An Tairseach Newsletter 2014
1
�nAn�
airseach
Tairseach
Dominican Farm and Ecology Centre
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Situated in a small town by the sea at the foot of the
Wicklow
mountains
in Ireland’s Garden
County.
Editor’s
Desk
- Colette Kane
..............................
From the
2
News from An Tairseach
- Marian
O Sullivan
.............................. 4
Sabbatical,
Retreats
and Courses
Planetary Boundaries
- EamonnSABBATICAL
Parker
.............................. 6
TEN-WEEK
PROGRAMME
Threshold experience of Integrity
and –Being
-
1 March 2015
8 May 2015
6 September 2015 - 13 November 2014
Lyndsay Spendelow
.............................. 8
Australian Canticle of
Praise - Spirituality
Liz Wiemers
context
..............................
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Exploring
in the
of:
universe
An endangered
Earth
The Christian tradition.11
Seed TimeAn
atexpanding
An Tairseach
- Denise
Mc Carthy
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Many retreats and short courses are offered.
Tibettan Flags - Helen Maher
.............................. 12
Sabbatical Time at An Tairseach: Retreats
Nuala Cole
.............................. 13
Sabbatical Snippets - Eileen
Seamus O’Reilly ................... 14
“FromO’Connell,
fidelity to compassion:
a biblical and mystical
journey for women”
Upcoming Events
.............................................................
16
Directed by Mary T. Malone & Pauline Mc Grath
7 June 2015 – 12 June 2015
A word of thanks to Ms Helen Maher who helped in the design and typesetting of
this edition of the Newsletter.Discovering God in a New Story
Directed by Mark McDonnell & Pauline Mc Grath
5 July 2015 - 10 July 2015
Summer
School
From The
Editor’s
Desk
Mindful Mysticism
Directed by John Doherty
Since 21st August 2014 I have been Director
of An2015 –verified
when one considers the Ecology Centre in
21 June
26 June 2015
Tairseach, Dominican Ecology Centre. It has been
its entirety. The habitat of An Tairseach’s provides
Private Retreats
a steep learning curve, getting to know the Centre
many differing topographies: quiet places; the farm;
from ‘with-in’ and the many different facets
inwholesome
organic food; a centre for learning; a
In self-catering en-suite
rooms
volved: intuiting at a deeper level the ethoswith
of the
thresholdand
where science and religion, ‘old’ story
library, audio-visual
theof
facilities ‘new’
of the Centre.
centre; an apprentice learning the businessallend
story engage; peace garden; aesthetically
things including the vocational and communitarian
beautiful surrounds and the exploration of spiritualaspects; Staff coordination and management responity in the Christian tradition.
Contact
Sr. ColetteIKane
sibilities.
haveOP
a friend in the RUC/PSNI and in the past she
An Tairseach,
I was fortunate to have participated in the Sabbatical
often spoke of the trouble at different ‘inter-faces’
Dominican
Farm &inEcology
course in the autumn of 2010 and my overall
experiBelfastCentre,
– where one side’s boundary touched, met
Wicklow.
ence was one of immersion in an holistic Sabbatical
came face to face with the other. Never the twain
course. Formerly, I had been on the receivingPhone:
end, 353-404-61833.
would meet and in some areas these boundaries were
e-mail: [email protected]
www.ecocentrewicklow.ie
this time however, I was part of a very hard workdelineated with physical fences, coloured murals or
ing team that delivered an extremely well planned
territorial pavement stones. Now I find myself in a
course refined and enhanced for over ten years with
place where boundaries emphasise not separation but
its many diverse elements and experiences. Some of rather connection and interdependence, the ‘niche’
these experiences are reflected upon in this newsletof each species formed because of the ‘other’ and
ter by a variety of contributors.
indeed dependent on the ‘other’. St. Catherine of
The assertion of an holistic experience can be
Siena in her Dialogue observed people “have their
2
An Tairseach Newsletter 2014
From The Editor’s Desk
own vineyard – but everyone is joined to their neighbour’s vineyards without any dividing lines. They
are so joined together, in fact, that you cannot do
good, or evil for yourself without doing the same for
your neighbours”. More and more I realise on many
different levels how appropriately named the Centre
is – An Tairseach, threshold.
At the beginning of the liturgical season of Advent
we hear from the prophet John the Baptist. The
prophet – one who reads the signs of the times and
calls others to be alert to them, to prepare for them.
