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A Simplified Life
The Inner JourneyAs many people face the prospect of enforced change in their lives as western economies falter, this account of a life of radical simplicity freely chosen offers gentle life-giving wisdom for our times. A Simplified Life tells the story of what made a young Cambridge-educated woman embark on a solitary life, literally on the edge of the world with only a simple hut for shelter against the elements, and how that experience continues to nourish and enrich her today.£12.99 -
Franciscan Spirituality: Following St Francis Today
The Inner Journey, Traditional MonasticismWhat is special about the spirituality of St Francis? Can it be possible for ordinary men and women today, with family, jobs, and other responsibilities, to follow in the way of a thirteenth-century friar? Brother Ramon, an Anglican Franciscan Friar, shows us that Franciscan spirituality is as compelling and relevant today as ever. It is marked by spontaneity and emotional freedom, by openness to every human being and love for the natural world. It treasures both the evangelical and the catholic nature of the gospel. It is rooted in a biblical faith and in reverence for the whole of creation. Franciscan Spirituality introduces us to the world of Francis and his first followers and shows how their excitement and wonder at Jesus alive in their midst can still be recaptured. The book is illustrated throughout by Molly Dowell£15.99 -
Living on the Border: Reflections on the Experience of Threshold
Celtic Studies & Spirituality, Spiritual Growth, The Inner Journey, Traditional MonasticismThere is a traditional saying of ancient wisdom: 'A threshold is a sacred thing. In some places of the world, in some traditional cultures and in monastic life, this is still remembered. It is something, however, that we often forget today. To take time to pause at a threshold - be it a place, or a moment between one action and the next - is to show reverence for the handling of space and time, and respect for those who we meet. Pausing allows us to let go of all the demands and expectations of the previous activity, and to prepare for the encounter with another. Esther de Waal explores what this ancient wisdom has to teach us about our public lives in the world today.£12.99 -
Fire of the North: The Life of St Cuthbert
Celtic Sites & SaintsSt Cuthbert, monk and bishop of Lindisfarne, was a man of extraordinary charm and ability. A preacher, teacher and pastor, he was also reputed to have gifts of prophecy and healing. David Adam, one of the most prolific and best-loved writers in the Celtic tradition, vividly relates the story of this central figure in Celtic Christianity. Drawing out the qualities which make Cuthbert so important in our own time, Fire of the North celebrates the saint's ready sense of God's presence and eager response to nature. The narrative is complemented throughout by prayers specially composed to help us experience the direct force of Celtic spirituality for ourselves.£9.99 -
Hebridean Altars: The Spirit of an Island Race
Celtic Prayer, Celtic Studies, Celtic Studies & SpiritualityThis book is a beautiful and dramatic collection of Celtic praise, compiled by Church of Scotland minister and Gaelic scholar Alistair Maclean, which was first published in 1937. It comprises over 100 prayers, poems, sayings and praises from the Christian tradition of the author’s native Hebrides.£15.99 -
Lost in Wonder: Rediscovering the Spiritual Art of Attentiveness
Everyday Life, The Inner Journey'To take time to be apart ... is not a luxury, it is essential. The gift of space for myself seems so simple, and in a way it is; but it is also surprisingly difficult to do without some form of external encouragement. And that is the very simple purpose of this book.' With these words, Ester de Waal begins to show us ways into a fuller and deeper sense of attentiveness to the world around us and to the presence of God in that world. As she observes, 'if we fail to find the time to stand back, to give ourselves a break, a breathing space we are in danger of failing to be fully alive, or to enjoy that fullness of life for which we were created.' Many aspects of modern life can distract us: busyness, boredom, stress, lethargy, lack of direction. Yet Christ's invitation to each of us is, 'Come and see'. Responding to this call, Lost in Wonder clears and refreshes our inner vision, teaching us again how to use those gifts we may have come to take for granted or forgotten we had: sight, sound, silence, awareness, mystery, wonder.£9.99 -
Merton’s Palace of Nowhere
Spiritual Growth, The Inner JourneySpiritual identity is the quest to know who we are, to find meaning in life and to overcome that sense of "is that all there is?" At the heart of this quest are found Thomas Meron's illuminating insights leading from an awareness of the false and illusory self as the way to a realization of the true self. For twenty-five years, Merton's Palace of Nowhere has been the standard for exploring, reflecting on, and understanding this rich vein of Merton's thought.£14.00 -
Advent and Christmas Wisdom with Thomas Merton
