Soul Tending: Art & Poetry in the Garden

Soul Tending Art and Poetry in the Garden PART 2 - WHERE DO YOU HEAR THE HEARTBEAT OF GOD?

Quiet Garden Morning – an offering of the Center for Prayer and Spirituality October 23 Welcome to our second session together… Soul Tending: Art and Poetry in the Garden. Where do you hear the heartbeat of God? As I mentioned, this will be like what the Puritans called “the market day of the soul.” You’ll discover a plethora of poetry, stories, prayers, all intended to unite us with the Divine Presence of God and Christ in nature, all leading us to hear the heartbeat of our Holy God. I must warn you that in my deepest places, my heart and my DNA, I am both a Franciscan and an inheritor of Irish Celtic roots.

Prayer: Gracious and Loving God, you fill our lives, and you provide all things with fullness and hope beyond what we will ever understand. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear so that we have insight and courage so your holy whispers can awaken our souls to greater truth and greater care for one another and this planet we call home. Walk with us as and be our guide as we put our hope in all that really matters. May we feel your arms of grace wrapped round us as we seek your eternal presence and love. Listen to our hearts’ longing for we know, Gracious God, you hear us and know us better than we can find the words to pray. We offer this pray in the most holy name of God. Amen.

Here is a question to consider as you move forward: From where do you draw your deepest, most sacred, knowledge of God’s love? Where is it you hear the heartbeat of God most clearly?

Pause and reflect, then write if you have a journal.

ADMIRING A CELT Do you remember Father Bernie Dooly? He sponsored me as clergy, and in many ways I became his silent disciple…therefore, I am a great appreciator of the Celtic way, Pelagius, the Franciscans, and even St. John Chrysostom who said, “It is possible to pray at all times, in all circumstances and in every place, and easily to rise from frequent vocal prayer to prayer of the mind, and from that to the prayer of the heart, which opens the kingdom of God within us.”

Pelagius saw God as present within all that has life. He understood Jesus’s command to love our neighbor as our self, and to love all the life forms that surround us. “So, when our love is directed towards an animal or even a tree” he wrote, “we are participating in the fullness of God’s love.”

Pelagius’s writings give the strong sense of the goodness of creation, and it is in theses he shows how the life of God can be glimpsed. Everywhere, he says, ‘narrow shafts of divine light pierce the veil that separate heaven from earth.’

To a friend he wrote: Look at the animals roaming the forest: God’s spirit dwells within them. Look at the birds flying in the sky: God’s spirit dwells within them. Look at the tiny insects crawling in the grass: God’s spirit dwells within them. Look too at the great trees of the forest; look at the wildflowers and the grass in the fields; look even at your crops. God’s spirit is present within all plants as well. The presence of God’s spirit in all living things is what makes them beautiful; and if we look with God’s eyes, nothing on earth is ugly.”

Because of Fr. Bernie, a native of Ireland, I learned to see God in everything, especially nature. And, I learned from my friend, Charlotte, a wise woman, the influencer who inspired me as we traveled for the Community of the Cross of Nails through Europe. She was Fr. Bernie’s good friend and is a tiny bit Cherokee, but at heart, she’s a true Celt!

MAKING CONNECTIONS IN NATURE Together, let’s wade into the river of life—test it with your toes, then dive on in. Consider artistic flow and depth. Think about life’s currents, getting in and letting go. In our river of life, nature’s connections call to us. Next, take out your journal and write! Create art by responding to what you felt when you first walked into the water!

Often souls come alive when surrounded by God’s splendor. It can be the river, the desert, our Jacksonville beaches, a view from a window where you live. Being outside can increase an awareness of God since witnessing God in nature is easy. You might see a rock or a stone and be moved to reflect upon the rock-solid faithfulness of God. Or in the heat of a stifling Florida summer day, you might be reminded that God is an oasis who restores parched souls. Even a single blade of grass reminds us that, according to the Midrash, God has assigned an angel who whispers to every single blade “grow.” Midrash Rabbah, Bereshit 10:6 From the Elders of the Hopi Nation Another perspective! This invites you to take leadership by respecting and valuing nature and humanity: We have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour Now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour And there are things to be considered.

