Earth & Soul Retreats

In 2016 John Philip Newell began the Earth & Soul initiative, including a series of retreats (now called Celtic Wisdom) to help reawaken awareness of the sacred in all things through the recovery of Celtic wisdom for today and to help translate this awareness into compassionate action in our lives and world.

In 2022 he began a second series of retreats (called The Great Search) to address the deep spiritual yearnings of this moment in time and to help give birth to new beginnings in our lives and world. 

Both these series follow a three-year cycle of teaching and spiritual practice led by John Philip Newell and his colleague Cami Twilling in the context of retreats. Participants may join at any stage in the three-year cycle and attend any of the Earth & Soul venues across the country.

Celtic Wisdom Series
(Reawakening to the Sacredness of Earth & Soul through the Recovery of Celtic Wisdom for today)

Celtic Wisdom 1
The teachings of this retreat are based on John Philip’s award-winning book Sacred Earth Sacred Soul: Celtic Wisdom for Reawakening to What Our Souls Know and Healing the World (especially Chapters 1, 2, and 7 drawing on the wisdom of Pelagius, Brigid, and Teilhard de Chardin).

Celtic Wisdom 2 
The teachings of this retreat are based on John Philip’s award-wining book Sacred Earth Sacred Soul: Celtic Wisdom for Reawakening to What Our Souls Know and Healing the World (especially Chapters 3, 4, and 6 drawing on the wisdom of John Scotus Eriugena, the Carmina Gadelica, and John Muir).

Celtic Wisdom 3 
The teachings of this retreat are based on John Philip’s award-wining book Sacred Earth Sacred Soul: Celtic Wisdom for Reawakening to What Our Souls Know and Healing the World (especially Chapters 5, 8, and 9 drawing on the wisdom of Alexander John Scott, George MacLeod, and Kenneth White). 

The text for the three-year series is John Philip Newell’s book Sacred Earth Sacred Soul. The recommended prayerbook is Sounds of the Eternal: A Celtic Psalter.

The Great Search Series
(Turning to Earth & Soul in the Quest for Healing & Home)

The Great Search 1
The teachings of this retreat are based on John Philip Newell’s book The Great Search: Turning to Earth and Soul in the Quest for Healing and Home (especially Chapters 1, 2, and 3, drawing on the wisdom of Thomas Berry, Nan Shepherd, and Martin Buber).

The Great Search 2
The teachings of this retreat are based on John Philip Newell’s book The Great Search: Turning to Earth and Soul in the Quest for Healing and Home (especially Chapters 4, 5, and 6, drawing on the wisdom of Carl Jung, Julian of Norwich, and Jelalludin Rumi). 

The Great Search 3
The teachings of this retreat are based on John Philip Newell’s book The Great Search: Turning to Earth and Soul in the Quest for Healing and Home (especially Chapters 7, 8, and 9 drawing on the wisdom of Rabindranath Tagore, Etty Hillesum, and Edwin Muir). 

The text for this three-year series is John Philip Newell’s book The Great Search. The recommended prayerbook is Praying with the Earth: A Prayerbook for Peace.