For general information about Celtic shamanism, please view our Celtic page.
Faery doctors are men and women in rural Ireland and other Celtic lands who treat people suffering from illnesses and misfortunes attributed to faery influence. In the past, faery doctoring was strongest in areas without western medical care and where the presence of the Otherworld was recognized as one of the realities of daily life. As modern ways of life encroached on these traditional societies, faery doctoring was looked upon as superstition, and much of the old wisdom was lost. And yet, like shamanism (with which it has striking similarities), it has never completely disappeared; and like shamanism and other indigenous practices, it is undergoing a revival. The faery doctor like the shaman or the druid re-appears in every age to meet the needs of that age.
The illnesses traditionally associated with faery influence had symptoms remarkably similar to the symptoms of many modern ailments: tiredness, lack of energy, depression, listlessness, low enthusiasm for life, and an inability to focus attention that suggests partial soul loss. These symptoms occur with contemporary illnesses that collectively seem almost epidemic in scope: chronic fatigue syndrome, Lyme's disease, fibromyalgia, lupus, HIV virus, seasonal affective disorder, attention deficit disorder, Alzheimer's and dementia, various types of clinical depression, and many childhood and newborn illnesses. As shamanic practitioners we can orient our practice to faery doctoring traditions and also discover new ways from the faery world itself to apply our skills. Learning healing methods from the faeries is a major part of the tradition.
Working as a faery doctor means allying yourself, your practice, and other areas of your life with that realm of the Otherworld that some Celtic people call the Sidhe (pronounced "shee" and meaning the faery world and the faeries themselves). It requires working with middle-world spirits according to our shamanic three-world scheme. Like all shamanic practices, faery doctoring requires working with and for the spirit world as much as seeking its help for ours. In fact, being a faery doctor may require living more closely with and between the worlds than what many people consider their usual shamanic practice. It requires new levels of commitment.
The Sidhe has been "returning" in the sense that more and more people are "awakening" to its presence and becoming conscious of its influence. There is a growing realization that the faery world and ours must live, work, and play in greater harmony than they currently do in this age of local and global crises. The Sidhe folk are calling attention to how seriously our worlds are out of balance with each other. The epidemic of faery-related illness is one manifestation of this disharmony. The Sidhe take energy and vitality from humans to restore and re-balance the life force that we consume wastefully, selfishly, and in great quantities. Modern consumption of the earth's resources in turn creates toxins that weaken the earth's ability to sustain the diversity of life, including the life of the Sidhe. The Sidhe need human allies to help them in this age of reckless consumption and unsustainable lifestyles.
Every age must come to its own understanding of the faery world and its relationship to it. Today faery doctors are being called to help individuals suffering from this disharmony and to help heal the earth itself.
