Dr Martin Shaw and Paul Kingsnorth: The Hidden Country 26.11.22

Mythologist, Dr Martin Shaw and novelist Paul Kingsnorth recently offered a day-long session of stories, talks, and workshops aimed at reviving the wild, ancient Christian legacy of the West.

Once upon a time, these Atlantic islands were sprinkled with cave-dwelling monks, forest Christians, old stone monasteries, wandering fools-for-Christ, and stories of faith wound deep into the woods and the wild.

It’s a deep liturgical, mythological and cosmological legacy that most of us have forgotten, which lies at the roots of our Christian faith. This event helped us to refocus our gaze on this rich heritage.

Today, in an age of radical technological change, social disruption and cultural disintegration, it could be that rediscovering this legacy can help us chart a Christian response to the times we face. This day of talks, stories, conversations and explorations, led by two recent converts to the Christian faith, hopefully did just that.

Attendees, from around the world, learned about the lives of the wild saints of Britain and Ireland; Christian Wonder Tales and their relationship to place; the Christian relationship to nature and technology; and the work and promise of Irish mystic John Moriarty.
This was a wonderful day of talk and participation, spent inside and outside, as we discussed a Christian response to unprecedented times.

Thank you to all involved for a memorable occasion.