Every Earthly Blessing
Every Earthly Blessing: Rediscovering the Celtic Tradition
By Esther De Waal
Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 1999
Review by Carl McColman
I’m going to get a bit more personal in this review than I normally do when writing about books. Considering the subject matter — Celtic spirituality — it seems fitting, not only because Celtic wisdom has been so instrumental in my own spiritual life, but because the Celtic tradition honors intimacy and relatedness; in other words, it’s not really a tradition that puts much store in such qualities as “objectivity” or “neutrality.” To write authentically about the Celtic tradition requires being engaged with that tradition. Therefore, I can only review a book like this by sharing with my readers how it speaks to me in a personal and intimate way.
So; there’s a level on which I’m surprised that I’m reviewing this book at all. (more…)
A Tongue that Cannot Lie
According to Scottish legend, when the queen of fair elfland whisked Thomas of Erceldoune away in the 12th century to play his harp and sing for her wild weekend of partying (a weekend that lasted about seven years on this side of the veil!), she was so happy with his service that when she returned him to Scotland, she gave him a gift: a tongue that cannot lie. Of course, a gift like this can also be a curse…
I am reminded of Maggie Kuhn’s immortal command, “Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes.” Telling the truth really is a gift. Maybe not so much when you’re trying to flirt with someone and you don’t want to (immediately) divulge that it’s marriage or sex you’ve got on your mind. But when it comes to talking about what we really think about religion, or authority, or the powerful discontinuities in our own hearts and souls, telling the truth can be revolutionary.
Just be prepared for when the fighting begins.
