Poetry – Page 2 – Creative Spiritual Directions

Inner sense

Week 3 Lent Today’s Readings: Deut 4:1,5-9 Matt 5:17-19

The-WoesW

Innocence

in a sense

is like incense …. innocence…

it rises up and offers something of its very being

to inner sense

innocence – seemingly elusive yet

my inner sense

in a sense – it touches me … I behold it,

in a sense – I perceive its vapour,

I am in sense arising inner sense

an incense

to my being in innocence.

I wrote this verse as the word ‘innocence’ invited me this morning to ‘feel out’ its dimensions within me. In rising awareness of the work of Michael Leunig – artist, poet, philospher and officially declared Australian Living Treasure in 1999, I sought out an image and had NO knowledge of what follows. All within me blossomed as I discovered a gem -an extract follows from:

**“Ideas of Spirituality, Art and Innocence” by Michael Leunig*:**

“Why do I choose to put together this wonderful holy trinity of spirituality, art and innocence? … The simple truth is that I believe these things are treasures that matter hugely to the health of the individual and society…

I have come to understand my spirituality as an ongoing internal lyrical state of consciousness, semi-consciousness and unconsciousness in which I find meaning, comfort, refuge, inspiration, mystery and strength. …

With spirit, one is able to have and hold many feelings, and live a felt life. The spirit supports and negotiates between our feelings, instincts and intuitions …

I cannot help but think that a rich and confident spiritual life is a form of genius. …

The spirit lies at the heart of our character and personality; our individual, divine self, which is one of the greatest treasures we will ever have access to. …

Any thoughts of spirituality lead me quite naturally to the idea of art because in my view, and in my experience, art is an aspect or an expression of our individual spiritual reality.

I make the point that mystery is not confusion, rather it is an enchantment of the imagination and spirit. Indeed art is a spiritual project. …

In essence, spirituality and art are interwoven in their raw searching, in their expression, in their courageous unknowing, in their joy and darkness and in their radiant innocent strength which finds its way into the human heart. …

A direct link to the wondrous, innocent experiences of childhood might, in mature age, be called mature innocence. … I have found some of my most meaningful, useful and joyous work there. It is my studio within my studio. We might also understand mature innocence as mindfulness.”

I encourage you to visit the site for his full essay given as keynote presentation at 10th Dialogue Australasia Network Conference, 11 April 2015. http://www.leunig.com.au/ideas/spirituality-art-innocence?showall=1&limitstart= Words and image provided with gracious courtesy of Michael Leunig.

Morning Flight

Morning Flight by TFavretto

I hope you are reading this at morning; at the start at least of a new dawning.

Today’s experience is to sit and be in the spaciousness of now – in this present moment.

To allow the moment to have space and peace and an unfurling of its own.

My hope is that you may receive through image and the word and that they may speak to your heart and bring balm to your innermost being.

(Please note: just click the red arrow play button for the recital.)

WILD GEESE recited by Mary Oliver poet

She invites you into this poem with the words –

“You do not have to be good,

You do not have to walk on your knees for one hundred miles in the desert repenting”…

and she draws towards her conclusion with –

“whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination …..

Mary Oliver is a highly acclaimed and prolific American Poet who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 for her work “American Primitive” and in 1992 won the National Book Award for Poetry. Wild Geese is one of her most popular poems, as is The Journey, both included in her book “Dream Work” published in 1986. Atlantic Monthly Press. N.Y

The poem by “Wild Geese” is recited by Mary Oliver is the end of an interview in the “On Being” broadcast.

A list of her books, poems and biographical information are readily available. An overview may be found at – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Oliver

Header Photo with permission from:http://tfavretto.deviantart.com/art/Morning-Flight-71757446

Energy of Faith

copyright creative spiritual directions. com dawning — Week 2 Lent
Today’s Readings: Gen 37:3-4,12-13,17-28 Matt 21:33-43,45-46

It is an interesting reality – our personal energy. In some ways I have often had high energy… it is a clear gift. I see others do not have it in the same way it comes to me. But it is there in each of us. It is the power with which we each embrace life and live it.

Our energy for life is in some way tied particularly to our faith and values. It is a zeal for life itself and a strength of conviction allied to a sense of meaning and purpose. In times when I had become disillusioned or lost my way, my energy also waned until I found a new connection to meaning within myself.

There seems a correlation between the amount I give of myself in circumstances and the personal sense I have of it being in accord with my values. It is a faith that I am in the right place, or the right work or right standing with others….it is an outworking of my core beliefs about myself, my path and place at the time.

Faith in the rightness of things generates the energy that things are worth doing and enables me to go the extra mile when needed. Our commitment to our core beliefs, whether specifically religious or not, is lived out in small steps daily. We step out incrementally growing in our faith and test its limits.

