This year, I had the privilege of taking a course from Tom Cashman during his last semester at The Seattle School. The course was Celtic Spirituality, and I take away far more than knowledge of celtic culture and history and the feud between Augustine and Pelagius. What lives with me most is an appreciation for the holy in everything, an understanding of the human necessity for repetition, a reverence for nature, and a willingness to hold the mystery of the Trinity. Tom is a gifted professor, not only instructing students on concepts of celtic spirituality but guiding us through them. Every week the class opened and closed in group liturgical prayers; often we sang together. I will never forget the morning Tom prayed at front of the class, allowing us a peak into his morning ritual, and the peace that filled a room when one man prayed with his entire being.
As part of the course, students were invited to write a prayer inspired in the celtic style, which includes repetition, rhyme, and an emphasis on the Trinity. Below, I share one that I wrote as part of this assignment.
A Prayer for Women
“By a woman and a tree the world first perished.”
I wish, O Son of the living God,
eternal, ancient King,
for reconciliation between the sexes,
that I might answer your calling.
I pray, O Son of the living God,
eternal, ancient King,
for –
I wish –
that –
Mother, Child,
Goose of the Wild,
Keep me from despair,
Hear my prayer.
I pray, O Child of the living God,
eternal, ancient Queen,
for compassion in men’s hearts
that they could view women as clean.
I strive, O Child of the living God,
eternal, ancient Queen,
for a new paradigm, not princess or bitch,
that views women as strong and not mean.
I hope, O Child of the living God,
eternal, ancient Queen,
for society to know women have worth
after their children are weaned,
or at least after the age of eighteen.
I long, O Child of the living God,
eternal, ancient Queen,
for rest within the body that is me,
that I may be serene.