Celtic Spirituality Rev Dr Stephen Skuce Academic Dean

Celtic Spirituality Rev Dr Stephen Skuce Academic Dean, Cliff College s. skuce@cliffcollege. ac. uk

n Non dualistic

Life as pilgrimage

Prayer 1 2 3 4 Imagination Lorica or breastplate Blessing Caim or circling

I bind unto myself this day, The strong name of the Trinity, By invocation of the same, The Three in One and One in Three. n Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. n Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in the hearts of all that love me, Christ in the mouth of friend and stranger. - From the Lorica of St. Patrick n

Saints, angels and unseen world n Humanity showing God’s glory n

Life as struggle to overcome sin n

n Penitentials n Power Encounters

n Spiritual disciplines 1 memorise scripture

2 worship via 5 senses See B Spinks The Worship Mall (London: SPCK, 2010) pp 159 -182

Soul Friend ‘Anamchara’ 3

4 Scholarship

n Monastic tradition Skellig Michael

n Positive view of others and their faith My Druid is Christ, the son of God, Christ, Son of Mary, the Great Abbot, The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. St. Columba n Creation awareness

Trinity

Thin Places

n Worship as life I would like to have the men of Heaven in my own house: With vats of good cheer laid out for them. I would like to have three Marys, their fame is so great. I would like people from every corner of Heaven. I would like them to be cheerful in their drinking, I would like to have Jesus too here amongst them. I would like a great lake of beer for the King of Kings, I would like to be watching Heaven's family, drinking it through all eternity. attributed to St. Brigid

n Solitary life a) Desert places ie Skellig Michael Martyrdom b) a) b) c) Red Green White

n Celtic Cross

Bibliography n n Tracy Blazer Thin Places (Abiline, TX: Leafwood, 2007) David James The Celtic Tradition (Cardiff: St David’s Press, 2007) Thomas O’Loughlin Journeys on the Edges: The Celtic Tradition (London: DLT, 2000) Ray Simpson Celtic Spirituality (Grove, 2003) http: //www. northumbriacommunity. org/ http: //www. iona. org. uk/