One Foot in Eden: A Celtic View of the Stages of Life

Written by the former Warden of the Iona community, this book reflects on the stages of life as seen by Celtic tradition. Step by step the author describes our pilgrimage from the invitation of birth, through the passions of youth and adulthood, to the wisdom of experience, to death's return to God. Each stage has its own grace that can be awakened at any time and that can release our inborn passion and creativity, the traces of the divine image woven into the very fabric of our being.

This Celtic focus is unique among today's "life stages" books. One Foot in Eden concentrates on the Celtic celebration of the essential goodness of life--not to deny evil and sin but to rejoice in redemption. Drawing from the Benedictine tradition of meditation, from lectio divina, from Celtic saints, and from Celtic literature, the book helps brush away our layers of confusion to find what is deepest and truest in each of us.

Each chapter is a graceful meditation on a stage of life, ending with an exercise that can be used by either individuals or groups--perfect for spiritual seekers, those interested in their heritage, those interested in creation spirituality, as well as members of prayer groups, seasonal parish programs, and small faith communities.J. Philip Newell