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Celtic Christianity has a unique tradition of spiritual formation, emerging out of the medieval Irish monasteries. Within this tradition, an anamchara or ‘soul friend’ was someone who you could go to for guidance and advice, in particular about spiritual matters. Within the monasteries, they also acted as novice-masters, teaching new monks how to pray. Drawing from the wisdom of the desert monks, they developed a system of spiritual practice with a few defining features.
In the many books they wrote on the topic, the early anamcharas describe spiritual practice using the language of healing. They refer to the various spiritual practices they suggest as medicines, invoking the image of Christ as healer. In the writings of Cummean (often considered the quintessential example of this tradition) the list of medicines for the soul includes such diverse things as: baptism, love, giving to the poor, the gift of tears, mercy, faith, and the intercession of the saints.
Just as there is no single medicine to heal every wound, there is no panacea practice that works for all people, since everyone has a unique story to tell. The path to wisdom involves discernment and curiosity, always dynamic, always responding to the moment. We have greater discernment when we are in dialogue with a friend who is familiar with the life of prayer.
The spiritual practices I have in my tool box are drawn from the whole of the Christian monastic tradition, as well as my personal experience with Quakerism and Indigenous ceremony. What follows is a selection of essays to give you a sense of the sorts of practices I work with.
Responding to Overwhelming Emotions
Personal and Contemplative Liturgical Worship
I often meet with people who are questioning or reimagining their theology of origin. I take a very open approach to this work, allowing people the space to come to their own conclusions. I do not impose my theology on anyone, though I am happy to share my own insights. These essays explore some of the key aspects of my own theological framework.
I do not turn people away because of money, so if you are interested in spiritual direction but aren’t sure if you can afford it, let me know and we’ll work something out. To see the standard pricing you can check out Patreon HERE. You will need to click “see all 9 levels” in order to view the tiers related to spiritual direction specifically. All spiritual direction is done online via Zoom and we can connect from any country.
If you are interested in exploring spiritual direction together please send me an email before signing up on Patreon. I will let you know my availability and we can set up an informal meeting to discuss moving forward. My email is justin@newedenministry.com