Plans and some book reviews

Hello all! I am so happy to be getting such good responses from my blog! I am surprised to see that people from all over the country have viewed it, and I am happy to get feedback from those whom I know personally. I will be continuing to update Mac an Bhaird and I have a new plan to be starting up a YouTube channel soon, as well. Once I have more details on this project, I will post here in regards to it. As the main focus of this blog is to track my own personal journey down the path of the bard, I will be offering my insights and reflections on my growth on this site. I plan for my YouTube channel to feature videos of myself practicing recitation of the stories and tales that I learn, and the poems that I write. I hope to make posts on this blog weekly and, once it has begun, for my YouTube channel to feature at least one new story and one new poem a month.

I would also like to take the time here to mention my training resources. The primary study path that I am using is detailed in the book The Bardic Handbook by Kevan Manwaring.

I purchased the book last year, and attempted to begin the program, but I managed to lose my focus and ended up falling out of the habit. I have decided to begin anew, however, and am using this blog as an aide. The book details a year-long self-study path that one can use to learn the basics of bardry. From my glossings through the book and from what I have read so far, it is simply excellent. Certainly the most detailed and organized guide to the bardic arts that I have ever come across. It shall serve as the primary source of my studies.

Another book that I will be employing is The Lore of the Bard by Arthur Rowan.

Rowan's book is also very detailed, but the advice that it gives is less structured and more reflective. This book is less a study program and more an offering of some of the more esoteric and mystical bits of bardry. Regardless of this, it is still full of much insight and has a much more poetic tone to it than Manwaring's book.

While these two books serve as my primary guides for my bardic studies, my overall Celtic spirituality and world view have been guided by a few of these books, for those interested:

Listening for the Heartbeat of God by J. Philip Newell

This is an excellent place to begin learning about Celtic Christian spirituality. It details some of the primary teachers throughout history and discusses many of the main points in Celtic spiritual belief.

Another from Newell is Christ of the Celts

This was the first book of Newell's that I actually read, but I don't recommend reading it until after first reading Listening for the Heartbeat of God. This book offers more personal insights of Newell's and takes a closer look at the role that Christ actually plays within the context of a Celtic Christian belief system. An excellent read for the more dedicated scholar.

Finally, if you are searching for some help with your daily prayer or meditation, I can recommend both The Celtic Spirit by Caitlin Matthews and Celtic Prayers from Iona by Newell.

For those who do not know me personally, let me just say that I am not an official sponsor of Newell's, though one may be tempted to believe so from my frequent mention of him. I am simply showcasing the works that I have actually read and that have touched me personally. So, while not a sponsor (I can assure you that I am just as financially poor now as I was when this blog began, if you catch my meaning), I am certainly a fan and admirer. Celtic Prayers from Iona offers a daily pattern of morning and evening prayers for Monday through Saturday that have been patterned off of traditional Celtic prayers and I have enjoyed using it daily for months now.

The Celtic Spirit is not specific to a particular religion, but it's insight is still excellent. Offering no less than one meditation for every day out of the year, this is a lengthy book that you will certainly find use and pleasure in. Caitlin Matthews and her husband John are very well respected Celtic spiritual scholars and have written many books over the years. I highly recommend anything that the couple have authored, whether together as a couple or individually.

That is all for now. This has just been a quick post to tell where this blog will be going from this point forward. I pray for everyone's safety during this dangerous weather and I hope to hear from you all again soon!