Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul: Celtic Wisdom for Reawakening to What Our Souls Know and Healing the World

This book spoke to me and helped answer all the questions I had about my religion and spirituality. I am so drawn to this way of looking at our world, which makes so much more sense to me than what we have been taught in our churches our whole lives.

I loved every chapter of this book and it has become "treasured" in my library. My roots are in the British Isles, specifically the Isle of Man, so how Celtic Christianity has kept it connection to the Earth so captures me. I am Episcopalian and have the great fortune of having a priest who is trying to bring mysticism back into our Church. I found a study guide to this and hope to have a book study in the future.

I have read all of Newell's books, some more than once, but this is his best. I have read most of the books in print on Celtic Christianity, Celtic Spirituality, and a lot about PreChristian Celtic religion. This is, in my thinking, the best single volume explaining the belief system of one who would define himself/herself as a Celtic Christian today. Being a Celtic Christian involves not only having a God awakening, but also having a Nature awakening.( We are indeed made of Earth and God) Both are essential. I think Newell does a fine job revealing this as the heart, or maybe Soul of the matter. Though 8 personalities, from the 2nd century up to contemporary times, he shows how these two sides of the same coin have defined the Celtic faith. His Chapter on Brigit is beautifully written. It's like he knows her- and, I suspect he does!I hope in his next book, he talkes more about the preChristian nature based religion of the Celts. This, to me, is the Celtic Old Testament. It's the basis for all that follows. It's wisdom is assumed by all who follow. Also more needs to be said about how to have/come to a Nature awakening. Writer Bill Plotkin writes eloquently about this in his books. I would like to see Newell do the same.I hope I've made the point that for me this is a beautifully written, much needed apologetic of the Celtic Christian faith. I hope everybody in America will read this book; we desparately need it!

This is a book to read slowly, to digest parts before moving on to the next section. The journey the book takes you on is an important one and will be individual to each reader. It is well researched and is split into large concepts to help us focus. There are suggested meditations at the end of each chapter.

I LOVE this book and did not want it to end. Someday, someone will write a 10th chapter for Sacred Earth Sacred Soul, and the person featured will be John Philip Newell. Thank you, sir, for writing down your wisdoms and those of such visionary people.

Newell lays out a neat progression of the same ideal - from ancient to present - that speaks to the oneness of spirit and matter. Panentheism speaks to me most loudly at this point of my journey.

We have been studying this book together in Methodist Sunday School class. It really pinpointed some things that that many of us in the group (USA) had been feeling about God being part of each of us and of everything in nature and how that "beautiful flow of goodness" in all things connects us all together. And how important it is to recognized that we must appreciate, respect and safeguard that which connects all.

This book gave me understanding of Spirituality,Sacredness of our earth and religious historyup until today. Love this book. Will read again. Apage turner.