I read a beautiful book this week, beautiful in its simplicity, and impressive in its depth. This book may even turn out to be one of my top 10 all time favourites! It is called The Art of Being a Healing Presence, written by James Miller and Susan Cutshall.

The book talked about what you can do to create an open, soothing atmosphere that facilitates top quality listening. That made sense, and wasn’t a new concept to me, but then they said ‘the most important space you prepare is not around you, but within you’. Ah!! That caused me to sit up and take notice.

“However conscientious you are about creating open, soothing space in the environment around you, it’s even more important to create a similar space inside. When people sense you’ve made room for them within you, they are more likely to open up, to feel freer to be who they are, to claim their own healing potential. If you have prepared space internally for them, they will sense it. And if you have not, they will sense that too.” (pg. 31)

Wow! I had never been told this in any life coaching or expressive arts training. It has been quite an experience for me this week to be conscious of how much open, soothing space exists within me at any given moment, and especially, when I am entering into an encounter with an individual or a group. There was a whole chapter devoted to how to create this inner open, soothing space but here’s one tip : “You may not have the luxury of being able to prepare yourself as you would like. The telephone may ring, the door may open, or your name may be called and suddenly you’re swept into a flow of ongoing requests and needs whether or not you feel ready for them. Remember to breathe evenly. With each inhalation, visualize an area being cleared away within you, little by little.” (pg. 32)

I had read this section of the book one morning, and immediately after that, I received an upsetting email. Right after that, I was to lead a Nia class. I could not deal with the email before class began, so I had the opportunity to try out the idea of visualizing an area being cleared away within me, little by little, one breath at a time. I was able to set the worries that came from the email into an area outside myself, and clear an area inside myself that felt peaceful and calm enough to be able to concentrate on the Zoom screen full of Nia ladies for the next hour.

What an extremely helpful tip! I wanted to share it with you, as well as the book recommendation, in the hopes that you may receive something that will be of help to your life too!

As you know, I have been really enjoying reading Sarah Ban Breathnach’s book Simple Abundance this year. I loved her November 11 meditation entitled ‘Amazing Grace’. She tells us that the way to access Grace in our lives is simply to ask for it ‘specifically and regularly’. She instructs us that every morning, ‘gratefully and expectantly’ we should ‘ask for one day’s portion of Grace’.

What is Grace? Sarah tells us it is ‘direct Divine intervention on our behalf that circumvents the laws of nature—time, space, cause and effect— for our Highest Good’. She reminds us that theologians tell us that Grace is ‘an unmerited demonstration of God’s love, proof that we are not in this alone’.

I must admit, I have never prayed for one day’s portion of Grace before, and I was eager to give it a try! For the past few days, I have been asking each morning for one day’s portion of Grace and the first thing I noticed was a feeling of inner peace that came immediately. I felt that I must be on the right track in some way!

I looked up the dictionary definition of grace too. It was defined as ‘simple elegance’ and as ‘courteous goodwill’. That is how I felt inside as I prayed for Grace— I felt a sense of ease, elegance and goodwill. I can’t say I saw anything amazing happen, anything really out of the ordinary, but I did feel inwardly different.

I wanted to share this with you, in case you want to try praying for one day’s portion of Grace and see what happens for you— inwardly and outwardly in your life!

Recently, I have been working on a book of meditations called We Are Already Whole: A Daybook of Rediscovery. I am hoping it will be ready to be shared with the world in 2021! The book is about what has been called our True Self/our original self/ our Essence/ the part of us ‘made in God’s image and likeness’. James Hollis, a prominent Jungian psychoanalyst, says of the Self that it is ‘the architect of wholeness’ - a ‘larger presence’ which ‘moves and directs the total organism toward survival, growth, development and meaning’ (pages 11-12 in Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life). When I was out on a walk recently, I threw a pebble into a nearby river. I saw the ripples the pebble made disappear as the pebble sank to the bottom of the river. I realized that our Self could be seen as the pebble. No matter what is going on at the surface of our lives, our Essence or True Self sits deep within the core of our lives, quietly directing our lives, if we will allow it.

