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A Celtic Blessing
by
Graham Maxey
I
went to the Scottish Festival in Arlington this last weekend. I did not know before that it is an
event on a circuit of Celtic festivals (about 40 per year) that are held all
over the United States. It was a
lot of fun. People who probably
have never been east of Texarkana were wearing kilts and playing bagpipes. Some carried big broadswords around,
which was rather disquieting.
The
highlight for me was finding a book by an Irish author, John O’Donohue, Anam
Cara, which means “Soul
Friend.” The subtitle is
“A Book of Celtic Wisdom.”
The Celts were a diverse group
of people inhabiting central and western Europe from roughly the second
millennium BCE until they were supplanted by the Angles, Saxons, Tutons, and
Romans. John O’Donohue has
this to say about them:
A Blessing
May the light of your soul guide you.
May
the light of your soul bless the work you do with the
secret
love and warmth of you heart.
May
you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul.
May
the sacredness of you work bring healing, light, and
renewal
to those who work with you and to those who see
and
receive your work.
May
you work never weary you.
May
it release within you wellsprings of refreshments,
inspirations,
and excitement.
May
you be present in what you do.
May
you never become lost in the bland absences.
May
the day never burden.
May
the dawn find you awake and alert, approaching your
new
day with dreams, possibilities, and promises.
May
the evening find you gracious and fulfilled.
May
you go into the night blessed, sheltered, and protected.
May
your soul calm, console, and renew you.
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