Way of the Monk - Week Six - Final

This week wrapped up "Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist". It's been an amazing six weeks and I've met some wonderful fellow monks and artists along the way.

Christine has other offerings of this course available, and if you are in any way thinking that this is calling to you I urge you to check it out. You won't regret it.

This week, we looked at creating some sort of Rule for ourselves. A rule being a sort of framework for our lives as monks and artists. Being the creative group that we are, the rules came in all shapes and sizes - written rules, poetic rules, mandala's, etc.

Here are my "Rules of the Inner Monastery", they are all about "Bee-ing""

From Random

Written on the wings of the bees in the corners:

Be a friend to your body
Be a listener of the wind
Be thankful
Be in nature
Be in Awe
Be creative
Be an explorer of your soul
Be Here Now
Be Mindful
Be in prayer
Be Still and Know that I Am

Now I am resting in this week, as I prepare for the beginning next week of the next class, "Eyes of the Heart".......glad it's not completely over yet! * o

Way of the Monk - Week Six - Final

Way of the Monk - Week Five

Nature Altars and a Fairy Tale

From Random

Once upon a time in a place called the Cave of the Heart there lived a tiny, elfish girl. She lived surrounded by her Shadow Sisters. These were not her real sisters, since she was an only child, but rather these were Sisters in spirit who had attached themselves to living with the little girl.

Sister Worrywart sat in the corner biting her nails and muttering. Sister Shy hid behind the curtains and only stammered when spoken directly to. Sister Romantic sat in the rocking chair, her nose buried in a book and Sister Lonely stared out the window, sighing heavily every now and again. Sister Envy was busy making a list of all the things she wished she had that other people seemed to have, and every once in awhile she would tally it off, waving her hands in the air. Sister Inadequate was busy in the kitchen trying to make a meal, and when it came time to sit down to eat she put it on the table, wringing her hands and muttering “oh, I hope it’s OK, I’m not a real cook you know, I’ve never been trained and I really don’t know what I’m doing.....” Sister Ugly was known to spend days going through the closets, trying things on, staring in the mirror and then stuffing everything back in the closets again moaning that there was “nothing to wear” that looked good on her.

One day there was a knock on the door of the Cave. Sister Romantic looked up from her book, sighed heavily “oh that Edward he is sooo mysterious and delish”, and got up to answer the door.

“Good Morning” said a tall, beautiful woman, “I’m looking for the little girl that lives here.” The beautiful woman smiled a warm smile. She was dressed in a pale blue silk dress, with a yellow silk shawl. She had long grey hair, and the most beautiful and deep blue eyes that Sister Romantic had ever seen. In her arms she was holding a big, wicker basket.

The little girl stepped out from behind Sister Romantic. “Good day” she said softly, “won’t you come in.” The little girl knew that this woman was a very Wise Woman and she bowed to her reverently as she stepped into the Cave.

“Thank you”, said the Wise Woman, “I have brought a gift for you.” And she handed the little girl the wicker basket.

“Careful, don’t take gifts from strangers!” barked Sister Worrywart, and then she went back to biting her nails.

“It’s Ok”, said the little girl as she took the basket, “It’ll be alright” she said soothingly.

“What is this?” she asked the Wise Woman.

“This basket contains the gifts of your soul. These are the gifts that you have to offer the world - your spirituality, your creativity, your friendship, your presence.....they are all here. And they are all unique to you - no one else has these gifts. They have been kept for you by your Soul Sisters and it is time for you to share these gifts with the world. You can nurture them here in the Cave of the Heart, but in order for them to grow you need to take them out and use them. No one can take them away from you - they are yours. Your Soul Sisters are waiting for you to come out into the world, and they will support you when you need it.”

The little girl took each of the gifts carefully out of the basket and looked them over, one by one, marveling at how they glowed.

“Oh no, we can’t possibly share these” exclaimed Sister Inadequate, “we’re not ready for them, we’d break them or something.”

“Besides” said Sister Envy, “they’re not as good as others gifts, why I know a little girl who has much better gifts than these.”

The little girl thought she should give the basket back to the Wise Woman, but the Wise Woman bent down, touched her cheek and said softly, “You know I wouldn’t pay too much attention to the Shadow Sisters. They are bound to get a little bit jealous from time to time, but they’ll quiet down.” She stood up and smiled at Sister Envy.

“Oh, there’s one more thing. These are for you.” The Wise Woman handed the little girl a beautiful set of wings that looked like monarch butterfly wings. The little girl put them on, and twirled around and around.

“Oh they are so beautiful, just like a fairy!” sighed Sister Romantic.

“Careful, you’ll break them!” shouted Sister Worrywart.

Sister Envy was about to say something, but one sharp look from the Wise Woman stopped her dead.

“It’s time for you to leave the Cave of the Heart, spread your wings and fly” she told the little girl and with that she took her hand and led her out the door.

It is said, that from time to time the little girl returns to the Cave of the Heart and visits with the Shadow Sisters - they are, a part of her after all. And when she is there, she also spends time going through her basket of gifts given to her so lovingly by the Soul Sisters, and restored and renewed she spreads her wings and heads back out to the world. * o

Way of the Monk - Week Five

Way of the Monk - Week Four

Vows

A labyrinth runs through my heart,
Winding slowly this way and that through my inner monastery,
Pondering the sacred whisper of my soul,
Knowing that obedience scares me.