Climate change, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification are surely signs of our times. John called people
out to the desert – a place that in the past had formed
the people – to conversion. Jesus tells us to “Wake
up!” (Mt 25:13; Mk 13:33; 14:38; Lk 21:36). If we
are asleep we are surely missing the wonder of what
God is doing. Hopefully, we like Jacob will wake
from our sleep and reply ‘Surely the Lord is in this
place and I did not know it!’” (Gen. 28:16).
Today many diverse voices are calling us to conversion, concern for the poor and for God’s earth have
been central themes of the ministry of Pope Francis.
As Cardinal Brady points out in his foreword to The
Cry of the Earth, Pope Francis addressed the issue
quite comprehensively in his first homily (www.
irishbishops.ie). He addressed Christians and all
people of goodwill when he said:
“ Be protectors of God’s gifts. I would like to ask
all those who have positions of responsibility in
economic, political and social life, and all men and
women of goodwill: let us be ‘protectors’ of creation, ‘protectors’ of God’s plan inscribed in nature;
‘protectors’ of one another and of the environment.
Let us not allow omens of destruction of earth to ac-
company the advance of this world!”
There are a few new beginnings here in An Tairseach
Sr Marian bridges the gap and explains staff comings
and going and tells us about the great news about
future funding. In the second article of this edition
Eamonn Parker speaks of Planetary Boundaries. It is
an attempt to help lift us out of our myopic polarities
to see a bigger picture, one of a Planet endangered
by the era of the Anthropocene. Snippets from Sabbatical participants and a calendar of events to come
are just some of the elements that make up this edition of the newsletter.
Together hopefully we can wake up, prepare the way
for Epiphany moments of God in Christ being incarnate in the heart of Creation.
Together let us wake up and be alert in reading the
signs of the times and respond by living sustainably
and gratefully on the earth.
Colette Kane
An Tairseach Newsletter 2014
3
The Dominican sisters, who founded An Tairseach,
look upon it as a very important ministry and for that
reason they continue to support it in every way possible. For the same reason its continuation into the future has always been a key concern. We are delighted to
welcome Sr. Colette Kane OP who has taken over as
Director of the Ecology Centre. We hope that Colette
will be with us for the long haul and that she will bring
her many gifts and talents to developing the project.
Many of you had got to know Sr Teresa Devine during the past two years and would have appreciated all she brought to the
role of Director by way of
expertise,enthusiasm and commitment. Teresa is a Salesian
sister who was,as it were, lent
to us for a few years. Salesians
have a particular focus on
youth and,outside of sabbatical times, Teresa did valuable
work with young people. We
hope to continue this focus and
are grateful to her for all she
contributed to An Tairseach.
Those of you who have ever
enjoyed a meal here will remember Sr Ethna Kelly, a Mercy Sister from their Northern
Province, a brilliant cook who
was something of an institu4
An Tairseach Newsletter 2014
tion at An Tairseach since its inception. Sadly it came
time for Sr Ethna to retire and we miss her not only for
her culinary skills but also for her commitment to living simply and sustainably on our beautiful and fragile
Earth. We still see her regularly and she has offered her
services to fill in if there is a particlar need or pressure on the kitchen. We have been blessed to be able
to obtain the services of two excellent chefs, Alison
Flanagan and Carol Vambeck so we are more than well
provided for. We also said goodbye to Sr Celine Mangan and Sr Angela Campion who also have been with
us from the beginning but
feel it is time to hand over to
younger people. They have
done sterling work and we
are most grateful to them.
Niall O’Reilly was the other
staff member who moved on
to take up a position with the
Woodland Trust. Niall is a
real nature lover and it looks
like he has found his niche
and we wish him the best.
We are always trying to
upgrade
our
facilities.
This year five bedrooms
were re-furbished so that
all our rooms are now ensuite. The Peace Garden
in front of Aisling Cot-
tage has been planted with hundreds of rose bushes and we will receive funding worth almost half a million
and will be opened to the public during 2015. It is a over that time as a Community Services Programme.
beautiful and fragrant place to spend quiet time and Ours is one of 425 programmes, administered by Pobal
perhaps find healing from life’s inevitable stresses. for the Department of Social Protection, funded by the
This year we had two wonderful, international groups Irish Government and the EU, for the provision of servof sabbatical participants,
ices to local communities
all of whom enriched our “We are delighted to announce that our and to create employment.
lives out of their rich experi- Business Plan for the next three years This grant to an organic
ence of service in their home has been approved ... funding worth farm and spirituality cencountries or on foreign mis- almost half a million over that time as tre is proof of a growing
sions. You will get a flavour a Community Services Programme”. awarenes of the imporof some of their experiences in the following pages. tance of green spaces and good care of the environment.
