Igniting The Flame Down Under

I spent a day with Explorer Bruce Challenor at Lara talking through the Igniting the Flame online Foundation Course on our Way of Life which he will oversee here. He is adapting the course and 'Celtic Spirituality in an Australian Landscape' will become the course text book. As Australians enrol he will provide feedback and tutors. He also manages the web site www.aidanandhilda.org.au. We both had a list of IT issues to sort through. His wife Margaret is in hospital with a serious toe condition. I anointed her toe with oil. Bruce was a Director of Counselling and has created various learning courses

The editor of the Gippsland Anglican Newspaper arrived at Geelong rail station to interview Brent and I. As we explored resonances with certain strands of Aboriginal spirituality she seemed drawn to a concept from Queensland of "dadirri" - deep listening and still awareness that our Way of Life also seeks to develop.

Explorer Sue Hicks and her husband Neil invited Geelong members to a supper. Before this Sue took me to lunch at the Narana Aboriginal Centre near Torquay, and then I had an hour or two with each of them at their home. Neil is Archdeacon of Geelong and Vicar of St. Paul's Church. After preaching at St. Paul's beautiful Choral Eucharist for Transfiguration on Sunday there was a church lunch. People from other churches came for an afternoon meeting of questions and answers. There was a sense of buzz and new directions.

Emails reminded me how the flame is igniting in other continents. On February 11 Jan Lokkeborg convened a meeting in Oslo for people interested in the new monasticism. From New York Ellyn Sanna of Anamchara Books informed me that following market research they have changed the titles of several books they are re-publishing in USA. "Exploring Celtic Spirituality" has become "Celtic Christianity". "Celtic Daily Light" has become "The Celtic Book of Days: Ancient Wisdom for Each Day of the Year from the Celtic Followers of Christ." It's currently no. 5 on Kindle's Celtic spirituality list. And "Before We Say Goodbye" looks likely to become "Facing Death Now: Practical Strategies for a Good Death". I draw attention to this because when bewildered North American friends enquire we can explain that they really can order these volumes in USA from Anamchara Books, with only the titles changed.