Today begins my two months of delving into the art of daily practices: exploring their histories, being curious about their outcomes, deciding what fits and what doesn't (personally, at least). I will be blogging every day about daily practices as a part of an individualized research course I've created for my summer term at Mars Hill Graduate School. The course, called (appropriately) "Daily Practices,"is focused on various daily practices and how richness in life can be found in the intentional day-to-day and will explore practices from monastic rituals to cooking to the mundane tasks that simply must be done.
I have been excited about shaping this course for many months, curious about how I can incorporate the ideas of daily practices and intentional living into my future plans. But as I finally begin, I realized that I'm stuck with where to actually start. It's about daily practices after all--the rhythms of life; shouldn't I already have these routines down pat? I'm wildly successful at the daily practice of checking my email and after 24 years am not doing so bad at brushing my teeth twice a day, but what are my other routine commitments in life? Or better yet, what routine commitments will bring me life?
I'd like to pretend that I know what I'm doing, but I don't. And maybe that is the best place to start: open to what lies ahead, a vast cavern of possibilities. So I begin with words that are not my own, but inspiring words that will hopefully become my manifesto as well. They are the words of Christine Valters Painter, founder of an online community called Abbey of the Arts and leader of a program that I will be a part of in October called Awakening the Creative Spirit: Experiential Education for Spiritual Directors in the Creative Arts.
 |
| Salisbury Cathedral May 2008 |
_____________________________________
Monk Manifesto
taken from: http://abbeyofthearts.com/about/monk-manifesto/
Manifesto: from the Latin for clear, means a public declaration of principles and intentions.
Monk Manifesto: A public expression of your commitment to live a compassionate, contemplative, and creative life.
1. I commit to finding moments each day for silence and solitude, to make space for another voice to be heard, and to resist a culture of noise and constant stimulation.
2. I commit to radical acts of hospitality by welcoming the stranger both without and within. I recognize that when I make space inside my heart for the unclaimed parts of myself, I cultivate compassion and the ability to accept those places in others.
3. I commit to cultivating community by finding kindred spirits along the path, soul friends with whom I can share my deepest longings, and mentors who can offer guidance and wisdom for the journey.
4. I commit to cultivating awareness of my kinship with creation and a healthy asceticism by discerning my use of energy and things, letting go of what does not help nature to flourish.
5. I commit to bringing myself fully present to the work I do, whether paid or unpaid, holding a heart of gratitude for the ability to express my gifts in the world in meaningful ways.
6. I commit to rhythms of rest and renewal through the regular practice of Sabbath and resist a culture of busyness that measures my worth by what I do.
7. I commit to a lifetime of ongoing conversion and transformation, recognizing that I am always on a journey with both gifts and limitations.
In Progress,
Lacy
_____________________________________
In Progress,
Lacy
No comments:
Post a Comment