I discovered a friend wrote the words and music for this song and every time I would hear this music I would be taken to the hills of Scotland.
It is 3 years ago next month I went to Scotland to visit family before this it had been a 5year stint of not having been to Scotland. It was wonderful that I got to go back to my homeland and catch up with family and see my younger brothers wife for the first time and they had just had their first child a week before we arrived. I also got to meet an old friend and saw all of her clan. There was an added bonus her sister was visiting, she was the one who wrote and arranged the song I so love, what a blessing, to sit in my friend’s kitchen as her sister sang the song to me live, that I love so much.
I have been revisiting the subject of Celtic Christian Spirituality ever since my visit and have created a website with is a Treasury of things I find on the subject of Celtic and contemplative, etc. This is an ongoing study, that I’m adding to this site on a frequent basis for any who are interested. This can me found at the following website: https://markscelticchristianspirituality.com/resources/
The subject of Celtic Christian Spirituality has been a journey that has intrigued me for a number of years. There has been a restoration and re-awaking of the subject and a desire that is being fanned into flame on a regular basis, and it’s a process of discovery that I love, being informed and inspired from new or old sources. to learn from the ancestors of our faith, and trailblazers of the current day.
In tracing our heritage, linage, and ancestry, it is a process of discovery, discovering where it will take you, the thrill of a destination unknown at times. Most of the time this is the case in the journey of life. We have to not be afraid in the uncertainty of the unknown. We have to view and see at times from a different perspective, taking a leap of faith and learning how to fly. We are being allowed to soar, like that eagle in the wind currents, or like the description of the Holy Spirit described as the wind. “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” John 3: 8 of the bible.
At times I give a taste of my ongoing writing project, in my Blog, of Tobar’s journey and search for significance, writing is fun and daunting, but gives a good description of the unfolding of my book and writing style. I cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going, elusive like memories, never sure when something will trigger something from your memory banks. Do I want to be blown along by the Spirit, destination unknown?
The Holy Spirit allows the sacred and also the good, bad, and ugly, to resurface. Will I, will you, allow the spiritual director, the Guide to take control of our lives, inspiring and motivating us to go on forward, bring things to our remembrance, so as to enhance our lives.
At times it is a joy, other times so painful the process of the shaping and forming of our lives, ultimately toward being better people. We also have to be patient and persistent remembering a delay is not a denial from God. And to always be remembering how far you’ve come, I’ve come, we have come. Not just focusing on how far we have still to go, but continue in hopeful perseverance.
Inspiration is the key to keep you motivated, start where you are in spirit, the connecting point that motivates and invigorates you to continue, and take that one necessary little strep. It is just getting started that creates the momentum, this applies to any area of life.
Scribble what you know in a note book, speak to a relative, start a search using the web, read a book on the subject, not many people can go to Scotland the land of my roots, for a vacation, retreat, genealogy search, to begin the spiritual or ancestral trail.
The beginning may have to be in the place of research and a little imagination. If you can find the financial means many go to the land of their origin to seek their ancestral roots because of immigration from the UK and Europe, and being scattered around the globe, resulting in descendants from long ago, and far afield.
We long to capture the spirit of our forebears or just get captivated by the Scottish heritage in my case, the culture of poetry, history, music and innovation, those who have shaped the world and our lives without us even knowing.
Scotland the brave Land of my high endeavor, land of the shinning river, land of my heart forever, Scotland the brave.
The next place I would like to visit for inspiration is the Isle of Sky, to make me feel mare (more) at hame (home) to visit bonnie (pretty) Scotland to see the Ben = mountain peaks the drizzle = that rain like mist creating that gloomy mist that can last for days, giving some folk that grumpy mood. But without it we would not have the Nevis = the mountains covered by fog, and giving us the dreik = cold damp weather condition, once it has past making us appreciate the sun so much more.
The heather covered hills where men and women from generation to generation have survived on the crofts, with the salmon filled rivers, surviving of the land, barley, wheat. Oats, potatoes and rye, also their faith, and trust in a God that will provide their needs to sustain them. Knowing that man cannot survive on bread alone but by every word from the mouth of God, the word of illumination, a word of God at every season of life, in those life stages. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet a lamp unto my life, the revelation that brought about one of the national flags the saltire or St Andrew’s flag, in a vision or dream.
God is the guide by the Holy Spirits leading, we have to always remind yourself that the Lord is our shepherd and we are the sheep of his fold. Taking comfort of the Trinity’s leading and going ahead of us each step of the way. Showing step by step, stage by stage, process and progress, we like a child, have to trust and put our hand in the Lords. To be obedient to the leading of God, for we have a limited sense of knowledge to know where we are in our life at times and to be honest are just guessing where we have to go next, destination unknown at times.
We need the Guides leading, and the Holy Spirit does at times give us inner pressure, to gently push us forward, and pushing us to our knees to get into a time of intense prayer so as to fulfill the purpose of God. Like a shepherd in the natural driving the sheep to the sheep pen and safety from harm, the Holy Spirit drives us if we are not yielding to God’s desire. Allowing to enter unrest, so we know the resulting peace that surpasses all understanding, a witness of God when we have gone the right way forward in the right direction.
We have to give God time, to lead and guide us to receive the insight for living, by listening too, and experiencing the gentle breeze and a touch of the wind of the Holy Spirit. It’s being sensitive not to miss his moving in your life, we could miss out on so much, of what the sovereign God has planned for our life.
Take a deep breath, and breathe in the possibilities, exhale the negativity and doubts, breath in life, creativity, having a confidence that God is for you, having a confidence in your God who wants your best, desiring the best for you and me from the very beginning of time, we have to dive into the plan, being inspired, and allowing the unfolding of this mystery, a passion, becoming revelation and reality, getting caught in the breeze, blown along by the breeze of the warm spring air, caught in the moment when God gets your attention.