Other short courses continued like art, tai chi, yoga It allows us to plan for the future and expand our range of
and dance while new ones were added. Satish Kumar, services both in care of the land and biodiversity, provieditor of Resurgence and Peace Activist, gave a very sion of good food, as well as providing opportunity for
thought-provoking week-end here in February while educational and spiritual growth. Even in the midst of
celtic scholar and author, Philip Newell, has become much bad news in our world we look forward to the fua regular, twice-yearly presenter on Celtic Spirituality. ture with hope that one day good will prevail for surely
An eight-week evening course on Mindfulness proved that is also the promise at the heart of our Christian faith.
very popular. There is much more on our website
Marian O’Sullivan
which we are continuing to upgrade so if you would
like to be on our mailing list please do send us an e- As Director, I would like to take this opportunity to thank
mail and you will get regular updates about what is go- all those who applied for the funding to Pobal and drew
ing on. We might even get to help one another on line. up the business plan, particularly Srs. Marian O’Sullivan
We are delighted to announce that our Business Plan and Julie Newman, members of the Board of Directors
for the next three years has been approved once again and Communications Officer Ms Orla Benson, without
whose vision, work and attention to detail the business
plan may not have been successful. All who work in
and are employed by An Tairseach are truly grateful.
Colette Kane
In September Julie shows Ms Cynthia O’Reilly,
Principal of St. Catherine’s Primary School
Dublin and her staff, around the organic farm. An
Tairseach hosted an in-service day for the school
staff which included input on the Dominican
charism; work of the ecology centre; benifits of
organic farming.
In November the staff of the Ecology
centre facilitated the visit of twenty
young student teachers from Slippery
Rock University, USA. The afternoon
began with input by Colette on the
work of the centre, followed by homemade scones from Vivienne and a tour
of the farm and farm shop with Julie.
An Tairseach Newsletter 2014
5
In 1972 a seminal work called Limits to Growth was
published by The Club of Rome, based on computer
projections of world population, industrialization,
pollution, food production, and resource depletion
into the middle of the 21st century from a mainly economic perspective. Many scientists and economists
would agree that the projections have been uncomfortably accurate.
In 2009 an international group (http://www.stockholmresilience.org/) taking a planetary science perspective, proposed a set of 9 boundaries for our planet’s
life support systems:
1. Climate change(carbon dioxide levels)
2. Biodiversity loss
3. Biogeochemical (nitrogen and phosphorus) levels
4. Ocean acidification
5. Land use
6. Freshwater use
7. Ozone depletion
8. Atmospheric aerosols (airborne particles)
9. Chemical pollution
As far as we know by keeping within these boundaries life can continue to change, evolve and thrive.
That would allow for a natural background level of
species extinction and new species emergence. But
go outside any of the boundaries and the instabilities
created are likely to lead to serious and potentially
sudden disruption of the planet’s biosphere.
Not all of the boundaries are yet quantified, not all
scientists agree on the boundary limits or the current
levels, and not all scientists agree that this is even a
helpful approach, but as of 2009, this group believes
that the first 3 of these boundaries have been crossed:
1.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rose from
pre-industrial levels of 280 parts per million to 387
p.p.m (estimated boundary: 350 p.p.m.). There is
great concern that this will lead to a global temperature rise exceeding 2 degrees and cause much more
frequent weather extremes as well as sea-level rise,
threatening the habitability of significant populous
areas of the planet, and resulting in major disruption
and migration, even by mid- century.
2.
Species extinction rates rose from pre-industrial levels of 1 species per million per year to over
100 (estimated boundary: 10). Species diversity
underlies a great many of the “life-support services”
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An Tairseach Newsletter 2014
supplied free to humans, including the oxygen that
we breathe, the ecosystems that support our food
supplies, and those that degrade the various forms of
waste that we produce.
3.
Industrial fertiliser manufacture rose from nil
pre-industrial levels to 121 million tons of nitrogen
per year (estimated boundary: 35), and 11 million
tons of phosphorus per year (estimated boundary:
9). We have now created dozens of “dead zones” in
the oceans of the world as a result of fertiliser run-off
from modern agricultural practices.
