"There are two major features of the Celtic Tradition that distinguish it from what in contrast we can call “the Mediterranean Tradition”. Celtic spirituality is marked by the belief that what is deepest in us is the image of God. Sin has distorted and obscured that image but not erased it. The Mediterranean tradition, on the other hand, in its doctrine of original sin has taught that what is deepest in us is our sinfulness. This has given rise to a tendency to define ourselves in terms of the ugliness of our failings instead of the beauty of our origins. The second major characteristic of the Celtic tradition is a belief in the essential goodness of creation. Not only is creation viewed as a blessing, it is regarded in essence as an expression of God. Thus the great Celtic teachers refer to it as “the book of creation” in which we may read the mystery of God. The Mediterranean tradition, on the other hand, has tended towards a separation of spirit and matter, and thus has distanced the mystery of God from the mystery of creation."
---from "Celtic Benediction"
(Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)
"It was good to finally know that the spirit is everywhere rather than a separate thing" -----Jim Harrison, in "Returning to Earth"
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