Book Review: The Salmon In the Spring by Jason Kirkey

“This sort of descent and wandering is capable of placing us in direct contact with the soul. Far away from the safety and comfort of the home, out on the borderlands of the heart, we can encounter ourselves in our essential nature – our own wildness stoked by the wilderness of land or psyche. We can enter, in other words, into the Otherworld where place, mind, and heart are entwined in a more intimate embrace than our Fomorian perceptions allow. ” – Jason Kirkey

For those seeking a book that combines the myth, journeys, and inspiring elements of Celtic spirituality with the intimate relationship one has with the land and the ecology we live in, The Salmon in the Spring: The Ecology of Celtic Spirituality by Jason Kirkey is a perfect fit.

The author uses traditional Celtic myth, personal narratives, and philosophical ideas together in order to help readers find new inspiration when connecting the land they live within. The reader is taken on a journey that brings them closer to knowing themselves. It would be hard to be on a Celtic or Druid path, read this book, and not find that their practices have deepen and new wisdom has been gifted to them.

Well written and beautifully supported by a vast array of different quotes and sources, this book is easy to read despite being a deeper and more nuanced text than many Celtic Spirituality books in the market today.

The only wish that I had for this book was to have incorporated a bit more of the science of ecology (there is some) into the different chapters. I think I was a misled by the part of the title “The Ecology of Celtic Spirituality.” Some permaculture or soil science thrown in would have made me a happier reader. I think most readers won’t have this issue though!