Biologists are beginning to refer to the current rate of
biodiversity loss as the 6th mass extinction. The 5th
one is the best known, caused in part by an asteroid
impact 65 million years ago resulting in the extinction
of the dinosaurs. Geologists have begun to refer to a
new geological era called the Anthropocene, marked
by the huge biological and chemical changes we have
been laying down in the geological record particularly
since the beginning of the industrial revolution.
Where does humanity stand on all of this: the ordinary citizen, the whole scientific community, including medical doctors, civil and computer engineers,
pharmaceutical scientists, academics, etc as well as
our politicians? There is a deafening silence from so
many.
We have one little planet, that little pale blue dot, in
the universe that we can rely on to support us in the
short and medium term if we treat it and all that live
on it with respect. We need to treat the life-support
system that is our planet as well as we treat the ecosystem that is our body. We are only beginning to appreciate the extent to which our wellbeing depends on
the services of billions of friendly micro-organisms
that co-exist with our own cells in different parts of
our bodies. Unguarded antibiotic use can seriously
tions to our immediate crisis. In fact every human
undermine that wellbeing. Even more so we need to
being on the planet needs to become aware of the
understand the fragility of the life-support services
extent and urgency of what we are facing this century
our planet provides us and the limits within which hu- and act accordingly, with only 2 decades, according
man activity must operate.
to the United Nations, in which to bring about major
I like to compare our situation to that of the 3 aschanges.
tronauts aboard the ill-fated Apollo 13 spacecraft
What is lacking most of all, of course is leadership
launched in April 1970 to conduct some geological
at every level. Our political systems do not serve
experiments as part of the
“I believe that every scientific project long-term thinking. I
3rd Moon landing. As
believe it is in the hands
small and large (in fact every human of each one of us who are
they neared the Moon,
an oxygen tank on board project for that matter) now needs to aware, to lobby our politibe reviewed in the light of our imminent cians, but even more so
exploded and caused a
life-support crisis. This
planetary life-support system crisis.” those among us who are
event was excellently and
scientifically literate-the
accurately portrayed in the film Apollo 13 starring
aforementioned medical doctors, civil and computer
Tom Hanks. The best minds in NASA were ordered
engineers, pharmaceutical scientists, academics, etc.
to drop everything (forget the geology) and go into
The next big climate change conference starts in Paris
the back rooms and find solutions to the immediate
in November 2015. Can you imagine even 20% of
crisis. The astronauts’ safe return is considered by
those professionals leading monthly marches through
many to be NASA’s finest hour.
our capital cities and heading delegations to our govI believe that every scientific project small and large
ernment ministers? If you are not already involved,
(in fact every human project for that matter) now
you will do the next 3 or 4 generations a profound
needs to be reviewed in the light of our imminent
service by becoming pro-active personally, politically
planetary life-support system crisis. We will need all and spiritually. The leadership we need is up to you!
kinds of skills in the 22nd century, if we survive, and It means being equally prepared both practically and
it is worth keeping these skill-sets alive. I believe, for spiritually for either outcome this century: survival
instance, that 90% of those who work in CERN at the with dignity and equanimity or demise with or withLarge Hadron Collider, some of the best scientific and out dignity and equanimity!
engineering minds in the world, should be freed up to
Eamonn Parker
go into “the back rooms” and be part of finding soluLeft: Lisa cuts some home
made bread for lunch.
Right: Ms Angie Kinsella
who along with community members facilatates
School retreats
Below:
Sr. Jeanette,
always
ready to
lend a
An Tairseach Newsletter 2014
7
Who Do We Say We Are?
“To imagine that you will do everything in a different
way is to assure escalating personal and social chaos.
To imagine that you will do many things the same
way, but with greater understanding and integrity, is
to produce a stable ground for transformation.”
Elia Wise in Letter to Earth
This quote, from a book I was reading during the sabbatical programme, seems to encapsulate the personal
process that I experienced during that time. It also
suggests to me something of the inherent wisdom of
evolution.
For the first few weeks of the programme my thinking self was in control. Without realising it, I was taking the observer’s perspective, like watching myself
in a dream, analysing and trying to work things out
as I wrestled with all the questions and hypotheses I
had accumulated over many years. I wanted to put the
jigsaw puzzle together in a tidy, recognisable fashion.
