THE DIVINE FEMININE IN CELTIC CHRISTIANITY
THE DIVINE FEMININE IN CELTIC CHRISTIANITY
THE DIVINE FEMININE IN CELTIC CHRISTIANITY
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<strong>THE</strong> <strong>DIV<strong>IN</strong>E</strong> <strong>FEM<strong>IN</strong><strong>IN</strong>E</strong><br />
<strong>IN</strong> <strong>CELTIC</strong> CHRISTIANI TY<br />
MARCH 23, 2012 – UUCF REVIVAL<br />
“Nothing living or truly creative happens through seed-giving man that<br />
does not have its completion in the nurturing womb of the feminine.”<br />
~ Noel Dermot O’Donoghue<br />
Brigit is my comrade-woman,<br />
Brigit is my maker of song,<br />
Brigit is my helping-woman,<br />
My choicest of women, my guide.<br />
~ Carmina Gadelica<br />
From the Perpetual Celtic Calendar (2011) by Cynthia Matyi & Dolores Whelan
SUGGESTED READ<strong>IN</strong>G<br />
Alexander Carmichael, Carmina Gadelica: Hymns & Incantations (Edinburgh: Floris<br />
Books, 1994). Prayers, charms, rituals, and stories collected in the Highlands<br />
and Islands of Scotland in the late 19 th century, preserving a folk spirituality<br />
that is rich with appreciation of the feminine.<br />
Esther de Waal, The Celtic Way of Prayer: The Recovery of the Religious Imagination<br />
(New York: Image Books, 1997). Solid introduction to the richness of the<br />
symbolic life found in Celtic Christianity.<br />
Peter Berresford Ellis, Celtic Women: Women in Celtic Society and Literature (Grand<br />
Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1995). Broad and deep background on the<br />
active role that women played in early Celtic society, including religious life.<br />
Noel Dermot O’Donoghue, The Mountain Behind the Mountain: Aspects of the Celtic<br />
Tradition (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1993). Almost mystical treatment of the Celtic<br />
Christian path as “the road of a visionary imagination that leads deep into the<br />
heart as love”.<br />
Dolores Whelan, Ever Ancient, Ever New: Celtic Spirituality in the 21 st Century, 2 nd<br />
edition. (Dublin: Original Writing, 2010). Reconsideration of Celtic tradition and<br />
practice in light of the needs of our modern, broken world.<br />
TODAY’S WORKSHOP LEADER<br />
Sue Mosher (sue@turtleflock.com) is a deacon and wedding celebrant at Universalist<br />
National Memorial Church (http://www.universalist.org) in Washington, DC, and also<br />
is associated with the Céile Dé order, a living Celtic contemplative tradition based in<br />
Scotland. Sue is a trained labyrinth facilitator and a graduate of the Shalem Institute’s<br />
18-month training program on Leading Contemplative Prayer Groups and Retreats.<br />
She has guided pilgrimages and labyrinth walks at Washington National Cathedral<br />
and other venues in the DC metro area. Her web site at http://www.placekeepers.net<br />
focuses on the sacred relationship between people and place.
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