Sensing the Divine 

 

This workshop explores the sensory world of Mary Magdalene through artworks in diverse media. We will engage with the formal qualities of the artworks – line, shape and form, space, colour and texture – and in what way this elicits sensory responses. There are no hard and fast rules, just an openness to thinking through and with art as part of your own spiritual journey.

Joanne Anderson 

 

Labyrinths, creative journeys to God 

 

Join us for a meaningful opportunity to learn about labyrinths. Walk a canvas labyrinth and explore finger labyrinths that draw us closer to the Divine. Labyrinths help us experience deeper connection with ourselves and God; they are pilgrimages of faith and discovery. They invite creative prayer and reflection on our hopes and struggles. For over 1,700 years, Christians have used labyrinths as sacred spaces for reflection and spiritual connection as a way of pilgrimage.  

Jim Bailey 

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Lectio Divina: reading with God 

 

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Abbot Christopher Jamison OSB 

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Praying the Parables 

 

Parables are windows for the imagination. They invite to us to pause, notice, ponder and become open to fresh revelation This workshop will draw on Jesus’ use of parables to explore a range of ways of working creatively with parables within our own daily experience, including journalling, poetry and artwork.

Christopher Chapman

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‘Love took my hand’: George Herbert’s poetry and the spiritual adventure of faith  

 

Come and immerse yourself in the fresh surprises of George Herbert’s poems. We will explore a number of his poems and the insights into the nature of God, the human heart, and the turbulence of a living faith, that they give voice to. No previous knowledge of Herbert’s work is needed to participate.

Mark Oakley 

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The Walking Way  

 

Based on material from Andrew’s book The Quiet Path: contemplative practices for daily life, this practical workshop will focus on the everyday miracle of walking, and what we may discover and encounter as we walk in the Swanwick gardens. Walking itself can become a reflective practice, an imaginative path – to God, and with God – a beautiful form of prayer. 

Andrew Rudd

 

Singing Our Story  

 

Drawing from Psalm 84 and the imagery of pilgrimage, we will explore how to give voice to our spiritual journey through the gift of song. We’ll explore the intersection of personal story and music in spiritual formation, and how contemporary music can help us reflect on life’s valleys and victories by providing us with a soundtrack which resonates with the different seasons of our lives.

Gaynor & Simon Shaw