Tags
For most of my life I have considered myself to be English, as that was the country of my birth, however in recent times I have felt a greater affinity with my Scottish heritage. My mother was born in Scotland and my paternal grandfather comes from a long line of Scots. But perhaps the greatest connection that I feel is when I have connected with Celtic spirituality, particularly as expressed through a Christian lens. It is then that I feel drawn most strongly to that part of Great Britain.
We were fortunate to visit Scotland when we were first married. We had a chance to visit some of the major cities and to drive up to the lochs and the highlands. Unfortunately we didn’t get to the islands off the west coast which is considered the spiritual home of the Celts, but I have read many accounts of it. As we explored Scotland we considered it to be less colourful than the countryside in the northern half of England but the highlands had a haunting beauty about them that made them seem timeless. And the spiritual practices also seemed to stretch back further in time than modern history.
I can see in my reading of Celtic spirituality that it has been forged through the harsh landscape, through relatively long periods of time and through an absence of clearly marked structures such as buildings and clerical hierarchy.
The parts of Celtic spirituality that I have warmed to are its connection with the land and its communal nature. For me, spirituality must be well grounded in the place I live and should have some basic rituals or practices. These can be as simple as marking certain days or events, or they can mark seasons of life.
Secondly I want my spirituality to not just be a solitary pursuit but open to all, preferably without hierarchy. All of us can share our unique contribution to community and to spiritual life.
I am pleased to call myself an Australian, and to honour the timelessness of this land, its people and their ancient journey but I am also pleased to remember where my own individual journey came from as well.
This piece is in response to Recovering our personal deity-storyline. I was encouraged to look for threads of my own heritage in my current expression of self and faith.