Stories from the Heart with the Rev. Dr. Rosemary Beales

 

Monday, March 15, 2021

7:30 -9:00 pm via Zoom

 

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We are people of the book, but where were the stories of faith before they became a book? They were told by people sitting in circles, passed from one to another to another and from generation to generation. We still tell stories that way today, using the imaginative process known as Godly Play. With simple visuals and time-tested language, the Rev. Dr. Rosemary Beales, a 25-year practitioner of this art, will invite us to enter into familiar stories in a new way. After the stories, we will wonder together with words, and be able to express our responses creatively through art, journaling or other practices. Godly Play, while designed originally for the youngest among us, has been shown to help all of us move toward spiritual maturity and depth. Come and wonder!

To receive a link to this event, contact the Center at info@centerforspiritualdeepening.org

 

 

The Rev. Dr. Rosemary Beales came to St. Aidan’s as interim rector in July 2020. She was formerly chaplain to the Lower School at St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School in Alexandria. Since 1996, she has been a practitioner and trainer in the Godly Play method of religious education, and this life-giving way of entering into the stories of faith led her to Virginia Theological Seminary. Ordained in 2005, she is a former journalist, mother of three grown children and grandmother of seven, and handmaid to a polydactyl cat, Chloe.

Labyrinths

St. Aidan’s has two labyrinths for walking prayer and meditation. The outdoor labyrinth, located between the memorial garden and Riverside Road, is always available. The labyrinth in the church is available most of the year and is used during special services and retreats. We can also arrange to open the church at other times for those who would like to walk the labyrinth.

Up Next
April 12, 2021

Evelyn Underhill: Foremother of Contemporary Spirituality

with Dana Greene

Continuing Classes and Offerings

Meditations on
the Gospel of Thomas
1st and 3rd Thursdays, 7:30 pm  Zoom
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The Gospel of Thomas is new to most of us and it is at the same time ancient.  It may well be the oldest of the gospel writings.  This gathering of sayings of Jesus seems to have been a source for the writers of the canonical gospels.  The sayings from this text, which was found in a cave in Egypt in 1945, have contributed to a new appreciation of Jesus as a wisdom teacher in the Eastern tradition.  We meet twice a month to work with one or two of the 114 sayings through lectio divina, or sacred listening.  All are welcome for this reflection/meditation/discussion gathering.  You do not need to have attended previous meetings to participate.  
Soul Circle
 
2nd, 4th, and 5th Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.  Zoom
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We gather on these Thursdays for conversation about the Spiritual Life.  We meet in this community of others who, with us, long to become the sound, whole persons our traditions tell us we were created to become.  The leader for the evening opens with a reading, we share the guidelines for welcoming conversation, then those who wish to are invited to speak about the experience of trying to live intentionally the life to which they feel called.
Ongoing on Zoom

Silent Prayer, & Meditation

Tuesday and Friday mornings at 8:00 am

We light a candle and spend 25 minutes in silence. The last person out of the room blows out the candle. It is that simple. Those who seek to include meditation in their weekly practice often find it easier to do so in the company of others.

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 Spiritual Direction
Group Spiritual Direction
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New groups will be forming in January, 2021
Contact Lisa Richard at info@centerforspiritualdeepening.com if you are interested in joining a group or in learning more.
 
The singular intention of spiritual direction is companionship and support in our relationship with the “something greater” that we sense at work in our lives. In group spiritual direction, we form a community with others who share our desire for connection to the divine other. We agree to accompany and support one another on our spiritual journeys.
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The process centers around silence. Trusting that the spirit is present within and among us, we weave into the sharing of our stories and experiences quiet space to sense that presence. Group members may offer a question or a reflection that comes out of our prayerful listening. At other times, silent prayer for the other will be the richest offering. 
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If you feel you may be called to go deeper by discerning in community, or if you have questions and would like to know more, contact Lisa Richard. One group has already begun and meets on a monthly basis. Additional groups of three to five people may form at any time during the year when there is interest.
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One-on-One Spiritual Direction
 
Tilden Edwards writes in Spiritual Director, Spiritual Companion of our yearning “…for a soul-friend with whom we can share our desire for the Holy One and with whom we can try to identify and embrace the hints of divine Presence and invitation in our lives. Neither soul-friends nor anyone else can fully enter our deep soul space. However, they can listen to our articulations of it, silently open these to God as soon as they are heard, and occasionally speak when something is heard in that openness that seems to be meant for [us].”
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A spiritual director (or guide, or companion, or friend) is someone who holds a space for our stories of the journey and listens with us for the workings of that greater “something.” The work of the Spirit in our lives can often be heard in our own voices--seen in our own faces and our own eyes. Companions on the journey can hold up the mirror that lets us see it. 
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If you feel you may be called to one-on-one spiritual direction, or if you have questions and would like to know more, contact Lisa Richard . We have contact information for a number of local directors and can help you connect with them. Note that directors generally meet with people once a month; some charge a fee, while others do not. Each director’s approach is different, so it can help to talk with more than one before you make your decision.