A couple weeks ago I shared with you a teaching from Aelred of Rievaulx on spiritual friendship. This article is a continuation of that discussion in that it speaks about the ancient understanding of spiritual direction as a kind of friendship in early Irish monasticism. You can find the previous article that this article references … Continue reading Spiritual Direction in the Celtic Tradition →

Today is the first Sunday of the month when we share guest posts from people living and teaching the Contemplative and/or Celtic Christian way around the world. One of the beautiful things about the internet is that people doing amazing things in isolated parts of the world can learn from one another and grow together. … Continue reading Companionship: A Sermon for Pride Month →

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and so if we understand what someone sees as beautiful, then we see them eye to eye. To know what a person sees as beautiful is to know that person in a deep way. The universe is God's artwork and so to see the beauty in creation … Continue reading Beauty is Everywhere →

Today I would like to share with you a guest post from my friend Kenneth McIntosh. Kenneth is co-author (with Lilly Weichberger) of Brigid’s Mantle: A Celtic Dialogue Between Pagan and Christian along with The Soul of the Green Man and the Celtic historical fantasy novel Magic Reversed. We share a common interest in the stories … Continue reading A Seer, A Saint, and a Stone →

Aelred of Rievaulx came from a long line of married priests. He was the fourth generation of priests in his family, and his great grandfather had been shrine bearer for Cuthbert in Durham. Aelred is a perfect example of Celtic Christianity having thin boundaries with the traditions around it. He was an Anglo-Saxon, an Englishman, … Continue reading Spiritual Friendship: Finding God In Our Human Relationships →

Brigit of Kildare was a saint and founder of monasteries in Ireland. Along with Patrick and Columcille she is said to be one of the three patron saints of Ireland. Her legacy and impact on Irish and Scottish Christianity is profound. Her legends are likely the amalgamation of a medieval abbess and a pagan goddess … Continue reading Brigit of Kildare: Mary of the Gaels →

Today is the first Sunday of the month when we share guest posts from people living and teaching the Contemplative and/or Celtic Christian way around the world. One of the beautiful things about the internet is that people doing amazing things in isolated parts of the world can learn from one another and grow together. … Continue reading The Face in the Leaves →

Panentheism is a way of understanding the relationship between God and creation. There are many different ideas about how the universe and the creator of the universe interact with one another. Is God separate from the universe? Is the universe made of God? Did God create from nothing? These kinds of questions have been asked … Continue reading Panentheism: Encountering the Divine in Nature →

Today I would like to share a guest post with you from my friend Carl McColman. Carl is a full-time contemplative writer, blogger, podcaster and speaker. He is the author of numerous books, including The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, Unteachable Lessons, and the forthcoming Eternal Heart. Find Carl online at www.anamchara.com. His newest project is a really cool … Continue reading Unknowledge Base: Explore Christian Mysticism Online →

The term recollection comes originally from Greek philosophy. For Plato recollection was associated with the forms. It was a kind of remembering in which sensible objects remind us of their eternal forms. In this sense recollection is something like the religious devotion inspired by icons. The painted image triggers our deeper knowing to help us … Continue reading Recollection: Purity of Heart and the Kingdom of Heaven →