Echoes of Creation

Reflections On
Celtic Spirituality

Part Two
Holiness of Place
 An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality 2

Celtic Spirituality Part 2 :- The Holiness of Place

Before we begin to look at the importance of ‘Place’ in Celtic Spirituality we

need to remember the importance of prayer for the Celts. Prayer was an
ever-present part of all of Celtic life. It marked the constant awareness of
the ‘Presence’ of God in all things. It was the cornerstone, the bedrock of the
spiritual relationship between the created and the Creator.

Like much of Eastern Spirituality, Celtic Spirituality avoided dualism. Unlike

many of the western approaches, that see prayer as separate, something
that has to be formal, for Celts all that was, is and could be, was imbued
with the ‘presence of the Creator. Therefore ‘prayer’ was part of all.

Our theme in this short paper is the holiness of place – those ‘thin places’
where Celts believe that the veil between the Creator and Creation is
somehow ‘thin’. These places exist and as such were considered ‘sacred’. The
following is a short, typical prayer in the Celtic Tradition that recognises the
sacredness of place.

O God, you who are the Source of all wisdom

May this be a place of reflection and awareness,
Of knowledge and understanding.
May the Light of Your Son
Reveal to us the sacredness of this place.
May the Grace of the Spirit.
Show itself lest we go about in ignorance.
Reveal to us the Truth of your Presence
Father , Son and Spirit.
In this place .
Amen

This concept of a sacred place is common in many traditions. Hindus revere

several places, but especially the source of Mata Ganga( Mother
Ganges),Muslims revere Mecca, Aboriginal Australian revere Ayers Rock and
Celts found hilltops, forests and wells as especially holy. In Judaism, there is
the famous encounter that Moses had on Mount Horeb – the burning bush.

We will return to this concept of ‘sacred place’ later but let us now read
about Moses and the burning bush.

©Peter Creagh (2005,2010) Celtic Christianity – A Series of Lenten Reflections

 An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality 3

THE WORD OF GOD

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of
Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb,
the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to Him in flames
of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire the
flames did not consume it. So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this
strange sight – why the bush does not burn up’.

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from
within the bush, ’Moses, Moses’ And Moses said ‘Here I am’ And God said
‘Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are
standing is holy ground’

And God said ‘Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place
where you are standing is holy ground’ Then He said , ‘I AM the God of your
father, the God of Abraham, The God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’

At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid and in awe of
looking at God.
Exodus 3: Vs 1- 6

©Peter Creagh (2005,2010) Celtic Christianity – A Series of Lenten Reflections

 An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality 4

INTRODUCTION and RESUME

In Part 1 of this series , we began to explore Celtic Spirituality and

particularly how deeply Celts recognised and were aware of the ‘Presence’ of
both the Transcendent and Immanent God and how the earth and creation
were echoes of this ‘Presence’

It also stressed that the meaning of the Cross for Celts was slightly different
than its meaning for mainstream Western Christianity. Unlike other Western
Christians, both Roman Catholics and Protestant , who saw the Cross as a
ransoming or saving of evil people from their sins, Celts saw Christ’s AT-
ONE-MENT ( atonement) as a victory in the struggle between evil and good.
People were basically good and Christ had won a victory over the forces of
evil , thus making us AT ONE with God. The Cross is a Mystery that points to
life coming out of death.

In addition, we looked at how the Celts saw God as the God of the entire
Cosmos ( more on this later) and that they felt that every blade of grass, the
flowers the sun, moon and stars and people themselves were imbued with
God’s ‘presence’. An excellent example of this can be found in St Patrick’s
‘Credal Statement’. He is reputed to have uttered on the sacred Hill of Tara.
He was challenged by the High King’s daughters to tell them where the
‘Great God’ of his lived.

This has some similarity with the episode of Elijah on Mount Carmel (1 Kings
18). The King’s daughters were supporters of some druids who were against
Patrick and the ‘new religion’. Patrick opposed the druids and, speaking of
the power of his God he affirmed his faith with his own wonderful creed.

