The theme that resonated most this month was enjoying each others company.
We have met in the Crichton estate each month for a year now, and although there are always new things arriving and plenty more to find, it is feeling a bit like home.
Our forest church gatherings have never really been wild. However moving outside the building does lead to feelings of being exposed. The weather has shaped where we go, and now that we are moving towards the end of harvest we will need to consider the daylight and weather conditions.
But this Sunday was a warm, mostly dry, day. Here is a short video with a song from Kate.
German visionary, theologian, composer and naturalist. Remembered on Saturday the 17th of September, walked this earth till 1179AD.
Many people will be aware of the date ‘1066’ and the battle of Hastings. It probably feels like a distant, far off and alien place. But in that year, people were born, they harvested crops, baked bread and went about the general business of being human. Some of everyday life would have been very different. The same sun shone on everyone though, and the forces of tide, time and environment that shape life on earth work on a scale which should encourage mystic respect.
It may have been almost a thousand years since Hildegard walked this earth, but she walked the same earth as us. So some of the imagery described in her visions is very easy to relate to today.
Because the beauty of woman radiated and blazed forth in the primordial root, and in her was formed that chamber in which every creature lies hidden. Why is she so resplendent? For two reasons: on the one hand, because she was created by the finger of God and, on the other, because she was endowed with wondrous beauty. O woman, what a splendid being you are! For you have set your foundation in the sun, and have conquered the world.
Dr Eldridge is reported as saying “Viriditas means literally ‘green truth’, or greening power, which was one of Hildegard’s key philosophical or cosmological ideas,” … “In simple terms, for humans to be healthy and happy, then the natural world needs to be happy and healthy too.”
She explored this in a festival of music, visual arts and readings in 2019 and the article describes how an initial encounter with the music introduced her to Hildegard and led her to explore the life of the abbess much further.
This time of year is also known by some as ‘Mabon’. As such is it one of eight festivals which mark the changing seasons in the “Sacred Wheel of the Year”. These are rooted in an attempt by people to explore connections with the ancient past, and current reality. Some of these festivals have been well researched, and abound with practices supported by a long tradition of practice. Others are perhaps more inspired by romance and a reaction against the grinding brutality of industrialisation, with less concern for factual historical accuracy.
The quote from Hildegard I have used above was written in response to a query about the properness of her dressing her nuns in flowing white, silk veils, their hair bound only by a golden coronet.
What if at this time of harvest instead of wondering what is “proper” we could really seek out that which is “True”? Instead of letting ourselves become the judges of other peoples behaviour, can we loose grip of ourselves enough to become the light which helps people see?
This time of year holds many festivals which all wear different clothes. Some of us will be meeting for Forest Church at 1pm outside the Crichton chapel on September the 16th. Some of us will also be heading out to Allanton peace sanctuary to meet with others and pray for peace.
We are meeting up again on the 3rd Sunday in the month as we have been for around a year. During this time we have seen the seasons change and have fulfilled our aim of getting to know the environment of the Crichton.
We are meeting slightly earlier this month so that those who wish can also participate in the Allanton Peace Sanctuary peace sanctuary activities. (but not too early, so those that wish to attend the 11 O’clock service in St Johns can do this too!)
This time of year is one where harvest is in full flow. Our apple trees are full of fruit, and the leaves have already fallen where we have harvested plums. There is a time for everything and it is good to pause and recognise the changes.
The Plan
As is our custom we will meet in Christs name and, whether you consider yourself a close friend or are just curious, all are welcome to share his peace.
The reading from the environment will involve us walking round the grounds, remembering places and activities we have used over the year. If you haven’t been before please browse the Forest Church posts on the blog to get an idea in advance – or turn up and enjoy the introduction.
As a response we will collect a ‘harvest’ of experiences perhaps expressed in words, sketches, rubbings and pictures on smart phones.
Some of these can feed into visual artwork we hope to install in St Johns church building.
