New Years is upon us in just about a week and if you are looking for a way to spend it that doesn’t involve massive parties or going to a drinking establishment, then Meath has an intriguing offer for those who are more serious about their New Year’s festivities.
For those more in-tuned with their spiritual sides, there is a New Year’s Shamanic Celebration for people willing to be different. Shamanism refers to those individuals who are believed to have a special ability for communicating with spirits, both good and evil. The shaman’s purpose is to take whatever energies they perceive from the spirit world then bring them into the physical world through some sort of transformation.
Here is a brief video below explaining the customs and purposes of the New Year’s Shamanic celebration in Meath.
Shamans can be seen as healers or representatives of the unknown. Many shamans gain their insights from dreams and it is believed that this is where they gain their powers. Most of this is reflected on how they use their knowledge, however. If a shaman is given information and allows it to stagnate, it might harm the shaman more than benefit them. It seems the real goal of the shaman is to take the visions and things that are sent to them and then to do something in their waking life to either fix it, heal it or to communicate it. After all, it is believed that their perceptions and visions are sent to them from the spiritual world, and when the spiritual world sends a message, it is important not to ignore it if you adhere to strong spiritual beliefs like the shamans do.
The site for this celebration is located adjacent to the ancient ruins of Tara which add a significance to the event. Tara was the sight of so much history and power being transferred throughout Ireland’s many centuries. Future kings were crowned and given their authority on the sacred hill and many believe these ceremonies took place at Tara because those who were crowned were being given the position by some divine influence.
Perhaps the organizers of the event realized that some people in Ireland were in need of some healthy and spiritual alternative to ringing in the New Year. Where many people grow accustomed to thinking that New Year’s Eve is a day and night in which it is permissible to go out and lose one’s head and act irresponsibly in many cases, the shamans offer a different approach for those who want to keep both feet firmly on the ground.
The goal is simple: the events beseech onlookers to state their intentions for the New Year and by the powers of the surrounding shamans, it is believed that with all of the energy and powers around the onlookers, that they can somehow manifest their wishes for the New Year into becoming a reality. If you want wealth, fame, a family, a new job, or just to be happy, these goals can be stated and become a reality through spiritual influence.
I for one am glad to hear of something so positive for those who are seeking a real life change in Ireland and elsewhere. To me, it beats spending the night at a bar refusing to look at your future and waking up the next day with a hangover and a $50 bar tab.
For more information on learning about Irish shamanism please visit this link here.
For more information on the New Year’s celebration in Meath 2014, please see this link here.
Above all else, be safe and have a happy New Year!
