Being a thin place in the world we live
Within the tradition of Celtic spirituality there is a strong belief that there exist ‘thin places’. These are defined as where the veil between heaven and earth is “thinnest” – where the supernatural and the natural mix….. where the world that is to come is found to be here now…..where heaven touches earth….. where things unexplainable are curtained not in thick velvet, but see through the thinnest silk. someone once described them as places or times where the distance between heaven and earth collapses.
A Thin Place is where the idea of shrines and holy places find their origin and where miracles and extraordinary things are hoped for and possible. Where ancient ‘saints’ and other mysterious ‘ancients’ are venerated and said to still work their powers. They are places to pilgrimage to….. to tread the ancient paths in search of answers and in the hope of miracles, to discover something of the ‘other worldliness’. To search out mysteries but also to find mystery.
Some say silly superstition, others that you are playing with fire, still others pagan idolatry. But are we ignoring the fact that all religions have these traditions and there is a weight of evidence that exists in their favour.
Celtic christians seem to decide to have a redemptive attitude to these ideas and places. They sought to bring them into the realm of Jesus, to believe that the only Person who could create anything was God Himself and if these places did have mystery and ‘power’ then it needed to be brought into alignment with the creator of all things, to be straightened out, and the source to come from a pure stream that runs from the throne room of God. Where there’s a counterfeit there had to be a real authentic version.
We could also take a slightly different approach: how about each of us aspiring to being or becoming a thin place? A place where people can come and find something extraordinary, a touch and taste of heaven, a miracle of love or mercy or encouragement? That we become a conduit for ‘heavens’ presence ~ a place where heaven touches earth? Where we ourselves become a place of pilgrimage. That we become the ‘sought out place’ that others can find a sense of peace, acceptance, grace or forgiveness, where they can find Jesus because we cannot originate these things ourselves but we can be a conduit, a thin place between heaven and earth. To be part of the answer to the prayer Jesus taught to pray ‘…may your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven…’
Around 2008|09 we, with some other friends, started an artist collective in Luton called A Thin Place. We had looked for a name that would be intriguing and attract those that were searching and looking for something more …something ‘spiritual’. We wanted to create a place that people could pilgrimage to and find each other, find inspiration, find a community to help them, to collaborate with them and interact. Somewhere you could journey together, build together and commune together. A place to find peace, promote peace and make peace - a place of well being….a place of Shalom. A place to rediscover ancient rhythms and to tell stories about our journey, listen to the stories of others on the journey and highlight stories of those that are voiceless. We wanted to have somewhere to create, to learn, and to serve. Jessica and I are still looking to do that….that’s why what we are doing together with others is called Thin Places we desire to bring and multiply thin places wherever we go. To create places and environment where we could connect with something bigger than ourselves, where the ‘other worldliness’ wouldn’t be strange or laughed at or dismissed. I’m not sure we have achieved all of that or even a small part of it but we are on the road….we have started a journey and we welcome other travellers!