Ancient Traditions Lead To Modern Re-awakening Of The Soul

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Jan 06, 2022, 10:06 ET

CHICAGO, Jan. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Society is full of contradictions. Millions of people seek organization and less clutter the Marie Kondo way, but three out of four American garages are too full to hold cars. People are more connected than ever by technology, but "deaths of despair" are increasing. People are leaving organized religion en masse but are seeking answers to the existential questions about identity, purpose, and meaning.

Braving the Thin Places: Celtic Wisdom to Create a Space for Grace

In her new book Braving the Thin Places: Celtic Wisdom for Creating a Space for Grace, author Julianne Stanz points to a solution to the restlessness, despondency, and joylessness experienced by so many today, by learning to bravely enter what is known in ancient Celtic tradition as the "thin places." Thin places, she explains, are the "wild, messy places where God is at work."

The Celtic imagination holds that thin places can refer to sacred locations, but the term also refers to "in-between" moments in time, as well as places within us. "In these thin spaces we are broken open and we encounter ourselves, our relationship with others and with God, in a deeper and more authentic way. The Celts were never afraid to explore God in the known or in the wild, barren edges of life."

An Irish immigrant, Stanz unveils the mystery and lore of the Celtic culture and relates it to each individual's "soul journey" toward healing, hope, and joy. Using Irish seanfhocal (old words), her own life experiences, and Catholic teaching and tradition, the reader is introduced to concepts that help them enter their own thin places in order to break down where they are in life and face their fears and failures. This breaking open ultimately creates a space for grace, leading to spiritual freedom and peace.

"We are spiritual beings," Stanz writes. "But today in a world rich in everything but simplicity, silence, and truth, we are distracting ourselves into spiritual oblivion. Spirituality has become divorced from relationship with God."

Braving the Thin Places will release in January, 2022, and will be available in print, ebook, and audio formats.

About Loyola PressAn apostolate of the USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus, Loyola Press embraces the Jesuit passion for helping people find God in all things. We continue the Jesuit tradition of excellence and service by providing inspiring faith-filled content for children and adults and by being people for others.

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BRAVING THE THIN PLACES

Request a Digital Review Copy

Julianne Stanz

January 7, 2022

Paperback, $15.99ISBN-13: 978-0-8294-4886-3

SOURCE Loyola Press