I know that I love the day,
The sun on the mountain, the Pacific
Shiny and accomplishing itself in breakers,
But I know I live half alive in the world,
I know half my life belongs to the wild darkness.
-Galway Kinnell
** For the season of Advent I am posting a reflection each Sunday on a theme from the lectionary readings and then during the week offering a poem each day to highlight that theme — see this past Sunday here **
I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for JoRene Byers’s reflection and poem “New Moon, Beloved Darkness”. I wrote this poem after setting aside time to prayfully gather the beautiful
Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, Today is the feast day of Sister Thea Bowman, an amazing woman whose vibrancy still radiates to us today, calling us to shine our lights in a world that is often hard to bear. Even in the midst of
Christine’s book A Midwinter God: Encountering the Divine in Seasons of Darkness was named A Best Spiritual Book of 2024 by Spirituality & Practice! Jon M. Sweeney of Spirituality & Practice also wrote a lovely review. “No one combines teaching wisdom with spiritual practice quite
3 Responses
yes, the image of “wild darkness” is what has seized my heart as well! :-)
that last line is my favorite, for sure: “i know half my life belongs to the wild darkenss.” wonderful stuff!!! :-)
I like that, Christine. Guess I am drawn to a bit of the “wild darkness” myself. Thank you!
Suz