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Celtic Inspirations: Essential Meditations and Texts
The Celts were a creative, mystical people, still revered today for their imaginative myth-making, brilliant designs, and profound sense of wonder and magic. This entry in the popular Inspirations series offers enticing summaries of key Celtic symbols, an introduction to the Celtic worldview, and enlightening short extracts from the great Celtic texts. Featuring 75 color photos and practical exercises that show readers how to apply ancient insights to their own lives, this elegant volume captures the spirit of the druids and storytellers in a series of poetic texts. The spiritual lessons cover such subjects as plant healing, spell casting, and traveling safely in the Otherworld, while a special section reveals the secrets of King Arthur's knights and the Holy Grail.
244 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 9, 2026
Ms. Webster Wilde has put together an excellent overview of Celtic beliefs, touching briefly on Druids, Arthur and his knights, Brigid, and the symbolism of many Celtic images and 'touchstones' with brief meditations or recitations on each.
I would consider it a great introduction to Celtic mythos and beliefs.
I would consider it a great introduction to Celtic mythos and beliefs.
November 3, 2020
Celtic myths and spiritual traditions are explored in brief reflections. Influences to the Christian and other religions is mentioned. Half of these reflections have an exercise to perform. This can be read as a daily devotional book
April 19, 2021
Lovely illustrations and a good introduction to many of the key themes and symbols in Celtic civilization, but if you're looking for some depth, this isn't the book. Some of the suggested exercises seem quite fanciful or even silly.
August 15, 2017
The book is not what I thought it was going to be, it's more of a collections of the old ways and things that they used to do. It is a collection of celtic things.
August 29, 2020
No proper citations.
September 6, 2020
Lovely book
November 13, 2020
Enjoyed this! It has a lot of interesting information and makes for a good coffee table type book.
July 18, 2013
This isn't normally the type of thing I'd pick up for myself, but my mom gets me some sort of inspirational/full-o'-wisdom book every birthday, and Celtic Inspirations was this year's addition to the collection.
I was actually pretty excited about this year's b-day book, for two reasons: 1) I like Celtic art, and 2) I'd been meaning to read something about Celtic mythology in preparation for a re-read of Roger Zelazny's Amber .
The book has some beautiful art (not just drawings, but full-page photographs of Celtic landscapes), and the bite-sized facts about Celtic history and culture are pretty interesting (though certainly not sufficient to give you a full understanding of anything; if you want more comprehensive knowledge, you'll have to go elsewhere). There are even sections that tell you how to perform druidic rituals and spells, which is kind of a fun thing to read about if you're an aspiring fantasy/sf writer like me.
But then you get to the "motivational" sections, and you realize the author may have been serious when she was telling you how to cast spells.
There are lots of step-by-step tips on how to open yourself to creativity or solve your problems. And, to the author's credit, she at least makes good use of the word "may": as in, "If you do this, it may allow you to overcome your fears." And I'm glad she makes that distinction, because I think most (if not all) of these tips are rather silly and won't actually do anything.
Then again, there's always the placebo effect, for true believers.
Still, all that being said, there were a few tips that offered good ideas, even if I'm confident they wouldn't have the effect the author intended. For example, here's an excerpt from the "The Moon and its Light" section:
Moonlight and Moonshadow
Go out at the time of the full moon and walk. Notice the effect of moonlight, how it transforms the world, how strangely bright it is and how strong the moonshadow.
The more time you spend in the moonlight, the more refined your lunar consciousness will become. This will help you become more aware of the rhythms and cycles in the sky and in your own body.
That was actually one of the instances of the author using "will" over "may," but I'll let it slide. Now, I don't buy into the second part, because I don't think that staring at the moon will make me aware of rhythms and cycles so much as turn me into a werewolf. But that first paragraph, well--heck, that's just a good idea. I should go out for a walk on a full moon, because--why not? It sounds like fun.
So, even if I'm not buying into a lot of this spiritual stuff, I can still get some decent suggestions from the book.