The programme offered plenty more information. Information is power, but I was oblivious to the extent
of my hoarding it up like a miser, almost obsessively
possessive. I played all my usual games with the
words and the ideas…
Thankfully, participants were offered a very balanced
menu of right and left brain material and experience,
with some more creative and reflective elements such
as, artwork, sacred dance and dream workshops, to
balance the academic and intellectual components
of the programme. When I started to remember my
dreams they were so powerful and coherent that I
didn’t notice I’d lost my observer status and that I
was deep into the experience, which actually came
to mean experiencing Being in a whole new way. At
the time I didn’t realise or understand the significance
and the need for this to be experienced from within
rather than thinking/observing as if from outside the
process. I think that this experience has given me
some insight into how some of the processes of evolution might function.
It has taken me some time before I have felt able
to put some words on this special journey but I can
honestly say I was invited to cross a major threshold in my life during my time at An Tairseach and I
shall always be grateful. The whole experience both
challenged and supported me to commit to greater
understanding and integrity and, looking back, I now
understand why I was moved to pray for ‘purity of
intention’ at our Final Liturgy.
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An Tairseach Newsletter 2014
So much for my own journey, but what interested me
beyond the experience of my own personal process
were questions around what was happening for us
as a group, as this group. I believe that there are no
accidents or irrelevancies in what happens in life so,
from the beginning, I had questions such as, ’What
brought each of us here at this time?’ ‘What could be
the more integrated purpose of this group forming
itself in this place and at this time?’ ‘What might it
be that we need to pay particular attention to?’ And I
hoped that this would become evident in the course of
the programme.
With science in my background, I have always been
intrigued by the fact that observation impacts upon
the outcome of experimentation. This is often referred
to today as ‘energy follows attention’ or something
similar. Indeed, Diarmuid O’Murchu exhorted us to
be careful about what we give our energy to, (especially if it is something negative!) I am also fascinated by Jung’s ‘collective unconscious’ and other phenomena such as synchronicity and morphic resonance
and I am left wondering whether there might come a
time when such things can be more readily accessed
as resources for Humanity’s continuing evolution, especially as there was also much talk about consciousness evolution among our group.
I believe that, just as we each embody a particular
value or constellation of values in a unique way, each
species does the equivalent, all in the service of the
infinite self-expression of God or Creation. It is not
hard to argue that every species pushed to extinction
results in Creation being deprived of that unique expression and the whole is the poorer because of that.
Consequently evolution, as a universal process is that
much harder too. So, imagine that every group also
embodies a particular constellation of values needed
at a particular time. Just as we strive to be aware of
our own personal value and to express it with growing ergy fields that seem to be not just a unifying principle
understanding and integrity, what if each group holds
but a ‘milieu’ (environment?) in which we exist – or
the potential to embody a similar expression of neces- indeed that ‘holds us/Creation in Being’. Many of us
sary values and that we are invited to discover and live sensed that we were experiencing a significant level
as fully as possible the gift that we are for as long as
of connectedness in many ways. Perhaps it was offerthe group intends to function? We often speak of the
ing a portal into greater understanding of the organic
sum of the parts being greater than
nature of the whole of Creation and,
“Perhaps
it
was
offering
a
the whole; possibly this is part of
dare I say it, of the nature of God?
portal into greater under- Another thing that became evident
such a reality.
standing of the organic was how often lecturers and particiI doubt that anyone, really, was
surprised to discover many common nature of the whole of
pants spoke about networking. The
and uncommon links between the
Creation and dare I say it,significance of this increased for the
participants on the programme, nor,
participants as we drew closer to
of
the
nature
of
God?”
indeed, that our Dream Workshops
completion of the programme and gorevealed a noticeable level of co-inherence between
ing our separate ways. The question was always with
dream themes that individuals were sharing both at
us: ‘How can we take the learning from this experithe workshops and in more personal sharing between
ence forward when we return to our individual situmembers. The Wisdom Circles, too, revealed a chartations?’ I believe that our shared experience, even if
ing of personal courses that evidenced similar experiit does not seem to be in conscious awareness, is and
ences, reflections and outcomes that ran more synwill be a significant part of our ‘individual’ on-going
chronously than being merely coincidence or parallel
journeys. I also hope that we can continue to weave
to one another.
something of the Web of Life that we became more
It was not, perhaps, appropriate or possible to explore conscious of together at An Tairseach, not just for
this aspect of the collective experience but there were
ourselves but for the whole of Creation.
several allusions to the oneness of creation or to enLyndsay Spendelow
Mark McDonnell:
New Cosmology
Diarmuid O Murch:
Changing world views
Mary O Driscoll:
The Mystics
Philip Newell:
A New Harmony
An Tairseach Newsletter 2014
9
All you works of the Lord, bless
the Lord...
