Steve Blamires
Encyclopedia
Steve Blamires is a researcher and historian in the field of Neopaganism
, Celtic spirituality, and folklore
, and the author of three books in these fields.
on the west coast of Scotland
, he studied the western mystery tradition for twelve years with Gareth Knight
, then directed his studies to Celtic subjects. He and his now ex-wife Helen Star founded "Wandering Angus," a Celtic resource and educational center in Washington State. He now lives in Beacon, New York.
. In 1986 he founded the Celtic Research and Folklore Society in Scotland, and wrote and edited the CRFS journal Seanchas. He has worked with Tibetan Buddhist monks to make Holy Isle, Firth of Clyde
, Scotland, a place of spiritual retreat for people of all beliefs. He is a member of the Company of Hawkwood and a co-founder of the Company of Avalon. He also teaches an overview of Celtic Culture through Peninsula College
.
He helped establish the The Highland Clearances
Memorial Fund in 1996, and has since helped facilitate events to generate funds to commemorate the tragedy of the forced displacement
of hundreds of Scottish people during the Highland Clearances.
, AKA the Scottish poet, writer and mystic Fiona MacLeod. He published a biography of William Sharp in 2008 entitled The Little Book of the Great Enchantment.
and Inuit
peoples, and has an extensive knowledge of the society, culture and history of Ireland
, Scotland
, Iceland
and Greenland
. He is a Royal Yachting Association
licensed Zodiac driver, and has worked as an expedition leader for Linblad Expeditions and the National Geographic Society
since 2002.
Neopaganism
Neopaganism is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe...
, Celtic spirituality, and folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
, and the author of three books in these fields.
Early life
Born in AyrAyr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
on the west coast of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, he studied the western mystery tradition for twelve years with Gareth Knight
Gareth Knight
Dr. Basil Wilby, aka Gareth Knight is a British esotericist and occult author who began his esoteric training in 1953 as a member of the Fraternity of the Inner Light, founded by Dion Fortune....
, then directed his studies to Celtic subjects. He and his now ex-wife Helen Star founded "Wandering Angus," a Celtic resource and educational center in Washington State. He now lives in Beacon, New York.
Involvement in Celtic traditions and studies
Blamires is an authority on Celtic traditions, and represented the Celtic peoples at the Council for a Parliament of the World's ReligionsParliament of the World's Religions
There have been several meetings referred to as a Parliament of the World’s Religions, most notably the World's Parliament of Religions of 1893, the first attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths. The event was celebrated by another conference on its centenary in 1993...
. In 1986 he founded the Celtic Research and Folklore Society in Scotland, and wrote and edited the CRFS journal Seanchas. He has worked with Tibetan Buddhist monks to make Holy Isle, Firth of Clyde
Holy Isle, Firth of Clyde
The Holy Isle, Firth of Clyde is one of a number of islands in the United Kingdom which go under the name "Holy Island". It is located in the Firth of Clyde off the west coast of central Scotland, inside Lamlash Bay on the larger island of Arran.- Details :The island is around long and around ...
, Scotland, a place of spiritual retreat for people of all beliefs. He is a member of the Company of Hawkwood and a co-founder of the Company of Avalon. He also teaches an overview of Celtic Culture through Peninsula College
Peninsula College
Peninsula College is a community college located in Port Angeles, Washington with satellite operations in Forks and Port Townsend. Founded in 1961, it serves the Olympic Peninsula. Peninsula College has approximately 10,000 students, two-thirds of whom attend part-time.-External...
.
He helped establish the The Highland Clearances
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances were forced displacements of the population of the Scottish Highlands during the 18th and 19th centuries. They led to mass emigration to the sea coast, the Scottish Lowlands, and the North American colonies...
Memorial Fund in 1996, and has since helped facilitate events to generate funds to commemorate the tragedy of the forced displacement
Forced migration
Forced migration refers to the coerced movement of a person or persons away from their home or home region...
of hundreds of Scottish people during the Highland Clearances.
William Sharp / Fiona MacLeod
Blamires is an authority on the life and work of William SharpWilliam Sharp (writer)
William Sharp was a Scottish writer, of poetry and literary biography in particular, who from 1893 wrote also as Fiona MacLeod, a pseudonym kept almost secret during his lifetime...
, AKA the Scottish poet, writer and mystic Fiona MacLeod. He published a biography of William Sharp in 2008 entitled The Little Book of the Great Enchantment.
Travels
He has traveled extensively on all seven continents, has circumnavigated the globe, and visited over fifty countries. He is an authority on the Celtic, VikingViking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
and Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
peoples, and has an extensive knowledge of the society, culture and history of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. He is a Royal Yachting Association
Royal Yachting Association
The Royal Yachting Association is the national governing body for certain watersports in the United Kingdom. Activities it covers include:* Sailing* Windsurfing* Motor cruising* Sportsboats* Personal watercraft* Powerboat racing...
licensed Zodiac driver, and has worked as an expedition leader for Linblad Expeditions and the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
since 2002.
Reviews
Articles
- "The Five Invasions of Ireland" http://www.aislingmagazine.com/AislingMagazine/articles/TAM24/TheFive.html
- "The Highland Clearances: An Introduction" http://www.rfs.scotshome.com/An_Introduction_to_the_highland_clearances.html
- "Glastonbury Talk September 1st 2007" http://www.companyofavalon.net/steve_blamires%20address.htm
- "Remembering Forgotten Simplicities" http://www.llewellynjournal.com/article/328
External links
- http://www.companyofavalon.net/people.htm
- http://www.rjstewart.net/other-authors.htm