As part of my study of historical Celtic Christianity, I have been doing a deep dive into an essential aspect of that tradition. The Celtic practice of penance is one of the unique contributions of the early Celtic Christians to Christianity as a whole. A book about penance is called a penitential and there are … Continue reading Penance and World Peace →

I have been exploring the Irish penitentials lately and I came across this little gem from the Bigotian penitential, an Irish text which was influential on the continent in Europe. The penitentials were fascinating documents which addressed a wide variety of topics. Deep spiritual insights are intermingled with rules about what to do if your … Continue reading The Art of Stillness →

St Brigit's feast day is on Feb 1. We will be having a communion service in The Virtual Chapel to celebrate the Sunday beforehand, on January 29, 2023. We will gather between 2-2:15 pm eastern time, follow the liturgy in this article, and then have time for fellowship afterwards. Everyone is welcome to join, we … Continue reading A Service for St Brigit →

I am often asked the question "what is Celtic Christianity?" and it is actually a difficult one to answer. For the purposes of this article, I want to suggest that we think of two different expressions of Celtic Christianity, a medieval one and a modern one. The medieval world is far removed from our own … Continue reading Contemporary Celtic Christianity →

Our breath is a gift from God. It is what gives us life. It is how we commune with the created world. With each breath we breathe in, a little bit of the world around us becomes part of our physical body. With every breath we breathe out, a little piece of our physical body … Continue reading Embodied Prayer →

Have you recently made some New Year’s resolutions? Are you hoping that this year they will be easier to follow than in previous years? In this article I explore some wisdom from the Celtic tradition which can help you to rise up to meet the challenges you have set for yourself. The circumstances of human … Continue reading New Year’s Resolutions: Some Advice from Celtic Monks →

This article is a collaborative project of The Virtual Chapel. I made a post in the group which asked the question “What does Christmas mean to you?” and this is the response which our community gave. There were a couple different themes in people’s comments which I have tried to bring together into two sections … Continue reading The Incarnation: God Becomes What She Loves →

Today is a Sunday where I am preaching locally and so what follows below is our complete service. You may feel free to say every prayer and sing every hymn or simply to skip to the sermon in the middle and the commissioning at the end (which is still kinda part of the sermon). This … Continue reading God is With Us →

The season of Advent coincides with the winter solstice. Christians in times long past understood the changing of the seasons as part of the liturgical calendar. The winter solstice is the darkest time of year, a time when we eagerly await the return of the sun. Advent is also a season of darkness. It is … Continue reading The Light That Shines in the Darkness →

Today I would like to share a guest post with you from my friend Jeff Campbell. Jeff is a member of our online community, which you can learn more about HERE. Jeff is also a dad, Teacher Mentor, Special Educator, writer, mystic and science fiction nerd.  He spent the first half his life searching, fell … Continue reading Christmas Trees and Non-Duality →