We were looking for signs of abundance and harvest. We were also trying to be aware of factors which could prevent us from seeing abundance and harvest, similar to the way in which those in the story in Luke were unable to receive the experience of healing with the joy you’d expect.
It takes time for a plant to seal off the connection it has with the fruit it bears, when it does though the fruit is loose to fall to the ground without leaving an open wound. Religion can hold people and groups together when they have a tendency to fly apart, but without a mechanism for growth it can bind us and leave withered fruit left on the tree.
We saw sunflowers, bright red berries on the yew trees, unintended flowers growing from the use of natural fertilisers, conkers! and the signs of leaves beginning to turn.
We have been visiting the Crichton every month for almost a year now. We reflected on how busy the estate is, people running, playing sports, bands rehearsing and more. We wondered how much this is a change of use in the area and how much it is a change in us, allowing us to recognise what is going on.
Here is a short video of our walk – music by Kate
(The sunflower head was already on the ground, detached, in case anyone is wondering).
As usual we were also joined by those who couldn’t physically be there. Here are a couple of photos sent in, taken on the afternoon.
This month we will look for signs of harvest, seeking to become aware of the law of abundance in the natural environment.
The reading from Scripture for the day is
Luke 13:10-17
10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”
17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
Luke 13: 10 -17
For an idea of what to expect, last month we read Psalm 23 and found the water in the Japanese garden. Andy brought a simple frame which we used to view the landscape in new ways. landscape through a simple frame. We also used the conceptual frmaes of- water, valley, green pastures, paths of righteousness- to worship with our own angle through the frame.
Quartz has been using Haiku this weekend as part of the Wordsmith Crafts CiC setup at Kirkcudbright Art and Crafts trail.
The following is taken from notes written by Kate, who has been leading this activity.
A selection of Haiku
We have been giving people a space to stop. The whole of Kirkcudbright becomes a walking trail and on Friday we had a couple of chairs to rest in which were appreciated.
I have experienced people being surprised by what they have achieved, that they have come up with such a profound haiku. One lady took ages, told me lots about her life and the struggles she faced. She was in tears when she finished her poem, and it was a lovely poem for her sons.
Another experience I have enjoyed was asking children if they know what haiku were and wathcing their parents being really impressed that their child knows all about them.
We have a bowl full of words on cardboard strips. Having words provided means that people encountered words they weren’t expecting. One lady was ambushed by the word forgiveness- we had a brief conversation about it but I suspect more thinking and heart-searching happened after she left.
In addition, giving people the opportunity to write their own words allowed one girl to ignore all the rules and simply state “My name is Bee”. One man wrote a lovely poem about someone special in his life. Young twins who hadn’t learned to read yet enjoyed picking up words they liked the look of, and then the adults watching re-ordered them, #SensingMeaningfulness.
Saturday was wet and windy to start so there were no haiku for the first few hours, but some lovely ones arrived with the sunshine later on. It was great to see parents and children working together – parents were happy to help without taking over or changing things that they thought weren’t quite right.
During the morning haiku hiatus, the finger labyrinth we also have on the table, being made of glazed pottery and therefore much more waterproof, came into it’s own. Some had seen one before, but many learned to use one for the first time. I had a great half-conversation with a lady who was trying to get her son to do it as he had had a difficult day and she thought it would help him.
Not everyone felt able to stop for long, but we had many brief conversations about laying burdens down safely and picking them up in a different mindset. I felt able to say that I speak to Jesus in the middle.
The labyrinth of chairs we set up in St Johns, linking activity inside the building with activities like this in the wider community.
More to follow! Sunday and Monday still to go.
As well as the Quartz area Wordsmith Crafts has a workshop where people can become 5 or 10 minute apprentices and learn to make copper armbands. This is a hands on encounter with millennia old skills. Conversations about value, time, and our relationships with the people who have contributed to making the Scotland we know today.
