On Thursday I received my first copies of Celtic Advent: Following An Unfamiliar Path, which is now available at Amazon outlets around the world. I am very excited about this book, which provides a fresh approach to Advent that reawakens our awe as it opens our eyes and our ears, in fact all our senses, to the wonder of God’s story once more. In the company of saints and artists, storytellers and poets, this devotional encourages us to we tread a new path, step outside the boundaries of conventional knowledge, and explore new ways to enter the story of God. We walk with some well known characters like Patrick, Columba, Brigid and Hilda, but also with less known Celtic saints like Ia and Non. It takes us on a journey, a pilgrimage in fact through the six weeks before Christmas, beginning November 13th and ending on Christmas Day. Six Weeks, six themes:
- Holy Wanderings
- Guests of the World
- Reaching for Hope
- Searching for Peace
- Joy In The Journey
- Embracing Love
A big thank you to those who have already purchased copies. I understand they have already arrived in Scotland and Canada. This was a fun book to work on and I look forward to delving into it again, not as a writer but as a participant in the wondrous journey towards the birth of Christ. I hope you will join me, and don’t forget that you can purchase bulk copies directly from me at a discount price. They will take about 2 weeks to arrive, so get your orders in early to be ready for the beginning of Celtic Advent. Unfortunately this discount will only apply in the US. However if you want to purchase prayer cards to assist in your Advent journey, these can be purchased through Godspacelight, and can be shipped anywhere in the world. There is one set specifically for Advent and another set of Celtic cards you might like to look at. I am considering putting another set together, probably for next year. Let me know if you have any suggestions for that.
Video = Celtic Advent: Following an Unfamiliar Path
After I wrote my Meditation Monday: Stay Close to the Cracks, one person commented “we have to find that balance. I have often said that our goal is to stay close to the cracks, to know and even feel, the pain of others. But then, through prayer and meditation, to put those burdens on Jesus’ shoulders. I don’t think we are strong enough to carry them, but He is.” I agree wholeheartedly. I don’t think we should turn away from the hurts of our world and God’s beloved children who inhabit it, but sometimes we do need to limit what we watch, and make sure we check the facts that are inflammatory and sometimes confusing. God intends us to be involved in the world’s pain, reaching out as healers and comforters when we see the light shining in the cracks. The link to Leonard Cohen’s song, Anthem, was the most popular I have posted so far.
The Spiritual Practice of Giving God Joy, which I posted on Friday encouraged a lot of people to stop and consider the question “What does God enjoy about me?” I think it is an important question for all of us to write as we move forward as followers of Christ. I hope you will read the post and take seriously my suggestion to make a list of what about you gives God joy.
Many of you have very much enjoyed the last episode of Liturgical Rebels – my interview with John Philip Newell about Celtic Spirituality. I loved listening to this interview again and heartily recommend it to those who have not listened. John Philip Newell is a fascinating person. This week’s episode, another in our series on Celtic Spirituality, is an interview with another inspirational person Christine Valters Paintner, a Benedictine oblate and the online Abbess at Abbey of the Arts, a virtual monastery integrating contemplative practice and creative expression. She is a poet and the author of more than 20 books on the spiritual life. Her newest book is A Midwinter God: Encountering the Divine in Seasons of Darkness. Christine lives on the wild edges of Ireland with her husband John and dog Sourney, where they lead online programs for a global community. I first met Christine Valters Paintner when she lived in Seattle many years ago, and continue to be enriched by her deep spirituality and insights. I think this is another interview you will really enjoy.
Lilly Lewin’s latest Godspacelight post, comes to us from the island of Iona. In Freerange Friday: Art is my Thinplace, she quotes Christine Valters Paintner in The Soul of a Pilgrim. One of the metaphors I use in teaching the expressive arts is pilgrimage. On a pilgrimage, as in art-making, we take a journey to encourage the sacred within ourselves in a more intimate way.” I love that concept and am intrigued by the journey Lilly shares with us from her thin place, Iona. One celebration I forgot to highlight last week is world communion Sunday, the first Sunday in October when we join with followers of Jesus all over the world and form many different denominations to promote Christian unity and ecumenical cooperation. You might like to check out two previous Godspacelight posts about this Carol Dixon’s World Communion Sunday 2019 and June Friesen’s World Wide Communion Sunday 2021. They are both worth reflecting on.