All you BIG things bless the Lord.
Kosiosko, Uluru, Kata Juta, and the
Murray River,
The Great Artesian Basin, and Lake
Eyre,
Wolomi Pine, and Bunya, Might
River Gum and Bottle Tree.
Red Kangaroo, spying crocodile, and
lope-ing wombat.
Bless the Lord,
Sing the praises of God forever.
All you TINY things, Bless the Lord.
Busy ants and aphids,
Wriggling tadpoles and jumping flea,
Sing the praises of God forever.
All you SHARP things, Bless the Lord.
Dead finish bush and Spinifex,
Prickly pear and hunting spears,
Echidna and thorny devil.
Sing the praises of God forever.
All you SOFT things, Bless the Lord.
Ring-necked possum and darting bilby
ripe mangoes and juicy grapes.
Fur seals, bandicoots and white-lipped frogs,
Sugar glider and marsupial mole.
Sing the praises of God forever.
All you BITTER things, Bless the Lord.
Bitter orange and cumquat,
Bitter ales and bitter melon,
Sing the praises of God forever.
All you SWIFT things, Bless the Lord.
Swallows and budgerigars,
Greyhounds and mighty horses.
Troubled huntsman, mite and ‘roach,
Sing the praises of God forever.
All you SLOW things, Bless the Lord.
Worms and legless lizards,
Koalas, cassowary, and dugong.
Curious cows and baby emu,
Sing the praises of God forever.
All you LOUD things, Bless the Lord.
Kookaburras, galahs, and roaring crocodile,
Hailstones on tin roofs, and mighty thunder,
Sing the praises of God forever.
All you QUIET things, Bless the Lord.
Stalking dingo, field mouse, and wading turtle,
Grazing goats and soaring eagle,
Sing the praises of God forever.
All YOU WHO ARE PRECIOUS, Bless the Lord.
Indigenous people young and old, bless the Lord
Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, bless the Lord.
Sing the praises of God forever.
All you SWEET things, Bless the Lord.
Honey ant, pawpaws, and coconut milk,
Pineapples, sugar-cane, and sundried dates,
Bananas, apples, and golden peaches,
Bless the Lord
Sing the praises of God forever.
10
An Tairseach Newsletter 2014
Liz Wiemers
“Yellow and black, and pale and hectic red,
Pestilence-stricken multitudes: O thou,
Who chariotest to their dark wintry bed
The winged seeds,”
The above lines from Percy Bysshe Shelley came
flooding back to me from my school days at one of
our closing rituals in An Tairseach. The words of
the poem brought to mind, the many seeds that were
planted in me during the ten week sabbatical. There
were seeds of wisdom, new life, growth and change.
Life is movement, life is change, change is inevitable
growth is optional. It will take time to integrate all the
new knowledge and learn to live in accordance with
my own truth and current understanding. It involves
seeing the world through new eyes and being more
acutely aware of how we are all interconnected. We
are one with one another and with all living species.
I need to walk gently on the earth and learn to have
a deep respect for it. I am more aware that the earth
does not need me but that I need the earth. I believe
that once you assent to a truth you have to live it out.
It would be impossible to leave here without a greater
love and care for the earth and for all living beings. I
have a desire to live my life in as sustainable a way as
possible. The earth is fragile and its resources are not
infinite. There is a responsibility to share resources
and to secure a future for our children ‘ s children.
If we garden and grow our own seeds we are being
revolutionary.
I loved the balance in the course between the input
which was always stimulating and excellent and the
integration of it through the guided walks, art, creative
work and sacred dance. There was also the group experience which was very enriching. More and more I
realize that it is hard to do things on my own. I rejoice
in the giftedness of the group. The essence of each
person is a constant source of celebration.
I reflected more on Shelley’s poem and realized that
the continual cycle of death and dying are a very
necessary part of the new life and growth we all aspire
to. It is necessary to let go, so that something new can
be born. The old cosmology no longer speaks to me.
