In doing Lectio Divina this summer one of the Psalms used was Psalm 129 from Nan Merrill’s Psalms for Praying.
A portion of Psalm 129
Discover in the Great Silence the
mystery of who you are,
and be true to your self.
For wherever you dwell
there is beauty;
Infinite Love is everywhere.
Know that the beauty hidden within
your soul,
is seen by the eyes of
your heart.
Let the still small voice of
the Beloved
guide you by day and
comfort you at night;
Then will you be blessed and
in turn,
you will be blessing to
the world.
Read the Psalm several times listening for what it might be saying to you. The poem speaks to the idea that you find “the mystery of who you are in the Great Silence.
- Have you found that to be true?
- What does it mean to be true to oneself in our world today?
- Ponder the sentence, “know that the beauty hidden within your soul, is seen by the eyes of your heart. Does that change your perspective in the dailiness of life?
May this Psalm be a blessing to you!
Our Next Recalibration Live: “Contemplative Photography”
Featuring Ingrid Cyros
Saturday, July 17
1:00 to 3:00 pm (EDT)
Ingrid Cyros will lead this workshop to introduce the practice of integrating photos, sacred text, and journal writing to engage spiritual companions in these expressive arts. Contemplative Photography is a spiritual practice to cultivate the ability to search and see below the surface of things. The sharing of a photo can serve as an invitation and a starting place for conversation with a companion/directee.
Additionally, a shared image may be used as a guided meditation, or centering practice. Noticing what attracts one’s attention can tell us a great deal about what’s stirring in one’s soul, and it can serve as a focal point for making sense out of experience.
This powerful art form offers a means to encapsulate and explore the depths of experience, and as such, is an evocative tool in spiritual direction.
This workshop will be experiential and instructive, with take away resources and exercises to incorporate into one-on-one companioning, or a workshop.
Ingrid Cyros (M.Div.) is a Rolling Ridge trained spiritual director and retreat facilitator, and life-long artist whose passion is to explore the relationship between creativity and spirituality. “A deep initiation into grief led to profound discovery, through the lens of my father’s parting gift- his Nikon. I developed a daily practice of taking pictures and writing, which continues to inspire me to see the sacred through the searching.” Ingrid earned a M.Div. and Certif. in Spiritual and Pastoral Care, at Andover Newton Theological School; a Certif. Spiritual Care Specialist (AAPC). She lives with her husband in Newburyport, where they raised their two adult children.