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Writing From the Center

Writing From the Center

Writing From the Center One of the upsides of COVID is figuring out workarounds. People are getting versatile using online platforms to meet, party, build and sustain relationships. But the itch to be in each other’s presence is strong. There is something about physicality that makes it an irreplaceable variable. Last spring when I was…
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Writing From the Center: The Noble Truths of Writing

Writing From the Center: The Noble Truths of Writing

Writing From the Center The Noble Truths About Writing At the end of January, ten writers attended our annual “Just Write” retreat. This weekend event provides time to sit in a quiet space and write – or think about writing. We gathered around the “Four Noble Truths of Writing” created by writer and Buddhist priest,…
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Overwintering

Overwintering

Gardening slows my mind as my hands work, allowing for random thoughts to surface; some profound, most not very. I think it must be the touching of the earth that energizes these thoughts and brings them into focus. But perhaps it is just the time apart that draws me deeper into a pondering space.
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Writing from the Center | Revision: Writing Until You Find Your Meaning

Writing from the Center | Revision: Writing Until You Find Your Meaning

One of the exciting aspects of writing is the process of discovery also known as revision.  An idea or image comes to mind, and we sit down to describe it because we want to remember it or share with others. Yet, it often happens that as we write, what seemed so clear and evident at first seems to fade. Or we suddenly find numerous threads of ideas with no pattern.  When that happens, just keep writing until you come to whatever feels like the end.  At this point you are ready to embrace the process of revision – the nearly magical process of discovery. Like a sculptor standing before a block of marble, you chip away at the mass of words on the paper or screen.
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More Than a Stained Glass Window Jesus

More Than a Stained Glass Window Jesus

Sayers reminds us that the people who surrounded Jesus in the Gospels were real people who had their own lives and concerns.  They encountered Him within a specific time and specific cultural pressures.  They made choices about Him with the little information they had – unlike us, who know the end of the story.  Caiaphas and Pilate did not condemn Jesus to death so they could fulfill prophecy, but as an expedient way to protect their own interests in unstable times.
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Praying with Pictures: One Person’s Experience with SoulCollage®

Praying with Pictures: One Person’s Experience with SoulCollage®

Praying with Pictures One Person's Experience with SoulCollage® From time to time the Benedictine Center invites program participants to share the spiritual reflections that emerged from their experience at St. Paul’s Monastery. This reflection is by Rachel Gableman about her time with Barbara Sutton’s Monthly SoulCollage® Circle. Where I Begin Stubbornness is a steady companion…
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Writing from the Center: Persistence, Not Perfection

Writing from the Center: Persistence, Not Perfection

Persistence, Not Perfection Kathy Fleming is a talented visual artist (www.kflemingart.com) who serves as the Artist Coordinator for the Benedictine Center of St. Paul's Monastery.  Her canvases are captivating both in their craftsmanship and the deep reflection underlying each one.  Those who see the exhibits she designs in the Monastery Gallery benefit from her uncanny…
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Ice Break: Annotated Selections from a Book of Poems

Ice Break: Annotated Selections from a Book of Poems

Ice Break: Annotated Selections from a Book of Poems Writers too infrequently have the opportunity to witness people in the act of receiving their work. I was recently afforded that privilege as I shared a poetry reading with my friend and colleague Victor Klimoski. The experience encouraged me to annotate a handful of poems for…
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Writing From the Center | Wisdom for Putting It In Words

Writing From the Center | Wisdom for Putting It In Words

Writing from the Center: Wisdom for Putting It In Words I am convinced that writing from the center of who we are requires time and companionship. In that spirit, we recently held a weekend retreat for writers. The invitation was to come into the embrace of the monastery with a single focus: to sit at a…
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