I believe it is time for the church to look again at the
work of all the theologians it has silenced, for daring
to engage with the new science and the story of the
ever evolving and expanding universe. I understand
that when you remove one building block and try re-
placing it with another there is a danger that the whole
structure will collapse and fall apart. To replace the
dogma of ‘original sin’ with ‘original blessings’ would
involve revisiting many other dogmas. In all areas of
life we enjoy the advances of science and technology.
It has revolutionized our world. The growing awareness and consciousness of so many around a changing
paradigm urges us to be the change, to embody it in
our lives in the way we live and worship.
For me it is no longer possible to live in two paradigms. I believe that we are living in a cosmological
moment of grace which will not last for ever. It is
time for the poets, prophets and pragmatists to come
together to bring about the kingdom of peace, justice,
unity and non-violence that Jesus prayed earnestly for
and demonstrated by his way of life, he came among
us that we may have life and have it in a-bun-dance.
I see him dancing with us on the sea shore and encouraging us to take risks. I will leave the last word to
Shelley.
“Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is:
What if my leaves are falling like its own:
The tumult of thy mighty harmonies
Will take from both a deep, autumnal tone,
Sweet though in sadness. Be thou, Spirit fierce,
My spirit: Be thou me, impetuous one
Drive my dead thoughts over the universe
Like withered leaves to quicken a new birth;
And by the incantation of this verse,
Scatter, as from an unextinguished hearth
Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind;
Be through my lips to unawakened earth
The trumpet of a prophecy: O, Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
Denise McCarthy
An Tairseach Newsletter 2014
11
During our sabbatical programme we visited Kilmacurragh Botanic Gardens with Michael Rodgers and
were intrigued to see Tibetan prayer flags floating in
the wind among the trees. For a Thanksgiving Ritual
later in our programme we decided to use prayer flags
as a way of expressing our thanks in a visual and
creative way.
Helen prepared materials in the traditional
colours and during our ritual after we had taken time
to reflect and thank God for all the blessings we had
experienced during our time together at An Tairseach, we each wrote a message of thanks in words or
symbols on our prayer flag. Helen hung our flags on
a string and we then took them out to the Meditation
Garden and tied them between two trees raising them
up to the skies. We hope they will continue to waft
our thanks over the trees, through the garden and into
the heavens after we have gone.
A prayer flag is a colourful rectangular cloth,
often found strung along mountain ridges and peaks
high in the Himalayas. They are used to bless the
surrounding countryside and for the benefit of other
living beings. They are used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. The prayers produce
a spiritual vibration that is activated and carried by
the wind across the countryside. The wind spreads the
good will into all pervading space, quietly harmonising the environment.
The silent prayers are blessings spoken on the
breath of nature. Just as a drop of water can permeate
the ocean, prayers dissolved in the wind extend to fill
all of space. When the wind passes over the surface
of the flags, the air is purified and sanctified by the
prayers. As they fade from exposure to the elements,
the prayers become a permanent part of the universe.
Helen Maher, Nuala Cole and Margaret Treacy
As a Christmas Gift why not have a tree planted for
someone who would like to be remembered in a lifegiving way?
“May the mystery of Trees nourish the landscape of
our minds.
Cards for other occassions also available
Cost: €25
Contact: Sr. Vivienne 0404 61833
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An Tairseach Newsletter 2014
I came to An Tairseach
that we were exploring.
in early September and
There were twelve in our
spent ten very happy
group, from many corners
weeks at this beautiful
of the world from Cambodia
Dominican Ecology
to Canada, and we enjoyed
Centre in Wicklow, taklearning together. Each
ing part in the Autumn
day was different, although
programme: “Explorsome courses recurred on
ing spirituality in the
a weekly basis such as Art,
context of an evolving
Sacred Dance or Walking
universe, an endangered
the Labyrinth with the everearth and the Christian
creative Pauline Mc Grath;
tradition”.
Soil, Seeds and Sustainability
An Tairseach is Gaelic
with Wendy Nairn; Theology;
for “the threshold”, and for me it was a door into a
Scripture; Mindfulness; Dream Work. Each week we
new way of seeing the world and my place in our
spent an afternoon with Fr. Michael Rogers exploring
ever-expanding universe. The programme, guided by
some of the beautiful places around Co Wicklow, such
wonderful teachers such as John Feehan, Diarmuid
as Glendalough and Devil’s Glen, and finishing with
O’Murchu, Mark McDonald or the Director, Colette
Eucharist by a lake perhaps, or on the mountainside.
