Seven Signs of Celtic Wisdom

I’ve been reading Edward Sellner’s lovely book Wisdom of the Celtic Saints. In it he describes seven characteristics of Celtic Christian Spirituality. Of course, while this list may be an insight to what is distinctive about Celtic wisdom, I think it’s really universal in its application: here are seven characteristics of the spiritual life that all of us might profitably emulate, regardless of whether we have any sort of affinity to the saints of the Celtic lands.

  1. Love of, and respect for, nature
  2. Love of learning
  3. Yearning to explore the unknown (pilgrimage, wanderlust)
  4. Love of silence and solitude
  5. Understanding of time as a sacred reality blessed and already redeemed by God’s overflowing compassion
  6. Appreciation of ordinary life (encountering God in the here and now)
  7. Belief in the value of kinship relationships, especially the spiritual ties of soul friends