Advent & Christmas, Resources for the Christian YearAdvent and Christmas are special times for all Christians. The spiritual longing of the Advent season can only be satisfied by the joy and celebration of a Christmas focused on Jesus' birth in our hearts. Advent and Christmas Wisdom with Thomas Merton give readers the opportunity to experience Advent and Christmas in a way that unwraps the spiritual joy, allowing it to shine brighter that all the tinsel and trappings that can blind our eyes to the deeper meaning of the season. This book is arranged for use on every day of the Advent and Christmas seasons. Each day's reflection begins with a scriptural quotation, continues with a thought from the writings of Thomas Merton, and concludes with a prayer for the day. Merton's writing capture the familiar themes of the season: the Incarnation, anticipation, angels, giving, and many others - each drawing us closer to the joy of welcoming the Saviour into our lives. An appendix includes a suggested plan for using each day's meditation as part of a morning or evening prayer.£9.00 -
The Wisdom of the Desert
Desert Monasticism, Influences & Suggested ReadingThe Wisdom of the Desert was one of Thomas Merton's favourites among his own books - surely because he had hoped to spend his last years as a hermit. The personal tone of the translations, the blend of reverence and humour so characteristic of him, show how deeply Merton identified with the legendary authors of these sayings and parables, the fourth century Christian Fathers who sought solitude and contempation in the deserts of the Near East. The hermits of Scete who turned their backs on a corrupt society remarkably like our own had much in common with the Zen Masters of China and Japan, and Father Merton made his selection from them with an eye to the kind of impact produced by the Zen mondo.£13.00 -
Celtic Christian Spirituality
Celtic Prayer, Celtic Sites & Saints, Celtic Studies, Celtic Studies & SpiritualityThe Celtic Christians beheld the world around them and perceived the divine life of God upholding every aspect of the material universe. Their prayers and poems, their liturgies and their theological texts give Christians a sense of faith that is confident in a merciful and infinitely creative, healing God. In this introduction to Celtic Christian spirituality, Mary C. Earle presents the primary texts from the Celtic Christian tradition - selections from the writings of Pelagius, Eriugena and St Patrick, as well as prayers and poems from Wales, the Outer Hebrides and Ireland. These essential texts direct humanity to read the 'book of creation' as well as the book of scripture, and call us to remember that 'matter matters'. The author's engaging facing-page commentary explores how faithful Christians and spiritual seekers use the writings of this lively tradition as ways of embodying and living the gospel.£10.99 -
Into the depths: A Journey of Loss and Vocation
Everyday Life, The Inner JourneyIn January 1984, Sr Mary Margaret Funk, a Benedictine nun from Indiana, paid a visit to Maryknoll missionary nuns working in Bolivia. On what should have been a routine trip to the local town for a convocation ceremony, a flash flood swept away the jeep in which she, three nuns, a priest, and a disabled boy they had adopted were travelling. Only she and the priest survived What happened that night catapulted Sr Meg into twenty-five years of prayer and self-examination. She relentlessly explored her relationship with the transcendent and immanent God, the profundities of her religious tradition, her commitment to spiritual practice, and her very human failings. It was a journey that left her spiritually naked before the terrible love of God; a journey to keep one's heart open to the transforming wounds of suffering. In the great tradition of spiritual confessions from Augustine to Thomas Merton's The Seven-Story Mountain, Into the Depths is a fearlessly honest and simply told account of one woman's struggle to engage at the deeper levels with the most profound questions of faith.£12.99 -
As the Touch: A6 greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthWords: Embrace me Lord As the loving parent to a new born babe; As the gentle wave on a windswept shore; As the summer breeze lifts the soaring bird; As the fall of rain on the parched garden soil; As the pure note of song caresses an ear; As the touch on the face from a lover; As the clear starlight falling on a deep, still lake; As the warming sunlight on a butterfly wing; As the brushstroke on a painters canvas; As the soft hug of a much loved toy; As the familiar words of a memorised poem Embrace me O Lord Background: An encouragement to invite God to be intimate with every aspect of our life.£2.25 -
Show Me: A4 signed print
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthWords: Lord Jesus show me Your way Background: Artist Mary Fleeson comments...'This piece was inspired by the lighthouse beam I see each night. It cuts through the darkness like a sword, like the word of God. It is a guide, a warning, a comfort and a reassurance.' Printing and Sizing: This item is 210mm x 297mm and is printed on 300gsm card stock£12.50 -
Carmina Gadelica: Hymns and Incantations