There is also a shop area where artists associated with WSC can exhibit and sell their work. This helps support the artists, and fund the installation at the trail – any surplus will be directed to helping people access the full resources of their Heritage through other projects.
Just some Iron Age folk discussing heritage, in between customers.
We are set up as part of the Wordsmith Crafts encampment, which is in turn part of a group of tents pitched by artisits inspired by heritage.
Some of us have been in Kircudbright frequently recently, helping interpret the Galloway Hoard that was found nearby and exhibited at the Gallery.
This time though we are here as Quartz and contacts we have made through discussions about the intangible heritage that was discovered along with the more obviously shiny silver can be explored further.
When we help people encounter the material evidence left by our ancient ancestors people are often moved by actions that remind them of the shared human experience we have. For example, wrapping a cord round a cross before carefully placing it in the ground. We can imagine many emotions, possible motives, meaningful stories from that one insight. We can rationally discuss which is the most probable, we can also contemplate and enrich our feeling of connection with our past and reaffirm the emotional truth of belonging.
People are not sprung from the ground like mushrooms as a philosopher once supposed. Indeed mushrooms are no longer understood as rootless and there are fascinating books about the vast underground networks in forests that challenge assumptions made about intelligence during the age of reason.
But day one has mostly been setting up. Enjoying the sunshine and encouraging people to use words poetically. These fleeting “word pictures” are being photographed and tagged. They can be discovered online by searching for #SensingSpirituality or @cyberculdee
Our hope is to help build an online library of moments using pictures, poems and more. Then when people search for #SensingSpirituality or #SensingChallenge or any of the other Sensings, they will be linked with other people’s moments.
Here is a gallery of images from the first day though! More will follow.
A Quartz Outerweave at Kirkcudbright Art and Crafts Trail
Thought becomes a woven banner.
We will be #SensingSpirituality in Kirkcudbright during the last weekend of July 2022. The trail is open from 11am to 5pm on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. You can find more info here
We were last there in 2017, and are looking forward to returning. This year we will have three main activities to help people use art and crafts to become aware of, explore and express the invisible things which make humans more than just their physical elements.
The theme for the trail this year is “Cats” in memory of one of the trails founders. We have taken this and then approached it through a poem called “Pangur Ban” The poem compares a monks search for meanings in texts to the quest of his pet cat trying to catch mice.
Either writing freestyle, or by arranging from a selection of words people will be encouraged to reflect on their environment and make an observation. Traditionally this type of poetry is 17 syllables in a 5,7,5 pattern. The poems will be fleeting glimpses of meaningfulness, but they can be photographed and then tagged #SensingSpirituality to be found online as long as the internet lasts…
Weaving
Continuing our practice of collaborative artwork, individuals can record their reflections on ribbons of cloth or paper. These are then woven into a tapestry using a warp weighted loom. Fragments of thoughts will be visible in the final banner, but each is anonymous as part of the whole.
The Cats mirror
Interested?
Come along and see for yourself what we are up to! Quartz takes the challenge of leaving our spiritual comfort zone to find “The face of God in friend and stranger” seriously. We will be setting up in Kirkcudbright to learn as well as help. We contribute from our own traditions and the experience of walking the paths we have made, and we hope to receive from the discussions this inspires. If you would like to get involved in helping do this, then talk with us and we can work out how to help each other.
Studio and Cluaran
Hair clasp by Kirsten Milliken
As well as the Quartz project being on display, we are inviting people to glimpse a travelling version of the Wordsmith Crafts Studio . We will have a workshop set up where we will be experimenting with Iron Age crafts. Making rings and broaches. Some of these will be replicas, some “in the style of” and some will be contemporary creations.
Iron age fibula broaches
We run 10 and 20 minute craft workshops. In these people can drop in and make something, and then take it away with them. We provide the skills and learning for free, but anything made in the workshop has a value and a trade needs to be made in order to take things away!
We will also have a shop front where the artists involved with Wordsmith Crafts can exhibit and sell their work.
