Intro to Celtic Spirituality: Seeing the Holy One in All Creation
Week Six
Three Essential Things
"The way you look at things is the most powerful force shaping your life."
by John O'Donohue
(Open with discussion of what we have learned about ourselves thinking of Ana Chara this past week.)
Three is a sacred number in the Celtic tradition, and often the saints expressed their own desires or commitments in terms of the number three. Or the number nine. Nine is very sacred because it expresses three three times. I find great humor in that!
Reflect on three things in your own life you count as most essential. Hold them as principles or touchstones for your life right now as you continue your spiritual journey. What is essential to one person may be different to another. In different seasons of life what is essential for us might change. One way to choose 3 things is to imagine you are at the end of your life looking back. For what do you want to be remembered?
Practice:
This week consider what three things are most essential. Should one or two or even all three change right now? Later? How can you focus even more on each of these three? Write a paragraph or two about your conclusions. Write another paragraph or two about how exploring Celtic Spirituality has affected your approach to the Holy One this 6 weeks. What if anything of these old traditions will you continue? Would you like to gather here one more time to share the conclusions you have drawn?
We rise today,
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of the sun, radiance of the moon.
Splendor of fire, speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind, depth of sea,
Stability of earth and firmness of rock.
We rise through the strength of heaven
We rise today.
Week 5
Anam Cara: A Soul Friend
"The one you love, your anam cara, your soul friend, is the truest mirror to reflect your soul." John O'Donohue
(Open with discussion of what we have seen in walking The Rounds this past week.)
Another key practice for the Celtic saints was having a soul friend, inspired by earlier desert traditions. St. Brigid is often quoted as saying, “Go forth and eat nothing until you get a soul friend, for anyone without a soul friend is like a body without a head; is like the water of a polluted lake, neither good for drinking nor for washing.”
Everyone, lay or clergy, man or woman, was expected to have a spiritual friend and companion. This was a person they could confide all of their inner struggles, someone who would help them find their path, who could midwife them in discernment. There was genuine warmth and intimacy in this relationship and deep respect for the other’s wisdom. Age or gender difference did not matter. Each thought of the other as an equal.
Anam Cara, is someone you can turn to when things feel challenging and to whom you entrust the secret desires of your heart.
Practice:
This week think about the people you know. Is there someone who is an Anam Cara to you already? Is there some friendship you would like to deepen this way? Spend 10 minutes each day making a list of people you might choose, how you might ask, how you might nurture this choice. Write a paragraph or two in your journal about what you have learned about Anam Cara and what you would look for if you were considering having a soul-friend.
We rise today,
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of the sun, radiance of the moon.
Splendor of fire, speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind, depth of sea,
Stability of earth and firmness of rock.
We rise through the strength of heaven
We rise today.
Week 4
Walking the Rounds
"In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he takes." John Muir.
I ARISE TODAY
https://youtu.be/xeVEGOPjJXQ
(Open with discussion of what we have seen encircling this past week.)
This is a Celtic practice used at sites, such as churches, graves, crosses, and holy wells.
Walking sunwise (or clockwise) in a mindful way around anywhere you think of as sacred, usually repeating a prayer you have chosen. The number of rounds is often three, 6, or 9 as these numbers have been considered sacred for hundreds of years.
Walking helps us to slow down physically and mentally. Walking in a circular manner helps to move us out of linear ways of thinking and to open our hearts to receive God’s grace.
Practice:
Find a holy place to walk Rounds. It might be a sunwise journey around a favorite tree, your church, or around the edges of a labyrinth. While walking the Rounds, repeat any brief prayers that we have written often open us up in a special way.
Take The Rounds this week. Find a place that is sacred to you. Your garden, backyard, a tree, somewhere in your favorite park, a building that is precious to you, or a room in your house.
Plan prayers of the heart you will say or read as you walk. Take someone else who wants to try doing The Rounds if you like. Choose a convenient day within your schedule. Do your Rounds and then write a paragraph or two about the experience. What did you see as you did the Rounds? Hear? How did it feel? Are you glad you tried this ancient practice?
We rise today,
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of the sun, radiance of the moon.
Splendor of fire, speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind, depth of sea,
Stability of earth and firmness of rock.
We rise through the strength of heaven
We rise today.
Week 3
Encircling Lorica
Christ with me, Christ before me
Christ behind me, Christ in me
Christ beneath me, Christ above me
Christ on my right, Christ on my left
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down
Christ when I arise, Christ to shield me
—Prayer excerpt attributed to St. Patrick
(Open with discussion of what we have experienced blessing moments this past week.)
Early Celtic languages were vocal, not written, as was Hebrew. Celts thought that writing dissolved the strength and passion in all they thought and said. Early poetry in Ireland was repetitive...with no rhyme. While this kind of poetry is not written in English often, it does bring clarity to thought and is easier to memorize.
A lorica was a type of combat armor very useful for fighters that moved quickly and often. Leather for construction was each to find as well. Chest and shoulder plates were made of pieces that floated one over the other, up and down, left and right. Once lashed together and tied to the body where needed lorica was almost invincible.
Lorica is a prayer-poem seeking protection, invoking the love and care power of the Holy One. This prayer eloquently expresses the Celtic Christian belief that in a hostile world the presence of the Holy One surrounds, protects, and comforts all who call. This lorica above is attributed to St. Patrick.
