Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Reflections On
Celtic Spirituality
Part Three
Prayer and Protection
An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality 2
Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armour of God
so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle
is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, the
powers of this dark world and the forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore, put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes,
you may be able to stand your ground. ..
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the
breastplate of righteousness in place and with your feet fitted with the
readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.In addition to all this, take up
the shield of faith which can extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God. And pray in the Spirit at all occasions with all kinds of prayers and
requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the
saints’
Ephesians 6 : 10-18
I arise today,
Through the strength of Heaven:
Light of Sun, radiance of Moon, splendour of Fire,
Speed of Lightning, swiftness of Wind, depth of the Sea,
Stability of Earth, firmness of Rock.
I arise today
NOTE
Parts one and two of this series on Celtic Spirituality explored how the Celts
retained a strong sense of Presence (Part 1) within and around all. How the
earth, the Cosmos and all that exists, lives and breathes ‘groans in eager
excitement, expectancy and awe at the Presence of God . This indwells
and enfolds all and therefore people and places are holy. Everything is
touched by the Glory and Beauty of God and the sense that certain places
assist us in feeling the ‘Presence’ more keenly, this was referred to as ‘Thin
Places’ ( Part 2).
These notes (Part 3) revisit further aspects of the Indwelling Presence, which
along with the sense and experience of God’s Protection form the twin pillars
of Celtic Spirituality. It will look briefly at Pre-Christian Celtic culture and
compare it with our own scientific/rational culture and the then prevalent
Greco/Roman culture. It will also explore how the Celtic ‘sense’ of the all
encompassing Presence is lived out in the richness of prayer and also the
wonder of the Celtic CAIM , often referred to as a Lorica or Breastplate.
But first let us reflect and share on our Journey to date and particularly on
Session 2 – Those Thin Places.
The twin pillars of Celtic Spirituality are the awareness of the Power of
Presence and Protection. To understand more of this and also some of the
main differences between Celtic and main-stream Western Christianity, it is
helpful to reflect on some of the differences between pre-Christian Celtic
civilisation and that of the Greco/Roman civilisations.
The Celts were a rural, de-centralised people. For example, there were no
large settlements, or even small villages in Ireland until about the 6th or 7th
century. In fact, it was the Danes and Vikings who founded the first really
large settlements ( e.g Dublin, Wexford and Limerick)The Celts were a
loosely knit society of clans and tribes, whose people owed their allegiance
through their Chief and through him or her to a High Chief of High King.
Unlike the Roman model of absolute power, the Celts were more communal,
whose land, possessions, property etc were either shared out directly or held
in trust and used wisely by the chief and the ruling classes of Druids, bards
and chieftains. All had a duty of care to each other and to the clan. This
cultural bias was part of their spiritual belief and therefore God (often Gods
in groups of Three – a Sacred number) was seen as a caring High Chief or
Kingly Father or Parent. This was not too dissimilar to the Yahweh of the
Jews, but with a less prominent emphasis on the masculine and a culture of
acceptance of the femininity of God.
With all these elements, Celts had a vibrant prayer life. They rarely prayed in
the ‘Vocative Mode’ i.e. directly asking for temporal favours. No, Celts prayed
indirectly and with a deep Faith for blessings and protection from the eternal
struggle between Light and Darkness. Their God was a High Chief or King
and therefore a loving, caring, parental and protecting God. Also, because of
their communal life and belief in the thin connection with after-life, they
believed that all are surrounded by, and in community with, the vast angelic
and saintly host and therefore the power of God and of Light is Infinite !
They had many prayers invoking protection, prayers for all seasons, times
and occasions. A famous one is the following ancient Irish Prayer – God be
With Me. This is an ancient Irish prayer which , although it was written in
the 9th Century, is connected with Saint Colmcille and his teachings.
Now, Colmcille ( Irish for Dove of the Church) was one of the trinity of
famous Irish saints – Patrick, Brigid and Colmcille. He is known in Scotland
as Saint Columba and is credited with bringing Christianity to Scotland. He
founded the famous monastery on Iona.It was from Iona that Columba send
his disciples out across Scotland and it was his monks who founded
Lindisfarne and brought Christianity to Northern England.
Readers and participants could find it helpful to read it slowly and then
reflect on its words. These demonstrate the height, the depth, the length and
the breath of its deep and Godly Faith.
GOD BE WITH ME
Every good saint who suffered on the face of the earth below,
Every pious disciple who believed in Christ.
Every tongue without fail upon which grace has been bestowed,
Every heart throughout the world who never covenants treachery.
This simple but deeply spiritual prayer from an anonymous monk clearly
expounds the richness, depth and profoundness of Celtic Prayer and Faith
( Readers and Participants may wish to pause for silent Reflection)
Arguably, Western Christianity (both pre and post Reformation) has stressed
the Transcendence of God. This a God who is seen as somehow a being who
is ‘up there ‘. Considered to be like a King on His throne in Heaven and
this ‘place’ ( often called heaven) where God dwells, is depicted as
somewhere ‘up in the clouds’. In other words , other worldly and removed
from mere humans.
