The Céile Dé Tradition in Europe
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When the message of the Christ reached Celtic lands, and especially the British Isles, some of their inhabitants recognised that this was news they and their ancestors had been waiting for. The multitude of deities in Celtic culture was seen as an expression of the facets of the One nobody could fathom. The Christ had shown that in fact there was a Way to return to the Beloved whose Face is everywhere, a way that brings each one of us back to who we truly are, the Christ consciousness within each human being. Followers of the Christ sought to walk in his footsteps, walking "an Slighe" - The Path to the Divine, within us and beyond. |
Some of these men and women left their home countries and travelled to the European mainland and brought their knowledge and insights with them, their greatest treasure.
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How many hermits settled in the forests of today's Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, France, Italy etc. ? How many chapels, churches or monasteries were founded by these Wanderers of God ?
We know some of their names but there were so many more. Spirituality in Europe was at some point deeply influenced by Celtic Christianity which in turn was rooted in the land and the legends and stories of old. One example is St. Trudpert, who is said to be an Irish monk who settled in Italy and the Southern part of Germany in the land of the Alamans called Breisgau. He received a gift of land and built a hermitage and a chapel. Today there is still a well on the spot where he was killed. |
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The message of the Christ that these wandering monks and nuns brought with them was a simple one, and has been preserved in several forms One of these is the Path of the Céili Dé, the Companions of God. |