Practice:
Try using this lorica each day this week. Read it slowly, listening to it as you go. Think as you listen to all the things that are troubling you in these difficult days. Covid-19, the election, the fires in California, violence, those we care about who have cancer, and so much more! How does it feel? Write a paragraph or two about Encircling Lorica in your journal. You can write your own Lorica, and share it with us, if you would like.
We rise today,
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of the sun, radiance of the moon.
Splendor of fire, speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind, depth of sea,
Stability of earth and firmness of rock.
We rise through the strength of heaven
We rise today.
Week 2
Intro to Celtic Spirituality: Seeing the Holy One in All Creation
Week Two
Blessing Each Moment
A blessing is a circle of light drawn around a person to protect, heal and strengthen. John O’Donohue
“Like billowing clouds,
Like the incessant gurgle of the brook
The longing of the spirit can never be stilled.”
Hildegard of Bingen
(Open with discussion of what we have seen in Nature this past week.)
Blessing Each Moment is a Celtic practice that helps bring loving attention to daily life by using little prayers to celebrate ordinary tasks we do each day. There is a beautiful book of Scottish blessings called the Carmina Gadelica, collected by Andrew Carmichael in the 19th century in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. It is filled with blessings of the day’s unfolding.
Celebrating ordinary tasks with short prayers are expressing gratitude for the activities of the day. The Jews use a mezuzah on their doorways to act as a constant reminder of God's presence. Some Christians wear a necklace with a cross or a fish on it as a reminder of their faith and gratitude. The steam rising from my coffee, sunrise, a bird singing from a tree branch outside, the doorbell announcing a friend’s arrival, remembering that every meal that nourishes my body. Getting into the car, turning on the range to cook dinner, walking the dog, laying down to rest. Gratitude for all these things bring us closer to God.
Practice:
Consider using a short prayer of gratitude or two you already know this week. Or you might write a brief one or two that you would like to use. My first prayer each morning is “Blessed be God, blessed be God forever.” as I take my first sip of coffee!
Did Blessing Each Moment brighten your days? How did expressing your commitments and your gratitude affect you? Write a paragraph or two in your journal about this practice.
We rise today,
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of the sun, radiance of the moon.
Splendor of fire, speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind, depth of sea,
Stability of earth and firmness of rock.
We rise through the strength of heaven
We rise today
Week 1
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| Ring of Kerry photo by Dennis McDonald |
Introduction
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
Week 1: Seeing the Holy One in All Creation
“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone, alone with the sky, nature and God. For then and only then can you feel that everything is as it should be and that God wants people to be happy amid nature's beauty and simplicity.”
Anne Frank
Celtic thought sees life as a journey, encompassing great care for all of creation. Deepening oneness with the Divine and the Earth, the Celts held two texts sacred in their understanding of the Divine... Nature and Holy Scriptures. Love of Nature... fire, water, earth, air and a passion for the wild are reminders of God's gifts. It teaches the careful observer much about a loving Creator.
This closeness to Nature builds great concern for the poor, the sick and the oppressed, as well as the wounds of the Earth. Hospitality and mercy are also at the core of Celtic Spirituality, building a deep importance of kinship and community...hope in a hostile world. There are no boundaries between the sacred and the secular here.
First Practice
Prayer
I (or we) rise up by the strength of heaven:
The light of the sun
Radiance of the moon,
Splendor of Fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of Earth,
Firmness of rock.
I (or We) rise up by the strength of heaven:
I (or we) rise!
I (or we) rise!
Celtic Spirituality Book List
Celtic Way of Prayer: The recovery of Religious Imagination
Esther de Waal
One of Celtic Christianity's preeminent scholars...introduces readers to early Irish litanies, medieval Welsh praise poems, and the wealth of blessings derived from an oral tradition that made prayer a part of daily life. A welcome contrast to modern worship, Celtic prayer is liberating and, like a living spring, forever fresh.
Carmina-Gadelica A Compendium of prayers, hymns, charms, incantations, blessings, literary-folkloric poems and songs, proverbs, lexical items, historical anecdotes, natural history observations, and miscellaneous lore gathered in the Gaelic-speaking regions of Scotland between 1860 and 1909 by Alexander Carmichael between 1860 and 1909. http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/corpus/Carmina/
Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
John O'Donohue
He guides us through the spiritual landscape of the Irish imagination with ancient teachings, stories, and blessings of Celtic wisdom providing profound insights on the universal themes of friendship, solitude, love, and death.
To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings
John O’Donohue
A beautiful collection of blessings to help readers through both the everyday and the extraordinary events of their lives.
Praying with Celtic Holy Women
Bridget Mary Meehan and Regina Madonna Oliver
This book invites readers on a journey through Ireland, Wales, and Cornwall where we contemplate the sacred feminine in Celtic spirituality. Here you will connect with the age-old Christian traditions and... discover how springs and holy wells were associated with birthing and healing, and contemplate the feminine wisdom hidden in Celtic traditions.
The Christ of the Celts: The Healing of Creation
J. Phillip Newel
"I explore the Celtic image of Christ as the Memory of what we have forgotten. He remembers the dance of the universe and the harmony that is deep within all things. He is the Memory also of who we are."
--from the Prelude
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