7th February 2006.

Mika: At what age did you come consciously aware of your parents’ spiritual tradition?

Stuart: That's a difficult one - I can't pinpoint any one moment. The Gaelic oral tradition has passed down my family from my mother's side and telling stories and singing songs were always part of our upbringing - especially at my nana's house. Nana (my mother’s mother) was a storehouse of old songs and stories and people used to come from all over to listen to her recite. I learned a lot of what I do from her, and from my mother. The rest has come from the spirits of our ancestors (sinnsearan in Gaelic).
I began to learn the songs and prayers at a very young age - perhaps five or six? I can't remember. I do remember that the first 'long' song I memorized all the way through was called a choich anama or 'my soul shrine'. It's a particularly beautiful song which invites the spirits to join us and offer their protection, encircling us. I picked most of it up by just hearing others sing them.

Mika: At what age did you start to work as a Soul Healer? How many years have you been working on that since your start?

Stuart: I began a healing practice in 1999, at the age of 19 (I’m 26 now, so that would be nearly seven years). I have never charged any money for healing, and I’d like to think I never will.

Mika: Can you explain a little, what method do you use as a Soul Healer, in your healing work?

Stuart: In Gaelic, there is a term for a faith healer – anam léigh, which means ‘spirit healer’. There are a number of traditional prayers we sing to promote healing in ourselves and in other people. The most common method involves singing a song called a léigh m’anama, which invokes the spirit healers, and then placing hands on the person I let the spirits do their work from there. This kind of healing can last as long as an hour, shifting hand positions as required.

Mika: How have you been motivated, in which ways, to pursue this work in your life?

Stuart: I became involved with healing through my aunt Hazel, who is a faith healer. My nana became very ill and Hazel used to visit her every night to give her healing, which made her more comfortable. I could see the benefit of her work and I asked her to teach me so that I could help her too. I can still see the benefit that it has on people, which helps me continue to practice. Unless specially requested, most of my healing goes to friends and neighbours.

Mika: In which ways do you value the quest of your spiritual tradition?

Stuart: The oral tradition is full of stories (some told in song, others recited from traditional formulas) which contain a certain truth, or moral value. Because they're told as stories, we can adapt them to our own relevance and our own perspective. I am continually grateful for my family's tradition - and those of similar families from the western isles and highlands, because it always provides a point of reference - a solid ground from which we grow.

Mika: How did you learn the “seinn” (chant of imitating animals and waves through the human voice)? At what age? Is this practice a speciality of your family and ancestors?

Stuart: The seinn are found all over the western isles. Many have become incorporated into stories or songs, others stand alone (perhaps in remembrance of days when people could communicate with the birds etc). Some of the seinn I’ve been taught I haven’t heard elsewhere, others are very common. The voice of the raven, for example, appears to be unique to our family; but the voice of the swan is known almost everywhere.
I remember as a youngster listening to my nana singing to the birds in her garden, and they were singing back to her. When I asked her what she was doing she told me about seinn. I said to her ‘Do you expect me to believe that birds can speak Gaelic?’! She replied by saying ‘Don’t be silly, Gaelic speaks bird!’.

Mika: How are the “seinn” chant and soul healing related to each other?

Stuart: Some seinn can be used for healing. For example, the voice of the seal is used to lull children to sleep. It’s a very beautiful seinn, perhaps my favorite. The voice of the oyster-catcher is thought to help weary travelers find their way home, and the voice of the redshanks wader bird is thought to sing the spirit of the departed into the spirit world. There are many stories like these.

Mika: Does a tradition “evolve” within the generations? If it does, are you making your own contribution to it? If so, which one?

Stuart: Absolutely, the Gaelic oral tradition today isn’t what it was 200 years ago. It does change, but there is a continuity about it that I rather like. We have a phrase for this in Gaelic – ri traghadh ‘s ri lionadh, or ‘with the ebb and with the flow’. It conveys the idea that a river flows on the same path for thousands of years, but the individual waves are constantly changing and evolving. A friend of mine put this very well in relation to the sloinntuireachd (genealogy song). This song has been sung by my ancestors for generations – we recite our genealogy back seven generations. The same tune is used by each generation, even though the names change with each reciter. In this way, we are all united in song, even though the lyrics have changed.
I’d like to think I’m making my own contribution to the oral tradition. It is a dying tradition, and by teaching it I’m trying to keep it alive. I think, at last, its becoming more popular again.

Mika: Do you think it is essential to keep the oral celtic tradition alive? Why?

Stuart: There are two main answers to this. For me it is very important to keep it going because I’m honouring my ancestors. My family has fought hard to preserve this tradition in the form it has, and I wouldn’t want to dishonour those people by not carrying it forward. However, there is another important reason too. The world changes, and the situations we face from day to day change with it. Despite this, we all find that we have similar basic needs, no matter what time we are living in. The spiritual tradition of the Gaels addresses these needs: it offers healing and support and teaches us where we come from.

Mika: In which ways is your work difficult to transmit to people (if it is at all)?

Stuart: The essence of Gaelic spirituality is easy to relate to people. The only barrier occurs in the language. I have heard people say that you can't be a Gael if you don't speak Gaelic and haven't been brought up in the Gaidhealtachd. In more recent times though, this can't be the case. The Gaelic diaspora casts a wide net. In Gaelic, we use the same word for friend and cousin - so everyone is family. We can't be exclusionist just because of where someone was born or which languages they speak. I welcome anyone who wants to learn more about the Gaelic oral tradition - for whatever purpose. I teach in English, but I use a lot of Gaelic words. I always explain what they mean and tell people how they are pronounced, and in this way they learn more deeply the spirituality of the Gaels.

Mika: From your experience, how do you relate Celtic Spirituality to Earth Religions?

Stuart: Well there are some similarities as I understand it – although I’m not an expert on Earth religions. The same deep reverence for animals, plants and places is prevalent in both belief structures; as well as honour towards ancestors and spirits. In Gaelic, there are only three elements (speur, muir agus talamh / sky, sea and earth), not four; and we don’t have the same preoccupation with casting circles or calling to quarters. We share some holy days too I think – Bealtainn, Samhuinn and Lughnasa are all celebrated on the same days. Also, I believe some Earth Religions celebrate the old festival of Imbolc on the eve of the 2nd of February. In the Gaelic calendar, this has become An Fhéill Bhride (or the festival of saint Bridget). In the end I think our philosophies differ very little and I wouldn’t be in any way offended ifsomeone were to classify my beliefs as an Earth Religion.

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