As I mentioned last week, Tom and I are getting ready to fly to Australia on October 16th so my thoughts too are set on pilgrimage, though of a different sort. Part of the purpose of our trip is to attend a memorial time for my brother Nick who died a couple of months ago. I am also looking forward to catching up with friends and family. Can you believe it 16 of my medical school friends will gather with Tom and I for a celebration while we are there. Another friend is travelling all the way from New Zealand to spend time with us. It will be a fun trip, though we are not looking forward to that 15 hour flight from Los Angeles to Sydney. We appreciate your prayers for travelling mercies.
Today my heart is heavy as I read about Hurricane Milton so close behind Hurricane Helene bringing devastation to yet more lives. I grieve for those who have lost life and livelihood not just because of these disasters but because of all the devastation in our world. Ongoing conflict in Haiti, Sudan, Afghanistan and so many other places. Lives lost through drought and poverty and illness. For the ongoing impact of wars in Ukraine, and the Middle East. I think of those who are helping – first responders, FEMA, health care workers, volunteers from around the world. We cannot understand why God allows such devastation, but I am aware that God is very present in the midst of it.
God almighty, maker of the earth and all of life,
We grieve with you today,
For those forced to flee,
From hurricanes, wars and political unrest.
For places where violence flares
And we turn away,
Yesterday’s news
Overshadowed by today’s disasters.
Let us remember in the midst of our pain,
You are always with us,
Our shelter in the midst of every tragedy.
In the quiet and the storm you surround us,
Your love stays closer than a friend.
In this time of storm, of mudslide and disaster
Be with all who are vulnerable.
Hold them close as the winds blow, the oceans rage and the land slides.
Place your arms around them as the fires burn, trees fall and rivers rise.
Keep them safe from wind and rain and flying debris.
Guide those that respond, keep them safe.
Give wisdom to those who direct rescue operations.
Be with first responders, electric workers and emergency crews,
With all who reach out to neighbours with your love and compassion.
Comfort and protect them in the midst of danger and of strife.
May all find shelter under the embrace of your wings.
Many blessings on all of you today
Christine Sine
by Christine Sine
Several years ago, I wrote a post on Godspacelight.com, Stay Close to the Cracks which was inspired by Leonard Cohen’s song Anthem. This weekend, in the midst of my joy at finishing my book and indulging in my joy practice, I recognized that joy needs to be balanced with grief and action over the many areas of devastation in our world. I watched a number of videos of swollen rivers and destroyed communities as a result of Hurricane Helene and I wanted to turn it all off. I also listened to Trump tell lies about Haitian refugees eating cats , the response of FEMA and Vice-President Harris, and I wanted to turn that off too. I watched the news about growing violence in the Middle East and the loss of more lives not just in Gaza but also in Lebanon, as well as in the other wars in Ukraine and the Sudan. That too I wanted to turn off. It is so easy to turn off our response to these horrors or to get angry because we feel impotent in the face of so many challenges.
However, as I revisited Cohen’s song and the post I wrote about it, I realized how very pertinent they still are for today. We need to stay close to the cracks in our society. Close to the injustice, the violence, the pandemics and the environmental devastation that are changing our world and crushed so many lives. There are so many cracks in our society – cracks in the social fabric that have made us aware of ongoing racism in our society, and the growing gpa between rich and poor. Cracks in our economic and health care systems as we all struggle with the impact of inflation and increasing prices on our lives.
Cracks Give Us Hope
We must let the light shine through, so that we know how to respond without becoming casualties of our fears and all the pressures that are on us. Leonard Cohen’s prophetic voice still challenges us today as he reminds us that there is indeed a crack in everything but this is not a reason for despair but rather for hope because this is indeed how the light gets in. Similarly in Eager to Love, Richard Rohr comments that St Francis of Assisi asked us to stay close to the cracks in the social fabric of our world. It is a thought worth reflecting on.
It is in fact this thought that encourages me to look at the cracks in the pavement as I walk, to see what is growing and what responds to the light – the plants we call weeds, the plants we want to root up and get rid of this is what drives in the crack. We don’t like them. We don’t want anything growing in the pavement cracks that will disturb the neat and ordered pattern of our lives. We don’t want pandemics and racism and war to grow in the cracks. We don’t always want to see the light.
Everything in our lives and in our world has cracks, wounds and broken places that tell of pain and suffering. Sometimes we try to cover them over, attempting to seal them off from the light. But this only makes them fester and get worse like a boil on our skin that needs to be lanced.
