Your Wild and Precious Life, Ikigai and The Principle and Foundation: same, same but different language.
This Sunday I along with other Grail women will be facilitating a reflection day for young women at “Avila,” the Sydney Grail Centre at North Sydney. The reflection day is entitled “Your Wild and Precious Life” taken from the famous poem “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver [1] (who died in January 2019). As part of the reflection day we are introducing the participants to the Japanese concept of Ikigai [2] which can be translated into “reason for being.” While I have been preparing for this reflection day, as part of a 9 month Retreat in Daily Life, the 20 th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius, I have been reflecting on “The Principle and Foundation” which is fundamental to the Spiritual Exercises. Or should I say grappling with making sense of “The Principle and Foundation.” The Principle and Foundation, written by St Ignatius in the 1500’s, in a particular place and context. It tells of the purpose of our life in God...