Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul: Celtic Wisdom for Reawakening to What Our Souls Know and Healing the World

Excellent book! Not some airy fairy aentimental book about Celtic spirituality but a solid and approach to living the spirituality in our current age. History, and biographical information about inspirational individuals who seemed to be born to give us examples of how to love and respect the sanctity of this earth and all creation. I have strongly suggested this book to the Celtic Christians and Celtic Pagans I know, as well as to any who choose to live consciously respecting this natural world. Cáit Finnegan

J Philip Newell brings Celtic Christianity to the 21st-century. His insights on each of the people that he lifts up can give us hope that in a wisdom tradition that grew from the Druids and morphed into the Christian faith allows us to understand the universality of our humanity. Highly recommend this fabulous book.

Wonderfully written and important for our suffering world. Wisdom that can be applied to and supported by all faiths. I will reread!

This is a book to read slowly, to digest parts before moving on to the next section. The journey the book takes you on is an important one and will be individual to each reader. It is well researched and is split into large concepts to help us focus. There are suggested meditations at the end of each chapter.

Incredible, inspiring book!

I hated to see this book end and reread many chapters several times. Who knew what opportunities for change the church passed up when it settled on its current dogma. There is possibilities and hope in this book from many generations before us available to us today.

I have read all of Newell's books, some more than once, but this is his best. I have read most of the books in print on Celtic Christianity, Celtic Spirituality, and a lot about PreChristian Celtic religion. This is, in my thinking, the best single volume explaining the belief system of one who would define himself/herself as a Celtic Christian today. Being a Celtic Christian involves not only having a God awakening, but also having a Nature awakening.( We are indeed made of Earth and God) Both are essential. I think Newell does a fine job revealing this as the heart, or maybe Soul of the matter. Though 8 personalities, from the 2nd century up to contemporary times, he shows how these two sides of the same coin have defined the Celtic faith. His Chapter on Brigit is beautifully written. It's like he knows her- and, I suspect he does! I hope in his next book, he talkes more about the preChristian nature based religion of the Celts. This, to me, is the Celtic Old Testament. It's the basis for all that follows. It's wisdom is assumed by all who follow. Also more needs to be said about how to have/come to a Nature awakening. Writer Bill Plotkin writes eloquently about this in his books. I would like to see Newell do the same. I hope I've made the point that for me this is a beautifully written, much needed apologetic of the Celtic Christian faith. I hope everybody in America will read this book; we desparately need it!

My heart was stirred more deeply with every new chapter I read. Newell has his finger clearly on the heartbeat of the Divine. Time and again as I read I found resonance with my inner voice. His words and insight struck a deep resonant chord within the heart of my soul. This is a book you will read and read again for the multifaceted nougats of truth. Thank you John Philip Newell!

By the time you see this review you will have a read through all of the acclamations that this book has received by more Noble writers than I. As a retired clergyman from a very conservative imperial Christianity-Anglicanism I found this book to be remarkable and exciting. Dr. Newell Gives us a wonderful overview of the development and presence of Celtic spirituality, and how it is a reflection in today’s world of the early understanding of Christianity which developed in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. The book has inspired me to re-develop my own connection to my Celtic roots in Ireland and Wales and Scotland, and to be proud of them and to practice them. In Canada, we are awakening to the importance of indigenous culture and spirituality. First nations spirituality resonates well with Celtic spirituality. It is a legitimate way to be holistic, and to be spiritual and not religious, as well as connecting to the indigenous people around us in a way that is supportive of the earth, its life and its beauty. I found the book to be inspirational! If you want a fresh start with hope and energy, I encourage you to read this book.

If you wish to journey along the path of Celtic Christianity this book feels so True. For me, it has definitely opened up a new way to being Christian that avoids dogma and imperial churches and embraces all creation as an expression of the Trinity. Moreover, it is a poetic call to treat all creatures not as instruments but as beings to be loved as expressions of God. Add the voice of the Scottish narrator, and Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul also becomes deeply meditative as well as enlivening. I thoroughly recommend it.

Quite interesting book

Awakening, for some of us, about what the journey of life is all about! Worth every moment of the read. At times seemed laborious and tedious but that was necessary to gain rhythm and understanding of the ways in which our ancient sisters and brother intuitively understood of the energy of all being. Thank you Philip.

A book everyone should read.