The Aisling Community

  The Aisling Community is the Auckland branch' of the International Community of St. Ita & St. Fillan, which is itself the Celtic Communion within the interdenominational Order of the Holy Theotokos. The Aisling Community, like its 'parent', is heavily influenced by the Celtic Christian "way of seeing" and   we seek ways to enrich our daily lives, and the lives of those with whom we come in contact, by incorporating those spiritual teachings which the 'established' Church has forgotten or overlooked - thus, unfortunately, leaving things a little unbalanced.

Please Note: what the Aisling Community is not is an attempt to set up an alternative 'church'. Like our 'parent', we are 'monastic' and interdenominational. For example, we currently have Orthodox, Anglican and Celtic Christians and we encourage them to continue to associate with and work within their own denominations and churches.

The four main teachings from which many others flow and which we seek to re-include are:

* At The Heart Of All That Has Life Is The Light Of God

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1: 1-5

This has always been a fundamental belief of the Celtic Church which looked to Saint John, that beloved disciple who leaned against the breast of Jesus, "listening for the heartbeat of God", at the Last Supper.

This 'way of seeing' led to the Celtic Church's stream of spirituality which teaches that God may be found, heard and experienced everywhere and in all things and that a true worship of God, therefore, can neither be contained within the four walls of a sacred building nor restricted to the boundaries of religious tradition. This also led to the Celtic Church's emphasis on worshipping in the open rather than in buildings and also the celebration of the Seasons. Every blade of grass, every sigh of the breeze, every splash of rain, every wave of the sea, every movement of the earth, every flutter of a bird's wing, every twinkle of a star, every ray of sun... and every breath of man contains the very life of God.

 From this one principle, many others follow.

"And all of creation shall worship Him"

* The Goodness Of All Mankind

Following on from above, it stands to reason that if all contains the very life (essence) of God, then the Augustinian concept of 'Original Sin' would appear to be rather flawed. Indeed, one could justifiably say that Augustine of Hippo was being heretical through his promulgation of this theory. It would be like saying God himself is sinful! This in no way denies the presence of evil and its power over the human. Rather, it means that at the heart of humanity is the image and goodness of God, a goodness that is obscured or covered over by the practicing of wrongdoing and evil.  Genesis 1: 3-4 "And God said "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good". Saint John the Beloved spoke of this light as "the light of life" or 'the light that enlightens everyone coming into this world'. John 1:9 "Evil is not born with us and we are procreated without fault" - St. Pelagius. What mother can look at her newborn and honestly believe "This child is evil and damned to hell!"?

* Full Equality Between Masculine And Feminine

Gen 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Stop and think about this for a minute. If God created man (meaning mankind as a whole) in his own image "male and female he created them.", then obviously there is no inequality between men and women. This being so, women should and must be allowed full and equal participation not only in daily life but also in the life of the Church - including, of course, the Celebration of the Mysteries.

* Reverence For The Earth

Since the Earth was created out of the very essence of God, it is incumbent upon us to treat it with due reverence and care. For centuries, the established Church had misunderstood and promulgated the idea that God is somehow separate from His creation and therefore it is right and proper for us to treat the Earth and its resources without respect for its sacredness. Look where such an idea has landed us!

Links to further information regarding Celtic Christianity for the modern day:

"What is Celtic Christianity" An excellent article by Andrew Dunn

"An Introduction To Celtic Christianity" by Revd Dr Gordon Strachan

"Listening for the Heartbeat of God" and "Christ of the Celts", two highly recommended books by J. Philip Newell

"Carmina Gadelica", an extensive collection of Celtic prayers, and blessings from the Highlands & Western Islands of Scotland by Alexander Carmichael

The Constitution (or vision) of the Aisling Community