A Year of Inspirers 2021 (1) – love and illumination, and the desert – T.S.Eliot

For me, T.S.Eliot is the writer of time, of love, of spirituality, and of "the desert". He writes about the spiritual desert -"The Waste Land" - as he calls it in one of his most influential early works. Lines from "Choruses from The Rock" These lines were inspired by his poetry: Movements of Time I. …

The Spiritualities of Christianity: The Power of Mysticism

Sometimes an ancient tradition reinvigorates modern life. Many people have found this with contemplative prayer and Christian mysticism in general. For me, it was a discovery of the depths of inner life possible through prayer - a discovery of the power of silence and stillness, in contrast to a contemporary world that is hectic, instant …

Spiritual Reflection: Beyond the Here and Now

Identity is a spiritual matter to my mind, as my spirituality is an intrinsic aspect of who I am. T.S. Eliot wrote that “here and now cease to matter” – and I wonder if one of the problems with modern concerns about identity are about an obsession with the “here and now”. "What am I …

From ‘Four Quartets’

'Words After speech . Reach Into silence.' . (from 'Four Quartets' by T.S.Eliot) Image by Ömer Büyükakten from Pixabay

Spiritual Reflection: Where is Your Desert?

    "The desert is in the heart of your brother..." - so wrote T.S. Eliot. Nearly two thousand years ago, people started to leave what they saw as the corruption of city life and move out into the desert. They were monks! We can admit that many cities today are full of things that …