Many Mansions

Many Mansions

"The Son has spoken of the Father's many mansions: he
has successively stripped the bark of revelation in each
age of the many coloured world."
    ____ Caitlin Matthews, "The Celtic Book of the Dead"

   The coming of Christianity to the Celtic peoples overturned many ancient traditions - not all of them desirable or sustainable - and brought a new way of traveling the soul's circuit. The new teachings were receiv ed through a Pagan consciousness that found the idea of universal redemption - the welcoming of all, regardless of social condition or gender, into the family of God - both astounding and appealing. The fusion of Pagan and Christian elements can be seen in the quote above. The poet, using the imagery of bark, expresses a connection between the cross and the otherworldly tree - a tree which penetrates all ages and upon which can be seen seed, blossom, and fruit simultaneously in druidic belief, there was a stron sense of the way in which souls pass through sequential worldly time and through the timelessness of the otherworld. Some of these ways could be identified as exemplars of great power.

    The poet sees Christ as a Celtic exemplar: one who has seen the rise and fall of many-colored ages and who, like a vision poet, has stripped the bark of the otherworldly tree to read its revelations. It is in the bridging of these two beliefs that the poet derives power and comfort. As we enter a time of religious pluralism, our own consciousness is full of the metaphors and symbols of Christian belief. They frame and shape the ideas and beliefs that we hold, even though we may not be practitioners of the faith. Because of this grounding in Christian thought, we sometimes experience doubt and confusion when we encounter other belief systems. If, however, we remember the concept of many mansions, many manifestations of spiritual truth, we will not be in error.

"Meditate upon the beliefs that have power for you."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]