Rev. Christine McNally (aka ChrissyD), an ordained interfaith minister and Celtic Shamanic Practitioner, brings a deep connection to the spiritual traditions of her Celtic ancestors from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. As a Reiki Master Teacher and intuitive empath, she offers spiritual healing rooted in faith. While not a licensed medical or mental health professional, Christine provides spiritual mentoring and guidance for those on a path of soul evolution. Based in Connecticut, USA, she’s also a dedicated educator with expertise in health and organizational psychology, embracing a rich and diverse life journey. MysticMag finds out more.
Can you share with us how you discovered your unique passion for Celtic Shamanism and the spiritual traditions of your ancestors from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales? What drew you to explore these ancient practices?
I discovered my passion in the shamanic practices of my Celtic ancestors in a surprisingly unexpected way, this was something I did not set out for, I happened to stumble across it, and it was literally a moment of “this is it; this is what I have to learn”. This all stemmed from a deep yearning to be more connected, more rooted to who I was and the life I am living in a more meaningful, purposeful, and spiritual way. It was this inner yearning that made me step out of my comfort zone and drew me to explore both learning energy medicine and shamanic practices.
Since I was young, I have loved hearing the stories of my heritage, how and why my ancestors on both my mother and father’s side immigrated to this country. And I loved reading about the Celtic folklore and mythologies. Being from Irish-Welsh descent, I grew up Catholic. Nothing could be more traditional than being an Irish Catholic. As an adult and after having children of my own, there came a point that I had a life-altering moment where I finally had to face the fact that I felt a separation in my own spirituality and from the religious practice I grew up with as to how I was living my life. What I felt spiritually on the inside no longer was in alignment to what I felt I identified too, and I no longer felt I was living a meaningful or purposeful life. This separation ignited my yearning to seek out a deeper connection to who I am and what I want my legacy to be for my children.
I learned energy medicine first and a friend suggested learning Reiki which laid the foundation for a whole new discovery of spirituality. It was through my first Reiki Master that I learned of the concept of shamanism, and it was through them that I learned core shamanism concepts and core shamanic practices. The morever thought this would be something I would be doing nor have an ability to master, however the more I had dived into the foundational core practices, the more I realized this felt more in alignment with who I was supposed to be and how I should be living my life. I knew that there was still something missing, I knew I needed to really study the shamanic practice within a culture lineage, as when it is rooted into a culture lineage, it no longer is just a practice but becomes a way of life that is then rooted and connected to those that came before us. I define shamanism to be about how you live your life, it is an integration of your spirituality rooted into the way you live your life and all of creation, balance and harmony in all things and a recognition that all things have a spirit. I started doing an online search for shamanic programs, when I started to feel like I was going down the internet rabbit hole with not having any luck with finding a program being offered in a culture lineage I felt appropriate for me, I literally stumbled upon a Celtic Shamanism program, and it was based locally to where I lived being taught by a well-known (and respected) shamanic practitioner and teacher. I opened the website and knew that this was the shamanic program that I needed to learn, the shamanic practices of my own Celtic ancestors.
As a Reiki Master Teacher and intuitive empath, you incorporate spiritual energy work into your shamanic practice. How do these different modalities complement each other, and what role does faith-based spiritual healing play in your offerings?
I describe shamanic healing as a spiritual-based healing practice that focuses on healing your soul (your spirit) and the shamanic practitioner simply acts as the connection between you and your guides in the spiritual realms in order to receive soul-level healing and many times clarity and wisdom for your soul all in the interest of healing and evolution of one’s soul. I describe energy work, such as Reiki, as a healing practice of using universal energy (or spiritual energy) to replenish and/or guide this same universal energy throughout the body to promote the recipient’s self-healing abilities within themselves. Whereas, for me, shamanic healing focuses mainly on the soul, energy medicine such as Reiki, focuses on the flow/replenishment of spiritual or universal energy throughout the physical body for self-healing.
I find as I do any sort of spiritual healing, whether it be shamanic healing or energy work, I am always offering it in conjunction with each other, for me I find it to be a more holistic practice. The beauty of this spiritual work, every healer will have their own uniqueness of how they practice and incorporate whatever modalities they are called to practice, really not one practitioner practices the same way.
For me, how faith-based spiritual healing plays in my offerings really stems from the foundational concepts of shamanism, the understanding that we all have a spirit, a soul, and we identify with some aspect that is larger than ourselves in all of creation however one identifies it.
You’ve been ordained as an interfaith minister and have studied Celtic Shamanism, Reiki, and various intuitive and spiritual healing arts. How do these diverse areas of study and practice come together to inform your approach to spiritual mentoring and guidance?
