It’s been quite a week. We have had family in town from the East Coast and consequently have done more sightseeing around Seattle than we have done in years. I cannot believe the changes around the Pike Place Market and down to the waterfront. A few years ago the Alaskan Way Viaduct, an incredible eyesore of a road that cut right across the waterfront was removed and now there are beautiful walkways, and gardens that meander down to the water. Beauty out of ugliness. A transformation like this lifts my spirits and gives me hope for the future.
Another lovely thing that happened yesterday was the arrival of Kreg Yingst’s book Everything Could Be A Prayer. What a beautiful book it is. You may remember I interviewed Kreg for the Liturgical Rebels podcast a few months ago. He was inspirational to talk to and this book is an absolute delight. It is filled with colour prints created from his block printing on wood and linoleum of such people as Howard Thurman, Teresa of Ávila, Black Elk and Thomas Merton. Each print is accompanied by an inspirational reflection, encouraging us into the practice of Visio divina or sacred seeing. I highly recommend it to any who are looking for a new contemplative practice for the upcoming season.
Yesterday’s Meditation Monday – From Passion to Practice could just as easily been titled Everything Could Be A Prayer too. It encourages all of us to consider how we could transform the activities we enjoy doing into spiritual practices and so develop a spirituality that is intertwined with all aspects of our daily lives.
Friday’s Spiritual Practice – Praying In All Directions, took the Native American Practice of turning to each direction on the compass and offering a prayer focused on a different aspect of life. This is a way of praying that calls God’s Sacred Presence all around us, and literally asks for God’s Spirit to be present at the front, back, sides—even above and below—of an individual. This form of prayer is one that I increasingly find helps to anchor me in the world in which I live.
Today we launched the next episode in our Celtic series on The Liturgical Rebels podcast. This interview is with musician Jeff Johnson who lives on Camano Island just north of Seattle. He is well known internationally for his Celtic-influenced music. He shared his journey in the development of his music and how he was drawn to the Celtic Christian expression. He talked about his collaborations with other artists, including fantasy writer Stephen Lawhead and musician Phil Keaggy. Their latest album is ‘Spinning on a Cosmic Dime’. Jeff also reflects on the importance of wonder and the need to define oneself beyond creative achievements. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation.
As you can imagine I am deeply immersed in all things Celtic at the moment. I am looking forward to the Celtic Spirituality 101 webinar on Saturday. There is still time to sign up if you hurry, but it is only a few days away. This should be a fun and instructive session in which we look at the legacy of this often neglected stream of Christianity which kept faith alive during the dark ages of Europe. We will interact with some of the Celtic saints like Patrick and Columba and Brigid, write prayers, and learn from one another. I hope you can join us. There is a special discount for paid Substack subscribers which can be accessed through Saturday’s substack post Introduction to Celtic Spirituality
REMEMBER in order to REGISTER FOR THE CELTIC RETREAT, YOU MUST FIRST LOG INTO OUR STORE. THEN USE THIS LINK CELTIC SPIRITUALITY 101 TO REGISTER. Sorry for this inconvenience. For paying Substack subscribers only there is a discount available. Checkout this post for details. If you are unable to afford the fee but would like to attend the retreat please contact us for this 20% off code.
On Godspacelight Lilly Lewin’s Freerange Friday – Heal Our Ears has a wonderful Q-tip prayer that I think we all need to practice.
Yesterday Lynne Baab contributed a beautiful post Praying About Longing that is excerpted from her new book Friendship, Listening, and Empathy: A Prayer Guide which also contains 29 beautiful watercolors by her husband, Dave Baab. One of these is used in the post. I found myself reflecting especially on her comment “When we feel loneliness, part of that emptiness is our longing for the place of peace and joy that we were created for. “
I continue to work on my book Celtic Advent – Following An Unfamiliar Path and appreciate your prayers as I race to complete it in the next week. I hope that it will be available for preorder by the beginning of October.
This week I came across a poem I wrote ten years ago that I thought I would share with you as we close:
Hold tight to God,
Place your hands
In the hands of the One
who is light, and life and love.
Hold tight to the hand of faith,
Let it strengthen you through deep waters,
Let it hold you safe when you are afraid,
Let it give you rest when you are anxious.
Hold tight to God.
Learn to trust in the One,
Who is ever your companion and guide.
Many blessings
Christine Sine