“Give yourself the opportunity of silence and begin to develop your listening in order to hear, deep within yourself, the music of your own spirit.” -- John O'Donohue in Anam Caŗa
Have you listened to the music of your own spirit lately? Do you have a special word that you want to explore during the coming year? At our “Give Me a Word” workshop, many of us came up with words to inspire, to remind, to comfort. We spent time in silence, listened to chants and did some sacred reading. I was struck by all the words that had ‘light’ in them: illuminate, luminous, so my word for 2018 is ‘ignite.’ I know that rest is needed in winter, but it is also a time for building, for deep growth that will be ready to bloom in spring.
After a time of listening, we created a sign or card to remind us of our word. It is always so fascinating to see the varieties of art that people create. Being in a group is eye opening—it is delightful to rejoice in what others create. Being creative allows us the time to be present, to fully concentrate on what we are making, to let the creation take the shape that it wants.
After the ‘word’ workshop, we joined a solstice celebration at Camp Benjamin. Small lights lit the path to the bonfire burning at the center of the lawn. Creating the bonfire was a lot of work because of all the snow that had fallen, but once Ben got it going it burned for hours. He used small fire starters made out of wax, they are small but very powerful. Something very small can make a difference, it can ignite and catch others on fire. “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” -Mother Teresa