The Twelve Doorways of the Soul® are at the heart of an ancient Celtic system of healing drawn from medieval manuscript sources. The Doorways themselves are areas on or in the body, some single, some paired, from ‘the crown of the head’ to ‘the centre of the foot.’ The healing techniques associated with them utilise their unique properties to regulate and stimulate the flow of what the core text refers to as anma, an old Irish word meaning both ‘breath’ and ‘soul’ or ‘spirit.’ Anma is from the same Indo-European root as Latin anima and animus, and Sanskrit prana, and has much the same range of meanings and applications.
There are six primary ways of working with the Twelve Doorways®:
- Self-healing through a combination of meditation, visualisation and posture.
- Healing others by working with the flow of anma via each of the Twelve Doorways® in turn without actual physical contact.
- Healing others by working with the flow of anma via each of the Twelve Doorways® in turn by ‘laying on of hands.’
- Healing others by working with the flow of anma via each of the Twelve Doorways® in turn through gentle therapeutic massage.
- ‘Shamanic’ (i.e. Druidic in Britain and Ireland) healing of others through the application of breath at each of the Twelve Doorways® in turn.
- Healing through the application of sound to each of the Twelve Doorways® in turn.
One of the intriguing things about this system of healing is that the two meanings of anma, ‘breath’ and ‘spirit,’ intertwine in practice, so that working with anma through the Twelve Doorways® simultaneously effects body, mind and spirit. To enhance the spiritual impact, traditional prayers, charms and formulae may be used alongside the techniques.
The ways of working outlined above are taught during a series of workshop weekends.