Welcome to this month’s Abbey Photo Party!
I select a theme and invite you to respond with images.
We began this month with a Community Lectio (Visio) Divina practice (stop by to pray with this beautiful image from Mary Southard). As I prayed with Mary’s art I felt held in this womb of waiting and watchfulness, attentiveness and presence, of sinking into the gift of stillness and knowing this is necessary before the birth can come.
With our overall theme of the year at the Abbey as discernment, I love the idea of exploring the gifts of waiting, being fallow, embracing rest, as essential dimensions of listening to what we are each called to birth into the world.
I invite you for this month’s Photo Party to play with this idea as you go out in the world to receive images in response. As you walk hold this image of holy waiting and be ready to see what is revealed to you.
You can share images you already have which illuminate the theme, but I encourage you also to go for a walk with the theme in mind and see what you discover.
You are also welcome to post photos of any other art you create inspired by the theme. See what stirs your imagination!
How to participate:
You can post your photo either in the comment section below* (there is now an option to upload a file with your comment) or you can join our Holy Disorder of Dancing Monks Facebook group and post there. Feel free to share a few words about the process of receiving this image and how it speaks of the “Holy Waiting” for you.
*Note: If this is your first time posting, or includes a link, your comment will need to be moderated before it appears. This is to prevent spam and should be approved within 24 hours.
33 Responses
Good Morning ~
Morning fog
…”Be still and know I am God…”
The adventure waiting continues in the deep, cold and quiet of God’s seasonal paintbrush.
Exquisite! Thank you for sharing.
Lavender and Basil herbs waiting to be re-planted, when the perfect time opens up…
The glow in the faces of the children as they wait makes me slow down and wait expectantly as well.
Waiting to be fed physically, emotionally, spiritually until the time comes when we learn to feed ourselves.
This season I sometimes think of as the winter of my photographic discontent because the color is mostly gray and brown and it’s cold outside and and the light is short, but then we look forward to Christmas which brings a splash of color and warmth and hope.
Julia,
This image speaks to me on a very personal level–one of encouraging patience for myself, as my own spirituality frequently goes in and out of focus in a pattern of approach and retreat. I don’t have to see everything clearly. It’s okay to take a step back and allow things to develop deep within even though appearances would suggest nothing is happening. There is no hurry–Spirit has all the time in the world. Thank you for sharing this.
On my walk the other day the light broke through the trees and formed this magical flower. I stood there in awe of the beauty of the moment. No waiting – it just happened.
Waiting for the full blooming….
Amaryllis…. One of my favorite Advent images.