Celtic Wisdom: Online

The internationally acclaimed Celtic scholar, John Philip Newell, who now lives in the Park Ecovillage Findhorn, will offer a nine-part teaching series on the lineage of Celtic Wisdom for today based on his award-winning publication Sacred Earth Sacred Soul (Harper Collins).  

The online series, a collaboration between FF3 and Earth & Soul, includes teachings as well as meditative practice and live discussion with John Philip, and focuses on the prophetic wisdom of great Celtic teachers from the 2nd century to today, exploring how this vision of the sacredness of Earth and every human being applies to the enormous challenges of this moment in time.

It is a lineage of wisdom that has been neglected and even opposed by the holders of political and religious power over the centuries but is rising into consciousness again today as a way of seeing that holds vision for the future wellbeing of Earth and humanity and each one of us.

Online Gatherings
Tuesdays 5:30 – 7:00 pm GMT

In all nine sessions together in word, silence, music and sharing, the invitation is to remember our essence and the essence of Earth and every species as divine and to commit ourselves again to living in relation to that true depth.    

• 3 November 2026 – Sacred Soul
  We draw from the 4th-century Welsh teacher Pelagius who is the fountainhead of much wisdom in the Celtic world about the sacredness at the heart of every person. It was a teaching that threatened the Roman Empire and led to Pelagius being excommunicated by the Imperial Church for challenging the way in which power so often fails to honour the sacred dignity of every human being.
• 10 November 2026 – Sacred Feminine
  We focus on legends of St Brigid of Kildare as a 5th-century Celtic expression of reverence for women and the essential balance between feminine and masculine wisdom in our lives and relationship with Earth and the creatures.
• 17 November 2026 – Sacred Flow
  The 9th-century Irish teacher Eriugena is celebrated for teaching that God is a subterranean stream of Light running deep through all things and that we will be truly alive by letting go to the flow of the divine at the heart of our being.
• 12 January 2027 – Sacred Song
  We remember the poems and prayers of the people of the Western Isles of Scotland that were sung and recited for centuries at the rising of the sun and its setting, under the whiteness of the moon at night, and at the birth and death of loved ones, a testimony to the sacredness of nature and humanity’s interrelationship with the Universe.
• 19 January 2027 – Sacred Imagination
  We retell the story of a 19th-century Celtic teacher Alexander John Scott who was judged as a heretic for teaching the sacredness of Earth and every human being. Scott believed that our greatest faculty of soul is the imagination and our capacity to dream new ways of seeing and living, individually and together.
• 26 January 2027 – Sacred Earth
  We honour the memory of the American Celt John Muir as the greatest modern prophet of ecological consciousness and action who inspires us to keep falling in love with Earth as the key to the healing of our planet.
• 2 March 2027 – Sacred Matter
  We learn from the 20th-century Celt Teilhard de Chardin who as a French paleontologist and priest experienced the divine deep in all matter and teaches us to look for the sacred in the body of Earth and the human body, a vision of the holy interrelatedness of all things.
• 9 March 2027 – Sacred Compassion
  We look to the life and teachings of the modern Scottish prophet George MacLeod of Iona who translated his Celtic vision of the sacredness of Earth and every human being into compassionate action for housing, health, and hunger in the world and nonviolence to Earth and every person.
• 16 March 2027 – Sacred Journey
  We conclude the series with the modern poet Kenneth White and his geo-poetic insights of what he calls ‘rediscovering Earth’, ‘rewording the world’, and opening to a ‘new-found land’ by which he means a way of relating to Earth and one another in harmony that we have never known before.

The rhythm of each gathering

Each 90-minute online gathering follows a gentle rhythm that combines teaching, reflection and conversation, creating space not only to learn, but to deepen your own experience of the wisdom being explored.

Welcome and Opening
Each session begins with a warm welcome from the Findhorn Foundation team, setting the theme for the evening and introducing John Philip.

Teaching
Participants will watch one of John Philip Newell’s beautifully filmed Celtic Wisdom presentations, recorded in the Universal Hall at Findhorn or St Laurence Church in nearby Forres. These teachings form the heart of each gathering, exploring one aspect of the Celtic spiritual lineage and its relevance for our lives today.

Reflection and Shared Conversation
Following the teaching, there will be time for silence, personal reflection and small-group dialogue, offering an opportunity to deepen understanding and hear the perspectives of others. This part of the evening will be gently facilitated by Earth & Soul.

