The Roots of Christian Mysticism Session 9
Summary of Esther De Waal 's "Celtic Spirituality" talk, The London Christian Meditation Centre, St Mark's, Clerkenwell, 15 November 2005

Introduction

It is important to bear in mind that there was no such thing as a separate Celtic Church. Celtic peoples looked to Rome as much as any other Christian and dreamt of going there on pilgrimage. Celtic spirituality was about incorporating the Celtic cultural tradition into the Christian religion.. It has much to say to us today. The underlying questions are what is it that appeals to us about Celtic spirituality? Is this enormous interest representative of a shortcoming or betrayal in the institutional church? How or why does Celtic spirituality touch my own faith? How does it affect my practical discipleship? How and why does it affect my prayer life? How and why does it affect the way I see the world?

A Very brief historical overview

We are not really concerned in this talk with the pre-Christian Celtic world and where the Celts may originally have come from. It is enough to know that there are basically two Celtic groups divided according to their language. There are a) the Scottish, Irish and Isle of Man Celts and b) the Welsh, Cornish and Bretons.

Celtic Spirituality grew up the 5th and 6th centuries in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany and the Isle of Man, all countries on the fringes of the then known world, outside the mindset and confines of the Roman Empire. Here communities were isolated, essentially pastoral and agricultural. There would have been few roads and no towns. These were small kingdoms ruled by chieftains.

Missionaries came to these communities from the Mediterranean and the Bay of Biscay bringing Christianity in its earliest and simplest form. It was similar to the Christianity of the Desert Fathers in its simplicity and purity, unadulterated by institutional baggage. There was prayer, simplicity, manual work, and an ascetic tradition. Prayer was central. They were people with a strong oral tradition. Between the encounter of this Christianity and these people who lived close to the earth there emerged a very unique form of Christianity with particular and peculiar emphasis. Because they were so certain of the centrality of Christ the missionaries had no difficulty in meeting these rural people and were ready to take up and incorporate their idiom and thought forms. By the time Columba died in 597 Celtic Spirituality had reached its full potential and had spread far and wide.

It is usual to make distinctions between Celtic Christianity and Roman Christianity and to read the Synod of Whitby in 664A.D. as upholding Roman Christianity and driving the Celtic tradition underground. This is not correct. By the time of the Synod of Whiby the Celts were out of step with Rome in two ways a) the way in which the monastic tonsure was shaven and b) how to calculate the date for Easter. An argument over the differing dates for Easter and the troubles it caused at court locally was the real reason for the Synod.

Celtic Spirituality born from an artistic warrior tradition

Esther de Waal spoke of the powerful effect that standing by one of the Irish High Crosses had had on her and how it had led to her uncovering of Celtic Christianity. Not only was she impressed by the size of the cross and its intricately carved nature but also and more particularly by the accompanying figures of St. Anthony and Paul of Thebes. She recounted the story of the visit of Antony to Paul and how the raven which used to take Paul his food every day, that day took enough for two! The intricate carvings on Celtic crosses which are also to be found on chalices, the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels is the type of intricate carving originally made on brooches used as clasps for warriors’ cloaks.

Celtic Spirituality-A monastic tradition

In the last fifty years both Celtic and Benedictine traditions have become familiar and important in our lives. Both traditions are essentially monastic. Patrick Barry who used to be an abbot of Ampleforth wrote that we should never forget that it was through monastic Christianity that Great Britain was converted. We can only see Celtic Christianity in its true perspective if it is put in its monastic context.

There was a profound connection between the Celtic monastic communities that grew up in Ireland over these years. They were really monastic cities. At the heart of the monastic city was the founding saint. They were quite different from the orderly communities of Benedictines. The Celtic communities included monks, laymen and women, children and animals. For the monks and nuns the day began with Vigils. Throughout the day they did not separate work and prayer until they rounded off the day with Compline to make the day complete. It was this pattern which shaped the household prayers and the practice of having a prayer to accompany each activity.

Celtic Spirituality is not Creation Spirituality

There is a great deal of mistrust of Celtic Spirituality because people have been caught up in this idea of creation and have even equated Celtic Spirituality with Creation Spirituality. That will not do. A good aphorism might be Celtic Christianity is creation filled but never creation centred. The centre is the cross. At the centre of the cross is the crucified Christ but he is not to be confused with the early medieval view of the suffering Christ with his head on one side and his body contorted. The Celtic Christ is Christus Victor who reigns from the tree. He thus incorporates their idea and experience of the tribal warrior. In the Celtic cross the cross is held in tension with the whole circular world.

Celtic Spirituality-The Sources

A lot of popular writing on the Celtic tradition doesn’t necessarily tell us whether the material they are using comes from the early years; from the monastic sources.

The hermit tradition which is so natural in the desert Fathers is a very strong element in Celtic Christianity. Many people go and live in the desert (that is in deep forests, on islands, rocky cliffs and other isolated places). Here they lived alone in the simplicity of their life and came to be recognised as holy people by their neighbours. There are over seven hundred saints in Wales mostly with unpronounceable names! There is a lot of Hermit poetry. (Cf. handout)

The other source of Celtic material is the oral tradition. There are songs, prayers, blessings, poetry and chants. At the end of the nineteenth century this tradition was collected and preserved. One person who did this was Douglas Hyde, a politician and another was an income tax inspector, Alexander Carmichael (Cf The Carmina Gaedelica).

In addition to poetry there are the lives of the Saints, liturgies and monastic rules. Each monastic community had its own rule.

Celtic Spirituality as a Way of Life

Celtic Spirituality is all about getting up in the morning and realising you are a part of creation and the whole day flowing from that realisation. Household prayers and blessings were said by the Gaelic people from the start of the day. When they woke up and washed for example they might use three cupfuls of water in the name of the Trinity. When a person was fanning the fire back to life this was done rhythmically in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit with the thought that the flame needs nurturing to bring light, warmth and heat into the house and as such is a reflection of God’s love. This action then becomes a prayer of love for the person and her family. (Cf. handout)

These people were true contemplatives. They handled matter and their own physicality with the reverence and respect that is central to the profoundly incarnational and sacramental approach of the monastic tradition.

Another example at the other end of the day would be “I will lie down tonight as one day I will lie in my grave. I will lie down tonight with the three of my love.”

The significance of Celtic Spirituality for us today

The significance of Celtic Christianity is the way it presents us with the totality of the message of creation and the cross, life and death, dark and light. It is a feminine spirituality with its closeness to the earth rather than the elevated heights. It is a spirituality closely bound up with experience.