“For the invisible things of God since the creation of the world are made visible through images.”                      (John of Damascus, On Holy Images) The beautiful icon above is by iconographer Heather Williams Durka who lives in Olympia.  You can find her website here.  Heather offers icon workshops and has affordable reproductions of her wonderful images available for purchase.  She also has some great reflections on the role of icons in Orthodox tradition. There are many wonderful books available on praying with icons. The tradition of gazing upon icons as a window to God is an ancient one.  Lectio divina

Lectio divina is an ancient prayer practice, meaning sacred reading.  It is a way of being with the sacred texts of our tradition in a contemplative way.  Lectio invites us to enter into silence and stillness to listen deeply for the stirring of the holy in scripture and in us.  Here is a simple overview of the process (modified and condensed from the introduction of our book): The Process of Lectio Divina Preparation Before beginning your time of lectio choose a scripture passage with which to pray.  There are many ways to do this.  I suggest in beginning a regular practice that you