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Saint Brendan - 08 The Voyage of Saint Brendan
Identifier
015595
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
I think the translation has destroyed some of the symbolism here - it is about the four seasons and the spiritual path, but I've done my best to piece it together. Some symbolism will be missing however.
The Promised Land = Dawn symbolically
The 40 days may imply reincarnation, but the translation is not precise enough to tell
A description of the experience
The Voyages of Saint Brendan – A Journey to the Promised Land translated from the Latin by John J O’Meara
THE ISLAND OF SHEEP
When they sat down to table, the same bird again sat on the prow of the boat, stretching her wings and making a noise like the sound of a great organ. The man of God then realized that she wished to convey a message to him. The bird said:
'God has ordained for you four points of call for four periods of the year until the seven years of your pilgrimage are over, namely, on Maundy Thursday with your steward who is present every year; Easter you will celebrate on the back of the whale; the Easter feasts until the octave of Pentecost with us; Christmas you will celebrate with the Community of Ailbe. Then after seven years and great and varied trials you will find the promised Land of the Saints that you seek.
There you will live for forty days, and afterwards God will bring you back to the land of your birth’.