The Sacred Fire - Celtic Shamanism The Celtic Shaman's Universe The Celtic Shaman's cosmos, like that of other Shamanic universal views, consists of three 'worlds;' the Lower world, the Upper world, and the Middle world (where we live in ordinary reality.)
What differentiates the Celtic Shaman's universal view from that of other Shamanic traditions, is that these worlds are all connected by the great tree of life. Rooted in the Lower realm, its trunk extends upwards, through the middle world and into the Upper world, where its branches hold the stars, the sun and the moon.
The Celtic Shaman traverses the realms by climbing the tree (also seen as a great ladder or pole) into the Upper world. This is the realm of stars, celetial beings, and is the dwelling place of many gods and spirits of the air, and of the great Mother Goddess herself. The lower world can be reached by descending the roots of the massive tree into the realm of the spirits of the earth and fire, where sits the stag-headed Lord of the Underworld, the horned one, protector of the animals. Here the Celtic Shaman can meet with helper power animals and spirit guides. 
Image by Diana Bryer Thus all three worlds are linked by the great tree, and yet the tree itself and all of the universe are believed contained within the shell of a single hazelnut, lying next to the Well of Segais (the source of all wisdom.)
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