This Lent, our Associate Brian Draper produced a soulful, thought-provoking series of reflections called “Back to the source”. Alison and I felt that instalment #11 was particularly relevant for Artesian – let us know what you think!
// 11 : a place from which to flow
‘The emphasis at the Well-spring is on action, on getting the business of the world done, but in every moment staying sourced in the mysteries, rooted in the creativity of the unfathomable depths.’ Bill Plotkin
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Jesus was an activist. "My food," he said, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." But a fundamental part of this activism was to retreat, to attend fully to the inner journey - to stay sourced, if you like, in the mysteries. And he did this for forty days in the desert, let's not forget, before attending to the business of the world.
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Simple spiritual disciplines can help us - as they must have helped Jesus, in the desert and after - to return daily, hourly - rhythmically, graciously! - to the Source. They break up our busyness-as-usual, stop us acting automatically from our 'smaller self' or ego, and give our inner life a chance to express itself outwardly, through action.
The well-spring, then, reminds us of the interface between our 'being' and 'doing'; the very place where the hidden depths surface in our life. Can we find such a place today? A place from which to start? A place from which to work and create? A place from which, like living waters, to flow.
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Try this! As EF Schumacher once said, "An ounce of practice is worth more than a ton of theory." So let's act on that, ahead of the rest of the week: continue to embed a few simple disciplines throughout your day, finding regular times and places of refreshment and connection from out of which your actions can flow. Where can you go? What can you keep doing, to create a positive habit this Lent? Where are the well-springs?
Ask yourself, as you go today: How is 'being sourced in the mysteries' affecting the way I act right now? Be conscious of your physical movement, the way you express yourself, the love you show to friends, strangers, colleagues, family, yourself… And the nature and quality of your actions and work as a result of being sourced.
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May you find the place from which to flow, today.
Go well!
Brian
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