I wrote a little meditation about my experience and I have been practising it on days when I am feeling discombobulated by external events and having trouble getting myself settled. I would like to offer it to you today, in the hope it may be helpful for you too:

Sit in a comfortable chair, with a cup of tea or coffee in hand. Close your eyes and inhale the delicious fragrance of your drink of choice. Begin to take a few deep breaths, slowly, in and out of your nose. Imagine a favourite body of water near your home. Walk towards it, and when you arrive, select a pebble from the shore and throw it in. See the ripples the pebble makes, but also see the pebble sinking to the bottom of the body of water. While still breathing slowly, imagine being the pebble. From your vantage point at the bottom of the water, look up and see life above and all around you. Notice the fish swimming by and any disturbances at the surface, but focus on how it feels to be the pebble nestled comfortably on the bottom of the body of water. Notice that no matter what goes on above or around you, you remain calm and quiet. You can see what’s going on, but you aren’t affected by it. Events come and go, and you are still there, feeling centered, feeling grounded, feeling good inside. All is well with your soul.

Slowly return your focus to the cup in your hand, and again enjoy the fragrance of your drink. Open your eyes when you are ready and reconnect with the world. If you feel so moved, journal about your experience of feeling deeply connected with your True Self/ your Essence. To further unfold your experience, draw the pebble that represents your True Self. What size and shape are you? What texture? What colour or colours? Enjoy!!

I had the privilege this evening of watching David Attenborough’s documentary called A Life on our Planet. He calls it his witness statement. It was made in 2020, so the information is very up to date. We watched it on Netflix. As with all of his documentaries, it was beautifully done. I was kind of afraid to watch it, to tell you the truth. In these days of so much bad news and worry in general, I didn’t know if I could handle more of that, yet I really wanted to know how David saw the state of the world.

Amazingly, though he told the truth about how things stand with regard to climate change and how urgent the need is to act to reverse it, he also gave us a message of hope. He told us very simply what needs to be done and that if done, our species can be saved. Whew! Now I have a much better idea what I should do personally, and what I should lobby for provincially and federally. David gave examples of countries who have taken the required actions, and how good things have happened as a result.

I was so glad I watched this documentary. At the end there are the words : “ This is David Attenborough’s witness statement. Who else needs to see it?”

I immediately thought of all of you. I invite you and encourage you to watch it. I think you will be glad you did.

This morning I woke up with the lyrics of the Godspell song Day by Day running through my head. I haven’t thought of that song for 40 years or so! I went to You Tube and saw a video of the original cast and crew singing the song. Oh what simple, uncomplicated times the 1970s were, as I look back on them now.

I love the song lyrics as much today as I did then. Do you remember them?

Day by day,

Day, by day,

Oh dear Lord, three things I pray.

To see Thee more clearly,

To love Thee more dearly,

To follow Thee more nearly,

Day by day.

Wow! What a beautiful prayer this song is. It seems to me that we being invited to take a break from focusing upon the troubles of our day to turn our attention toward God. Simply put, we can seek to see, love and follow our God more clearly, dearly and nearly. This sounds like a recipe for peace to me. May it be so!

I was realizing this morning that it feels to me as though nothing is as it was in the world, yet what is to come is not yet known. The term for this is ‘the interim time.’

John O’Donohue wrote a beautiful book of Blessings called To Bless the Space Between Us. In that book there is a blessing in the shape of a poem called For the Interim Time. Of the interim time he says:

“No place looks like itself, loss of outline,

Makes everything look strangely in-between,

Unsure of what has been, or what might come.”

Boy, for me, that describes our situation in history right now very accurately.