How the diverse areas of studies I have learned and the practices that I use have come together to inform my approach to spiritual mentoring and guidance is through the very simple approach in the act of being present and holding space for deep listening. I find that this is the core approach to any spiritual mentoring, guidance, or wisdom seeking in order for me to be that pure and clear channel between the person seeking mentorship, guidance or wisdom and their spiritual guides. When I am fully present holding space for the person and their guides, I am able to deeply listen to hear what their soul is needing to ask and hear the wisdom or guidance for them from the spiritual realm, being truly in a shamanic sense, a bridge from this ordinary reality and non-ordinary realities.
Could you elaborate on the significance of the various Celtic archetypes, such as the ban feasa, ban leighis, ban chaointe, and creideamh si, in your shamanic work? How do these archetypes manifest in your spiritual healing practices?
Before I elaborate on the significance of the various Celtic archetypes, I would like to make mention that the term “Celtic Shamanism” is a modern-day term that is being applied for some of the signature characteristics of core shamanism found in ancient Celtic indigenous spiritual practices. There is not one central term or name that defines the Celtic practice, nor was there one role that was held by a singular person, what we might think of as a “shaman”, so for ease of understanding in modern description, it is called “Celtic Shamanism”. The Celts had an understanding that the unseen world of spirit permeates their everyday lives, that everything was interconnected, that the unseen world of spirit is available to us for wisdom, healing, and protection, that there is divinity within nature, and a belief in the immanence of God in all things (everything has a spirit), which we identify as core shamanism principles.
The term “shaman” is typically thought of as a being who enters the spirit world to obtain healing and gain wisdom for a person or community (which is not Celtic-specific in nature). In this tradition, there is a wide range of roles held by Celtic people, whose skills and expertise could be called upon to serve the community at different times and in different ways under this “shaman archetype”. For my shamanic work, my passion follows the archetype of the ban feasa (woman of knowledge) or ban leighis (woman of healing) could provide remedies and healing rituals, as well as cast out demons and break spells, and embody the voices of the sacred wells in divination, being the conduit between ordinary and non-ordinary realities. As well as those who followed the creideamh si, (faery faith) and were also known as wise wives or faery doctors, whose healing work was inspired by and devoted to the Fae, and the ban chaointe (keening woman) was the one entrusted with the proper commissioning of souls to the spirit world, what we term in core shamanism, as the psychopomp.
How these roles manifest in my shamanic work or spiritual practices really depends on what is needed. I would first like to address that the way I access the spiritual realms or non-ordinary realities is through my gifts as a psychic medium and channel, as well as through the use of vibrational frequency in drumming, rattles, or music, even meditation. Being able to access these spiritual realms in a highest vibrational state allows me to be more of a pure and clear channel between someone and their spiritual guides. With that being said, if you consider the more core aspects of shamanic healing, I would be fulfilling the archetype roles of the ban feasa (women of knowledge) and ban leighis (women of healing). These are the roles that many think of as a shamanic practitioner, seeking the soul level healing and wisdom. A unique aspect of practicing Celtic shamanism is that there were those ban feasa and ban leighis who were also devoted followers of creideamh si (faery faith) who were also called wise wives and faery doctors. How this manifest in my shamanic work is around working with the land, homes, or spaces when there are imbalances between people and nature. Finally, one of my more sacred roles that I practice is that of a ban chaointe (or keening woman) and that manifests in my shamanic work in what in core shamanism we call psychopomp, when we are addressing end of life, death, transitioning your soul from this reality to the spirit world, removing earth-bound spirits in clearing places or spaces, and transmuting grief, which the keener take on the responsibility of “grief eating” (transmuting) the family or community grief from the loss through the keening process.
Balancing your role as a mom, a full-time worker in higher academia, and your spiritual practice must be quite a journey. How do you find harmony in these different aspects of your life, and how does your spiritual path influence your daily experiences and interactions?
The beauty of shamanism is meant to be a way of life, an integration of one’s unique spirituality into how we act and behave in our everyday things. The more I blend my various life aspects such as being a mom to four kids, being a spouse, having a career in higher education, and my spiritual path, the more harmonious my life becomes. I would be lying if I said I am a master of this, however, it is truly a devotion to the journey, and I take each day as it comes. Each day I just set the intention to do my best and then what I am able to do is just enough. I have found that I am less rigid and more accepting of things, learning to let go and trust in Spirit, this brings more peace and harmony into my life. This journey has reopened my eyes to see the beauty again in the world and to see beauty within others, all their potential and possibilities. And ultimately, it has made me feel more connected and rooted in who I am, to my ancestors, what I bring into this world for a purpose, and what I want to leave as a lasting legacy for my children.
If you would like to find out more about ChrissyD, visit https://www.chrissyd444.com/