Now , although many of the stories told about Patrick are clearly myth and
fables, this is not that important. Because we need to recognise that so much
of Celtic Culture is based on story, metaphor and fables. Stories are used to
point to great truths, to values that underpin Celtic Culture. So Patrick’s
creedal statement ( if it was made) would have delighted the Druids and
chieftains of the Celtic Tribes. It is an excellent example of the power and
imagination and wonder of the Celtic culture of story and its telling .

©Peter Creagh (2005,2010) Celtic Christianity – A Series of Lenten Reflections

 An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality 5

St Patrick’s Creed

Our God is the God of all men

The God of Heaven and earth
Of sea and river, of sun and moon and stars.
Of the lofty mountains and the low valleys
The God above Heaven
The God under Heaven
The God in Heaven
He has his dwelling around Heaven
And earth and sea and all that is in them.
He inspires all, He quickens all,
He dominates all, He sustains all.
He lights the light of the sun.
He furnishes the light of light.
He has put springs in the dry land.
And has set stars to minister to the greater lights.
This is our God.

( From HJ Massingham, The Tree of Life - London 1943)

When we consider these words and how much in tune they are with
Amergin’s poem, (see paper 1) we can imagine how Patrick’s description of
his God must have impressed the Celtic Princesses and Druids and the
others present.

For this was a God that was in tune with them, their culture and this sacred
place, the Hill of Tara. For this was a familiar and wonderful God, a God who
was not just ‘up there’ but a God who was both inside them (Indwelling) and
all around them. This session/paper will especially look at the Celtic concept
of the ‘Holiness’ of Place.

HOLY GROUND – THOSE THIN PLACES

Celts knew that God’s ‘presence’ was all around and within them. However,
in common with many cultures the Celts felt that there were ‘special’ places
which seemed more in tune with this ‘presence’ of God. Examples of these
places for Celts are: high ground, wells, water sources, woods and
wilderness. These ‘special places were ‘thin places’ where it was felt that the
veil between us and God was almost transparent or permeable. These were
places (or situations) where God’s ‘Presence’ could be more readily felt by
humans.

©Peter Creagh (2005,2010) Celtic Christianity – A Series of Lenten Reflections

 An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality 6

The concept of thin places is universal and human. Even in our everyday life,
we can all have favourite places in our homes or in other places. These are
places where we feel more relaxed and at home and at one with ourselves.
Examples of these are many but some of the more popular ones are; a
favourite chair or corner or a place with a view, often near water or trees or
on a mountain. In such places we can all feel more in tune with ourselves,
nature and God. These places are truly holy places and are often referred to
as ‘Holy Ground’

The idea of Holy Ground is common to many cultures. In the reading, Moses
was commanded to take off his shoes because the Presence of God made the
place and ground sacred. This is a sentiment both understandable and dear
to the hearts of Celts. It is also one shared by many of the worlds Faith
Traditions, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Muslims to name but a few. Our
Muslim brothers and sisters make any place of prayer sacred. They do this
by merely by removing their shoes, placing their prayer mat facing towards
Mecca and praying five times a day.

Sikhs, Hindus and Buddhists, remove their shoes and wash their feet before
entering a ‘holy place’. Celtic culture is permeated with prayers for every
situation, place and time and all designed to keep us constantly aware of
both the ‘Presence’ and the sacredness of ‘place’. We , in the West, have so
much to learn from other cultures and their reverence for place. Celtic
Spirituality is a spirituality for the environment.

One of the many unanswered questions of Celtic Christianity concerns the

speed of its spread in Ireland. How come a great culture, with its love of
learning, its deep spirituality and its sense of community, so readily
‘converted’ to Christianity – followers of a crucified Christ? One possibility is
the pre-Christian importance of the Celtic Cross and its deep significance for
their view of life, creation and the Creator.

