Dear friends,
Welcome to the third episode of four that I thought I’d do for Advent…
I have had a very bad week of sleep, so this may be a short one!
With Courage, Imagination and Love,
Beth
Here is the third candle lit on the Advent sculpture, in the convent chapel. I’ve added more ivy so even more of the bare soil is covered.
Here you can see the large wall crucifix reflected in the water…
The view in the morning at the convent…
And the sculpture in the daylight …
I wanted to include the lights on my Christmas tree - a visual reminder of Emmanuel, God with us, God in us, for when we see lights this Christmas. And a reminder of what we can do with that Love.
I like them blurry :)
Here’s the beautiful version of O Come O Come Emmanuel that I wanted you to hear…
A Greek Orthodox icon of Mary and her cousin Elizabeth in their pregnancies, with Jesus and John the Baptist.
Here is the wonderful candle sconce I was talking about that my friend gifted to me last week.
It has had me mesmerised, and has also visually, completely held this week of Advent for me.
Here is a photo of the collage I mentioned, of the Madonna, the clay and the chestnut tree in the height of summer…
I’ll also add the poems I read out…
Rumi
“The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don’t go back to sleep”
Rainer Maria Rilke - Let This Darkness Be a Bell Tower
Quiet friend who has come so far,
feel how your breathing makes more space around you.
Let this darkness be a bell tower
and you the bell. As you ring,
what batters you becomes your strength.
Move back and forth into the change.
What is it like, such intensity of pain?
If the drink is bitter, turn yourself to wine.
In this uncontainable night,
be the mystery at the crossroads of your senses,
the meaning discovered there.
And if the world has ceased to hear you,
say to the silent earth: I flow.
To the rushing water, speak: I am.
Thich Nhat Hanh
It has been said many times:
HOME is WITHIN you.
You are the light of the world.
Returning Home means remembering
your own true self: Light!
The path around our home
is also the ground of awakening.
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Thank you SO much.