Celtic Prayer, Celtic Studies, Celtic Studies & Spirituality, Scripture & Prayer, Spiritual GrowthCarmina Gadelica is an anthology of poems and prayers from the Gaelic oral tradition, the most comprehensive ever collected. They came from communities all over the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, were often shared or performed in the evening ceilidh and therby passed on from generation to generation. Alexander Carmichael complied the collection in the second half of the nineteenth century, and in doing so created a lasting record of a culture and way of life that has now largely disappeared. In the Introduction, Carmichael recounts with great warmth and evident pleasure the hospitality which he received from the people whose songs and stories he was anxious to record "I have three regrets -" he says, "that I had not been earlier collecting, that I have not been more diligent in collecting, and that I am not better qualified to treat what I have collected." Nevertheless, Carmina Gadelica quickly became an invaluable resource for those wanting to study and understand Gaelic culture and for those wanting to experience the beauty and wisdom of its oral literature.£20.00 -
The Seven Storey Mountain
Influences & Suggested Reading, Traditional MonasticismThe complete and unedited edition of Thomas Merton's famous autobiography, one of the greatest works of spiritual pilgrimage ever written. Thomas Merton (1915 - 1968) was a Trappist monk, writer, peace and civil rights activist.£21.00 -
Graceful Trinity: A4 signed print
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthWords: Graceful Trinity of love, Hear our prayer You were at the beginning, You are now, You shall be evermore. Grant us peace. With the ebb of the tide, With the turn of the season, Grant us peace Father, Son and Spirit, Hear our prayer. Background: An intercession written several years ago to be said between other prayers, the imagery reflects the seasons and the tides. Printing and Sizing: This item is 210mm x 297mm and is printed on 300gsm card stock using our in-house printer. Each print is individually signed by Mary Fleeson and is packaged in a cellophane wrapper with a descriptive backing sheet explaining more about the piece and the Scriptorium.£12.50 -
My times are still in your hand: Greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthGreetings card, supplied with envelope, featuring an original design by Lynda Owen-Hussey that reflects the story of St Brendan's journey of faith. Blank inside. The title is taken from Brendan - an exploration of a vision, a call to risky living from Celtic Daily Prayer Book 1: The Journey Begins.£2.20 -
Celtic Daily Prayer Book 2: Farther Up and Farther In
Celtic Daily Prayer & Liturgy, Celtic Daily Prayer & Liturgy, Celtic Prayer, Celtic Sites & Saints, Celtic Studies & Spirituality, Music & Creativity, Northumbria Community Resources & TeachingCeltic Daily Prayer Book 2: Farther Up and Farther In is the long awaited companion volume to Celtic Daily Prayer Book 1: The Journey Begins, also reissued in a new binding. It contains a further two years of daily readings together with a new set of meditations for each day of the month plus prayers and liturgies that speak into real life as we have experienced it. With the exception of the Daily Offices and Complines, which have been re-issued with melody lines for those parts where a sung version exists, the material included is new. Here you will find additional resources for the Times and Seasons of the year and for Rites of Passage. Here too are liturgies and prayers for the significant events and decisions in life. For those seeking fresh resources for corporate worship there are four new Communion services, an Advent liturgy that could work equally well in either a church or home group setting and fourteen new ‘Follow the Example’ liturgies with suggestions for occasions when they may prove helpful. Beautifully bound in a specially commissioned hardback cover with ribbon markers, this book is built to last. Just as well as we anticipate it becoming as much a part of our journey, alone and together, as its treasured elder sibling! See a sample:CDP Book 2 Sample£25.00Celtic Daily Prayer is also available as an INTERACTIVE E-BOOK published by HarperCollins and available for a variety of devices. It can be purchased from:Amazon hereiTunes heregoogleplay herekobo books hereThe e-book has app-like features and includes the Daily Prayer and Compline liturgies, the Meditations for the Day from Book 2 and all four years of Daily Readings from Books 1 and 2. Please be aware that currently the introduction to the theme for each month is not included (we are looking into that). The e-book does not contain any of the communion liturgies or prayers for times and seasons, rites of passages and other themed prayers and liturgies from either Celtic Daily Prayer 1 or 2.However, also included within the e-book are the Scriptures for each day’s readings in full from the New Revised Standard Version Bible and music from the Celtic Daily Prayer CD - ALTHOUGH PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MUSIC FILES WILL NOT PLAY ON ALL DEVICES. -
Course in Desert Spirituality: Fifteen Sessions with the Famous Trappist Monk
Desert Monasticism, Influences & Suggested ReadingThomas Merton's sessions with the young monks at the Abbey of Gethsemani showcase Merton's brilliant ability to survey the key figures and synthesize their writings, inspiring his listeners and readers with what it means for the spiritual life. Like its companion volume, A Course in Christian Mysticism, this book is a collection of fifteen lectures that get to the heart of Merton's belief that monastic wisdom and spirituality are applicable for everyone. This compact volume allows anyone to learn from one of the twentieth century's greatest Catholic spiritual teachers. The study materials at the back of the book, including additional primary source readings and thoughtful questions for reflection and discussion, make this an essential text for any student of Christian desert spirituality.£13.50 -