Live Conversation with John Philip
John Philip will then join live for questions and conversation, responding to reflections arising from the teaching and exploring together how this wisdom speaks into the challenges and opportunities of our time.

Closing
Each gathering concludes with a simple closing reflection or contemplative practice, helping participants integrate the evening’s learning before returning to everyday life.

What the series offers

This nine-part online series invites you into the living stream of Celtic wisdom through the teachings of John Philip Newell. Be guided through a lineage spanning nearly two thousand years.

Drawing on the themes of Sacred Earth Sacred Soul, each gathering explores a different aspect of the Celtic spiritual tradition, weaving together teaching, contemplative practice and live conversation.

Rather than looking only to the past, the series considers how this ancient lineage speaks to the questions of our time. Through the wisdom of remarkable Celtic teachers across the centuries, we explore a way of seeing that recognises the sacredness of Earth, the dignity of every human being and the call to compassionate action in today’s world.

Each session offers an opportunity to deepen understanding, nourish spiritual practice and engage with others who are seeking wisdom for living with greater awareness, courage and hope.

Through teaching, meditative practice and live discussion, the series will explore:

• The sacredness of Earth and every human being
• The wisdom of the Celtic teachers and its relevance for today
• The relationship between spirituality, justice and care for the Earth
• The sacred feminine and the healing of balance within ourselves and our world
• The place of song, imagination and compassion in spiritual awakening
• Ways of recognising the sacred within matter, the body and everyday life
• How an ancient spiritual vision can help us respond to the challenges facing humanity and the Earth

This online offering is an opportunity not simply to learn about Celtic Wisdom, but to enter more deeply into its way of seeing: a vision in which the sacred is understood to be present within all life.

Enjoy spacious teaching from John Philip, opportunities for shared reflection in small groups, celtic music and live question and answer time.

Who is it for: 

This series is for anyone drawn to the Celtic spiritual tradition and its relevance for our world today.

Whether you are discovering these teachings for the first time or have followed John Philip’s work for many years, you are warmly welcome. The series may particularly resonate if you are seeking:

• a spirituality that honours the sacredness of Earth
• a deeper understanding of Celtic spirituality or Christian mysticism
• contemplative practices that nurture everyday life
• wisdom to meet the ecological and social challenges of our time
• to reconnect spirituality with compassion, justice and care for the living world
• a renewed understanding of the sacred within yourself and others
• a supportive learning community rooted in reflection and dialogue
• a teaching that questions inherited religious traditions while continuing to seek spiritual depth
• a more inclusive and Earth-honouring vision of the sacred

No previous knowledge of Celtic spirituality or John Philip’s work is required. What matters most is curiosity, openness and a willingness to engage reflectively with the teachings.

Whether you join from an established spiritual tradition, are finding a new path, or simply feel called by the vision of a sacred Earth and a sacred humanity, you are warmly invited.

What you will experience

Over the course of this nine part series you will experience:

• Nine recorded teaching sessions with John Philip Newell followed by live Q&A
• Teachings based on the nine expressions of Celtic Wisdom explored in Sacred Earth Sacred Soul
  
• A progressive journey through the Celtic spiritual lineage, from the early centuries to the present day
• A deeper understanding of the Celtic wisdom lineage and its contemporary relevance
• Guided contemplative and meditative practices
• Space to reflect on how these teachings relate to your own life and spiritual practice in small groups
• Opportunities for reflection, questions and live discussion with John Phillip
• Inspiration and practical insights to support your own spiritual journey
• Connection with an international community of people exploring an Earth-honouring vision for our time

As the programme unfolds you will experience a richer appreciation of a tradition that honours the sacredness of Earth, the sacredness of every human being, and the possibility of living from that awareness in our daily lives.

The experience each participant takes from the series will be uniquely their own.

You may leave with a deeper understanding of Celtic Wisdom, renewed awareness of the sacred within yourself and the Earth, and practices that support you in living with greater presence, compassion and reverence.

Above all, the series offers an invitation to remember a wisdom that has never entirely disappeared: that the sacred is not separate from life, but is at the heart of all that is.

Important notes

Registration will remain open once the series commences.
Please note each session is offered live and there will be no access to the earlier sessions if you register after 3 November.
We encourage you to book before the first session begins!

Each session is offered live and there will be no access to a recorded session if you’re unable to join on the day.
We encourage you to add the time and date of each session to your calendar so you can plan accordingly.

24 hours prior and one hour prior to each session you will receive a zoom link to join.