Charged with Glory

. All things Have their glory . Charged with love Charged with God . If we But knew . How to receive Their story. . Inspired by "God's Grandeur" by Gerard Manley Hopkins, which you can read here. Image by Werner Redlich from Pixabay

Celtic Spirituality (2) – Charged with Glory

The Celtic spring, Imbolc, began on February 1st, and it's a good time to explore Celtic spirituality in a bit more depth. "The world around us, and our very selves, are marked with the imprint of our maker"Jounreys on the Edges, The Celtic Tradition, O'Loughlin, p.35 What do you see when you look at the …

Spiritual Reflection – Stars, Kingfishers, Dragonflies and the Personal Touch…

He heals the brokenhearted    and binds up their wounds.He determines the number of the stars    and calls them each by name.from Psalm 147 I am not a scientist but astronomers do seem to know quite a lot about stars. We have access to the most amazing images today - like this, of the "lobster nebula": But no …

Inspiring Poems: Binsey Poplars

Another wonderful poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins, born July 28th 1844. One of the greatest of poems about trees being cut down begins like this: "All felled, felled, are all felled;     Of a fresh and following folded rank                 Not spared, not one                 That dandled a sandalled          Shadow that swam or sank On meadow & river & …

Inspiring Poems: “As kingfishers catch fire”

The poet Gerard Manley Hopkins was born on July 28th, 1844. If you’ve ever seen a kingfisher fly past, you’ll know that flash of bright blue, so you’ll probably be able to imagine the excitement that Hopkins puts in the opening line to this wonderful poem: “As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame” But this …

A Year of Inspirers (13) – “Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet”, and the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins

Hopkins was so sensitive to the beauty of nature, he prized the “wildness” and “wilderness” of life on our earth: “What would the world be, once bereft Of wet and wildness? Let them be left, O let them be left, wildness and wet; Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.” (From ‘Inversnaid' https://www.bartleby.com/122/33.html) On …

Inspiring Poems: Celebrating Earth Day – “Glory be to God for dappled things”

Our beautiful earth is full of  fascinating with patterns, and we, as humans, have minds that notice patterns, remember them and even perceive new patterns after careful contemplation, or receiving teaching, wisdom or stories. This beautiful poem is all about celebrating patterns in the natural and human world - the “dappled things”: Glory be to …

Inspiring Poems: ‘Nothing is so beautiful as spring’

Nothing is so beautiful as Spring –            When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush So begins a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins on this beautiful time of year. There is an amazing description of birdsong which is so beautiful this time of year: ...and thrush         Through the echoing timber does so rinse …