Local author, Penelope Thoms has returned from a six-year stint in Kenmare, Ireland with a greater appreciation for the cycle of life — and a book, "Thin the Veil: Living and Dying within Celtic Spirituality." Thoms will speak at the Reston Used Book Shop in Lake Anne on Saturday, Dec. 2 from 3-6 p.m. She answered a few questions about her recent work.

<b>You spent six years living in Kenmare, Ireland. What brought you to that area?</b>

The far southwest of Ireland has held me enthralled since first going there with my husband Steve on a belated honeymoon. During Holy Week, we set out for the Ring of Beara, the peninsular south of the Ring of Kerry, armed with maps and guidebooks showing ancient sites. We followed a small arrow to a 4,000-year-old round tomb beyond the hedgerows and fences and through pastures where the black-faced Suffolk lambs and ewes were calling to each other.

That day on the Ring of Beara, I felt a “pull and tug” to return to Ireland. Indeed, the pull was as strong as that which drew me to become a hospice chaplain. And I had questions: Could I learn from this place? Would this center of the Celtic community give me more than my years in seminary and pastoral training, more than the diplomas on my wall? My challenge was to discover what this Celtic culture — from its pre-Christian beginnings to the present moment — had to teach me about living and dying well.

<b>How did you become interested in Celtic spirituality?</b>

In seminary, I earned master’s degrees in Divinity and Celtic Spirituality. I learned the concept of neurt, meaning “life force” in Irish. Neurt represents an underlying divine energy that manifests itself all creation, reshaping itself over and over in an unending cycle.

<b>Have you studied death and renewal in other cultures?</b>

Yes, I have studied diverse religions and wisdom traditions and how they understand and deal with death, dying and renewal.

<b>From your experiences, how would you say the methods for coping with death in Ireland differ from this area?</b>

The Irish, like other Celtic peoples, are not afraid to face death; death is as real and accessible to them as birth. The last breath taken is celebrated as much, if not more, than the first. In my book, I have tried to trace the elements of Celtic life and spirituality than enable Celtic people to live with their mortality and to ease them into a good death, allowing their families to mourn and grieve in a positive way.

<b>How long did you work as a hospice chaplain?</b>

What stands out the most about your experiences with that profession, and how has that furthered your own understanding of spirituality? I have worked with the dying and their families for more than 10 years now. It is what I call a “tough grace,” but it is a grace to accompany someone traveling from this world through the veil to the next.

<b>Explain the concept behind a "cairn."</b>

Cairns, or circles of protection, abound in Ireland. The cairn is at the heart of Celtic spirituality, representing the cosmos and eternity. The cairn, a feminine Celtic symbol, is a safe place, a place without beginning or end. I think we in America could benefit from drawing on this tradition.

<b>What importance does the changing of seasons play on the human psyche?</b>

In Celtic culture, the seasons represent an unending cycle, a circle, the wheel of life and death. Each season has its unique characteristics and contributes to the earth and all who dwell on it. As the Old Testament writer put it: there is a time for every season, a time to sow, and to reap and a time to die.

<b>Do you think it is a spiritual paradox for humans to need the cyclical changing of seasons, yet at the same time be tied down to a linear calendar?</b>

Yes, it seems unnatural to be tied to a linear calendar. In Ireland, people are much more conscious of the seasons and live their lives much more attuned to the cycle of nature.

<b>What, do you wish, readers will take away from "Thin the Veil"?</b>

I hope that readers take away an understanding of the Celtic way of living in harmony with nature, of respecting all of God’s creation, and of not distinguishing between the physical and the spiritual aspects of life. Of being at home with our ancestors, of offering hospitality to friends and strangers alike; of valuing prayer, penance and pilgrimage.

<b>Are you currently residing in Reston? If so, what is your favorite place in the area to experience the changing of seasons and feel a spiritual rebirth?</b>

I returned to Reston at the beginning of November. My husband and I are currently looking for a home here. Before we moved to Ireland, we lived on Inlet Court, on Lake Anne. It is my favorite place to experience the changing seasons, the beauty of nature, and sense of community, the birds and the animals, and the presence of God.

— Christopher Staten