Where you are living, what you are doing, what are your relationships…

Where is your water?

Know your garden.

It is time to speak your truth, Create your own community.

Be good to each other.

And do not look outside yourself for the leader.

Here is a river flowing now very fast.

It is so great and swift that there are those Who will be afraid, who will try To hold onto the shore.

Know that the river has its destination.

The elders say we must let go of the shore.

Push off into the middle of the river And keep our heads above water.

And I say see who is there with you And celebrate.

At this time in history, We are to take nothing personally.

Least of all ourselves, For the moment we do, Our spiritual growth and journey come to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over.

Gather yourselves.

Banish the word struggle from your attitude And vocabulary.

All that we do now must be done In a sacred manner and in celebration.

For we are the ones we have been waiting for.

NOTICING GOD IN NATURE When I notice nature and creation, I notice God more. I just sit, stare, look, hear the leaves whispering and see the trees dancing. I feel God’s Holy breath. I’m in a quiet place in my backyard and my husband asks when I enter the house, “Where do you go when you go out and pray? My answer is that I go to the backyard and sit by the St. Francis sculpture.

Then, he repeats his question and says, “I know that…but where is it you go when you pray?”’

Barbara Brown Taylor says in Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith “I know people who find God most reliably in books, in buildings, and even in other people. I have found God in all of these places too, but the most reliable meeting place for me has always been creation. Since I first became aware of the Divine Presence in that lit-up field in Kansas, I have known where to do when my own flame is guttering. To lie with my back flat on the fragrant ground is to receive a transfusion of the same power that makes the green blade rise. To remember that I am dirt and to dirt I shall return is to be given my life back again, if only for one present moment at a time. Where other people see acreage, timber, soil, and river frontage, I see God’s Body, or at least as much of it as I am able to see. In the only wisdom I have at my disposal, the Creator does not live apart from creation but spans and suffuses it. When I take a breath, God’s Holy Spirit enters me. When a cricket speaks to me, I talk back. Like everything else on earth, I am an embodied soul, who leaps to life when I recognize my kin. If this makes me a pagan, then I am a grateful one.”

Jesus connected with nature. He sat beside the lake, withdrew to the wilderness to pray, went up a mountainside to pray, went to the olive groves, and walked the seashore.

Celtic wisdom knows the earth as sacred. For the Celt, every tree and bush, every flower and creature every hill and mountain is on fire with the divine. It is their understanding that what we do to the body of the earth is

what we do to the divine. Celtic spiritual tradition is a clear flowing stream that helps us in hot and thirsty moments in which we find ourselves.

Nature is God’s silent spokesperson testifying to His existence. Thinking of this I remembered the cover of my daughter’s religion book in high school. On the cover it read “These Stones Will Cry Out”. So, I decided to have a conversation with the next stone I saw as Luke 19:20 had encouraged. It really is possible to see and hear God’s invisible qualities— his eternal power and divine nature. Square off with a dog or cat and look eye to eye, as Job says, “Ask the animals and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Give it a try! The hand of the Lord has done it, and in His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”

CHANGE Remember how quickly our world changed? To maintain our health, we were forced to take drastic actions: stay home, wash our hands, don’t touch your face, wear a mask, no hugs. Our mental and spiritual health took a beating in many ways. COVID shut many doors we were used to having open, but it opened others for me. I resigned from what I loved: working with middle schoolers and watching them mature over a year. With more time, I shifted my focus to getting outside in my backyard and experiencing the beauty and wonders of God’s Creation.

I can point my chair north, south, east, or west. Every hour is an opportunity for a different view—the sun, the moon, birds above, squirrels, tender new leaves on plants, the sun, the moon, the clouds, varied shades of green, pink, red, yellow. I take a book and read. Currently it’s Richard Rohr’s The Universal Christ which has its many reminders that God reveals Himself through the natural world.

