It’s March, and that means St. Patrick’s Day is just a few days away!
This year, instead of (or, in addition to) enjoying a pint of green beer, why don’t you observe St. Patrick’s Day by enrolling in a Celtic spirituality e-course through Spirituality and Practice?
These courses are available “on demand” — which means you can sign up, and receive the course materials via e-mail at your convenience. Each course includes a dozen “lessons” that cover informative material about Celtic spirituality, along with meditation prompts and exercises that can help you to more fully integrate the wisdom of the Celts into your own spiritual life.
These courses also make great gifts.
There are two Celtic courses to choose from. The first is a general introduction to Celtic spirituality:
- Celtic Spirituality: At the Edge of Mystery — Shrouded in legend and imbued with romance, the Celtic lands such as Ireland, Scotland, and Wales have produced a surprising number of saints and spiritual guides, both ancient and contemporary. From the mythic stories of goddesses and heroes, to the holistic mysticism of the earliest Celtic Christians, to the wisdom of modern visionaries, Celtic spirituality has ancient roots yet remains deeply relevant for our time. Celtic wisdom and poetry encourages us to recognize the holy all around us, honors and protects the sacred earth, gives inspiration to free our creative voice, and presents a holistic path that links the quest for holiness with an embodied sense of Divine love. Here is an opportunity to drink from the holy wells of ancient myths and folklore and discover how the blessings of this venerable wisdom tradition can bring us meaning, purpose, and guidance today. To register for this course or to give it as a gift, click here.
The second course explores two particularly beautiful dimensions of Celtic wisdom: poetry and prayer. It works as a sequel to the first course, but also stands alone, so you can take this one first if you choose:
- Poetry and Prayer of the Celtic Tradition — The traditional Celtic people of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales wove prayers, blessings, poems, and songs into every aspect of their daily lives — using the power of language to blend a rich spirituality of presence and wisdom into the very fabric of their being. Many of these poetic invocations and charming poems were collected by folklorist Alexander Carmichael over 100 years ago and preserved in the book Carmina Gadelica — the “Charms of the Gaels.” During our journey into this ancient text of mystical wisdom, we will explore some of the most beautiful and inspiring poetry and prayers from the Carmina Gadelica and reflect on how this ancient Celtic lore can bring light and wisdom to our spiritual lives today. To register for this course or to give it as a gift, click here.
And while we’re at it, I may as well mention a third course I taught through Spirituality and Practice — it’s not a specifically “Celtic” course, but is more expansive/interspiritual in scope:
- Promises of the Heart — “Follow your heart.” It’s a classic phrase of advice and encouragement, for we know that true wisdom is not just a matter of thinking logical thoughts. It emerges most assuredly from the intuition and insight that only our hearts provide. But what does it really mean to “follow your heart,” and how can the wisdom of the heart truly make a difference in our day-to-day lives? Fortunately, each of the world’s great spiritual traditions has much to say about the blessings of the heart — and the gifts awaiting each of us, deep within. For example, Ecclesiastes says God has put olam (as in tikkun olam — repairing the world) in the human heart. The word olam means timelessness, eternity, the cosmos, the world. We all carry eternity in our hearts! This all-new e-course celebrates the wisdom of the heart by drawing from sources like The Heart Sutra in Buddhism, the poetry of Rumi from the Sufi Muslim tradition, the writings of Christian mystics like Julian of Norwich, and The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, a Hindu sage. All over the world, great teachers have revealed the promises of the heart — promises we can weave into our own spiritual practice to embody a more joyful and conscious life. To register for this course or to give it as a gift, click here.
If one of these looks inviting to you, I hope you’ll check it out!
Featured Photo: “Ring of Kerry” by Nils Nedel on Unsplash