A couple of months ago I started providing ‘soul guidance’ one-to-one sessions focusing on helping others on their spiritual paths in the Brythonic tradition. I was instructed to do this by my patron God, Gwyn ap Nudd, who told me that one of my roles as a nun of Annwn was to be ‘a guide of souls’.
When I began this work I wasn’t sure if anyone would be interested, whether I would be any good at it, or whether I would enjoy it as an autistic person and introvert. I’ve since had quite a bit of interest and worked with several clients.
Not only have I enjoyed it but I’ve felt when doing this work my heart beats as one with my God’s and I’ve found a real pleasure in helping others. I think this is because it is sacred work and I’m working with the guidance and inspiration of Gwyn and my spirits. It’s what I’m here to do. My clients have benefited from the sessions and I’ve learnt a lot from them.
Now I’ve established that I have a gift for this work (gifted to me by the Gods) and it’s something I want to pursue long term I’m looking to grow my clientele.
I’m aware that when I’m seeking spiritual guidance I look for proof that the person has the skills and experience needed. In the Pagan and Polytheist world this can be difficult to determine because we exist apart from and are often in conflict with mainstream society. There aren’t many formal qualifications. Thus we tend to rely on word of mouth or by whether a person is recognised in their communities as a trustworthy guide.
To complicate things further initiations and training take place not only with other humans but with the Gods and spirits. In fact They are our truest teachers. This is absolutely legitimate. But anyone can claim such experiences. Establishing a person’s authenticity comes from recommendation and checking out their background and works.
Here I’m listing the formal and informal qualifications and the experiences I see to qualify me as a guide of souls within the Brythonic tradition.
2004 – BA Philosophy and English (First Class).
2005 – MA European Philosophy (Merit).
2011 – 2014 – Member and bardic co-ordinator of the Druid Network.
2013 – Initial vows to Gwyn ap Nudd, a King of Annwn and Faery, as my patron God.
2015 – Publication of Enchanting the Shadowlands – a collection of poetry and short stories gathered from my local landscape in response to an imperative from Gwyn.
2016 – Publication of The Broken Cauldron – a book exploring the cauldron in Brythonic mythology putting into question the hegemony of Arthur and Taliesin.
2017 – Publication of Gatherer of Souls – a book recalling the forgotten mythos mythos of Gwyn ap Nudd and His relationship with Orddu and her ancestors reweaving Their stories back into the landscape of northern Britain.
2012 – 2018 – Member of Dun Brython.
2012 – 2019 – Member of the Druid Network Oak and Feather Grove.
2012 – 2019 – Completion of seven year apprenticeship to Gwyn and lifelong vows to Him.
2018 – 2020 Co-founder and member of Awen ac Awenydd.
2012 – present – Giving talks and running workshops on the Bardic Tradition and Brythonic Polytheism in person in the north west of England (Pagan Con, Space to Emerge) and occasionally further afield in the UK (The Druid Network Conference, the One Tree Gathering) and online (Land Sea Sky Travel, Touta Galation).
2013 – present – Practicing core shamanism with the Way of the Buzzard.
2022 – present – Founder and co-ordinator of the Monastery of Annwn. Running and co-running online Brythonic polytheist monastic rituals and a meditation group.
2022 – Initial vows as a Nun of Annwn.
2022 – present – In supervision with shamanic practitioner and wild therapist Jayne Johnson.
2024 – Four day course in Radical Embodiment with Jayne Johnson and Alex Walker.
2024 – 2027 – I soon begin the Sacred Trust’s Three Year Professional Shamanic Practitioner Training.