Overall, it's not bad. I give it a C, for Celtic. (Which, apparently, translates to 3 stars in the Goodreads rating system.)
I was actually pretty excited about this year's b-day book, for two reasons: 1) I like Celtic art, and 2) I'd been meaning to read something about Celtic mythology in preparation for a re-read of Roger Zelazny's Amber .
The book has some beautiful art (not just drawings, but full-page photographs of Celtic landscapes), and the bite-sized facts about Celtic history and culture are pretty interesting (though certainly not sufficient to give you a full understanding of anything; if you want more comprehensive knowledge, you'll have to go elsewhere). There are even sections that tell you how to perform druidic rituals and spells, which is kind of a fun thing to read about if you're an aspiring fantasy/sf writer like me.
But then you get to the "motivational" sections, and you realize the author may have been serious when she was telling you how to cast spells.
There are lots of step-by-step tips on how to open yourself to creativity or solve your problems. And, to the author's credit, she at least makes good use of the word "may": as in, "If you do this, it may allow you to overcome your fears." And I'm glad she makes that distinction, because I think most (if not all) of these tips are rather silly and won't actually do anything.
Then again, there's always the placebo effect, for true believers.
Still, all that being said, there were a few tips that offered good ideas, even if I'm confident they wouldn't have the effect the author intended. For example, here's an excerpt from the "The Moon and its Light" section:
Moonlight and Moonshadow
Go out at the time of the full moon and walk. Notice the effect of moonlight, how it transforms the world, how strangely bright it is and how strong the moonshadow.
The more time you spend in the moonlight, the more refined your lunar consciousness will become. This will help you become more aware of the rhythms and cycles in the sky and in your own body.
That was actually one of the instances of the author using "will" over "may," but I'll let it slide. Now, I don't buy into the second part, because I don't think that staring at the moon will make me aware of rhythms and cycles so much as turn me into a werewolf. But that first paragraph, well--heck, that's just a good idea. I should go out for a walk on a full moon, because--why not? It sounds like fun.
So, even if I'm not buying into a lot of this spiritual stuff, I can still get some decent suggestions from the book.
Overall, it's not bad. I give it a C, for Celtic. (Which, apparently, translates to 3 stars in the Goodreads rating system.)
March 6, 2016
What a sweet little treasure of a book! I had no idea when I bought it what a gem I had found! One can read it in an hour or so and be treated to a beautiful page layout with every turn of the page. Full of wonderful Celtic illustrations, this book is full of history, wisdom, ideas and inspirations, lore and legend, all in a series of wonderfully chewable little bites. Savor each one!
If you are fascinated by, or drawn to Celtic history, lore, art.....this is a great little read that is packed with information. Even I, who have been reading about the Celts for decades, still learned many new things in this book, like:
The Celtic Cross is a western yin yang symbol of the balancing of the gentle moon goddess spirit wisdom encircling the male solar power of physical male energy. No wonder I've always resonated with the symbol of the Celtic Cross on an intuitive level! Now I know why!
And..... did you know that the name Perceval (the knight who was led to the Holy Grail because of his innocence) literally means Pierce-the-Veil?
Yes! This book is full of such luscious little bits! Give yourself a treat....read this book and treasure it. Enjoy its beautiful green and gold cover each time you pass your bookshelf and reopen its pages every now and then when you need a little bit of escape, or centering or inspiration.
5 Golden Stars.
If you are fascinated by, or drawn to Celtic history, lore, art.....this is a great little read that is packed with information. Even I, who have been reading about the Celts for decades, still learned many new things in this book, like:
The Celtic Cross is a western yin yang symbol of the balancing of the gentle moon goddess spirit wisdom encircling the male solar power of physical male energy. No wonder I've always resonated with the symbol of the Celtic Cross on an intuitive level! Now I know why!
And..... did you know that the name Perceval (the knight who was led to the Holy Grail because of his innocence) literally means Pierce-the-Veil?
