At the Abbey we have weekly invitations to lectio divina, photography, poetry, and dance on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sundays respectively. With a 5th Sunday this month, I am inviting you to allow this week to be a chance to revisit some of the previous invitations and savor what has been shared there, as well as your own unfolding response to the invitation to “Return to me with your whole heart” we have been exploring.
Consider stopping by these posts and see what kind of return is inspired:
- Community Lectio Divina: Return to me with your whole heart
- Invitation to Photography
- Invitation to Poetry
- Invitation to Dance
Our approach to the arts here is rooted in the expressive arts, which engages the arts on behalf of healing and transformation. Two hallmarks of the expressive arts are its focus on process, rather than product, paying attention to the journey of discovery which arts can bring us on. The other is a focus on the gift of multi-modal exploration, meaning that when we move from one art form to another our experience deepens in new ways. This is similar to the experience of ritual, where contemplation, art, poetry, music, and dance are brought together to create a sacred space and possibility for transformative encounter with the divine. Try exploring lectio, photography, poetry, and dance in sequence, one after another and see what you discover in that holy space of possibility.
Remember that we have a Holy Disorder of Dancing Monks Facebook group which is a wonderful place to join the conversation, or share your comments below.
Next week we will have a new community lectio divina practice!
