Greetings from the Woods of Western Pennsylvania!
Spirituality is the art and craeft of living life well. Mysticism is the art of openness to reality, culminating in depth experiences of the Mystery of Earth & Cosmos. The spiritual person longs to live and not just to survive; to bring all of their talents and abilities to fruition in a meaningful way, for the sake of self and community. The mystic is enamoured of the beauty and sublimity of the universe, and seeks illumination in communion with Nature, the self and 'others'--both divine and human. Mysticism and spirituality are neither synonymous nor mutually excusive.
The books that I have pubished are the culmination of four decades of spiritual praxis and mystical experience. Along the way I've delved devoutly into Wicchan spirituality, Christian monastic traditions, and the Celtic tradition, both in its Pagan and its Christian manifestations, seeking access to 'the Cauldron of Wisdom.' In each of these traditions I have found touchstones of self-realization and enlightenment; the hope of transcendence and the possibility of communion with that which is both 'within' and 'beyond' us, whether human or divine.
I have taught spirituality for many years, and at this site I've assembled resources for further exploration of the spiritualities and mysticism evidenced in my published works.
The blogs I have posted address common questions about spiritual disciplines and mysticism that students and readers have asked me. They also provide supplemental material not collected in any of my books.
On the Events Calendar you will find significant dates in an earthen spiritual year. It feaures Celtic descriptions of the cross-quarter days as well as of the solstices and equinoxes. These eight festivals form the spokes of the earthen year. Between these dates, birthdates of scientists, naturalists and poets who have made major contributions to our understanding of ourselves and of the Earth & Cosmos are noted. There are also a couple "saints days" in the calendar; men and women who have made spiritual and mystical progress in this mortal life, and who may serve as 'examples' -- in one way or another -- of the kind of life that results from devoting oneself to self-realization and communion with Earth & Spirit.
The purpose of including these 'birthdates' is to encourage meditation on how the contributions of these people have shaped our understanding of ourselves and our experience of the world around us. It is offered as a set of possibilities; the people noted on the calendar have made pivotal contributions, but many others could be added, so_ if you feel inspired to include other people and drop some of the ones here, please feel free.
As to my books--
The Fires of Yule (2001) -- is a lush, poetic calendar for celebrating the Winter Solstice Season. The calendar is called "The Thirteen Dayes of Yule" and is an ecumenical blend of Pagan & Christian myths dealing with the Winter Solstice; the longest night of the year. Each day of the calendar is named after an evergreen or herb that has symbolic resonance with the Winter Solstice and that has been associated with 'Christmas.' The calendar presents activities that one can enact on each of the thirteen days, and that contribute to a catahrtic or mystical experience as the season culminates.
WellSprings of the Deer (2002) -- is a manual for Celtic spirituality in a contemporary context. It grew out of many years of instructions with students, and presents the spirituality in terms of "Nine Wayes" -- each one focused on a triad of themes that, taken together, link up to create a coherent Celtic praxis.
Ham-Farir: The Faring of Matthew Thorin Dier (2008) -- is the story of three groups of people who have all encountered a strange family known as "The Dier" (pronounced just like 'deer'). These three groups come together at the house of the horror novelist Daniel Westforth Whittier to tell him their stories and try to make sense of what has happened to them. In this book you will find characters living Wicchan, Celtic and monastic Christian spiritualities, and others who have a more naturalistic and poetic perspective on life, all dealing with the same 'threat' and coming together, despite their different spiritual perspectives, to solve a mystery.
(If you go to my Ross County website, you will find a list of the characters from the novel, as well as other resources. The house featured in the second volume of the novel -- Mary Igraine Whittier's House in Milvale -- is described as well as a "perspective view.")
Tales from the Seasons (2008) -- Those who have read The Fires of Yule (2001) and WellSprings of the Deer (2002) will find in this collection an array of characters living out the spiritualities of the Nine Wayes, as well as others living an aesthetic, literary life. This book includes all of the stories that I used to use when teaching Celtic spirituality to illustrate the Nine Wayes. If you have read Ham-Farir (2008) -- you will also find a good many of the characters in that story portrayed here in other life-situations.
Heart & Hearth: Poetic Explorations of Authentic Human Dwelling in Earth & Spirit (2009) -- features the Whittiers of Ross County, PA; a fictional family who has been mentioned in my earlier books and whose history is here explored because of their spiritual orientation, which is largely secular and naturalistic. This book is concerned with the nature of 'home;' what it means to have a home, to lose a home, and to regain it. The Whittiers celebrate a naturalistic, poetic version of the Thirteen Dayes of Yule, and the heart of this book is "The Tale of Saint Nicholas and the Elves;" a story that the Whittiers tell at their hearths each year as the Yule begins.
All of my stories and poems take place in a fictional landscape called Ross County. If you would like to know more about Ross County, you may visit it and explore its towns, characters, communities, houses and settings at http://rosscountypa.webs.com/. If you would like to know more about me, as an author, and what I am into, you can check out my MySpace page (www.myspace.com/montwhit13). If you you would like to discuss the spirituality and mysticism you find explored in my books and at this site, please email me at MWhitsel13@Yahoo.com.
Blessed be! _And I hope you will find something here that interests you!