzyoftheseer.Thisrepetitivesoundandactiontogetherwiththenoiseoftherushingwaterandthedarknessofthesettingallintensifytheshamanicexperience.Whilealloftheseaspectsmaybechallengingformodernpractitionerstoenactasinmanyotherculturesstayingovernightinanaturalsettingisapower-fulwayofconnectingwithSpirit.Thedreamerhimherselfappearstobetheofferinginthisritualboundinasacredhideandbeatenwithwandsofsacredwood.Manyhavehaddeepshamanicandpropheticexperiencesnearasacredriverorjourneyingtothesoundofawaterfall.InCeltictraditionriversandwaterfallswereassociatedwiththequestfordivinewisdomandwereunderstoodtobeinhabitedbyspirits.12TheSoundoftheSpiritsThroughouttheCeltictraditionthereisanenormousfocusontheuseofsacredsound.Inearlytimespeopleusedflutesmadeofbirdbonesquitesimilartothemoderntinwhistleorpenny-whistlebutwithalightermorebreathysound.WedonothaveanyevidencefortheuseofthedruminCeltictraditionandtheIrishbodhrnorframedrumisnotattesteduntiltheearlytwentiethcen-tury.Howeverwedohaveritualrattlesfromaveryearlyperiod.Theseweremadeofmetalandwereegg-shapedwithasmallringatthetopforholdingthem.Insideweresmallpiecesofmetalorclaytoproducealightairychuffingsound.13Therewerealsomanykindsofhornsoftenshapedlikeacowshornwhichproducedavarietyofsounds.Somewouldhavebeenusedtoannouncethearrivalofakingorholypersoninalargecommunityceremonyorproces-sion.Othersweremoremelodyorientedwhileanothertypewasplayedexactlylikeadidgeridoo.Thistypeofhorncouldhavebeenplayedduringritualsorceremoniestohelpinduceanalteredstate.14Therearealsoreferencestodru-idsorpoetscarryingorusingsomethingcalledaCraobhSdefairybranchwhichappearstohavebeenawoodormetalbranchedorforkedobjectwithsmallbellshangingfromit.Inthecaseofthefilidthecolourofthemetalusedinthebranchsymbolizedtheirlevelofexpertiseandknowledge.15Themostcommonmethoddescribedthroughouttheentiretraditionistheuseofthehumanvoice.Druidsandpoet-seerschantsingintoneandrecitesacredwordsorphraseswisdomtextsspellssongpoemsincantationsandinvocationsinavarietyofritualsettings.Thereisveryspecializedterminologyforthesetypeofpracticessuchasthewordfor-cainwhichmeanstosingoverteachorinstructorpredictorprophecy.Modernpractitionerscanuseboneflutesorpennywhistlesegg-shapedrattlesandbranchesofsacredwoodhungwithsmallbellstocreateanau-thenticsonicritualspacefornativeCelticshamanicceremonies.Youmightalsowishtoexperimentwithsoundrecord-ingsofdidgeridoosriversorwaterfalls.WisdomoftheShamaninEverydayLifeOmegaInstituteNYJuly1318EnergyClearingPortlandOROct1012LASTMASKCENTERFORSHAMANICHEALINGExplorethemedicineoftheHealerandDeathintimacywithspiritandfaithinyourcalling.YearOneprogressesfromlearningshamanicskillstotheirdirectapplicationinactualenergyclearingworkingeffectivelywithpowerobjectsandsacredspaceandtrueintimacywithyourhelpingspirits.TheCyclegivesyouaccesstomentorshipteleseminarsandayni-basedmembershipinLastMaskCommunity.August20252014StillMeadowRetreatCenterDamascusORpresentsTheCycleTeachingsShamanismfortheNewWorldwithshamanauthorteacherChristinaPrattForregistrationandmoreinformationvisitlastmaskcenter.orgcalendar