Once a month I take myself out of the fast flowing stream of life and go to a quiet space . Like being a still eddy near to the waters edge . In this place I seek and rest in ‘the still point at the centre’….
Of late I have done little spontaneous painting and drawing – making marks on paper , letting the brush go free fall and the pen trail behind on a journey of exploration … scroll through and you will see the development from blank page , paint , pen and ink …..
Initially I imagined the painting was a selection of leaves , a joyous expression ‘of being’ and as my pen drew a line here, another there the shapes of the leaves turned into fish , akin to a much earlier style of work by @kaygibbons_art.glass.sculpture
This maybe a work in progress on many levels- I can envisage loose brush strokes of paint on glass with the fish swimming vertically within a larger panel of clear textured and coloured glass; I can also see more fish with the drawing becoming a playful gathering joining me in the still waters of the eddy at the edge of the stream ….
Swimming in Silence in my Quiet eddy at the edge , bringing it into the centre…..
Porthsychan Cove, Pembrokeshire Coastal Path. Photo by Gill Henwood
Waves lapping on the shore, caressing pebbles, Stroking backwards and forwards, a rhythm of serenity and quiet pause, contradicting the rush and the frantic lifestyle which often overwhelms that inner search for peace; for stillness.
We are advised to search for the still, small voice which Elijah heard after the frenzy of earthquake, wind and fire.
The thing is that he did not seek it. The voice sought him. All he did was stand uncertain of what was happening. His world was crashing around him. Confusion reigned. But God waited and came quietly, speaking words Elijah needed to hear.
And so for us Like the waves, God’s grace flows across the pebbles of our life as clear, pure water, bathing us with His love. He seeks us out and refreshes our life with new hope.
Sense the movement of the waves and listen. You may just find that there is a message for you which you need to hear.
[Mr G 8th August 2024]
“after immense Activity one passes into a phase where passivity is the only way. I pray that you may be finding this passivity as the way in which the soul serves God, not by doing this or that but by passively receiving the great stream of His love and compassion.
My friend Joyce’s latest Tweet is of a Great Crested Grebe enjoying the silent stillness at Fishers Green.
The quotation she has chosen is by the Poet, Rumi – Listen to the Silence, it has much to say. As Christians enter the season of Advent once again, this is an appropriate prayer.
Jalaludin RUMI (1207-1273) was born in Balkh, Afghanistan which was then on the edge of the Persian Empire. In what sounds familar, the family was forced to flee from the invasion of the Mongol armies led by Genghis Khan. They settled in Turkey, at Konya, where Rumi lived for the rest of his life.
Here he began to write the poetry which was to influence so many, not least today. It is said that he is the most widely read poet in the English language.
God and Love are major themes in his work and combined with that is the communication we have with the Divine through Silence. Many of his poems end with reference to silence. Coleman Banks, a scholar, poet and author of a number of works about Rumi says: Rumi devotes a lot of attention to silence, especially at the end of poems, where he gives the words back into the silence they came from.
Rumi once wrote:
Close the door of words that the window of your heart may open. To see what cannot be seen turn your eyes inward and listen, in silence.
He maintained that Silence is the language of God. All else is poor imitation.
At the beginning of Advent we are invited to reflect and pray about the coming of God, as Rowan Williams puts it, as child, at Christmas. We do it liturgically through the Advent season by thinking in turn about the expectations of the Patriarchs, the Patriarchs, Prophets, John the Baptist and Mary but our reflections are bound up with our own expectations too. Advent is a time when we are invited to ponder God’s loving meaning for us. This is an invitation into silence. Being still so that we may know more truly and more personally who God is.
The problem is that we have to try and do this in a conflicting world which has differing values.
At the moment we are being assured by our Government and certain parts of the press, that Christmas is being saved. What I think that means is that the myth of a Christmas, driven by capitalism and the manufacture of a feel good factor, is being saved. I have considerable doubt that our Prime Minister and Government are the right people to bring any kind of salvation let alone a Christian one. (I also await the headlines that the Government is also saving Hannukah, Diwali, and Eid !) I prefer to keep Salvation as a prerogative of God, in His Incarnate Son.
Another theme of Advent is that of Waiting. This brings excitement to the expectation. We are looking forward to celebrating the absolute joy of God’s love which pours over us in the Christ-child of Bethlehem.
And our waiting is essential for our understanding of what that means for our world, our christian communities, ourselves. It is the poet R. S. Thomas who gave us the phrase: The meaning is in the waiting.
As the story of the birth of Jesus unfolds once again, we have to wait and watch and be still in case we miss what God is trying to say to us. We have to take Rumi’s words and act on them, Listen to the Silence – it has much to say.
In our busy, madly self-absorbed world, the Holy Family slip in at the silent pinnacle of the night. The stillness contrasts so much with the clamour of all those who speak but don’t listen; of those who write without thinking; of those who hurt and anger others into a position of mistrust. Our country and society are full of empty words and ill thought out solutions which change frequently and which endanger the world’s vulnerable. Too many words! Too little reflection!
So follow Rumi:
Close the door of words that the window of your heart may open. To see what cannot be seen turn your eyes inward and listen, in silence.
Those who listen and are still, even by snatching a few minutes, will hear the loving whisper of God. He has much love to share with us.
The Great Crested Grebe understands this. That is why she is still.
[Mr.G.]
As ever, Thank You, Joyce.
For those who would like to hear more from Rumi, try Rumi, Bridge of the Soul.’ (journeys into the music and silence of the heart poems translated by Coleman Bark with an introduction by him)published by HarperOne
My friend Joyce Smith has sent me another of her tweets. She reminds us that it is is nearly Spring and the dawn chorus is amazing, but it is also in the silences that we see the wonders of God’s creation.
The little bird is almost camouflaged and to notice it you have to pause and be still. As Joyce reminds us, God’s creation is ablaze with new wonder, new life. Even in the midst of the pandemic we learn new things. We learn to appreciate our surroundings, our neighbours and nature in ways that we never did before. Many lead busy lives and many fail to see the beauty aroud them. Even in the heart of cities and urban sprawl we can see the loveliness of God.
When you are still outwardly you see things. When you are still inwardly, God shows you things about yourself -things within.
Sometimes we become busy in order to avoid looking at ourselves. We crowd out the silence with noise. But if we dare to be still God shows us round the home that is ourselves, the place where Jesus tells us that the Kingdom is. God is keen to show us. He wants us to see how beautiful He has made us. How proud He is of what He has made.
God speaks to us in whispers about what we mean to him. Like the little bird we are beautiful and, of course, God’s more than beautiful and He has lots to tell us. If only we woud be still we shall learn so much. We will enter the Springtime of our hearts, our inner being and as with the Spring outside. Then we could allow ourselves to sing our own kind of birdsong, from our hearts.
Mr G's Ponderings 