The fourth understanding of the Lindisfarne Community discusses the nature of our spirituality: it is "at the level of our being," so intimately a part of us that it may be experienced as the breath in our bodies, or the Holy Spirit as the wind beneath our wings. In formal theological language, it is an ontological reality, it is our very nature. In metaphorical language, it is the "secret history" we develop with God; it is the "spiritual intimacy" we seek with Jesus. We are encouraged to develop this secret history by any means possible: through reading and prayer, meditation and openly seeking "spiritual gifts," to follow the Holy Spirit in her guise as the Wild Goose wherever she may lead.
My home has been dedicated as the Wild Goose Hermitage, in part because I live near Mount Sunapee in New Hampshire, a mountain whose native name, Soonipee, is translated, "wild" or "flying goose." The Celtic image of the Holy Spirit as a Wild Goose can only be traced to George MacLeod's use of it in the 1940s, so cannot be considered "ancient," but it is, nonetheless, fitting. Mary Oliver's famous poem, Wild Geese, calls these birds "harsh and exciting," a description that may fit some folks' experience of the Holy Spirit far better than the meek and gentle dove!
What appeals to me is that the goose is both airborne and earthy -- we once spent a community retreat dodging a particularly abundant harvest of goose droppings beside Lake Owasco! And yet, the beautiful painting of the Lone Goose just inside the door of the hermitage evokes the graceful and solitary nature of the spiritual quest.
Most of all, I am drawn to the line in Understanding #4, that encourages us to "pursue Jesus in spiritual intimacy," a challenge that casts the relationship between Christ and the hermit in a radically new light, one that is fed by my time in solitude. For me, the Wild Goose leads straight to the heart of Jesus, which is where I believe each of us is called to be.
My home has been dedicated as the Wild Goose Hermitage, in part because I live near Mount Sunapee in New Hampshire, a mountain whose native name, Soonipee, is translated, "wild" or "flying goose." The Celtic image of the Holy Spirit as a Wild Goose can only be traced to George MacLeod's use of it in the 1940s, so cannot be considered "ancient," but it is, nonetheless, fitting. Mary Oliver's famous poem, Wild Geese, calls these birds "harsh and exciting," a description that may fit some folks' experience of the Holy Spirit far better than the meek and gentle dove!
What appeals to me is that the goose is both airborne and earthy -- we once spent a community retreat dodging a particularly abundant harvest of goose droppings beside Lake Owasco! And yet, the beautiful painting of the Lone Goose just inside the door of the hermitage evokes the graceful and solitary nature of the spiritual quest.
Most of all, I am drawn to the line in Understanding #4, that encourages us to "pursue Jesus in spiritual intimacy," a challenge that casts the relationship between Christ and the hermit in a radically new light, one that is fed by my time in solitude. For me, the Wild Goose leads straight to the heart of Jesus, which is where I believe each of us is called to be.
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