Yet it is in the cracks, the broken places of our lives and world, where violence flares and pain cries out that healing also happens. When we acknowledge injustice and the pain it causes, we take the first step towards wholeness. It is into the cracks that light can shine and water can seep. It is in the cracks in the concrete that seeds can lodge, germinate and take root. And as green shoots reach for the sky, the crack enlarges, the concrete crumbles and what was meant to live and breathe thrives once more.
How Do You Respond to the Cracks?
Sit quietly in the presence of God, allowing the love of the holy and ever present One to wash over you. Read through the prayer above several times. What cracks in your world, what places of woundedness and vulnerability that give you ongoing pain come to mind? In what ways have you tried to cover these over, perhaps with a facade of laughter or with a semblance of respectability? Or, as the effects of the pandemic still rage, and COVID continues to take lives, are you responding by pretending it isn’t happening and risking your life and of those around you by not wearing masks or staying home when you are sick? Are there ways you respond, perhaps with fear, or anger or intolerance that show these are festering? Perhaps there are things you need to confess or seek forgiveness for. Offer these up to God in prayer.
Now think of the light that shines into those cracks. Where have you seen glimmers of God’s wholeness? What has it begun to give life to? Are you aware of green shoots emerging towards the sun? How could you nurture their growth and make help them to thrive?
As I walk our neighbourhood, I notice several rain wise gardens on my route. What was once a solid concrete slab in some places has now been transformed into gardens that channel the water into the topsoil and down into the water table where the water can accumulate and provide for future dry periods. Even our church became rain wise several years ago so that the rain from the huge sanctuary roof no longer creates a flood of water that overflows the drains and clogs the waterways.
Dedicating St Andrews rain garden
Sometimes when we stay close to the cracks we realize that they need to be nurtured and strengthened to rebuild the fabric of our lives and our society. And as we nurture these it is not only the surface life that thrives but it is the deep wellsprings of the water table that flourishes too.
What is your response?
Read through the prayer above again. What slabs of pavement are you aware of in your life and society that need to be broken up with gardens? Is there something the spirit of God is prompting you to do that could help accomplish this?
Now listen to Leonard Cohen sing Anthem and allow the spirit of God to stir your imagination. Is there another response God is asking of you?
Happy Feast Day of St. Francis from the Isle of Iona! I have been on a personal pilgrimage on an art retreat with Wild at Art Scotland this week and my cup is overflowing! It has been a glorious week of creativity, beauty, walking, wondering, and taking time to notice the colors of the Island. Color speaks to me! It’s the thing I notice first, followed by contrasts and textures. I love this workshop because it’s led by the amazing Scottish artist, Janet Melrose. Janet is one of those kindred spirist who listens and allows the people who show up and the gifts present to direct the way the course goes. She brings loads of ideas and resources and supplies but then sees where the Spirit leads us. It’s always wonderful to see the different styles of art that each participant brings. We are enriched by one another. We learn and are inspired as we create beside one another. Even though this is not, a quote, spiritual retreat, we have had ” great church” as far as I’m concerned! and the Holy Spirit is always active and moving! We received so many gifts and God surprises along the way!
One of those surprises was finding this quote from Christine Valters Paintner:
“Art-making as pilgrimage helps us to understand the arts a process of discovery about ourselves and about God. “
The Soul of a Pilgrim…Christine Valters Paintner
As much as I talk and write about, and go on pilgrimage, I hadn’t really considered the act of creating art as a pilgrimage!!
” One of the metaphors I use in teaching the expressive arts is pilgrimage. On a pilgrimage, as in art-making, we take a journey to encourage the sacred within ourselves in a more intimate way. “
The Soul of a Pilgrim…Christine Valters Paintner
I’m not sure why I never noticed this before! I’d never thought about the art making process as a pilgrimage! Making art is a spiritual practice for me. It is how I connect with myself and with God. Making art gets me out of my head and into myself and helps me process emotions and express myself in the world. I was the kid who drew on every welcome card and envelope in the church pew back in the days before kid’s bulletins! I know that have been creating art since I was five. But only began calling myself an artist again at age 40! When I discovered the wonderful concept of thinplaces…I realized that ART IS MY THINPLACE! Art making is how I pray and how I process, it’s how I worship and wonder. It truly is how I connect and feel close to myself and God.
Have you discovered your perrson thinplace yet?
