Week 14: A Magnificat


Sunflower at The Omega Center, Rhinebeck, NY

Very early on in my sabbatical planning I arranged for my final week to be at the Loreto Centre at Llandudno on the north coast of Wales. I did most of my schooling at Loreto Kirribilli so it seemed a nice, if not somewhat, quaint connection.  In my mind, this final week would be an opportunity for reflection and writing, pondering and cherishing the preceding 13 weeks.  I also asked for spiritual direction with the desire that someone with the capacity to be a listening presence could accompany me and witness as I discerned the Divine movements of this time.  Little did I anticipate that it would be a week's retreat, although why not.  Such a fitting way to acknowledge the blessings of this time.  So I did a lot of reflecting, some writing, but of a different kind to what i had envisaged, much pondering, delighting and cherishing.  As to discerning where all this may be leading, I have surrendered and admit that this is still a work in progress.
So at this point I share one of my writings from this week in Llandudno.  
Ewa, my spiritual companion/ director invited me to write my own Magnificat.  What evolved was:

"A Magnificat- An Icon of Grace"

in the form of a Mandala inspired by the sunflowers of Rhinebeck, NY. 
Honouring the 101 days I have been away.




My soul rejoices in my God.  In my God, my soul delights.
Abiding
Acting justly
Adjusting focus
Babbling brooks
Barren trees
Beauty in chaos
Bells ringing
Benefactors
Beyond auto
Big dreams
Border Crossings
Bursting forth
Chance meetings
Courage to teach
Cross of Nails
Dayenu
Deep ponderings
Drawn
Dripping wet
Drowned or saved
Dwelling
Exposed to the moment
Fallow time
Flowers blooming
Fragility of existence
Fringes
Frosty thistles
Gazing
Gleanings
Going slow
Graced encounters
Hallowed places
House of Sophia
How can this be?
Human connection
Icons on the Streets
In breath, out breath, pauses in between
Inclusive worship
Inherited legacy
Intentionally aware
Labyrinth walks
Lake edges
Leaking boots
Letting go
Liberating freedom
Lingering, dangling
Listening presence
Literally grounded
Living simply
Loving tenderly
Making room
Memoires and memories
Mindful steps
Mother of Hope
Mystical presence
Nakedness
Natural beauty
Negative space
New perspectives
No vacancies
Open to growth
Out on a limb
Overwhelm
Penetrating cold
Powerlessness
Prairie grasses
Profound thanks
Prophetic messages
Radical hospitality
Rainbow palate
Reassuring accompaniment
Receptivity
Reframing
Refuge and refuges
Release to the now
Relinquishing possessions
Rolling oceans
Sacred spaces
Sanctuary within bedlam
Savouring nourishing food
Scampering squirrels
Seeing differently
Small is beautiful
Soaring birds
Soulful connection
Squelching grasses
Stormy seas
Subtle tones
Teeming humanity
Theotokos
Threshing and trampling
Totally empty
Treads of joy
Unexpected gems
Vibrant colours
Vulnerability
Walking humbly
Winnowing and sifting
Wisdom of the Elders
Wombs that nurture
Union with the Divine




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