Hildegard’s Listening Table : A Weekly Listening and Writing in Nature Group
What Is it? A weekly gathering for observing, listening to and responding to nature, engaging in creative composition, followed by voluntary, spontaneous sharing of created art. At the start of each gathering, participants will be invited to read aloud lines from any of that day’s poems that seemed compelling or provocative to them in some way. The social context is intended to be friendly, non-judging, and affirming. The spiritual context is intended to be inclusive, wholistic and welcoming, ecumenical and interfaith, with the mindful intention of what Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel calls “reverent awe” and “radical amazement.” Our intention, as individuals and as a group , will be to seek what scientist, author, and spiritual leader Dr. Lisa Dahill names “experiential kinship.”
When is It? Where will it happen? On Friday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00pm we will gather at the picnic tables behind Good Shepherd Church on Route 15 (in the main floor “narthex” if inclement weather). There is plentiful parking front and back) People do not need to commit to all sessions, but may come and go as they are able. New participants and “drop-in” vositors are always welcome
Who is involved and invited? Our gatherings will be facilitated by Doctor Alan Crowley, a teacher of poetry and a scholar of the connection between literature and spirituality. Alan is also a lay minister at Good Shepherd Church, for which he hosts a variety of contemplative prayer experiences each week on an online platform. There is no cost for this offering. All that is “required” is a desire to listen to and be caring towards nature. Oneself, and one another.
What will we be doing? We will be gathered for ninety minutes for an experience of mindful listening, quiet observation, free writing, journaling and sketching, followed by kind sharing and listening. Alan will make the poems available online and provide paper copies as needed for the next week’s poems. Also, Alan will set up a blog page (optional for all) where resources can be archived and participants can post works in progress for group member feedback.
What products are possible? First, participants who are interested are welcome to contribute a piece of writing or art that Good Shepherd’s pastor, Chelsea Page, might integrate with one of our Sunday outdoor worship occasions. Second,as the summer passes, participants will be invited to select, develop and polish one of their writings to be published in an online document made available to the public. Any of these products are optional, supported invitations rather than group expectations. This group does not purport to be a professional writer’s workshop, but rather a safe space for creative expression, kind interaction, and personal spiritual exploration.
Regular Gathering Sequence:
Shared reading of and brief conversations about featured poems 30 min
Quiet observation of nature and Creative response (journaling,sketching, composing) 30 min
Sharing of work in progress, including “warm” feedback if requested 30 min
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