Where do you feel God’s pleasure?
Where do you feel most connected to God, to the Holy?
What are you doing, Where are you when you feel most alive, most yourself, most at peace?
THAT IS YOUR PERSONAL THINPLACE! And we all need to give ourselves permission to go there and do the thing or things that bring us JOY and help us feel God’s pleasure ( just like Eric Liddle in Chariots of Fire)!
art of iona
I invite you to take time to discover your thinplace this week. Bake, Create, Walk, Wander, Read, Rest, Be Still and let God surprise you!
Iona is physical thinplace, and art is one of my personal thinplaces. I am so grateful for this week of refreshment. It’s been a wonderful gift! Now it’s how to get all the art back in the suitcase!
1 find your thinplace
Learn more about your own thinplace and come experience a thinplace Finding Your Thinplace Pilgrimage to Iona Sept. 1-9, 2025! Only 12 spots! Give yourself the gift of a pilgrimage and reconnect with yourself and God!
We did it! On Monday we uploaded the manuscript and cover for Celtic Advent: Following an Unfamiliar Path to Amazon publishing and yesterday it went live on their site. It is currently only available in the U.S. but should be available in Australia, Canada, U.K, Europe and even Japan, next week. I am delighted with this book which I feel will be a great asset to anyone wanting to extend their Advent experience to incorporate the 40 days of Celtic Advent this year.
If you are caught in the tension between the familiar symbols of Nativity scenes, Christmas trees and carol singing, and the desire for something unfamiliar which will jar you into fresh perspectives on the story of Jesus’ birth, then this is a book for you. Celtic Advent: Following an Unfamiliar Path, provides an unexpected approach to the Advent season. The journey begins on November 13th, as we join the early Celtic Christians in a pilgrimage towards the manger. In the company of saints and artists, storytellers and poets, we tread a new path, step outside the boundaries of conventional knowledge, and explore new ways to enter the story of God. The witness of these faithful followers guides us to the baby Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us and enables us to stand firm in our faith, even when the world is in upheaval. I hope you will join me on the journey. If you are interested in buying bulk copies for a small group or Sunday school class please contact us for discounted price. Unfortunately this discount will only be available in the U.S.
On Friday we celebrate St Francis of Assisi and I got off to an early celebration with my Meditation Monday: St Francis Day and Blessing of the Animals. I love this celebration which is one of the important rituals of October for me. For many of us our pets are important parts of our lives, they relieve our stress, decrease our blood pressure and lengthen our lives. It is important to acknowledge their contribution to our good health and well being with a blessing each year.
Last week we published the 17th episode of the Liturgical Rebels, a fascinating interview with Celtic theologian John Philip Newell. Make sure you don’t miss listening to it. Next week Christine Valters Paintner will join us as we continue our series on Celtic Spirituality. I am learning a lot from these interviews and I hope you will too.
Lilly Lewin’s Freerange Friday: Finding Your Thinplace in Scotland was actually written from Scotland as she is currently on retreat on Iona again. I heartily agree with her comment that “pilgrimage transforms us both inside and out….if we are open and curious. If we are willing to take the time to pay attention.” I love reading about her adventures and am definitely with her in spirit if not in person.
Tom and I are currently getting ready to go to Australia on October 16th so my thoughts too are set on pilgrimage, though of a different sort, as part of the purpose is to attend a memorial time for my brother Nick who died a couple of months ago. I am also looking forward to catching up with friends and family. Can you believe it? 16 of my medical school friends will gather with Tom and I for a celebration while we are there. Thinking about this has made me look back at some of the posts on Godspacelight about friendship – Carol Dixon’s post for International Friendship Day last year, and my own post on The Wonder of Friends and another “Strangers, Friends Angels Unawares”. It was fun to look back on what I have written about the delight of friendship over the last few years.
As I mentioned last week, we are also moving rapidly into what I like to call my “gratitude season” – the days between Canadian Thanksgiving, this year on October 14th, and American Thanksgiving on November 28th. It’s time to think about how you might want to shape this season. In preparation you might like to reread this post – Making Gratitude A Lifelong Habit. Creating seasons like this that mark the seasons and also the important celebrations of our cultures is a wonderful way to ground our lives in the presence of God.
As I sent Celtic Advent: Following an Unfamiliar Path, off to the publisher, I found myself reflecting a lot on what it meant to follow an unfamiliar path. This poem was the result this weekend.