©Peter Creagh (2005,2010) Celtic Christianity – A Series of Lenten Reflections

 An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality 7

THE CELTIC CROSS

Celts often marked out these holy or ‘thin’ places in a special way. One of the
most sacred symbols in Celtic Christianity is the Celtic cross and this was
used to mark out special thin places. Its origins pre-date Christianity but its
symbolism is in itself a deep statement of Faith. Celtic crosses dominated all
sacred spaces in the Celtic Realm and an understanding of their symbolism is
important. In short, the Celtic cross explains the whole story of the saving
grace of God and the Christian Faith. They are in fact an icon.

PRE – CHRISTIAN AND CHRISTIAN CELTIC CROSS

To understand how the Celts seamlessly ‘adopted’ Christianity is to

understand much of the symbolism and importance of the Cross to Celts.
Ancient man experienced himself as part of nature and creation. For early
man this was governed by the two lights – the Sun and the Moon. Times,
seasons and the rhythm of life were governed by these and to a lesser
extent by the stars – the cosmos. So all over the ancient world, from North
America , throughout Europe and Asia , we find the importance of the circle
and the cross . These were revered and gradually grew in significance as
Man’s understanding of the environment; the seasons and the cosmos grew.
So how did the Celtic cross develop? The following series of diagrams
attempt to show this

The Circle This was and is seen as the perfect figure. It has no
beginning or end and has come to represent the sun, the cosmos and
perfection. It represents the endless cycle of creation. In addition Celts saw
the circle as a symbol of ‘the devil chasing his own tail’. In other words the
endless cycle and perfection of the circle frustrated the powers of evil and
darkness.

The Cross Again, in pre- Christian times this was seen to represent the
human being.

So combining both gives the symbol of ‘Man in the Cosmos’. Thus

it represents a sacred symbol which represents creation,
perfection and people. The Universal and Cosmic Christ.

©Peter Creagh (2005,2010) Celtic Christianity – A Series of Lenten Reflections

 An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality 8

This came to be seen both as ‘The Universal Cross’ and the ‘Sun Cross’ The
light of the sun was seen as a central spiritual source- it gave rise to life and
to growth. In addition, the four quadrants of the sun cross symbolised the
four seasons, which in Christian times came to be associated with the four
Evangelists. So the next stage in the evolution of the Cross can now be seen
and understood.

THE CHRISTIAN ( CELTIC )CROSS

The Celts had a great love of creation and the seasons. Their year began AT
THE END OF October with the coming of darkness and went anti –clockwise
towards summer and autumn. So the four evangelists came to represent a
limb of the cross. This is shown below.

Summer ( Beltane)
JOHN

Spring ( Imbolc) MARK LUKE Autumn ( Lammas)

MATTHEW
Winter ( Samhain)

MORE POINTS ABOUT THE CELTIC CROSS

The following are some important points about the Celtic Cross.

1. WINTER: The Thin veil between the worlds – Samhain – The

Gospel of Matthew the Symbol of Man’ Humanity.

2. Celts celebrated death and mourned birth. Death meant a soul had
entered the ‘Other World’ the land of eternal youth and happiness

3. SPRING : The Coming of Light & Stormy Seasons – Imbolc – Mark

The Lion and his Gospel

©Peter Creagh (2005,2010) Celtic Christianity – A Series of Lenten Reflections

 An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality 9

4. SUMMER: The Love of God & Light – Beltane – John The Eagle of
Love & a favourite Gospel ( along with the psalms) of Celts.

5. AUTUMN: The Season of Harvest : Luke’s Gospel – ‘The Winged

Cow’ and God’s Bounty

6. The importance of the circle- often shown as a serpent swallowing

its own tail. Thus the devil gets tired and frustrated of chasing his
tail!

7. The endless nature of Celtic spirals & knots

8. The significance of THREE and THREE times THREE,(9 ) a very

Sacred Number) therefore the importance of the Trinity and why
prayers often have a three times three structure.

