Recently I received an email inviting me to a Spring Day of Delight: Art and Meditation.  Now what is this, I thought to myself?   It seemed to be a way of reflection on Scripture using Meditative art practices.  I was curious, so I enrolled.

 

We, sixteen participants, began by introducing ourselves and telling one another about our association with Christian Meditation. Kathleen Weller, our facilitator, told us she was a retired Presbyterian Minister who has taken up the study of art under the direction of four different teachers on the internet.

We then saw a beautiful picture which to me evoked the image of a black blob before an ear or a shell. I wish I had a copy to show you.  Similar images can be found on the website Earth-Altars.org.

 

We were asked to focus on one aspect of the drawing.  After some time, we were asked “Does the image evoke an emotion?  Stir something up?  Lead me to an attitude of prayer.  My response was that of Listening with the ear of my Heart.  A theme so familiar to us all from the Rule of St. Benedict.  Then I seemed swept inside the shell or ear, so I did not see the black blob anymore and found the Sound of Silence.

 

A few more pictures were shown, and the process was repeated. Each time the mystery became more profound. After meditating together and watching a video on meditation we took out our art materials and produced some works ourselves from twigs, leaves, stones, shells, or anything of our choice to arrange in a symmetrical pattern.  What was this telling us?  My impression was that God created the sea and nature for us to delight in and enjoy for a time to get strength to return to a busy schedule.  Kathleen worked on making beauty out of not-so-pleasing backgrounds.  The time went by very quickly.

 

It truly was a day of delight and since then I have been finding excerpts from others to confirm my joy.  The following is from James Finley: