Reflections

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for CJ Shelton’s reflection Matching the Beat of the Universe. In the simple delights of Nature’s repeating cycles there is much comfort and clarity to be found, a reassurance that life will always continue, despite so much uncertainty in our human world. Quietly observing the flora and fauna of the local fields and forests has taught me to pay attention to the wonders and magic nature offers. For me, her reliable rhythms and instinctual patterns can always be

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Meg Munro’s reflection and paintings on her relationship with the Beloved Mother-Virgin. I had been despairing that my passion for painting was waning and being replaced with my spiritual longings and pilgrimages. How could this be when I had focused my whole life on being an artist? The two felt separate and in conflict. Then, in an inspired moment, it occurred to me to put Guadalupe in my painting.  That is how the Beloved Mother-Virgin came into

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Sharon Dawn Johnson’s reflection Yearning For Second Spring. Seasonal Thresholds Aroused at first light, the sun peeps over nearby urban rooftops as I open the curtain – rejoicing to greet the Spring Equinox, a thin place for threshold crossings. Greeting the liturgical Hour of Dawn is unusual for me – despite my middle name. What awaits me today? My mind scurries ahead to my fibre arts group meeting. My current artwork-in-process, Yearning For Second Spring, is mostly complete now, I estimate. Following

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Christina Lelache’s reflection and photo essay on the community of wildflower saints. Early in 2022, I began to feel a need for a new way to connect with God on Sunday mornings. My point of contact for many years had been through attending worship at church, often in a leadership role. I had stepped away from attending Sunday services when I began my leave of absence from pastoral ministry, and although my spirit breathed a sigh of