John Philip Newell
John Philip Newell (born 4 May 1953) is a Celtic teacher and author of spirituality who calls the modern world to reawaken to the sacredness of the earth and every human being. He resides in Edinburgh, teaches on both sides of the Atlantic, and leads international pilgrimage weeks on the holy Island of Iona in the Western Isles of Scotland. In 2011 he was honoured with the first-ever Contemplative Voices Award by the Shalem Institute in Washington, DC, in recognition of his spiritual vision of transformation for today.
Life and Work
Newell was born 4 May 1953 in Chatham, Ontario, Canada, the third of four children. His mother, Pearl Newell née Ferguson (b 1924), of Scottish descent, was born and lives in Canada. His father, the Rev Dr William James Newell (1922-2011), Irish by birth, became a pastor of the Christian and Missionary Alliance and the Director of World Vision Canada. Following Newell’s early education in Canadian public schooling, he received a BA in English Literature (McMaster University 1975), a BD in Theology (University of Edinburgh, 1978), and a PhD in Ecclesiastical History (University of Edinburgh, 1981).
In 1978 he married Alison Newell née Cant of the Orkney Islands. They have four children, Rowan, Brendan, Kirsten and Cameron, all of whom reside in Scotland.
Ordained as a Church of Scotland minister in 1981, Newell served as Ecumenical Chaplain at McMaster University (1982-88), Warden of Iona Abbey in Scotland (1988-92), Assistant Minister at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh (1992-95), Warden of Spirituality for the Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth in the Church of England (1995-2000), and Scholar in Spirituality at St Giles Cathedral (2000-02). In 2002 he transitioned into full-time writing and itinerant teaching in cathedrals, universities and retreat centres on both sides of the Atlantic.
In 2010 a non-profit organisation, Heartbeat (A Sacred Journey Towards Earth’s Wellbeing), was created to come alongside Newell’s vision and work. In 2020 the organisation restructured itself under the new name Earth and Soul (A Celtic Initiative of Study, Spiritual Practice, and Compassionate Action) www.earthandsoul.org, reflecting Newell’s sense of urgency to awaken an awareness of the sacred in all things in order to be part of healing in the world, ecologically, politically, and spiritually.
Newell’s work now focuses almost entirely on writing and the development of the School of Earth and Soul as well as international pilgrimages to Iona. He speaks of himself as ‘a wandering teacher’ following the ancient path of many lone teachers before him in the Celtic world, ‘wandering Scots’ (or Scotus Vagans, as they were called) seeking the wellbeing of the world. He has been described as having ‘the heart of a Celtic bard and the mind of a Celtic scholar’, combining in his teachings the poetic and the intellectual, the head as well as the heart, and spiritual awareness as well as political and ecological concern. His writings have been translated into seven languages. In 2020 he relinquished his ordination with the Church of Scotland as no longer reflecting the heart of his belief in the sacredness of the earth and every human being. He continues, however, to see himself as ‘a son of the Christian household’ seeking to be in relationship with the wisdom of humanity’s other great spiritual traditions.
Vision and beliefs
Newell celebrates the sacredness of all things in the belief that everything that exists is made of God. He calls us to reawaken to this sacredness in order to be part of saving the world:
“We know things in the core of our being that we have not necessarily been taught, and some of this deep knowing may actually be at odds with what our society or religion has tried to teach us. This book is about reawakening to what we know in the depths of our being, that the earth is sacred and that this sacredness is at the heart of every human being and life-form. To awaken again to this deep knowing is to be transformed in the ways we choose to live and relate and act.”[1]
He sees that an essential aspect of healing in our world is to become more deeply conscious of life’s brokenness as well as life’s beauty, both individually and collectively:
“Knowing and naming brokenness is essential in the journey towards wholeness. We will not be well by denying the wrongs that we carry within us as nations and religions and communities. Nor will we be well by downplaying them or projecting them onto others. The path to wholeness will take us not around such awareness but through it, confronting the depths of our brokenness before being able to move forward towards healing. As Hildegard of Bingen says, we need two wings with which to fly. One is the ‘knowledge of good’ and the other is the ‘knowledge of evil’. If we lack one or the other, we will be like an eagle with only one wing. We will fall to the ground instead of rising to heights of unitary vision. We will live in half-consciousness instead of whole-consciousness.”[2]
And Newell teaches that transformation will occur in our lives and world to the extent that we choose to take responsibility for change:
“Like never before in the history of humanity, we are becoming aware of our inter-relatedness. We are beginning to comprehend that what we do to other species is what we do to ourselves. We are beginning to perceive that what we do to other nations and peoples is what we do to our own soul. The question is whether we will choose to translate this emerging consciousness into transformative action. And the further question is where we will find strength and vision for this work.”[3]
Central to Newell’s teachings is the conviction that we as a world have forgotten the sacredness of the earth and one another. His answer is to draw from the wisdom of Celtic teachers before him who have celebrated the sacredness of all things, and to apply this wisdom to today.
