Romance in Ireland

In ancient times, before the church, couples were wed outdoors in front of a king at a site of some spiritual significance. Large trysting stones were part of the ceremony, at least one was on Cape Clear, an island off the southern coast of Ireland. On this island native Gaelic is spoken. A five thousand year old passage grave can be found along with a 12th century church ruin, and a 14th century castle. St. Ciarán, one of Ireland's earliest Christian fathers, is the patron saint of the island. This island is on my list for my next visit to Ireland.

There is a standing stone on the island with a hole right through it. Apparently a man and woman would stand on each side, stick their arms through, and hold hands while declaring their intention to marry or the actual marriage ceremony in front of the king would be conducted there. How sweet is that?

Contemplative Prayer

In light of the previous discussion here on Celtic Voices, I thought it might be good to look at contemplative prayer. Contemplative prayer is not so complicated as it might seem. It's simply being in relationship with God, being present, being open to hear God's voice. The Celts sometimes called this centering prayer. The early Celtic Christians were influenced by the Desert Fathers. A 4th century monk named John Cassian introduced the eastern monastic practices to the western world.

Psalm 119: 9-16 NIV
How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
   By living according to your word.
 I seek you with all my heart;
   do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
   that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, LORD;
   teach me your decrees.
With my lips I recount
   all the laws that come from your mouth.
 I rejoice in following your statutes
   as one rejoices in great riches.
 I meditate on your precepts
   and consider your ways.
I delight in your decrees;
   I will not neglect your word.

This is a passage I'm contemplating right now. The psalmist probably wasn't reading his Bible all day. There weren't any Bibles back then. People had to memorize what little scripture they knew, and they sought God through prayer and contemplation. We are fortunate to have Bibles today, but I wonder, am I memorizing and contemplating less because I have a Bible at my fingertips? Am I thinking about who God is and trying to seek Him, less?

Just some food for thought!

The Contemplative Life

Much of what Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, had to say is very Celtic in nature. I will just leave you with this snippet. Let me know what you think. I'd love some comments!

Ollam

An ollam is a highly respected poet in the order of Irish druids. Ollam is the highest of seven ranks of the filid (traditional order of poets.)

To become an ollam poet, one had to study for many years, and all learning was auditory, nothing was written down. An ollam was the master of 350 oral tales, not counting those he or she created. An ollam could work a spell that unlocked understanding, had the poetic ability to prophesy, and could improvise in verse.

An ollam was equal in rank to many kings and bishops and traveled with with a retinue. But because he was so honored in the ancient Irish culture, he was protected just by his use of satire, which folks, even kings, feared.

An ollam also held the knowledge of genealogy, which was very valuable since family trees and birthrights were not written down. As a result, ollams were usually needed at a new king's inauguration, where he would not only recite the genealogy, but also tales of praise for the new king.

Ollams existed in Ireland until the end of the sixteenth century and as you can imagine, their influence was political and widespread. In earlier times these filids (not sure if that's the plural form) had so much power that they were becoming a nuisance. With their great traveling band they could approach anyone and demand food and lodging with the threat of satire if they were not catered to. This became a great burden to the minor kings who did not hold great wealth, but who were obligated to host the filid and his party for as long as the filid wanted. The filid were about to be banned when St. Columba (a poet as well) temporarily put aside his banishment to Iona and came to Ireland to argue on their behalf. As a result these poets were not banned, but operated from then on within boundaries.

This stirs up all kinds of fiction ideas in my head! :)