Introduction to the Week 1 Lesson
Writing Prompt
Based on your experience with God and your response to these two poems, write a Pastoral describing your image of God. Perhaps give a physical description. Describe the essence of God. Is God love, anger, forgiveness? All of the above? How does God show up in your life?
(Feeling stuck? Take a line from your journal entry to begin the poem or one from the poems we've looked at this week.)
Based on your experience with God and your response to these two poems, write a Pastoral describing your image of God. Perhaps give a physical description. Describe the essence of God. Is God love, anger, forgiveness? All of the above? How does God show up in your life?
(Feeling stuck? Take a line from your journal entry to begin the poem or one from the poems we've looked at this week.)
This week, we are looking at the question, "But who...?" Who do we define as God or Universe or Spirit or Divine? How has our definition and view changed? Where are we spiritually based on who we used to be and who we desire to be? Take some time to think out about. Perhaps journal your responses before moving on to the poetry. There's also a "creative expression" activity for this week that will help you uncover your spiritual journey.
Also, this is a good time to write why you're taking this class. What do you hope to get out of it? What questions do you want to answer, for yourself? Why use poetry? What are your fears and your joyous expectations? Feel free to share any of this in our closed Facebook page if you're comfortable.
I use poetry as a way to connect with my inner-self. This connection helps me connect with Spirit. When we are quiet and still, we turn within. Poetry often gives us permission to do that, and it becomes the clarity for which we search.
To get us started, I wanted to introduce the Pastoral as the poetic form we will use. The Pastoral is one of the first forms of poetry and its theme and appreciation for simplicity is a great way to begin our experience with poetry as spiritual practice.
Poetic Form: Pastoral
A Pastoral is traditional verse that dates back to 3 BCE made known by Theocritus who wrote idealized accounts of shepherds and their loves living simple, virtuous lives in Arcadia, a mountainous region of Greece. Poets writing in English drew on the pastoral tradition by retreating from the trappings of modernity to the imagined virtues and romance of rural life, as in Edmund Spenser’s The Shepheardes Calendar, Christopher Marlowe’s “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love,” and Sir Walter Ralegh’s response, “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd.” The pastoral poem faded after the European Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, but its themes persist in poems that romanticize rural life or reappraise the natural world; see Leonie Adams’s “Country Summer,” Dylan Thomas’s “Fern Hill,” or Allen Ginsberg’s “Wales Visitation.”
Poetry
(Click here to download the poems. The audio is below.)
Also, this is a good time to write why you're taking this class. What do you hope to get out of it? What questions do you want to answer, for yourself? Why use poetry? What are your fears and your joyous expectations? Feel free to share any of this in our closed Facebook page if you're comfortable.
I use poetry as a way to connect with my inner-self. This connection helps me connect with Spirit. When we are quiet and still, we turn within. Poetry often gives us permission to do that, and it becomes the clarity for which we search.
To get us started, I wanted to introduce the Pastoral as the poetic form we will use. The Pastoral is one of the first forms of poetry and its theme and appreciation for simplicity is a great way to begin our experience with poetry as spiritual practice.
Poetic Form: Pastoral
A Pastoral is traditional verse that dates back to 3 BCE made known by Theocritus who wrote idealized accounts of shepherds and their loves living simple, virtuous lives in Arcadia, a mountainous region of Greece. Poets writing in English drew on the pastoral tradition by retreating from the trappings of modernity to the imagined virtues and romance of rural life, as in Edmund Spenser’s The Shepheardes Calendar, Christopher Marlowe’s “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love,” and Sir Walter Ralegh’s response, “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd.” The pastoral poem faded after the European Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, but its themes persist in poems that romanticize rural life or reappraise the natural world; see Leonie Adams’s “Country Summer,” Dylan Thomas’s “Fern Hill,” or Allen Ginsberg’s “Wales Visitation.”
Poetry
(Click here to download the poems. The audio is below.)
- "Black Walnut Tree" by Mary Oliver
- “Meditations with Julian of Norwich”
Creative Expression Activity
Creating your God-timeline
Draw, create, write. Do whatever feels natural to capture on the page your timeline as it relates to your relationship with the Divine.
What to consider:
Creating your God-timeline
Draw, create, write. Do whatever feels natural to capture on the page your timeline as it relates to your relationship with the Divine.
What to consider:
- When did you first know there was a God?
- Have you ever felt disappointed by God? If so, when? Why?
- When have you felt close to God? Why?
- Ever felt God wasn’t there?
- What blessings have happened that you knew was evidence of there being a God?
- When did you commit to God, or join a church or religious body, if you have?
Weekly Add-on
Creating or refreshing a sacred space at home
The purpose for creating space aside at home is to allow yourself to feel as if the time you spend there is sacred, or “set apart,” from daily activity. Your sacred space will hopefully create a path through the clutter of your world and provide the support you need to go deeper within.
This space is suggested to be your designated place where you will write, reflect, read poetry, and do other "weekly add-on suggestions” that will come in this series, along with journaling, praying and do whatever else the Spirit inspires you to do. It’s not so much the amount of time you spend there, but that you do give yourself the gift of your own attention, that matters.
Ideas for creating your space:
Creating or refreshing a sacred space at home
The purpose for creating space aside at home is to allow yourself to feel as if the time you spend there is sacred, or “set apart,” from daily activity. Your sacred space will hopefully create a path through the clutter of your world and provide the support you need to go deeper within.
This space is suggested to be your designated place where you will write, reflect, read poetry, and do other "weekly add-on suggestions” that will come in this series, along with journaling, praying and do whatever else the Spirit inspires you to do. It’s not so much the amount of time you spend there, but that you do give yourself the gift of your own attention, that matters.
Ideas for creating your space:
- Make sure your designated space is silent and clean, and that you will not be disturbed there (this means not taking your phone, calendar, laptop and other worldly distractions into this space).
- Create a sign for your door, if necessary, saying that you are having quiet time and would like to not be disturbed.
- Have a favorite or special candle; Bible or sacred text; photograph; keepsake—whatever helps to make you feel close to your spiritual essence.
- Make sure you are able to be comfortable—have pillows, appropriate lighting, blanket, temperature, etc.
- Keep a box of tissue, paper and writing utensils nearby, and your favorite poems/anthologies.
Course Resources
Here's a list of resources you might find helpful in our time together (click on the title) -
How to write a poem
Definitions
Quotes on Spiritual Poetry
"Opening Up Malcolm: Poetry as Spiritual Practice," by Chris Anderson
"5 Ways Poetry Serves as Spiritual Practice," by Jacinta V. White
How to write a poem
Definitions
Quotes on Spiritual Poetry
"Opening Up Malcolm: Poetry as Spiritual Practice," by Chris Anderson
"5 Ways Poetry Serves as Spiritual Practice," by Jacinta V. White