[taken from an old Usenet post]
| I have a question-- Does anyone want to practice Celtic spirituality in
| a historically correct manner and not in a 20 or 21st century context?
Would you please explain to me what "practicing spirituality" means to you, in either of these manners or contexts?
Does being generous, being brave, being loyal, or loving beauty and truth, somehow depend upon wearing robes or titles, or upon conducting rituals in any particular language? Are any of these values conditional upon the date?
Generous the kings, giving gifts of gold
To the bards most eloquent, to the heroes bold;
Generous the poor, giving their few dimes
To the weak and suffering of the modern times.
Brave the warlike clan, fighting mighty foes -*-
For the praise of mortal folk and the gods above;
Brave the working man, every day he goes
Into mine or factory, risking life for love.Loyal the old priest, never would renounce
Faith of ancient ancestors, lonely did he fare;
Loyal the bank clerk, keeping his accounts,
Wealth of all his customers safe within his care.Beautiful the maid, Celtic born and bred,
White of skin and bright of eye, with her hair unbound;
Beautiful all maids, black or brown or red,
Never was there limit to where beauty may be found.Truthful was the bard, singing in the age
When invaders' law said truth and song were deadly crimes;
Truthful is the scribe, risking power's rage
To expose political corruption in the Times.
I wrote this just now, just for you. Have I made my point? Living up to the virtues embodied in the heroes and heroines of legend has nothing to do with dressing up in costume or any other form of escapism -- and it even seems to me that escapism tends to distract from living up to them.
Put another way, "spirituality" has to do with the spirit, not the body, not trinkets and baubles, not New Age crystals, not pentagram jewelry, not riches, not power, not any other triviality of the world and time.
The Truth *AGAINST* the World, despite all the bribes and threats it offers!
Take it from another Celt, the humble hoddin-grey bard beloved of Scotland:
"A prince can mak a belted knight, a marquis, duke, an' a' that;
But an honest man's aboon his might -- gud faith, he manna fa' that!"
No king, no president, no priest, no club, no-one but you can do that for you.
____________________
* Here the rhyme-scheme changes from AABB to ABAB, proof this really was composed impromptu, at-the-drop-of-a-hat, without taking the time to review it.