Fr. Richard Rohr writes “When you look your dog or cat in the face…I truly believe you are seeing another incarnation of the Divine Presence, the Christ. When you look at any other person, a flower, a honeybee, a mountain—anything—you are seeing the incarnation of God’s love for you and the universe you call home.” These incarnations are everywhere, just consciously look for them and find comfort in them.

Years ago, a beautiful mother of two daughters came into my office. She and her children were grieving over the death of husband and father. The mother was born in another country, and she had found our Episcopal school because of its reputation for educational excellence; but through our weekly chapel program she had learned about Jesus. She told me to comfort her children she had told them their father was “up there, on a star” shining down on them and that they could always look there when they were missing him – “I know that is wrong she said.”

“No,” I said, “That is not wrong, it is a beautiful understanding of eternal life.” Later, I gave her this poem: Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glint on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

When you awaken in the morning hush: I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.’

Do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there. I did not die.

The poem was written in 1932 by Mary Elizabeth Frye (1905-2004). It was scribbled on a paper bag to a family friend who had just lost her mother and was unable to even visit her grave.

CREATIVE GLORY All of nature reflects God and His creative glory: Isaiah 55:12: The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftmanship.

Psalm 19:1: You will go out in joy and be led for in peace, the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Revelation 5:13: And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.

Psalm 65: 6-13 You formed the mountains by your power and armed yourself with mighty strength. You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations. Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, there are shouts of joy.

You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile. The river of God has plenty of water; it provides a bountiful harvest of grain, for you have ordered it so. You drench the plowed ground with rain, melting the clods and leveling the ridges. And you soften the earth with showers and bless its abundant crops.

You crown the year with a bountiful harvest, even the hard pathways overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture, and the hillsides blossom with joy. The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep, and the valleys are carpeted with grain. They are shout and sing for joy!”

STEPPING ACROSS THE LINE Now, stand up wherever you are. Draw a symbolic line on your floor, in the sand, or on your bedroom carpet. Step over it. I want you to truly expect things on the other side to reveal themselves as special, invitational, or even a manifestation. Go and find something that intrigues you, enchants you…BEHOLD something…make yourself available for splendor and wonder; be present to what is! Find a new way of knowing and enjoying. The soul sees soul everywhere else too: “deep calls unto deep” as the psalmist says (42:8). Center knows center, and this is called “love” and “love” is God. So, I invite you to “behold” something you’ve not noticed before. It can be almost anything of ordinary beauty—a leaf, a sculpture, the cover of a book. Notice it carefully and completely so that your “beholding” moves beyond your initial glance to discover its deepest dignity and beauty. A simple thing can become like an epiphany. This is how we tend our souls.

On Beholding…

Many nights I still look up at the Andromeda galaxy and still long to go there. Did God put that in my heart? When God creates the new heavens, might there be a new Andromeda galaxy? Or other new galaxies, nebulae, planets, moons, comets? Why not? Might we someday travel there to behold God’s creative magnificence? If I do, my heart will be overwhelmed

with praise to the God who redeemed not only that boy gazing through that telescope but also the great universe that first drew me to Christ with all its wonders.

The Last Battle, chapter 5, C.S. Lewis Final Blessing From Iona Abbey off the western coast of the Scotland (my favorite place!)

Deep peace of the running wave to you Deep peace of the flowing air to you Deep peace of the quiet earth to you Deep peace of the shing stars to you Deep peace of the Son of peace to you Amen.

I have drawn inspiration and words from many sources, among them: Fr. Richard Rohr, C.S. Lewis, the Hopi Elders, Pelagius, Barbara Brown Taylor, various poets, Midrash.

I leave you with a final question: Where do you go for your inspirational sources? I invite you to send me your thoughts and questions, Jeandodd1958@gmail.com. Thank you for walking this path with me.