Celts lived their lives in the ‘presence’ of the Presence’, who is God. This can
be seen in the day-to day prayers which filled their life. God was both up
there and present in all things and at all occasions. So we have many
examples of everyday prayers on awakening, on lighting the fire, on eating,
on working, on smooring the fire and on going to sleep. There were prayers
about tasks, rooms in the house for travel, for every main event in life. There
are many, but the following two examples are given.
2. WELSH PRAYER
Father ,You are always more ready to hear than we are to either listen or
pray. And to give us more than we desire.
Jesus, You are more ready to heal than we are to be healed and to forgive
than we are prepared to forgive others and to be forgiven.
Spirit, You are more ready to intercede for us than we are ready to intercede
for ourselves or others.
Forgive us, Father, Son and Spirit – for our lack of faith. AMEN
( Adapted from Welsh Celtic Prayer)
So for Celts there was ‘no between’ , no gap, no separation between God
and them (Mother Julian of Norwich expressed this almost 10 centuries
later). There was ‘no between’ God and their experience of life, nor between
life and death. They were a people confident in their understanding that they
were surrounded by angelic powers and a saintly host. Goodly Powers that
helped in the fight and the struggle against evil powers. It was a sense of
Light against Darkness, Good versus Evil. But above, beyond and around all
were the Trinity of Father-Son and Spirit.
This brings us to the ‘power of the Caim’. This was, and is, a way of prayer
that Celts carried with them. It involved the Celtic cross and all the elements
of Good. This will be outlined in a moment and then we will prepare for a
personal experience of the CAIM.
If you read and reflect many Celtic poems and prayers you can clearly see
the strong comparison between Celtic, Hindu and Buddhist concepts.. For
example, read Amergin’s famous poem ( see Part 1) and it has echoes of
some of the passages from the Hindu Upanishads and the Buddhist Sutras.
So this ‘Presence’ is in and all around us. Another great connection is the
position of the Druids. These were wise and holy men and women who were
much like the Sannyasis and Sadhus of Hinduism.
The second point is the Celtic sense of the ‘circle of life’. This involved both
this earthly life, where we live out our experiences through the body-psyche
and the next life, or life after death, where we live in the spiritual realm. Pre-
Christian Celts believed in an afterlife and had a strong sense of its
importance. In fact, for them the afterlife was a better place to be than the
present life in this world. This gave them a strong sense of the connection
between life and death. Death led to new life and life was a form of death, so
the cycle went on.
Unlike the Eastern Traditions, they did not believe in re-incarnation but in a
connection between the twin worlds of this world and the next world. The
advent of Christianity, with a Master (Jesus the Christ) whose selfless and
voluntary death brought liberation and life to us in this world made great
sense to the Celts. In addition, He (The Master) had gone before them into
the afterlife world and therefore was present as a great protector. These
truths of the Christian Faith echoed much of what pre-Christian Celts
believed.
The third and final point is the Celtic sense of Presence and Protection. This
was allied to their understanding of the constant struggle between the
powers of Light and Darkness, Good and Evil, Life and Death. Christ was, for
them, a liberator who had conquered evil and saved a basically good people
from the powers of evil. So therefore, the Cross and Light, often signified by
fire, were strong symbols of protection. In addition, because of their belief in
the connection between this world and the next, their was a sense of being
in communion with the saints and angels who had gone before into the
afterlife.
The Caim is an ancient symbolic ritual that calls down the power of God’s
protection. It is almost certainly pre-Christian. It involves drawing a circle,
normally with the index finger of the right hand, around yourself and what
and who it is you want to protect. Until relatively recently, in the Hebrides,
new-born babies were passed around the fire (a sign of the Light of Christ) in
a circle. This was to bless and protect them from the powers of darkness and
evil.
In a gathering, the group would sit in a circle, the perfect figure, and each
lights a candle so that a living circle of light is formed. No power of darkness
or doubt can break through this circle of good and therefore prayers of
protection are invoked for all.
FINAL PRAYER
As with all these short notes, each theme is set in the context of both
opening and closing prayer. One of the great gifts of Celtic Spirituality is its
sense of prayer at all times and for al occasions. Celts saw NO distinction
between secular and holy. All was and is holy. Therefore, God, and the sense
of God’s Presence is in and around us at all times and therefore we mark this
with prayers suitable for all times. The following is a typical Celtic prayer
before going to sleep.
I lie down this night with God, and God will lie down with me.
I lie down this night with Christ , and Christ will lie down with me.
I lie down this night with the Spirit , and the Spirit will lie down with
me.
NOTE
Participants spend time sitting in silence , with the trinity of candles lit.
Music plays and as it fades the following prayer is said after which all leave
quietly
O lord we pray
That you will be the Light in our darkness
That we might sleep well this night
And awake tomorrow more aware of your all pervading and enfolding
presence
That we might awake tomorrow and live our lives in confidence And great
joy.
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.
Glory Backhouse,H & Pipe,R ( Eds)( 1987) Revelations of Divine Love – Mother Julian of
Bamford, C & Marsh,WP (1986) Celtic Christianity – Ecology and Holiness, Edinburgh, Floris
Cahill,T (1995) How the Irish Saved Civilization - New York, Doubleday
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
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