Newell’s life and work are characterised by a commitment to contemplation and prayer as the basis for compassionate action and change in the world:
To the home of peace
to the field of love
to the land where forgiveness and right relationship meet
we look, O God,
with longing for earth’s children
with compassion for the creatures
with hearts breaking for the people and nations we love.
Open us to visions we have never known
strengthen us for self-givings we have never made
delight us with a oneness we could never have imagined
that we may truly be born of You
makers of peace.[4]
Published works
Spirituality
Sacred Earth Sacred Soul: Celtic Wisdom for Reawakening to What Our Souls Know and Healing the World (Harper One, San Francisco, 2021)
The Rebirthing of God: Christianity’s Struggle for New Beginnings (Skylight Paths, Burlington, 2014)
A New Harmony: the Spirt, the Earth, & the Human Soul (Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2011) also published in the UK (St Andrews Press, 2012). Republished as A New Ancient Harmony: A Celtic Vision for the Journey into Wholeness (New Beginnings, A Material Media Imprint, San Antonio, 2019)
Christ of the Celts: The Healing of Creation (Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2008) also published in the UK (Wild Goose Publications, 2009) and Korea (The Christian Literature Society of Korea, 2013)
Shakespeare and the Human Mystery (Paulist Press, Mahwah NJ, 2003) also published in the UK (SPCK, 2003) and Australia (St Pauls Publications, 2003)
Echo of the Soul: The Sacredness of the Human Body (Morehouse, Harrisburg, 2000) also published in the UK (SCM-Canterbury, 2000)
The Book of Creation: The Practice of Celtic Spirituality (Paulist Press, Mahwah, 1999) also published in the UK (SCM-Canterbury, 1999)
Promptings from Paradise (Paulist Press, Mahwah, 1998) also published in the UK (SPCK, 1998) and the Netherlands (Meinema,1999)
One Foot in Eden (Paulist Press, Mahwah, 1998) also published in the UK (SPCK, 1998), the Netherlands (Meinema, 1999) and Germany (Herder, 2004)
Listening for the Heartbeat of God: A Celtic Spirituality (Paulist Press, Mahwah, 1997) also published in the UK (SPCK, 1997) and Korea (The Christian Literature Society of Korea, 2001)
Prayer and Meditation
Great Creating Spirit: A Celtic Earth Mass (New Beginnings, A Material Media Imprint, San Antonio, 2015)
Praying with the Earth: A Prayerbook for Peace (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2011) also published in the UK (SCM-Canterbury, 2011) and Germany (Herder, 2014)
Ground of All Being: The Prayer of Jesus (New Beginnings, A Material Media Imprint, San Antonio, 2008)
Celtic Treasure: Daily Scripture & Prayer (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2005) also published in the UK (SCM-Canterbury, 2005) and the Netherlands (Uitgeverij Kok, 2007)
Sounds of the Eternal: A Celtic Psalter (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2002) also published in the UK (SCM-Canterbury 2002) and a Spanish translation Sonidos de lo Eterno (New Beginnings, A Material Media Imprint, San Antonio, 2009)
Celtic Benediction: Morning & Night Prayer (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2000) also published in the UK (SCM-Canterbury 2000)
An Earthful of Glory: Prayers, Liturgies, Meditations (SPCK, London, 1996)
Celtic Prayers from Iona (Paulist Press, Mahwah, 1997) also published in the UK (Wild Goose, 1994), Germany (Alektor, 2003), Finland (Verbum, 2004), Sweden (Verbum, 2005) and Switzerland (Labor et Fides, 2010)
The Iona Community Worship Book, Editor (Wild Goose Publications, Scotland, 1991)
Audiobooks and CDs
A New Harmony: the Spirt, the Earth, & the Human Soul (Audible.Co.UK, 2012).
Chanting for Peace: Meditative Chants and Prayers (New Beginnings, A Material Media Imprint, San Antonio, 2011)
Christ of the Celts: Audiobook (New Beginnings, A Material Media Imprint, San Antonio, 2008)
A Celtic Mass for Peace: Songs for the Earth Lyrics by John Philip Newell (Guarnaccia, Vermont, 2008)
Sounds of the Eternal: Meditative Chants and Prayers (New Beginnings, A Material Media Imprint, San Antonio, 2005)
References
- J.P. Newell, Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul (San Francisco: Harper One, 2021), p. 11.
- J.P. Newell, A New Ancient Harmony (San Antonio: New Beginnings, 2019), pp. 64-65.
- Ibid., pp. 143-44.
- Newell, Philip (2011). Praying with the Earth. United Kingdom: The Canterbury Press Norwich Editorial Office. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-8028-6653-0. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012.