So how do we handle the interim time? For me, I am realizing that honouring the rhythms of life which remain really helps. For instance, it is time to take the annuals out of the garden and plant bulbs which we know will bloom next spring, no matter what happens in our world. It’s time to put away our spring/summer wardrobes and pull out our warm woolies to wear, and we do this every year, no matter what is happening around us.

I am finding the rhythms of each day are so precious right now too. Thinking about what to make for supper, and then looking forward to the evening meal has become much more meaningful. Right now I have chili in the slow cooker and already the house is beginning to be filled with that comforting and grounding fragrance.

The weekly rhythm of church (by Zoom!) on Sunday, the weekly phone calls with my children and visit with my mom are touchstones of my week. I enjoy, look forward to, and savour these events much more and I am grateful for the anchor they provide for me life right now.

Some things don’t change! The daily, weekly and seasonal rhythms continue! What a relief to realize that.

John O’Donohue finishes his poem blessing with these words:

“What is being transfigured here is your mind,

And it is difficult and slow to become new.

The more faithfully you can endure here,

The more refined your heart will become

For your arrival in the new dawn.”

I do have that feeling that my mind is being transfigured by this COVID experience. The rhythms of my life are anchoring me while the work of transfiguration is being done. I find myself able to rest in that thought for now. Hallelujah!

A few weeks ago, a friend sent me an article about something called acedia. It is a term which means bored and listless, associated with an inability to motivate oneself, that arises from social isolation. Acedia comes from the Greek and means a ‘seizing up or freezing of feelings.’ It was described as far back as the 5th century AD and applied to monks who were shut away in monasteries for many months, without any outside contact.

The article goes on to state, “ This might strike you as a piece of interesting but irrevelant trivia. But having the precisely the right name for our emotions matters.

One, you’re less likely to feel there is something wrong with you if you know that humans have been growing listless when confined since before the fall of Rome. But two, modern research shows that accurately naming your feelings helps you deal with them better.

This capacity is called emotional granularity by psychologists, and as Lisa Feldman, author and head of Northwestern University’s Interdsiciplinary Affective Science Lab explains, putting the right word to your feelings “helps your brain figure out when to act… and what to do.. Your actions are better tailored to the situation you find yourself in.”

So next time you’re wandering around your house yawning for no apparent reason and struggling to persuade yourself to do one of the many positive things you know you should do, don’t call yourself depressed or lazy. Tell yourself you have acedia and that it’s 100% natural for humans to respond to physical and social isolation this way.

By feeling less defective and less alone, you just might gain an edge in actually beating your malaise.”

https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/productivity-motivation-northwestern-acedia.html

I found all this information really helpful for understanding the way I feel some days. I have found the antidote for acedia, for me, is creativity. The trick is finding an easy access to creativity. For me, it is card making. I leave my card making materials out at all times so there are no impediments to sitting down and beginning to create. I invite you to give some thought to what is the easiest access to your own creativity. Once you know, I invite you to leave those materials out in the open. Once I start being creative, other ideas come, and within 30 minutes or so the acedia feelings have lifted. Give it a try!! I hope the same will happen for you!!

As you know, I value Rick Tamlyn’s input in my life. I recently attended his online seminar about how to be calm in the midst of ongoing crisis. Rick said something which really made me think, “Calm is when I feel creative with my world.” Hmmmm!!!

I decided to try this out yesterday in my studio. I hadn’t made any art for many months, so I took a big sheet of 200 lb watercolour paper, pulled out my watercolour crayons, and went to town creating a nice big bold piece of art. I painted for about 10 minutes, then stopped and asked myself if I felt calm or not. I realized that during the 10 minutes of painting, all I could do/did do, was to focus on my art making and it took my complete attention. I did feel calm and I did feel joyous, as nothing makes me happier in the moment than choosing beautiful colours and making an abstract painting with them.

After I asked myself if I was feeling calm, I started thinking about our world, wondering, for instance, what the COVID case count was for today in Ontario, in Canada, in the USA and in the world. I stopped my painting to check all this, and I felt my anxiety rise.

