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I drafted most of these notes in Vienna Airport as I waited for my return flight to
Birmingham after attending an 8-day Silent Retreat at Die Quelle, the International
Satsang Association Sadhana Ashram ( see www.international-satsang.org ) . The
Retreat was led by Sister Ishpriya
It seemed important at the time to record these in order that I might not lose their
‘immediacy’ They contain some further reflections on my recent Silent Retreat and their
message was a re-affirming of my roots in Celtic Spirituality and a confirmation that they
complemented the thread of my experiences during the Retreat.
Numbers and numerology have held a fascination for people of all cultures and
throughout time. The study of numbers and mathematics is very often given ‘pride of
place’, both in the modern world and in many ancient cultures. In education, and
particularly in the West, there has been an emphasis on the 3 R’s of Reading, wRiting
and aRithmetic.
Perhaps this fascination with numbers and mathematics is because they are linked to
nature and the cosmos. We do know that the study of numbers is seen by many as
being complex, intricate and indeterminate and that mathematics acknowledges the
concept of infinity. Thus it speaks of, and perhaps mirrors, man’s sense that the Reality
or Source is Infinite, Intricate and Indeterminate.
Now there are FOUR great P’s that lie at the heart of Celtic Spirituality. These underpin
the whole Celtic approach to God, Ultimate Reality. They could be termed ‘the great P’s
because they introduce a word which is also a concept that begins with the letter P.
However, one of these four P’s is central and the other three are merely doors that lead
into this central P. Therefore the first P of Celtic Spirituality is PRESENCE, hereafter
written as Presence. During the Silent Retreat my reflections repeatedly came back to
this sense of Presence in the silence. I also began to make contact with the other 3
elements of my roots in Celtic Spirituality. So in one sense my reflections led me back
full circle to my youth. The difference was that I now returned as an adult, with some
experience of the journey. I will begin with Presence and then look at the other three in
turn
Presence :- In Creation
PRESENCE
The central and all encompassing and embracing P of Celtic Spirituality is ‘Presence’.
This envelops and enfolds all. This Presence is the Transcendent and Immanent Source
of all that is, or could possibly be. But what can help to touch this Presence? Well there
are ‘so many ways’, and different Traditions recommend or emphasise different paths or
doors that help us access this Presence. Like many other cultures, the Celts were
mainly people of the land; they did not live in great cities but in the countryside. They
also had a great sense of Community and of the equality of all, young and old, male or
female. Therefore they developed a very ‘green’ or environmentally aware spirituality.
This was a Spirituality that was very much in touch with nature, with rural life and with
the sense of both the transcendent and immanent presence of God. For Celts there
developed three special ways of expressing and living out the truths of this Presence
and each of these begin with the letter P. All three are equally important.
PILGRIMAGE
For me, the importance of Pilgrimage is that it remains a constant reminder of the truth
of my body-psyche existence. My pilgrimage is back to the Source and on that
pilgrimage I will face many experiences, some life giving and others not. My choices
play a big part in this. Do they lead me towards a greater sense of awareness of and
relationship with Presence or not? I look at my time on Silent Retreat at Die Quelle as a
place and time where I could rest and reflect and be more aware of the Presence within
and all around me. Like countless others pilgrims, I find that the combination of the
outward physical journey ( on Retreat) and external peace and solitude of nature and
place, play a vital part in helping me orientate myself and resume the pilgrimage with
more awareness and attention. In this, I realise the importance o place on the pilgrimage
and this leads me on to the next great P of Celtic Spirituality.
PLACE Now any pilgrimage involves going from a start point to an end point or
destination. There may be many stops in between and these may or may not involve
detours or important ‘turning points’ on the journey. So pilgrims are encouraged to be
aware of the territory they are currently travelling through. Also, it is often very advisable
to stop and to examine the ‘Place’ you are currently in. For Celts, certain places had
particular spiritual significance. These were often referred to as ‘thin places’, that is
places where the veil between the Presence and the person seemed thin and less
impenetrable. This idea that there is a ‘veil’ between us and the Absolute is not unique
to the Celts. Many of the other traditions share it. I am reminded of the following lines of
the Isa Upanishad, when the author, almost in a desperate plea to the Source whom he
seeks, writes
PRAYER Now the concept of Prayer has a ‘bad press’ in the Western World.
Traditionally it is seen as an exercise done at certain times and in certain places and
with certain ritual elements. It is also mainly seen as a one-sided conversation. I (the
prayer) decide the time and place, sit or kneel down and begin ‘ to talk to God’ and I
expect God to listen ! When I was younger I learned a series of ‘formal words’, called
prayers, which I said to God. I usually did this in the morning and evening and in
Church. All this could tend to regulate ‘prayer’ to the sidelines of my life. Thankfully, I
had an interest in Celtic History and a supportive mother and grandmother. Thus I
became aware of the ancient Celtic idea of prayer and how they saw everything in
relationship to (God) Presence. Whether this was the environment, animals, plants,
peoples etc.
In the words of a pop song of the late 1980s, for Celts ‘Everything I do, I do it for YOU
‘
When I began the Silent Retreat at Die Quelle I was not aware of how the themes which
I would draw out from Sr Ishpriya’s conferences would begin to lead me inextricably
back to my roots. But that is what did happen. Our original roots often turn out to be the
deepest and surest. They are formed when we are young and full of hope, imagination
and innocence and thus more open to authenticity. Perhaps I should not be so surprised
by this.
Both before during and after the Retreat I have found myself ‘drawn’ to the teachings of
Jesus on ‘The Kingdom’. Two of these great sayings of Jesus the Christ concerning the
‘Kingdom’ have been resonating within me. The first is ‘The Kingdom of God is within
you’ and the second is as follows ‘ Unless you become like a child, you will not
enter ( or inherit) the Kingdom’ .
Or as the Hindu Kena Upanishad puts it ‘he is unknown to the learned and known to
the simple.’ So often Christians have focused on building the outer Kingdom and this
is so often seen as building up ‘the Church’ It seems to me that Jesus is indicating that it
is the inner Kingdom that requires attention and that we need to approach it with the
faith and trust of a child..
So, as I reflect on my Retreat and on these words of Jesus, I can see that it is the
journey within that is the most important. This is a journey into the Silent Land. This
understanding is challenging. It requires humility and courage to trust like a child.
However, perhaps it is only if we make this in faith, hope and trust like a child, only then
will we really find the ‘kingdom’ within. So the Journey continues! In conclusion, I offer
the following Celtic Prayer about our constant need for awareness of Presence.
Of the eye
That Beholds me
The Hand
That Holds me
The Heart
That Loves me
The Presence
That enfolds me
Amen
Peter Creagh