Carl
McColman: Mystic and Sage
By Kathryn Sargent
His eyes dance; his smiles are infectious, and he laughs often. Carl
McColman reminds me of the best spiritual teachers, those who are
tolerant, respectful of others' beliefs, and who genuinely find
joy in life. I had the honor of talking with him recently, on the
release of his latest book, The Complete Idiot's Guide
to Celtic Wisdom. 
This book is only the latest in a long strand of titles to McColman's
credit. He has also written The Complete Idiot's Guide to
Paganism, The Well Read Witch, When Someone You Love is Wiccan, Embracing
Jesus and the Goddess, The Aspiring Mystic, and Spirituality:
Where Body and Soul Encounter the Sacred. In late 2003, a
new edition of W.Y. Evans-Wentz's The Fairy Faith in Celtic
Countries will be released with an introduction by McColman,
and his own new book, Before You Cast a Spell, will
be published.
Carl McColman's spiritual experience is wide and varied. He received
training in spiritual guidance at the Institute for Pastoral Studies,
with additional studies through the Shalem Institute for Spiritual
Formation. He is an ordained minister through the Metaphysical Interfaith
Church and he is affiliated with The Covenant of the Goddess, Ar
nDraiocht Fein Druid Fellowship, and the American Tarot Association.
Carl is the leader or co-leader of two spiritual groups in Atlanta:
Brigid's Well, a public Celtic spirituality study group
which meets at the Phoenix and Dragon, and the Earth Mystic Circle,
a private, Goddess-oriented meditation group which he leads in partnership
with his wife, Fran. He is a Certified Professional Tarot Reader through
the Tarot Certification Board and reads Tarot at The Phoenix and Dragon
in Atlanta. In June, he will teach classes on “Finding Your Inner
Guidance” and “How to Get Published” there.
When asked about his spiritual path, Carl doesn't paint himself
into a corner. “I would say that I, as best I can, follow a traditional
Celtic, earth goddess-based spirituality. To be honest with you, I
avoid the labels. I'm a member of the Covenant of the Goddess
and of Ar ndraiocht Fein. Does that make me a Witch or a Druid? I've
written a book on Paganism; does that make me a Pagan? You know, there
comes a time when the labels only have a limited usefulness. If there
were four words that most define me, [they'd be] traditional,
Celtic, Goddess, and Earth. Those are the areas that I really try
to focus on in life.”
Carl
McColman continued on next page
Interview