9. The Celtic Cross in its fullness – can be summed up by these words

from TS Elliot ( The 4 Quartets)

‘What we call the beginning

Is often the end
To make an end
Is to make a beginning.’

We shall not cease from explanations

And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

This poem of TS Elliot brings us directly to the Celtic concept of ‘Thin Places’
and particularly between this world and the next!

©Peter Creagh (2005,2010) Celtic Christianity – A Series of Lenten Reflections

 An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality 10

HOLY AND THIN PLACES

Celtic Christianity emphasises that everything is Holy. We know that some

places possess a special feel and therefore the veil between God and man
seems thinner. Nevertheless, the Indwelling Presence is always present and
therefore ALL places can be thin places. Our task in this life of the body-
psyche, is to remain awake and present to the Indwelling God. This can be
helped by developing our awareness of creation, time and place and
remembering the words ‘ Stay Awake – pray at all times’.

The next phase in our brief examination of Celtic Spirituality is that of the
Power of Protection and Prayer. This will be examined in greater detail in our
third Session and in Part 3 of this series .

Let us conclude this short outline of the Sacredness of ‘place with a typical
Celtic Prayer. This is a prayer used to bless any place and thereby assist in
making it a ‘Thin Place’.

For those meeting together in this session we will end with a short period of
quiet prayer, a prayer of the ‘Awareness of Presence and the Present
Moment’

Prayer to Bless Any Place

God the Source of all wisdom

May this be a place of reflection and awareness,
Of knowledge and understanding.
Reveal Your Presence to us,
Lest we go about in ignorance of that constant Presence,
Reveal Yourself to us,
For in You we know the Incarnate Word.
Amen.

©Peter Creagh (2005,2010) Celtic Christianity – A Series of Lenten Reflections

 An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality 11

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The following are some of the main sources which support all chapters/short papers
in this series on Celtic Spirituality. Other sources are quoted in the text as they
occur. In addition, many of the opening and closing prayers have been adapted
and/or compiled or written by the author (Peter Creagh) in the ‘style’ of Celtic
Spirituality.

Adam, David,(1987) The Cry of the Deer , London, Triangle/SPCK

Adam, David,(1985) The Edge of, London, Triangle/SPCK

Glory Backhouse,H & Pipe,R ( Eds)( 1987) Revelations of Divine Love – Mother Julian of

Norwich , London, Hodder & Stoughton

Bamford, C & Marsh,WP (1986) Celtic Christianity – Ecology and Holiness, Edinburgh, Floris

Bradley,I (2003) The Celtic Way, London , Darton-Longman-Todd

Cahill,T (1995) How the Irish Saved Civilization - New York, Doubleday

Beresford-Ellis,P (1992) Celtic Inheritance – London, Constabl

Lleelyn,R (1990) The Dart of Longing Love – Daily Readings from the Cloud of Unknowing,

London, Darton-Longman-Todd

Matthews,J & C (1993) The little Book of Celtic Wisdom, Dorset, Element

Matthews,C (1994) The little Book of Celtic Blessings, Dorset, Element

Matthews,C (1989) THe Celtic Tradition , Dorset, Element

McKinney,D ( 2004) Walking the Mist- Celtic Spirituality for the 21st Century, London ,

Hodder& Stoughton

O Fiannachta,P (1988) Saltair – Prayers from the Irish Tradition , Dublin, Columba Press

O Malley,B ( 1998) Celtic Blessings , Norwich, Canterbury Press

O Malley,B ( 2002) A Celtic Primer , Norwich, Canterbury Press

Streit, Jakob (1977) Sun and Cross, Edinburgh, Floris Press

Tobin, G (1999), The Wisdom of St Patrick, New Yourk, Ballantine

Toulson, S (1993) The Celtic Year, Dorset, Element

Vardey,L (1996) God In All Worlds, New York, Vintage Books

©Peter Creagh (2005,2010) Celtic Christianity – A Series of Lenten Reflections