Spiritual Consulting

In ancient times, Druidic and Bardic professionals were employed by the community to serve as counsellors, diviners, seers, and tradition-bearers. More recently, this mantle fell upon the fairy doctor, fear glic, or wise man/woman who earned all or part of their income helping the community in similar ways.  In the tradition of these forebearers, New Tara provides spiritual consultations, assisting those seeking to integrate a Celtic or Celtic-inspired Spirituality into their own lives.

What kind of questions are appropriate?

An appropriate question is one that requires a magical or theological response for a specific context: that of Celtic Spirituality.  Examples of such questions might include, but are not limited to:

• I am going through some difficulties in my life. To which deity or deities should I make offerings for help, and how do I do that?
• I am ill. Which deity or deities should I petition for help, and how do I do that?
• I, or somebody I know, is near death. What sacred tales can I read to them to help prepare them for the afterlife or possible reincarnation? Which gods offer spiritual comfort or guidance through this transition?
• What are some traditional ways to honour my ancestors or the recently departed?
• What does the coming year hold for me?
• What are some traditional ways to bless a new born?
• What folkways can I incorporate in or around my wedding?
• How can I bless my new home?
• How do I seek guidance from the gods or live a more spiritual life?

What other services are offered?

Longer term counselling is also available; a process which combines elements of the consultation described above with coaching techniques – thus bringing both directive and non-directive modalities into the service of examining the clients life and goals.

Ritual House blessings, Baby blessings, Handfastings, and Requiems.  Consultations on these subjects are also available. Traditional Celto-Christians usually prefer to see a Christian priest for such services. Celtic pagans generally prefer to consult with a specialist, and then either choose to personally perform the ritual or have the head of the household perform the ritual. Alternatively, I am available to perform the rituals at the querents request.

How much does a consultation cost?

Celtic spirituality values both the material and spiritual worlds and the connections between them. We value passion and ambition. We value the dedication of time and effort needed to transform one's passion and ambition into true expertise. We value the quality of the information that comes from a person who has undergone such a transformation. We value how the knowledge that person has can be used to help us see the world differently than we did before, and to help us navigate its complexities. The connections between the material and spiritual worlds is also reflected in our values of generousity and reciprocity. Such values ask that we do not take without giving, and that we do what we can to help others so they can help others in turn.

In this spirit of reciprocity and exchange, consulting fees are set on a case-by-case basis and are dependent on the following factors:

• nature of the question
• amount of research involved
• time and ritual materials used
• incidental costs such as travel, interlibrary loans, communications, administration.
• querent’s financial situation.

Special circumstances not withstanding, a standard fee for a one hour session is CAD$80.00.

NOTE: Pastoral services are free to University of Toronto students, faculty, and staff as I am a member of the University of Toronto's Campus Chaplains' Association (CCA) whose mandate includes an ongoing committement to spiritual life on campus.

Credentials

I have been a priest in the Céilí Sídhe tradition of Celtic Paganism since 1990.

I have been a member of the Campus Chaplains Association at the University of Toronto since 2002, representing Paganism from both the various Celtic and reconstructionist points of view. While there has been a Wiccan chaplain at UofT and many other schools for quite some time, I am the first Recon chaplain at UofT, and to my knowledge, any other school in North America. This affords me the opportunity to work closely with the University of Toronto Pagan Society.

I have been a registered Wedding Officiant with All Seasons Weddings since 2003, specializing in secular and non-denominational weddings, and wedding and handfastings rooted in a Celtic spirituality. All Seasons Weddings specializes in personalized traditional, contemporary, non-deominational, spiritual, or secular/civil wedding ceremonies. Your wedding ceremony and vows can be tailored to fit your own unique and individual style, values, and personal spirituality; celebrating and expressing the uniqueness of your relationship and the love each of you feels for the other on your special day. All Seasons Weddings is a non profit organization, and an out-reach program of the All Seasons Church of Canada, a charity registered with the Canadian Federal Government.

I have been a practicing life coach, Adler Certified Professional Coach (ACPC), certified by the Adler School of Professional Coaching Inc., since 2001.  Spiritual consultation, unlike coaching, which is non-directive, in that the coach refrains from offering advice, provides to the client, informed advice and spiritual services rooted in a particular context, in this case, that of Celtic values and tradition.

I earned a B.A. in Celtic Studies and Religious Studies at the University of Toronto (1992), and an M.Phil. at the University of Wales (2000).

I published a book, The Secret Commonwealth and the Fairy Belief Complex (2002), based on my thesis about fairy beliefs in Early Modern Scotland.

I was privileged to guest lecture at both Wilfred Laurier University and at the 1996 Annual Conference of the American Academy of Religion.