The Promise of Paradox: a celebration of contradictions in the Christian life
The Inner JourneyFirst published in 1980 - and reissued here with a feisty new introductory essay - The Promise of Paradox launched Parker J. Palmer s career as an author and his ongoing exploration of the contradictions that vex and enrich our lives. In this probing and heartfelt book, the distinguished writer, teacher, and activist examines some of the challenging questions at the core of Christian spirituality. How do we live with the apparent opposition between good and evil, scarcity and abundance, individuality and community, death and new life? We can hold them as paradoxes, not "either/ors", allowing them to open our minds and hearts to new ways of seeing and being. Animated by the insights of the Trappist monk Thomas Merton, The Promise of Paradox explores spiritual questions in the open and generous spirit of Christian mysticism, challenging forms of Christianity that are closed and even cruel. There are no easy answers to these questions, and there may be no answers at all. But with the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, Palmer advocates the rich possibilities that emerge when we learn to "live the questions".£15.99 -
Living in Two Kingdoms
Celtic Studies & Spirituality, Everyday Life, The Inner JourneyBoth visionary and engagingly down-to-earth, "Living in Two Kingdoms" helps us recognize that the visible world of matter and the invisible world of spirit are not two worlds but one. We can be sure that whatever harsh reality we may have to face from time to time, the true reality is that we are never on our own. Because here and now - whatever it may feel like, we are truly part of the kingdom of God!Each chapter of this book ends with mediations, readings and prayers. These are designed to enable us to set aside time regularly to rest in the presence and peace of God, in order that we may rediscover afresh his all-encompassing love and care - and glory in the heaven that is all around us.£9.99 -
Precious Thoughts: daily readings from Thomas Merton
Daily Readings, Influences & Suggested Reading, Traditional MonasticismThomas Merton wrote to people of all faiths and none; he wrote to people who were searching, and those who were firmly established in religious orders; he wrote to students, peace activists and `ordinary' people who had read about him and were curious. Some are letters of spiritual direction, a sharing of spiritual insights and social concerns, some more personal. In this carefully selected collection, Merton scholar, Fiona Gardner, has focused on extracts that seem to speak to all who are searching. They have been chosen because they offer an opening into something other - to provide a way into both silence and contemplative prayer.£10.99 -
Hermits of the Inner Farne
Celtic Daily Prayer & Liturgy, Celtic Sites & Saints, Celtic Studies, Celtic Studies & Spirituality, Northumbria Community Resources & TeachingThis booklet has been compiled by Andy Raine, a Companion with the Northumbria Community, as a way of retelling the story of the hermits who lived and prayed on the little island of Inner Farne, just off the north Northumberland coast. It begins with a reprinting of Kathleen Parbury’s manuscript of The Hermits of the House of Farne, which she self-published in 1983, and which is contained here with the permission and blessing of her surviving relatives. It also includes relevant liturgical material taken from Celtic Daily Prayer, and other articles about the hermits.£6.00 -
Celtic Daily Prayer – music CD
Celtic Daily Prayer & Liturgy, Celtic Daily Prayer & Liturgy, Celtic Prayer, Celtic Studies & Spirituality, Music & Creativity, Northumbria Community Resources & TeachingSung and spoken versions of Morning, Midday and Evening Prayer; and Complines for each day of the week. This music and liturgy is recorded in normal Audio CD format and can be played on any CD player or computer. This album is also available as an audio download. To purchase the download please click on one of these options:£10.00 -
Followers of the Way: Ancient discipleship for modern Christians
Celtic Studies, Celtic Studies & Spirituality, Desert Monasticism, New MonasticismOne of the most pressing issues in today's church is encouraging people to become true and effective disciples of Jesus Christ. If, in simple terms, discipleship is about connecting more deeply with God and connecting God with the whole of life, Simon Reed argues, we're looking at a life-long process for which we require long-term skills rather than short-term courses. The Celtic and Desert Christians, drawing on Old and New Testament practices, taught and modelled how to do this through the practice of living by a Way of Life. By drawing together today's need for disciples and Celtic Christianity, Followers of the Way inspires authentic Christian discipleship for the contemporary world.£9.99 -
A Retreat with Thomas Merton
