There is an ancient idea in the Christian tradition, which was inherited from the Greek philosophers, called apatheia. It is about the inner condition of a person who is truly able to pray. While the word sounds like the modern English “apathy,” it doesn’t actually mean the same thing at all. Apathy is a lack … Continue reading Apatheia: A Healthy Heart →

In this article I would like to share with you a teaching from John Scotus Eriugena about how we know and love ourselves completely by nature, but have become ignorant of that truth. Before we delve into that idea, however, let’s step back and look briefly at Eriugena’s trinitarian metaphysics (how he thinks the Trinity … Continue reading Self Knowledge Leads to Self Love →

This article is part of an ongoing series exploring the eight points of the wheel of the year. It is written by a good friend of mine and member of our community, Tony Marshall Griffiths. Tony lives in the North of England but grew up in Wales. He loves the landscapes of the British Isles and … Continue reading Lugh’s Day →

The Voyage of Bran is an immram tale from the late seventh or early eighth century. It was likely a source of inspiration for later imramma, including the immram of Brendan. It is a short text with a mixture of poetry and prose. The body of the story is written in prose and the substantial … Continue reading The Voyage of Bran →

I would like to share an old prayer from the Irish tradition with you. This prayer is called Fiery Creator of Fire and it was used at the lighting of the paschal candle. The prayer can be found in the Antiphony of Bangor, one of the oldest surviving liturgical texts from Ireland. This short manuscript … Continue reading Setting Your Heart On Fire →

A painter can be known through their paintings, a poet can be known through their poetry, and the creator of all heaven and earth can be known through nature. We glimpse the simple truth of God by looking at the diverse and complex truth of creation. Any truth which we find in the cosmos is … Continue reading Natural Contemplation →

Eriugena, an Irish philosopher from the early middle ages, understood sin as an illness which can be cured. This illness changes the appearance of our nature, but never the essence. He used a common patristic understanding of the image and likeness of God to talk about this illness. I look at this teaching from the … Continue reading The Mirror of the Heart →

This article is part of an ongoing series exploring the eight points of the wheel of the year. It is written by a good friend of mine and member of our community, Tony Marshall Griffiths. Tony lives in the North of England but grew up in Wales. He loves the landscapes of the British Isles and … Continue reading Light of the Shore →

I would like to share with you a guest post from my friend Carmen Acevedo Butcher. This is Carmen's third piece with New Eden. You can read another article she wrote about Brother Lawrence by clicking HERE. What can a potato-peeling, sandal-repairing Discalced Carmelite friar of seventeenth-century Paris offer spiritual seekers today? Whatever our circumstances, … Continue reading Unspeakable Joy →

There is a medieval Welsh text known as Gramadegau’r Penceirddiaid, which translates as "the grammars of the chief poets." From the 14th century onwards this collection of bardic grammars has been handed down through the bardic tradition, with each generation revising and adapting it to their needs. One of the things which is included in … Continue reading How to be a Bard →