Kane, was an enthralling voyage of discovery. We
We prayed together each morning in the Coslearned how advances in Science have led us to a
mic Garden, learned Tai Chi from our Cambodian,
new cosmology, with far reaching implications for
Hun Do, recycled our waste, partied and had fun.
religious belief and behaviour. We were awed by the
We searched for seals along the shore, celebrated the
mystery of God in all of creation, and our essential
Autumn Equinox and Samhan, visited the Hill of Tara
oneness with all that is. With Sean McDonagh we exand Newgrange, the Chester Beatty Library and the
plored the impact of climate change, which threatens
National Museum. We were loath to leave when our
the very future of life on earth, and our responsibility
ten weeks were over, but I will always be grateful for
to take action before we reach an irreversible ‘tipthe joy of being there.
ping point’. Mary T. Malone helped us reflect on the
Nuala Cole
ambivalence towards women throughout the history
of Christianity, while Mary O’Driscoll explored the
wisdom of the mystics for whom the created world
was a route to God.
Below: Nicola, Lisa and Carol get into the During a day with Una Agnew on the poetry of Patrick Halloween spirit. The time of year that marks Kavanagh and his Theology of the commonplace (be- the Celtic new year, where the veil between the low on the right pictured with Nuala), we were greatly visible and invisible is very ‘thin’, the passage struck by the relevance of Kavanagh’s poetry to all
of the spirits flowing freely.
An Tairseach Newsletter 2014
13
“The immensity of the damage our earth has been,
and is, suffering is I think one of the most challenging aspects of the programme. Our planet is being
destroyed in so many ways and by the irresponsible use of so many varied fields of knowledge and
power. The challenges are so huge and so widespread
as to seem virtually insurmountable, particularly
when the power and control is in the hands of supra
governmental organisations, NGO’s, etc. who are
seemingly willing to sacrifice everything for profit. It
left me feeling powerless and that my little contribution is so minute as to be almost pointless.
However, I found John Feehan’s presentations helpful in counteracting this sense. New knowledge and
learning need not paralyse one. John suggests it is
seeing what is right before us with new eyes. Opening our eyes, becoming aware, is a practice both individually enriching and that leads us to action and to
influence change. He told us we can use our knowledge to bring awareness and advocate for change –
like individual candles, which burn and shine a light,
becoming brighter as others join them.
Eileen O’Connell
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An Tairseach Newsletter 2014
Right now I am situated in a small comfortable bedroom on the second floor of the Dominican Ecology
Centre in Wicklow town. It is just about half past five
on a wet November Tuesday evening. My window
overlooks the magnificent Wicklow Bay with the two
Sugar Loaf mountains and Bray Head as a backdrop.
Now the sky is dark because a lazy rain cloud is slowly
drifting out to sea and so the stars are hidden. However
the lights of the little towns of Wicklow and Kilcoole
sparkle like Christmas lights. As I sit peacefully I am
drawn into the mystery of the night and I reflect on the
weeks I have spent in this hallowed place. Here I have
listened to men and women endeavour to share their
excitement and enthusiasm about the new cosmic story.
Here I have engaged with my brothers and sisters as we
celebrated Eucharist beneath the sky in sylvan and pastoral settings. Here I have touched and felt the wonder
of God in a humble flower or insect. I have walked the
countryside aware that God was near. Once I endeavoured unsuccessfully to negotiate the cliffs of Wicklow
Head. My colleagues managed to overcome the challenge of slippery rocks and they were rewarded with a
view of six young seals lying on the stony beach. The
parent seals returned at regular intervals from the sea to
feed their young offspring. While my colleagues enjoyed this scene I strolled along the headland when all
of a sudden I spotted a jet black rabbit. I was surprised
and stopped and focused my gaze on the furze. Again I
saw another black rabbit and then there were six black
rabbits all gambolling happily on the headland. I had
never before seen jet black rabbits living in the wild.
This was surely a serenditpity. I can readily say that
my time on sabbatical here in Wicklow has been a time
of constant surprises. I return to my room in Africa and
I intend to watch through the window for the opportunity to behold the beauty of nature. Perhaps also I will
stroll in the bush and once again be surprised by the
God of surprises.
Seamus O’Reilly
An Tairseach Newsletter 2014
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An Tairseach Newsletter 2014