Reignite

  I'm interested in setting up a regular contemplation group in Cardiff. Not necessarily for people who go to church, but for anyone who is interested in the deeper practices of contemplation/meditation that opens the heart directly to the reality of the love of God. This would be a radically inclusive space, trying to be guided by love not judgement.  I already run monthly Contemplative Prayer and Chanting nights on zoom and it could work hybrid if anyone just wanted to join me in person in my living room. If anyone is interested in exploring this please get in touch with me. 

 

It was a Saturday morning in May. In the middle of a conversation in rainy Trafalgar Square I raised my finger to try to politely indicate to the person I was talking to that I was going to join the Lord's Prayer that I just realised was starting through the loud speakers. My conversation partner paused for a moment, and I closed my eyes and joined in with the congregation in Westminster Abbey in an act of Christian prayer, "Our Father, who art in heaven..." It was the only time I felt some kind of connection to what was happening there at the coronation service a mile away, a nominally Christian service that I was protesting against, carrying a hand-written sign reading "Christians for a Republic." The whole thing was rather incongruent. I could half hear the music and cadences of an Anglican cathedral service, while in a crowd almost continuously chanting "Not my king! Not my king!" and (my personal favourite) "He's just a normal man! He'

Marking the third anniversary of the COVID lockdown, I'm using this blog to reflect on this time and to point towards the audio archive Doorstep Revolution, a project I was part of putting together as part of Gentle/Radical. The eleventh episode contains reflections on the pandemic experiences of work, redundancy, unemployment, furlough, working from home, adaptation, work, rest, and balance.  You can listen to Episode 11 of Doorstep Revolution  here  (Scroll down to "Episode 11") or look through a transcript here . 

Marking the third anniversary of the COVID lockdown, I'm using this blog to reflect on this time and to point towards the audio archive Doorstep Revolution, a project I was part of putting together as part of Gentle/Radical. The tenth episode contains reflections on hobbies, creativity, cooking, walking, and watching television - the things we did in lockdown to keep us going.  You can listen to Episode 10 of Doorstep Revolution  here  (Scroll down to "Episode 10") or look through a transcript here.

Marking the third anniversary of the COVID lockdown, I'm using this blog to reflect on this time and to point towards the audio archive Doorstep Revolution, a project I was part of putting together as part of Gentle/Radical. The ninth episode contains reflections on mental health and mental illness. The pandemic was a crisis of mental health as much as physical health, and I think we're all still feeling the effects of that. Grief, fear, and isolation were parts of our lives. But people also reflected on those things that gave them joy and a sense of wellbeing - connection, family, nature, love.  You can listen to Episode 9 of Doorstep Revolution  here  (Scroll down to "Episode 9") or look through a transcript here .