Follow an unfamiliar path,
Let the light of God guide you.
Do not be distracted
By the cares of the world
And things you cannot change.
Do not stumble
When the road gets rough
And you cannot see the way.
Follow an unfamiliar path.
Trust in the One who created you.
Hold close to the Three who surround you.
Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer,
Trust only in them.
Many blessings
Christine Sine
Photo by Taylor Marx on pexels
by Christine Sine
St Francis Feast Day is only a few days away, October 4th, and many churches, are getting ready for a blessing of the animals at Sunday’s service. St Andrews Episcopal church already did their pet blessing service last week. This practice is growing in popularity across all denominations. Even some zoos are getting into the act.
This began as a Catholic celebration associated with St Francis, but has become extremely popular for people of many traditions in the last few years. We are discovering more and more the benefits of pets in our lives and society. Keeping pets is increasingly understood to be good for us. Having a cat around the house can cut the risk of heart attack by almost 50% and dog owners tend to have lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Those of us who are animal lovers have known for a long time that animals buffer us against stress and anxiety. All this from a recent ABC News article . Interestingly kids who have pets when they are young are less likely to get allergies too. So blessing our beloved pets at church, in the synagogue or even in our animal oriented institutions, is not just a fun thing to do, it is acknowledging their importance to both us and God.
Here are some other good resources I have found for litanies on blessing animals.
St Francis Blessing Liturgy by Rev. Robert Morrison and Rev. Richard J. Fairchild
Ritualwell.org has a beautiful Jewish animal blessing
And for something fresh – this contemporary hymn by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette which I have only recently come across.You will need to copy and paste this link to listen to the song and view the video. https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=X-1R3K1UJsM&si=O7NUhbi_CXIdCHHL
St Francis of Assisi – Prayers and Thoughts.
I am not an expert on St Francis but part of what I like about him is that he was very quirky, probably schizophrenic, and always makes me aware that God uses the most unusual people in incredible ways.
St Francis believed that nature itself was the mirror of God. It is probable that he spent time at Bobbio Monastery, a Celtic monastery near Assisi and they may have influenced his love for creation. Like many of the Celtic saints, he called all creatures his “brothers” and “sisters”, and even preached to the birds and supposedly persuaded a wolf to stop attacking some locals if they agreed to feed the wolf. In his “Canticle of the Creatures” (“Praises of Creatures” or “Canticle of the Sun”), he mentioned the “Brother Sun” and “Sister Moon”, the wind and water, and “Sister Death”. This prayer (the real St Francis Prayer) was paraphrased by William Henry Draper in the beautiful English hymn All Creatures of Our God and King.
May God bless us with restless discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships so that we may live deep within our hearts. Amen.
May God bless us with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people so that we may work for justice, freedom and peace. Amen.
May God bless us with the gift of tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that we may reach out our hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy. Amen.
May God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this world, so that we can do what others claim cannot be done.: To bring justice and kindness
To all our children and the poor. Amen.
This prayer is often associated with St Francis, but like other prayers attributed to him it is not actually written by him. It is still my favourite “Franciscan style prayer”, but was actually written by Benedictine Sister Ruth Fox of Sacred Heart Monastery in Richaldton ND. For more information check out Paul Neely’s post that gave me this information and the link to Sister Ruth’s full blessing).
Another prayer most commonly associated with St Francis was also not written by him but is generally believed to be only about 100 years old, penned by an anonymous French writer as Daniel Horan explains in Living the Prayer of St Francis With All Creation but is still a good reminder of all he stood for.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
I particularly love this rendition written for international women’s day a couple of years ago:
A Franciscan Prayer for International Women’s Day.
Paul Neeley at has posted some beautiful songs derived from St Francis Prayer:
The Brilliance – Open Up is a beautiful song.
A rock version of St Francis Prayer
Prayer for St Francis’ Feast
Francis, the destitute and lowly, enters heaven a rich man, acclaimed by the songs of angels!
Lord God, you made Saint Francis of Assisi
Christ-like in his poverty and humility.
Help us so to walk in his ways that,
with joy and love,
we may follow Christ your Son,
and be united to you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Francis, the destitute and lowly, enters heaven a rich man, acclaimed by the songs of angels!
And finally a beautiful song/prayer/poem of praise from the Franciscan Friars.
The Praises of God
Lord God:
you alone are holy,
you who work wonders!
