Exile

Exile

"Exile, like memory, may be a place of hope and delusion. But there are rules of light there and principles of darkness... The expatriate is in search of a country, the exile in search of a self."
   ____ Eavan Boland, "Object Lessons"

  One of the strongest sorrows of the Celtic world was exile from one's own country. To be banished beyond the ninth wave of the shore was to lose touch with the integrity power and belongingness of the and. Another form of exile came to the Celtic peoples in the Christian era: the self-chosen exile of Christian service in foreign lands. This was known as 'white martyrdom' to those who endured the pain of exile.

   Unwilling exiles need the completion of their native land to make them whole. They are always longing for it - indeed, they will reproduce it,  living in a ghetto created by memory and regret - and are ever suspicious of anything the new land has to offer. When the darkness of exile's night passes, the light of expatriate dawn can arrive. The new land and the immigrant can begin a fresh relationship in partnership, and (though the old country is never forgotten), the new homeland can begin to bring nurture, support, and joy in all possible ways to the welcome guest.

"From what are you exiled (for example, home, customs, people, places)? What new opportunities surround you now?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Mattews]