Then I went back to making my big piece of art. Very soon, I was focussing on my artmaking completely, and the feeling of calm returned.

Cool! I discovered that for me, calmness and creativity are very linked.

How do you exercise your creativity? Is it making a needlework piece?Is it making an abstract painting? Is it writing a poem? Is it gardening? Is it making a beautiful photograph? Is it making jewellry? Is it planning a workshop for others? There are so many different ways!

I invite you to try the same experiment. How do you feel inside when you are creating? If calm, then I invite you to ask yourself how you can find ways to expand the amount of time you spend creating in a day.

I am hopeful as we enter the fall and winter, that thinking about how to exercise our creativity will help us cope with the world situation in which we are immersed.

Dear Lord, please bless us all with the ability to endure and even sometimes, to thrive! Amen.

Today Father Richard Rohr wrote a heartfelt letter to readers of his daily meditations. The letter was called ‘Some simple but urgent guidance to get us through these next months.’ He wrote that an important source of guidance for him are words written by Etty Hillesum (1914-1943), a young Jewish woman who suffered greatly in a concentration camp. She wrote:

“There is a really deep well inside me. And in it dwells God. Sometimes I am there, too.. And that is all we can manage these days and also all that really matters: that we safeguard that little piece of You, God, in ourselves.”

Reading these words reminded me of some words that I cherish, written by John O’Donohue in his book Anam Cara:

“You can search far and in hungry places for love. It is a great consolation to know that there is a wellspring of love within yourself. If you trust that this wellspring is there, you will then be able to invite it to awaken. The following exercise could help develop awareness of this capacity. When you have moments on your own or spaces in your time, just focus on the well at the root of your soul. Imagine that nourishing stream of belonging, ease, peace, and delight. Feel, with your visual imagination, the refreshing waters of that well gradually flowing up through the arid earth of the neglected side of your heart. It is helpful to imagine this particularly before you sleep. Then during the night you will be in a constant flow of enrichment and belonging. You will find that when you awake at dawn, there will be a lovely, quiet happiness in your spirit.” (pg 28 Anam Cara)

When I first read these words about 10 years ago, I did practise thinking of the wellspring just when I was falling asleep. I experienced that lovely, quiet happiness that John predicted would occur. I think I have pretty much internalized the knowledge of the wellspring of love and knowing it is there has always been utterly comforting, and even more so during these difficult days. I invite you to try the practice of focussing on the wellspring of love. I am hopeful you too will be encouraged, stabilized and comforted by connecting with it and by the sure knowledge and experience that it is, indeed, there!

For the past 6 weeks I have been participating in an online retreat offered by the Monastery of St Gertrude in Cottonwood, Idaho. The retreat was called “Now That We’re All Living LIke Monks : Lessons from St Benedict in a Time of Pandemic, Division and Reckoning.” I was really stretched and challenged by the retreat and particularly by the homework Sister Teresa assigned. But my favourite moment was the very last prayer/poem that she left us with as we finished up the retreat. The prayer was written by John of Dalyutha, a monk I had never heard of before. He lived from 690AD to 780AD, in Upper Mesopotamia. He lived in monasteries sometimes, but mostly he lived as a hermit in a cave. He was a prolific writer of sermons, treatises, maxims and letters. The letters have survived and have been translated into several languages in the centuries after his death. For a time they were banned, but then they were widely circulated throughout Asia, Africa and Europe. ( Wikipedia). You can order his works on Amazon today! It was a thrill to learn of this wonderful man.

Here is his beautiful prayer poem:

If you are tired and worn out by your labours for your Lord,

place your head upon his knee and rest awhile.

Recline upon his breast,

breathe in the fragrant spirit of life,

and allow life to permeate your being.

Rest upon him, for he is a table of refreshment

that will serve you the food of the divine Father.

What rest and refreshment John of Dalyutha provided for me today, and I hope for you too!