God Under My Roof: Celtic Songs and Blessings

by Esther de Waal

In this introduction to songs and blessings collected from the oral tradition of the Hebrides, Esther de Waal uses the poems themselves to evoke a vision of the wholeness of life. We are seen to belong to a common creation, responsible for the natural world but essentially at peace with it; secure in the knowledge that wherever we go we are under God’s heaven, and that God can be found close at hand, under our very roofs. We are encouraged to make some of the prayers included here our own, to find ourselves befriended by God and the saints as we talk to them with unforced simplicity and candour. So we discover that ‘it is through the rites of ordinariness that the rhythm of eternity penetrates’ our days and nights.

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Courtney]

This was a very pleasant little collection of prayers and songs from a small coastal community in Scotland. The prayers were originally collected by an anthropologist in the late nineteenth century; author de Waal relies heavily on that work and adds explanatory and exhortative comments. I enjoyed reading about how these folks found ways to pray their way through all the ordinary tasks of the day: rising, weaving, milking the cows, planting, going off on a journey, going to bed, etc. There was a beautiful sense of praise and intimacy with God in reading these poems. I hope to likewise sing and pray through the rhythm of my days. :)

[Jc]

This book touched me deeply. It is a small volume but it is a priceless treasure in the history of art and spirituality expressed in Scottish Gaelic songs and prayers. These excellent English translations of ancient and traditional prayers in song strike the reader to the depths of the heart. It is an excellent and precious volume of Great cultural and spiritual significance. Highly recommended!

[Geoffrey Schmitt]

Deborah Brunt spent twenty years meditating on the book of Esther. The result is prophetic in the sense of Forth telling, as in "Thus Saith the Lord it's time to get serious for such a time as this" and "watch out for Narcissist everywhere, especially in the church". AND most importantly she Blesses the reader with the Grace cycle, pouring down, spreading out, rising up in Glory to the Lord. Don't read this book of you aren't ready to be challenged. Do read it if you're ready for some serious self examination, after all repentance comes before a glimpse of The Kingdom.