Winding slowly this way and that through my inner monastery,
Conversion finds the path through the walls,
Knowing that obedience scares me,
Afraid to be true to myself.

Conversion finds the path through the walls,
Pondering the sacred whisper of my soul,
Afraid to be true to myself,
A labyrinth runs through my heart. * o

Way of the Monk - Week Four

Way of the Monk - Week Three

Book of Hours

From Random

This week we explored rhythms, and wheels, and seasons and hours specifically the Divine Hours and their relationship to seasons and our own internal rhythms. It's been a wonderful creative week of pausing and noticing. The project for the week was to write some Haiku's expressing our feelings and reflections of the seasons and hours, and then to create our own Book of Hours (front of my book pictured above). Here are my Haiku's:

Dawn

purple fingers reach
over the mountain and sky
inhale the new day

Spring

ice cracks in the bay
as the sun's heat grows stronger
robin finds a worm

Day

fullness of day's breath
brings forth energy of creation
hold the momentum

Summer

days are longer still
and nights are warm and breezy
we play as children

Dusk

deep release of dusk
shedding of the old cracked skin
ripe as the full berry

Autumn

oak tree sheds its leaves
and geese fly south for winter
I mourn the wheel's turn

Dark

resting in the pause
contemplate the day's end
where was God in this?

Winter

darkness comes early
as bear sleeps deep in the ground
here dreams will bare fruit

In what ways do the seasons and the hours speak to you?

From Random

* o

Way of the Monk - Week Three

Way of the Monk - Week Two

What would it be like if we treated the every day, common objects that we touch a hundred times over again as sacred tools??

Bless These Hands

Bless these hands
that touch the computer keys
and file
and answer emails
and pick up the phone
over and over again each day.

Bless these hands
that touch the dishes
and towels and sheets
and fold laundry
and sweep the floors
over and over again each day.

Bless these hands
that touch the pen
and scribble words
and cut out images
and paint and glue
over and over again each day.

Bless these hands
that touch the chalice
and wash the vessels
and polish the brass
and clean the linens
over and over again each day.

Bless these hands
that caress a lover
and soothe a child
and hug a friend
and greet a stranger
over and over again each day.

Bless these hands
for all that they touch
is holy and sacred
and common and ordinary
over and over again each day.

(copyright January 2010 - Eveline Maedel) * o

Way of the Monk - Week Two

The Next Chapter - Happy Book and Friday Happy

Today is the official launch of Jamie Ridler's, The Next Chapter - Happy Book Mail Around and I'm really excited that I'm going to be a part of this fun!

This is the first time I've taken part in a mail-swap or round robin creative project like this. Four copies of "The Happy Book" were put in the mail today to start off the mail around. There are 104 of us taking part in this, and we've been divided up into 4 groups. I'm part of the "Bliss" group. When you get the book, you have a week to look at what others have put in the book and then add your own bit of "happy" to it. Then you mail it on to the next person on the list. Since I'm #18 on the list, I figure it'll be a few months before it arrives here! But every Friday, I'll be checking the blog to see where the book is at, and sharing here a little of what made me happy this week.

So, here's my first Friday Happy post:

One of the things that made me really happy this week, also ties into "Way of the Monk - Week Two"! In my gazebo, I created a snow spiral - a small winding path that I can walk and pray with. My gazebo is one of my favorite spots in the yard, and since it is winter it has not been getting a lot of use. Now I have the spiral!

From Random

From Random

And that's a little piece of happiness from me this Friday! * o

The Next Chapter - Happy Book and Friday Happy

Way of the Monk - Week One

It's near the end of the first week of the online course I'm taking - "Way of the Monk - Path of the Artist". It's been a week of trying to carve out time for myself, for my creativity and for my sanity! This week has been about exploring the monk and the artist, where they converge and where they split apart. I've spent a lot of time thinking about what draws me to the contemplative life, why I need to be creative, and how come I make myself too busy to enjoy either. I'm also coming to understand that my "inner monk" needs periods of down time to replenish, and so does the "inner artist". I'm coming to terms with the fact that the reason I like to spend a lot of time alone is because I need to build up that inner monk/artist. Not that I want to be a hermit, I just enjoy my solitude. Always have.

One of the assignments this week was to write a poem about what it would mean to start living like a monk and an artist:

I Am Going to Start Living

I am going to start living like a monk,
turning the rhythm of my days
into a prayer to the divine.
Pausing amidst the paper work
and ringing phones,
to stare at the mountains out the window
and soak in silence
with each breath,
until my office becomes a cloister
that shuts out distraction.

I am going to start living like an artist,
turning the rhythm of my days
into a poem of worship.
Pausing to notice the sunrise
painted by a divine hand upon the sky.
Soaking in the creative spirit
with each breath,
until my life becomes a canvas
painted over and over again.

I am going to start living like a mystic,
turning the rhythm of my days
into a cosmic dance.
Pausing between yoga asanas
to notice the breath of spirit,
making each movement a prayer,
until even my simple yoga mat,
becomes holy ground.

(January 2010, copyright Eveline Maedel)

* o

Way of the Monk - Week One