The Cell of Sister Patience 
I would strongly advise taking counseling classes and working with a counselor or elder under supervision. There is a particular psychological process that happens with conversion and there’s also spiritual trauma. (I think the seminal work in that was by a husband/wife team with last name of Grof. I think the book was “Spiritual Trauma”… I know there’s a ton more as the field has progressed). I’ve done pastoral direction for close to thirty years and wish someone had told me about those things, and transference/counter-transference when I began. I learned and took classes and worked with very good supervisors but it was a hard and rocky process. I would not wish that on you. and if your shamanic practitioner training is Harner based, it’s not going to be useful. I would strong recommend taking counseling classes at an accredited school. I don’t know what’s out there these days, but spiritual direction /pastoral counseling is some of the hardest work you’ll ever do. May your God watch over you and keep you centered and strong as you embark upon this journey.
Thanks for your reply.
I’m in agreement that if I want to extend my work from helping people to connect with the Brythonic Gods and myths to more personal spiritual guidance taking a counselling and / or pastoral direction course would be needed and beneficial.
As mentioned I am already in supervision with Jayne Johnson who is a trained therapist.
My shamanic training is Harner-based and I’ve had something of a mixed mind about practicing core shamanism alongside spirit work in the Brythonic tradition as led by my Gods and spirits but the way I see it, a soul retrieval is a soul retrieval in the same way a kidney transplant is a kidney transplant across cultures and to become a shamanic healer I need to learn these core techniques. My three year course includes both shamanic healing and shamanic counselling and I’m hoping this will provide me with some of the counselling skills I need.
Thanks for the recommendations for looking into spiritual trauma. It’s certainly something I need to find out more about if I’m to take this work seriously and to work with clients who have more serious issues.
please be very careful with the Harner crap. It creates patterns in the mind that create impiety.Those patterns are extremely hard if not impossible to undo. Every person I’ve engaged with , who was trained in this system has been a lost cause. It has been impossible to train the impiety out of them. There’s something very cult like about the effects of their training. Moreover, it was created by a man who strip mined ritual and shamanic practices from various indigenous cultures but left out the protective practices, the rituals, the cultural markers, respect for those cultures and peoples, and the Gods, as well as the idea of personal responsibility for any cathartic opening that may occur in clients. You cannot strip this stuff out of its context and expect anything good to come of it. If you’re already of a mixed mind, maybe divine or sit with your Gods in contemplation and ask directly about it.
I totally get where you’re coming from with the strip mining. That’s why, along with the issues around cultural appropriation, although I monthly-ish attend a shamanic journeying circle with local shamanic practitioners who practice core shamanism but have very much adapted it to the landscape of Britain, until now I have tended to steer away from core shamanism on the whole and to stick to my Brythonic path which is rooted in devotion to Gwyn and to the spirits of Annwn.
Yet, when Gwyn told me I need to become a guide of souls and begin doing shamanic healing work, with no teachers of Brythonic spirit work anywhere (aside from John and Caitlin Matthews who I did consider who mix core shamanism with Celtic beliefs) I was forced to look elsewhere.
I did come across teachers of core shamanism who were of the psychologising perspective we created the Gods in our image, that believe the Gods exist but are not trustworthy or worthy of worship, or that we simply don’t need Gods at all and a world without Gods would be better! So I do know where you’re coming from with the impiety.
Yet it was Gwyn who guided me to do the three year training course with the Sacred Trust. It’s not a decision I’ve taken lightly. Prior to Him guiding me to do so I was considering taking vows of stability and the course is down in Devon 300 miles from my home! I have a lot of anxiety about travelling and don’t cope well being away or with large groups of people (there will be 22). It’s going to cost all my savings and then some. But Gwyn was adamant that I go (and still is). So I’m going.
I did an introductory weekend with the teacher, Simon Buxton (who trained with Harner). He was very reverent towards the spirits of the place and opened with offerings to Them. We also had a good chat about the mystical side of shamanism by video call before I started. Hand on heart I think it’s going to work out ok.
He will likely fill in the gaps then and keep you clean. Maybe core shamanism is changing a bit – – I know several actual spirit workers who’ve been trying to effect that shift. I’m glad your teacher was reverent. 🙂
Essentially it’s about who you are in the moment – though I agree there is also the question of building skills for the role you’re taking om.