Edward Sellner describes the history of the anamchara or soul friend and the early Celtic Church out of which it arose. He offers a portrait of the Celtic spirituality, spirituality with a deep appreciation of nature, a respect for women's gifts and leadership, and a holistic perspective on the relationship of the mind and the body.
"Anam Cara is a rare synthesis of philosophy, poetry, and spirituality. This work will have a powerful and life-transforming experience for those who read it." —Deepak Chopra John O'Donohue, poet, philosopher, and scholar, guides you through the spiritual landscape of the Irish imagination. In Anam Cara, Gaelic for "soul friend," the ancient teachings, stories, and blessings of Celtic wisdom provide such profound insights on the universal themes of friendship, solitude, love, and death as: Light is generous The human heart is never completely born Love as ancient recognition The body is the angel of the soul Solitude is luminous Beauty likes neglected places The passionate heart never ages To be natural is to be holy Silence is the sister of the divine Death as an invitation to freedom
Edward C. Sellner tells of the tradition of the Celtic anamchara or soul friend, the loving mentor who promotes the spiritual growth of those he or she guides, in his original and insightful Stories of the Celtic Soul Friends. Here, punctuated by the stimulating stories of the four leaders of the early Celtic church--St. Patrick, St.Brigit, St. Columcille and the relatively obscure St. Colman of Land Ela--the author traces, celebrates and demonstrates the tradition's immediacy to our own faith, lives, and work, holding Jesus as the perfect exemplar. Mentors, teachers of religion, pastors, counselors, and anyone embarking upon a spiritual journey, should find this a beneficial, as well as invigorating, read. --A new twist on Celtic spirituality --Along with the always popular St. Patrick, this book introduces lesser-known Celtic saints
A soul friend is someone further along the journey of life who commits to helping another discover his or her true self and path through life. Each chapter of this book includes practical exercises and suggestions for further study.
• Describes the Celtic rituals of honoring death and dying and offers prayers, meditations, and blessings for the time of transition • Offers reflective questions and exercises to explore your beliefs, attitudes, and fears around your own death • Includes the sacred meditation of traveling with the dead as offered by an anam-áire or Celtic soul carer Through her decades of hospice work, Phyllida Anam-Áire has revived the ancient Celtic tradition of “watching” with the dying and traveling with the soul after death. Drawing on her Celtic background, she integrates the wisdom of her ancestors with modern knowledge of the death process. She shows how a peaceful transition for the leaving person is possible and how this process can be consciously supported for relatives or friends. In A Celtic Book of Dying, Phyllida details the Celtic rituals of honoring death and dying, revealing how these rituals act as a catalyst that allows the change of form for our essence to pass on into the afterlife. She shows how becoming familiar with the dying process and acknowledging our own personal death forms an important aspect of preparing for this natural transformation. The author guides us with reflective questions, exercises, and meditations to help us become aware of and evaluate our own beliefs, attitudes, and fears around dying and learn to live our life more consciously and with joy. Once we have come to terms with our own passing, we will also find it easier to assist family and friends in their last hours. Phyllida presents the sacred meditation of traveling with the dead as held by an anam-áire or soul carer. She also offers suggestions for Celtic rituals, prayers, and blessings for support. She addresses many practical questions around care for the dying during and after the process, including the importance of silence. A practical yet soulful guidebook, A Celtic Book of Dying deepens our spiritual understanding of the internal journey of the dying and the adventurous after-death journey to come. Through the eyes of an anam-áire, we see death not as the end or something to be feared, but just as the moment of being called home again.
What does God want for your life? Christine Valters Paintner, bestselling Catholic author and online abbess for Abbey of the Arts, uses reflections, stories, guided activities, prayer experiences, and a variety of creative arts to help you patiently and attentively listen to God’s invitation. Everyone wants to understand God’s will for their lives. Christine Valters Paintner shares one of the most ancient paths to understanding from her study of monasticism and immersion into Celtic spirituality while living in Ireland. The Celtic way, which Paintner distills into twelve practices, offers discernment that focuses on the environment rather than the intellectual focus present in other forms of discernment. It allows for what Paintner calls the “soul’s slow ripening,” coming into the fullness of our own sweetness before we pluck the fruit. Each chapter begins with a story of a particular Irish saint—some well-known like Patrick or Brigid, others less so, such as Ita and Ciaran—and then introduces a helpful practice for discernment that the saint’s life illustrates. Paintner explores the call of dreams, the importance of thresholds, the practice of peregrination (wandering for the love of God), walking the rounds, learning by heart, soul friends, blessing each moment, and the wisdom of the landscape and the seasons. Readers are invited to explore these concepts through photography and writing. She invites us to contemplative walks with specific themes along with poetic writing prompts for expression. As you explore an alternate way of discerning a spiritual path—one which honors the moment-by-moment invitations and the soul’s seasonal rhythms—you will discover that this book will help you become more aligned with creativity and wholeness.
The Celtic Christians beheld the world around them and perceived the divine life of God as upholding every aspect of the material universe. Their prayers and poems, their liturgies and theological interpretations give Christians a sense of faith that is confident in a merciful and infinitely creative, healing God.
The Celtic Way of Seeing posits a direct link between the eye and the heart, a link that connects seekers to forces, energies, and knowledge that exist beyond the corporeal world. This book explores this concept through retelling the traditional story “The Settling of the Manor of Tara,” which describes the spiritual divisions of Ireland and the four directions — north, south, east, and west. The orientations to the four directions and the center become the focal point of a series of simple meditations that guide readers to “see” the directions, making the Irish Spirit Wheel come alive in their daily lives.
In this beautiful treasury of sacred wisdom, Mara Freeman shares the rich legacy of the Celts -- the festivals, gods and goddesses, saints, faeries, music, poetry, and storytelling that anchor this magical tradition. Discover myths, rituals, recipes, and crafts for every month of theyear. Honor Saint Brigit with a prayer in February, or ensure a merry start to May with a bowl of frothy syllabub. Come together with friends and neighbors to celebrate community in the high days of August, then learn to weave a solstice wreath in snowy December. Traditional blessings, ancient lore, and guided meditations inspire you to reconnect with the rhythms of the natural world, and view the sacred as an integral part of every day. Rediscover the wisdom and healing power of nature, and cultivate and honor your soul as you would the earth. Let the spirit of the ancient Celts enchant you in every season, year after year.
The Celtic tradition continues to captivate readers. Centuries old, it seems to speak to the modern world with a fresh voice. In Holy Companions, readers are invited to get to know and journey with eighteen Celtic saints. The authors have provided a theme inspired by each saint, along with a brief biography, a reflection on what the saint's life and words may mean to us today, and some spiritual exercises and practices that grow out of that life and work. Written accessibly, this is an excellent book for individual exploration or group study.