Two Insights from Thich Nhat Hanh, Author and Buddist monk.
Taken from: “Taming the Tiger Within: Meditations on Transforming Difficult Emotions.”

“Faith is the outcome of your life. As faith continues to grow, you continue to get the energy, because faith is also an energy like love. If we look deeply into the nature of our love, we will also see our faith. When we have faith in us, we are no longer afraid of anything.”

and

“When you have faith, you have a lot of energy. When you believe in something really good, true, and beautiful, you are very alive.”

Thich Nhat Hanh -“Taming the Tiger Within: Meditations on Transforming Difficult Emotions.”p239, 241. Riverhead Books, Penguin Publ. NY. 2004.

An invitation

copyright creative-spiritual-directions. com heart and word (11) — Week 2 Lent Today’s Scriptures: Jer 18:18-20 Matt: 20:17-28

Recently I was as asked if I won $1m how would I spend it?

Maybe Lent is like that… We are reminded that we are being invited to share in a great gift of graces and a new life. How will we spend Lent?

Lent is a time where we can ponder on the true treasures we desire, our deepest yearnings and longings and cry out for grace to truly seek after these. The graces of healing, forgiveness and peace are at heart of our deepest desires. All things can be changed and made new.

I make 3 offerings:

A meditation:

An extract from short essay by Fr. Daniel O’Leary entitled “Forging in the Smithy of the Soul –Sometimes we must sweat blood to stay faithful”. *

In part he says : “We endeavour to short-circuit the relentless call of Christ. We want to equate the increase in our religious behaviour during Lent with growth in holiness. There is, however, no cheap grace. …

In our mistaking of the outward ego for the inner essence we are unknowingly denying ourselves the possibility of any radical conversion. …

In Lent we grow by dying. There is no other way. In this dying we recognise the false face we’ve grown used to, the daily lies we tell, the thoughts of deception that crowd our minds, the infidelities we do not commit only because we might get caught, the lovelessness of our lives parading as shallow compassion, our collusion with conformity, our fear of beauty and big dreams…. p.28-29

I recommend the full very short essay, contained in “Already Within” by Fr. Daniel O’Leary and his weekly reflections at: http://djoleary.com/pages/general.htm

A song “And So” by Kirtana from her album “Unseen Grace.”

According to Wikipedeia kirtana is Sanskrit for “praise; eulogy” and is call and response chanting in India’s devotional traditions. It involves hymns, chanting or mantras to musical accompaniment.

An image/prayer

Some days ago, I strolled among some gums and grasses quietly pondering and there before me was this short prayer – in the photo at the top of the page. Just as it came to me…I give it to you- the Invitation to Repentance….

Look inside

Blue Space by Dark Dissolution

A selection of 3 poems of 148 poems by
Mewlana Jalaluddin RUMI

There is Life-Force within your Soul

There is a life-force within your soul,
seek that life.
There is a gem in the mountain of your body,
seek that mine.
O traveller, if you are in search of That
Don’t look outside, look inside yourself
and seek That.

There Is A Way

There is a way between voice and presence
where information flows.
In disciplined silence it opens.
With wandering talk it closes.

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

Rumi,as he is know in the west, was born in the Persian Empire (now Afghanistan) in 1207. He was a theologian, scholar and professor who wrote great mystical Sufi poetry.

Select reading: http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Richard-Rohr-s-Meditation–Rumi.html?soid=1103098668616&aid=8aTnVT82V-0

This page is based on an extract of poems 104 and 121 published on Poemhunter website http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-guest-house-2/

This copyrighted work accessed via Wikipedia on Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi; and is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the CC-BY-SA.

Artwork used with permission Blue Space by darkdissolution

About Creative Spiritual Directions

copyright creative spiritual directions.com mounds

Through Creative Spiritual Direction I am providing a sacred pace for exploration and discovery of what is real and important in our lives at this time.

By reflecting on our own life journey … we can fashion our story…

By listening to our own voice we may hear our heart’s desires and come to know the still small voice within.

I am encouraging practical ways of nurturing and responding to the spirit within.

I invite you to come aside…step back to be still. Allow yourself to receive in the quiet and as Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ,* suggests:

“above all, trust in the slow work of God.”

Consider making a regular time of quiet for yourself … a space in time that is yours alone. Contemplation starts with simply setting oneself apart… quietening the outer to turn inward and take rest. Our spiritual journey starts with this one step daily.

I provide flexible sessions to foster individuals giving voice to their inner feelings and gather seeds of insight for reflection. This blog assists you to explore paths along your journey and provides companioning, resources and references.

I encourage you to follow in this blog and share with companion on the journey of Creative Spiritual Directions your experiences, encounters, questions and musings.

* See Poetry Page for full verse quoted from “Heart of Fire”