The Inner JourneyThe celebrated spiritual writer Thomas Merton remains one of the most influential voices of our day. His many books have become modern spiritual classics and he opened up the riches of the monastic tradition for many. Here, Esther de Waal devises a seven day personal or group retreat programme using extracts from Thomas Merton's writings and a selection of the photography for which he was also renowned. She creates a retreat that can be made at home, at a centre or on holiday, over a week or a period of weeks. The focus of each of the seven days is: The Call; Response; The Solitary Within; Encounter With Christ; The Demands of Love; Common and Natural and Ordinary; Integration.£14.00 -
Caim: A6 greetings card
Creativity, Spiritual GrowthWords: None Background: Mary tells us that...‘Caim’ was originally designed as a CD cover for an album of prayers set to music by the same name, therefore the imagery reflects themes of the music included, however as is often the case the illustration evolved into something which speaks beyond the obvious inspiration. The hand seems to reach out in a loving, gentle gesture to caress the face of the Creator, symbolised by the star (Revelation 22:16 ‘I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.’). The complex knotwork intersperses three overlapping circles which represent the Trinity and the patterns and colours are life patterns, weaving and merging, coloured by experiences, actions and reactions. Printing and Sizing: This item is 105mm x 148mm and is printed on 300gsm gloss card stock. Each card is blank inside, has its title and copyright details on the back and is individually wrapped in cellophane with an envelope.£2.25 -
Contemplative Prayer
Influences & Suggested Reading, Scripture & PrayerThomas Merton's classic study of monastic prayer and contemplation brings a tradition of spirituality alive for the present day. But, as A M Allchin points out in his Introduction to this new edition, Contemplative Prayer also shows us the present day in a new perspective, because we see it in the light of a long and living tradition. Merton stresses that in meditation we should not look for a 'method' or 'system' but cultivate an 'attitude' or 'outlook': faith, openness, attention, reverence, expectation, trust, joy. God is found in the desert of surrender, in giving up any expectation of a particular message and 'waiting on the Word of God in silence'. Merton insists on the humility of faith, which he argues 'will do far more to launch us into the full current of historical reality than the pompous rationalisation of politicians who think they are somehow the directors and manipulators of history'.£9.99 -
To Dare the Our Father: A transformative spiritual practice
Scripture & PrayerThe Lord's Prayer accompanies the lives of Christians. When we are happy or sad, when we eagerly wait for a child to be born or silently keep watch as an elder dies, alone in the woods or together in liturgy, filled with gratitude or emptied by grief, driven to praise or dragged to repent, the Our Father finds its way to our lips. To Dare the Our Father recognizes and respects these experiences but it envisions praying the prayer as a more sustained and challenging undertaking. How does praying the Our Father inform our thinking, feeling, willing, and acting? How does it become for us a transformative spiritual practice? John Shea explores these questions and more to discover what it looks like to become people of prayer.£12.99 -
A Silent Action: engagements with Thomas Merton
Spiritual GrowthThomas Merton's life, especially once he had become a writer, was to a great extent one of dialogue with people who were distant, both geographically and historically. In these probing and perceptive studies, Rowan Williams looks closely at the key intellectual and spiritual relationships that emerge in Merton's writings, exploring the impact on him of thinkers as diverse as Hannah Arendt, Karl Barth, William Blake, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Olivier Clement, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Paul Evdokimov, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Vladimir Lossky, John Henry Newman, Boris Pasternak and St John of the Cross.£10.99 -
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Cargo CD
Creativity, Culture & MissionOriginal price was: £12.00.£5.00Current price is: £5.00.2007 Music & Narration based on the abolition of the Slave trade and to raise awareness of contemporary Human Trafficking. Narration by Sir Tom Courtenay. Vocals by Coco Mbassi, Sadie Chamberlain & Paul Field -
Life Together
Influences & Suggested Reading, New Monasticism, Re-imagining ChurchDietrich Bonhoeffer, the now famous theologian who was martyred by the Nazis in 1945, wrote this book on the eve of World War II. It resulted from his experience as head of a semiary of the German 'Confessing Church' at Finkenwalde near Stettin. Here many of the pastors who witnessed against Hitler received their inspiration. It was, as Professor John D. Godsey points out in his study of The Theology of Deitrich Bonhoeffer, 'a kind of theological education that was startlingly new in Germany: a communal life in which Jesus Christ's call to discipleship was taken seriously.' Professor Godsey calls Life Together 'simply written, powerfully convincing and unusually quotable...It is an attempt to give practical guidance to those who want to take their lives as Christians seriously.'£13.99