You are strong, you are great,
you are the Most High,
you are the almighty King,
you, holy Father, King of heaven and earth.
Lord God: you are Three and you are One,
you are goodness, all goodness,
you are the highest Good,
Lord God, living and true.
You are love and charity, you are wisdom,
you are humility, you are patience,
you are beauty, you are sweetness,
you are safety, you are rest, you are joy,
you are our hope
and our delight,
you are justice, you are moderation
you are all our wealth
and riches overflowing.
You are beauty, you are gentleness,
you are our shelter, our guard
and our defender,
you are strength, you are refreshment,
you are our hope.
you are our faith.
you are our love,
you are our complete consolation,
you are our life everlasting,
great and wonderful Lord,
all powerful God, merciful Savior!
Amen.
Give yourself the gift of stillness,
Both outside and in.
Reach for the wonder of each moment.
Be transfixed by the beauty,
In a flower, a life, a beloved face.
Love is born afresh in every moment of the day,
If only we have eyes to see,
And ears to hear,
The wonder of it.
Christine Sine
Is it worth it?….
”I hope it was worth the two days to get there….”
This is what a friend texted me as I landed in Scotland this week. Sadly, she has never been to Scotland.
For me, Scotland is always worth it! It’s a thinplace. A place where the veil between heaven and earth is thin. A place where it’s easy to feel God’s presence and notice the Creator because of all the beauty.
It is the place I go to reconnect to myself and to Jesus and where I get the cup of my life refilled. And after this summer, and “ all the things” of family illnesses and politics, my cup was empty.
The friend who texted, rarely leaves the comforts of home and doesn’t seek places that change her. She isn’t open to new things or new adventures.
And this makes me sad for her because she misses out on all the wonder, and all the change and all the growth of pilgrim living.
I started started going on pilgrimage in the early 2000’s. My friend Mike King told me about taking his kids on journeys of faith to places where people of faith had lived and prayed. I was inspired and wanted to do the same. So we began with Mac and Hudson and took them to the Holy Island of Lindesfarne, to France, to Ireland and to Iona. Rob and I first heard the term thinplace in Oxford back in 2001. Rob was in a workshop led by Esther de Waal . We came home and wondered how to create thinplace in our regular lives and started helping other people find their thinplace. In finding Celtic Christianity, I discovered that I wasn’t crazy, I was just Celtic. And this discovery of Celtic Christianitey has kept me following Jesus ever since. Also, thanks to ancestry.com and looking into my family tree, I now know that I have deep roots genetically in Western Scotland. So it makes sense that I feel at home as soon as I get off the plane.
Seek your thinplace
So why go on pilgrimage? Why seek your thinplace ?
–Pilgrimage transforms us both inside and out….if we are open and curious.
If we are willing to take the time to pay attention.
If we are willing to be open to the questions and take time to be in process.
What does God want to talk to me about?
What do I need to understand about myself?
What new vision do I need going forward?
What do I notice that I haven’t been paying attention to in my life?
What is God’s invitation to me?
Finding Your Thinplace Pilgrims
I am looking for twelve fellow pilgrims to go with me on a journey of discovery and creativity. It won’t be a long walk like the Camino de Santiago. There will be walking to some very beautiful beaches and a hike around the island of Iona if you choose that adventure. There will be amazing meals together at the St. Columba Hotel where we will spend seven nights. It will be our home while we explore the wonder of this physical thinplace and allow God to help us find our own thinplaces.
This pilgrimage is about experience and experiential learning not just more information…and plenty of time to explore on your own and take naps too because rest is holy.
We start our journey together in Oban and leave our tourist selves behind. Actually we choose to leave our tourist selves behind when we make a reservation. We start to allow the God who calls us all, to start surprising us along the way in our daily lives, watching for signs of God’s love and care for us. From a bird’s song to special color, God can speak to us through everything, we just need to open our ears, our eyes and our hearts.
So YES! A BIG YES! Scotland is WORTH IT! and taking time to find your thinplace is always worth it!
Pilgrimage is an investment in yourself and a Gift from God.
I hope you can join me Sept 1-9, 2025 on Pilgrimage. Finding Your Thinplace in Scotland on Iona
iona abbey view
Iona… “ A few places in the world are held to be holy, because of the love which consecrates them, and the faith that enshrines them. One such is Iona. It is a small isle, fashioned of a little sand, a few grasses, salted with the spray of an ever-restless wave, a few rocks that wade in the heather, and upon whose brow the sea-wind weaves the yellow lichen. But since the remotest days, sacrosanct men (and women) have bowed here in worship. In this little island, a lamp was lit whose flame lighted pagan Europe.