Yes! This book is full of such luscious little bits! Give yourself a treat....read this book and treasure it. Enjoy its beautiful green and gold cover each time you pass your bookshelf and reopen its pages every now and then when you need a little bit of escape, or centering or inspiration.
5 Golden Stars.
June 5, 2010
I have to say, it was probably this book that sparked my interest in Wicca and Paganism altogether. I was fascinated by the belief in all of the different god and goddesses and of the practices of the ancient druids. I've always love Celtic lore, and this inspired me to do a bit more research on the gods and goddesses. Through the research I was doing on the goddess Morrigan (my favorite Celtic goddess) I found more information about healing and witchcraft which led me to pursue and hold the beliefs that I have today.
May 11, 2011
I adore the presentation of the book.
The artwork and photographs throughout are very lovely, and I think this book would make a great gift to anyone who loves Celtic ideas, art, and practices. Even if your beliefs don't lie with the practic of Paganism or along those lines, I think one could still enjoy and appreciate this short book- just for the history and art. There were pieces I found beautifully poetic.
There wasn't really much here that I didn't already know, but it does look very pretty on my shelf- and I did enjoy it. A gorgeous little book.
3.5 stars
The artwork and photographs throughout are very lovely, and I think this book would make a great gift to anyone who loves Celtic ideas, art, and practices. Even if your beliefs don't lie with the practic of Paganism or along those lines, I think one could still enjoy and appreciate this short book- just for the history and art. There were pieces I found beautifully poetic.
There wasn't really much here that I didn't already know, but it does look very pretty on my shelf- and I did enjoy it. A gorgeous little book.
3.5 stars
August 18, 2010
Nothing extraordinary here and I would beg to differ with the book's subtitle of "essential meditations and texts" as not one thing is essential in here either lol. It's way too brief a text for anything to be counted as indispensable.
However, it would make a great little gift as a coffee table book. The artwork and photographs are gorgeous, and would really be the only reason to own it. I'd only be giving it 2 stars if not for the beautiful presentation, that made it three.
However, it would make a great little gift as a coffee table book. The artwork and photographs are gorgeous, and would really be the only reason to own it. I'd only be giving it 2 stars if not for the beautiful presentation, that made it three.
January 26, 2016
Chartwell Books' series of Inspirations books are beautifully designed and usually great primers for their various subjects. However I found Celtic Inspirations to be lacking in any real explanation of what "Celtic" is. It is mostly magic and meditations and almost no mention of any texts. Disappointingly lightweight and of no real interest.
June 27, 2012
This book had a lot of beginner style information dealing with Celtic belief. It also gave very brief information on some of the old stories that were told by bards. This can intrigue a person to find more full texts to read more about the lore of old.
August 14, 2013
A very interesting little history on various traditions, holidays and practices of the keltoi - though not the most informative the art is beautiful and the meditations well thought out for those who prefer to meditate personally without much guidance.
May 6, 2014
A simple and succintly written book, this offers great inspiration for life based on old Celtic stories and beliefs. I found it very inspiring. It could be read in a sitting, but it is nice to spread it out and read a little in the evening and really think about it and take in the teachings.
January 18, 2015
Beautifully illustrated and rich in history and inspiration. I found so many connections and reminders of my love of nature, stillness, and the rhythm of the seasons. I am hoping to explore more titles by this author.
February 22, 2012
Wonderful! I refer back to this book all the time for moments of joy and happiness!
August 10, 2024
Loved this book. It is beautifully written and illustrated. Wilde offers lots of ways to get in touch with the Earth and with your spiritual side. This is a wonderful book.
January 12, 2016
a pretty book to look at
April 3, 2016
A quick and engaging read that gives a thoughtful and enticing overview of Celtic culture and spirituality.
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February 7, 2021This is a beautiful, piecemeal introduction to Celtic lore. It's probably mis-titled, though. If you are looking for substance & detail I would look elsewhere.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews