Celtic Christianity

Celtic Spirituality for the Modern World The world of the long-ago Celts appeals to many of us in the twenty-first century. Whether we are looking to find our cultural heritage or are seeking an alternative to worn and restrictive religious forms, the earth-centered, woman-friendly, inclusive faith of the Christian Celts offers us a deep-rooted alternative approach to traditional Christianity. The Celts experienced "thin places," where they sensed the supernatural world; they honored their poets, singers, and artists; and they passionately followed the Christ of the Gospels. Theirs was a ...

John Philip Newell shares the long, hidden tradition of Celtic Christianity, explaining how this earth-based spirituality can help us rediscover the natural rhythms of life and deepen our spiritual connection with God, with each other, and with the earth. Newell introduces some of Celtic Christianity’s leading practitioners, both saints and pioneers of faith, whose timeless wisdom is more necessary than ever.

In this revered work, John O’Donohue excavates themes of friendship, belonging, solitude, creativity, and the imagination, among many others. Widely recognized for bringing Celtic spirituality into modern dialogue, his unique insights from the ancient world speak with urgency for our need to rediscover the thresholds of the soul.

In this unabridged audiobook of Walking in Wonder, John O’Donohue’s friend and frequent collaborator John Quinn collects a series of talks and essays from the poet-philosopher on humanity’s relationship with the land, the ache of absence, our place in an often mysterious universe, and the great adventure of death itself.

Though the Celtic civilization has long disappeared, lingering traces of their spirituality haunt Ireland and the surrounding land. Translated from their original languages - Gaulish, Latin, Irish, and Welsh - the passages and stories in Celtic Spirituality are true artifacts of the Celts' vibrant and varied religion from both the pre-Christian and early Christian period. From a ritual of magical inspiration to stories of the ancient gods and adventures of long-forgotten heroes, Freeman has unearthed a stunning collection of Celtic work.

Celtic mythology is widely considered to be among the most captivating of Europe's various mythologies due to the presence of a number of captivating aspects, including but not limited to: adventure, heroism, romance, and magic. The Celts were once a great people who dominated most of Europe, but, as a result of Roman invasions, they have since been reduced to a few minor groupings. Their mythology, on the other hand, was preserved largely as a result of the efforts of later monks from Ireland and Wales who wrote down the stories.

This new version has more than 150 pages of previously unpublished material, including illustrated guides to Celtic pilgrimage sites, study questions, and updated research. Using story, scripture, reflection, and prayer, Kenneth McIntosh offers us a taste of the living water that refreshed the ancient Celts, allowing them to perceive God as a living Presence in everybody and everything. This Earth-based and inclusive perspective suggests life-giving alternatives to modern faith practices, opening the door to a Christianity big enough to embrace the entire world. "If you want to run away to ...

A posthumous recipient of the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, Marion Zimmer Bradley reinvented - and rejuvenated - the King Arthur mythos with her extraordinary Mists of Avalon series. In this epic work, Bradley follows the arc of the timeless tale from the perspective of its previously marginalized female characters: Celtic priestess Morgaine, Gwenhwyfar, and High Priestess Viviane.

The Book of Hedge Druidry is for those who feel called to explore a powerful earth-based spirituality rooted in Celtic lore. With hands-on practices as well as fascinating perspectives on what it means to be a Druid, this book walks you through the magic of the liminal realm and helps you fill your own cauldron of inspiration. Longtime Druid Joanna van der Hoeven guides you in creating an altar and crafting rituals based on the Wheel of the Year and important life passages.

This audiobook is a dedicated guide to introducing you to the world of Imbolc. It’s not just about the most popular recipes, traditions, and rituals. It’s also about the spiritual importance of the season.

A guide for modern-day seekers that draws wisdom from Celtic spiritual practices, and leads listeners through a pilgrimage of the soul, to create space for grace.

For the end of every movement is its beginning: that from which it was first moved, and to which it always longs to return, so there it may rest and be at peace. —Eriugena The Celts saw time as a great wheel that was continually turning. The sun and the moon served as their calendar, dividing time’s circle and marking the changing seasons as they circled around. Each day, each season, each moon was sacred in its own way. The Celts celebrated each turning of wheel of time with feasting and fire, ritual and prayer. Through these celebrations, the Celts experienced their harmony with a ...

Pagan and Christian Join Hands within Celtic Spirituality Long ago, the story goes, Brigid flung out her mantle over the world. Beneath its shelter, the Earth and its people could find healing, insight, and growth. This legend, shared by both Celtic Pagans and Celtic Christians, makes the point that a mantle is not a box, a small rigid container meant to keep some things inside while excluding others. Instead, a mantle is wide, flexible, inclusive. Using this as their central metaphor, the authors—one a Pagan healer and the other a Christian minister—engage in a dialogue that is ...

Imagine the Celtic saint Brigid and the great bodhisattva Guanyin sitting down together for a cup of tea. I certainly would want to listen in to their conversation! Oak and Lotus takes us to a similar place. It’s a beautiful, expansive book about the joyful integration of Eastern and Western wisdom, a resource I expect to return to again and again. — Carl McColman, author of The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism and Eternal Heart Oak and Lotus is a joy to read. Bringing Celtic Christianity into conversation with three major Eastern faith traditions—Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism—...

Find God in Nature Pray for Our Endangered Planet Long before they had heard about Christianity, the Celts knew that Nature was their portal to a great spiritual reality. Wells, mountain crags, caves, and lochs were “thin places” that allowed access to the realm of spirits. In these temples of Nature, the Celts sought physical and spiritual healing, as well as revelation. The salmon, the eagle, and even the tiny hazelnut, all were allies in helping humanity access the mysterious magic that underlay physical matter. I arise today Through the strength of heaven: Light of sun, Radiance of ...

I have a hidden meaning. I was portrayed in a thousand different ways in the past, and I keep sprouting again and again down through the centuries. Don’t you want to know who I am? The Green Man is an ancient symbol that has gained new popularity, and yet his origins and meaning remain a mystery. Kenneth McIntosh, author of Water from an Ancient Well: Celtic Spirituality for Modern Life, offers a seldom-heard theory on the original significance of this leafy visage. With a wealth of drawings, the author traces the Green Man's family tree, revealing the deep spirituality embedded in this ...

Most people have heard of the Celts - the elusive, ancient tribal people who resided in present-day England, Ireland, Scotland and France. Paradoxically characterized as both barbaric and innocent, the Celts appeal to the modern world as a symbol of a bygone era, a world destroyed by the ambition of empire and the spread of Christianity throughout Western Europe. Despite the pervasive cultural and literary influence of the Celts, shockingly little is known of their way of life and beliefs, because very few records of their stories exist.

Scotland, 1026 - Gruoch, descendant of the line of MacAlpin, should have been born into a life of ease. But fate is fickle. Her father's untimely death, rumored to have been plotted by King Malcolm, leaves her future uncertain and stained by the prophecy that she will avenge her family line. Escaping to one of the last strongholds of the old Celtic gods, Gruoch becomes an adept in arcane craft. Her encounters with the otherworld, however, suggest that magic runs stronger in Scotland than she ever imagined.

Spirit is forever present, cradling you in Divine arms. Ancient Celtic spirituality speaks to our longing for connection, belonging, and a deep sense of purpose. In the midst of the fast-paced and often chaotic world we inhabit, the prayers in this book, written in the Celtic tradition, offer a respite—a gentle reminder that amid the rainstorms of life, we can find a warm hearth, a place of refuge, where we are held and embraced by the Divine. This book is a handbook for exploring the depths of your own soul, guided by the Light that illuminates your being. Each prayer is a doorway, an ...

Publisher's Note: This E-book volume of the Celtic Bible Commentary series contains the previously released introduction to the series, Reading the Bible the Celtic Way: The Peacock's Tail Feathers, written by series editor Kenneth McIntosh. Experience the Bible as the ancient Celts did. Matthew’s version of the Good News is traditionally symbolized by a winged man, because the author saw Jesus as fulfilling two roles. On the one hand, he is the Divine One who proclaims that the Realm of Heaven is present in the here and now—and on the other hand, he is the Human One, who shares our ...