From age to age, lowly hearts have never ceased to bring their burden here. And here HOPE waits. To tell the story of Iona, is to go back to God, and to end in God. “ Fiona Macleod
Questions about the pilgrimage? Just Ask findingyourthinplace@gmail.com
This is the reason we have no ease of heart or soul,
For we are seeking our rest in trivial things, which cannot
satisfy, and not seeking to know God, almighty, all-wise, all good. God is true rest.
Julian of Norwich
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
It’s a glorious autumn day in Seattle. The leaves are beginning to change colour, but the bright colours of dahlias, cosmos and geraniums tell me that summer is still in the air. We are still harvesting tomatoes and basil and apples, but my thoughts have shifted to next year’s garden and what needs to be planted now to make it flourish. We tend to think of spring as the planting season, but in nature it is autumn when seeds are scattered and settle into for their winter rest before sprouting as the weather warms. Planting, then rest, then growth. Such a beautiful rhythm that God has devised for our earth.
It’s time to prepare for a slow season of rest and respite. I am certainly ready for it. As I mentioned in my Meditation Monday – Creating a Circle of Light, I replaced all the batteries in my candles over the weekend and am enjoying the morning comfort of their warm glow. Setting up this circle of light around my sacred space is one of my favourite rituals of autumn. What are the rituals that ground you as the seasons change? How do you respond to the lengthening or shortening days, depending on where you are in the world. So important to have rituals that help us through the transitions.
My post, Spiritual Practice – Writing Prayers and Poems with A Celtic Flavour provided another possible way to greet this new season. I shared some of my Celtic style prayers and invited you to create your own. It is a beautiful way to reflect on our days and intertwine God’s presence into our rhythm.
Today, we published the third Liturgical Rebels episode on Celtic spirituality, an interview with John Philip Newell, John Philip Newell, Celtic teacher and author of spirituality who calls the modern world to reawaken to the sacredness of Earth and every human being. he has authored over fifteen books, including his award-winning publication, Sacred Earth Sacred Soul, which was the 2022 Gold Winner of the Nautilus Book Award for Spirituality and Religious Thought of the West. His new book, also with HarperOne, is The Great Search (August 2024), in which he looks at the great spiritual yearnings of humanity today in the context of the decline of religion as we have known it. John Philip was an incredibly fascinating person, and I could have talked to him for hours. I think you will all really enjoy this interview.
I continue to make progress on my book Celtic Advent: Following an Unfamiliar Path, but am engaged in the not so fun process of editing and adding citations I missed. My greatest failing – incomplete bible references. Hopefully we will upload the manuscript on Friday. Talk about a fun project to work on though. I hope you enjoy the finished project as much as I enjoyed working on it.
On Godspacelight, in Freerange Friday – Sitting in the Lap of A Tender God, Lilly Lewin talks about Fr Greg Boyle’s latest book The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness. This is an important book and I love the way she weaves the lessons she learned from it with the week into her reflections on this week’s gospel reading.
Looking ahead – October 9th is Indigenous Peoples Day and I suggest in preparation you read this great post from a couple of years ago by Rachel Taber Hamilton. Increasing our awareness of the peoples who once inhabited our homes and of the genocide that was often done to “clear” the land for our ancestors. As Rachel says “Genocide is never something to celebrate, though it can be important to commemorate. Nations that have been forged from the forces of colonialism have been built upon the premise of clearing away and subjugating indigenous peoples in body, mind and spirit.” So much here that is important to remember.
We are also moving rapidly into what I like to call my “gratitude season” – the days between Canadian Thanksgiving, this year on October 14th, and American Thanksgiving on November 28th. It’s time to think about how you might want to shape this season. In preparation you might like to reread this post – Making Gratitude A Lifelong Habit. Creating seasons like this that mark the seasons and also the important celebrations of our cultures is a wonderful way to ground our lives in the presence of God.
Many blessings on you this week.
Give yourself the gift of stillness,
Both outside and in.
Reach for the wonder of each moment.
Be transfixed by the beauty,
In a flower, a life, a beloved face.
Love is born afresh in every moment of the day,
If only we have eyes to see,
And ears to hear,
The wonder of it.
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