Three special Essex locations for retreats and contemplation

 

I have been reflecting this week that we are very fortunate to have in Essex three wonderfully unique and very different locations for retreats and contemplation in the Pleshey Retreat House, the Othona Community at Bradwell, and the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist at Tolleshunt Knights. Each is well worth exploring and visiting.

Pleshey was the first Diocesan Retreat House to be established in the country. Amongst the list of Retreat conductors is Evelyn Underhill. Arguably the most distinguished Conductor of that time, it is largely due to Underhill that the Retreat house became so popular. When you come to the Retreat House in Pleshey you sense an atmosphere created by six hundred years of prayer.

My poem called 'Pleshey', which was published by Amethyst Review, celebrates the Diocesan Retreat House at Pleshey and the legacy of Evelyn Underhill as a retreat director. The poem is part of a series of poems on thin places and sacred spaces in the Diocese of Chelmsford which is called 'Five Trios'. The five poems in the series are: 'Barking'; 'Bradwell'; 'Broomfield'; 'Pleshey'; and 'Runwell'. 

The Othona Community began as an experiment in Christian community back in 1946. Its founder, Norman Motley, was a Church of England priest who served as a young chaplain in the RAF during World War II. Othona is now an open and inclusive Community rooted in the Christian faith and drawing on a wealth of other inspirations. They welcome people of all ages, abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs to their two Centres on the quiet coasts of Essex and Dorset. Through sharing in the daily rhythm of work, worship, study, and play, they seek personal renewal and glimpses of the sacred. In community they explore the relationship between faith and life and encourage one another in caring for the world and its people.

The fourth poem in 'Five Trios', which was published by International Times, is called 'Bradwell' and is a celebration of the history of the Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, the Othona Community, and of pilgrimage to those places.

The Monastery of Saint John the Baptist, (also known as Community of Saint John the Baptist) is a monastic community which was founded in 1959 by Archimandrite Sophrony Sakharov (1896-1993). On 27 November 2019, Archimandrite Sophrony was added to the list of Saints by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. His Feast Day is on the day of his repose, the 11 of July. The Monastery is situated in Tolleshunt Knights near Tiptree, in the United Kingdom. It belongs to the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church, and is under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople.

During the first decades after the community had moved to England, the building and decorating of the churches of the monastery required much of his prayer and attention. After having abandoned painting for many years, he began to paint icons and frescos for the new places of worship. He strove to express the Face of Christ which had been revealed to him in the Light. However, he was never satisfied with his work and often adjusted and repainted the icons of Christ he had created.

Sister Gabriela joined the Community of Saint John the Baptist in 1983 after studying iconography in Paris on Saint Sophrony’s insistence. She was part of the team which was painting the murals of Saint Silouan’s Chapel and worked closely with the saint. After the mural work, Saint Sophrony continued to teach her the art of icon painting, and she assisted him in some larger works. Since Saint Sophrony’s repose, to the extent that she has been able to understand them, Sister Gabriela has tried to further his vision and ideas in various artistic projects. This includes painting the icons and murals for the round chapel which was completed earlier this year.

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Denison Witmer - Lost In My Head.

Shut the door

Here's the reflection I shared at today's Deanery Mothers' Union Service at St Catherine's Wickford:

From the mid-1920s onwards, Evelyn Underhill became highly-regarded as a retreat conductor and an influential spiritual director. Her first experience of a conducted retreat at the Pleshey retreat house in 1922 transformed her attitude toward church and vocation, and began the process of clarifying her own calling.

Born on 6th December 1875 in Wolverhampton, from an early age she described having mystical insights, and her deep interest in spiritual matters continued throughout her life. Between 1921 and 1924 her spiritual director was Baron Friedrich von Hűgel, who encouraged her to place Jesus Christ more centrally at the heart of her reflections. After his death in 1925 she began taking on a prominent role in the Church of England, leading retreats at Pleshey and elsewhere, and as a spiritual guide to many. Amongst the books she published are ‘Mysticism’ (in 1911) and ‘Worship’ (in 1936). She was one of the first women theologians to give public lectures at English universities, and was the first woman allowed officially to teach Church of England clergy.

Evelyn Underhill is one of the most important Christian mystics of the twentieth century and was one of the first important figures to champion the humility, ordinariness, and indeed “normalcy” of the mystical life. The subtitle of one of her best books, ‘Practical Mysticism’ is “A Little Book for Normal People.” She worked hard to dispel the notion that mysticism only belonged to the super-holy, the super-religious, the super-pious. On the contrary, the contemplative life is the ordinary state for Christian maturity. (http://evelynunderhill.org/three-evelyn-underhill-anthologies/)

In her book on The Fruits of The Spirit, she wrote about today's Gospel passage (Matthew 6.1-6, 16-18) in relation to retreats:

“Christ, who so seldom gave detailed instruction about anything, did give some detailed instruction of that … recollection which is the essential condition of real prayer, real communion with God.

"When you pray, go into a room by yourself - and shut the door." I think we can almost see the smile with which He said those three words, and those three words define what we have to try to do. Anyone can retire into a quiet place and have a thoroughly unquiet time in it - but that is not … the shutting of the door …

Shut the door. It is an extraordinarily difficult thing to do. Nearly everyone pulls it to and leaves it slightly ajar so that a whistling draught comes in from the outer world, with reminders of all the worries, interests, conflicts, joys and sorrows of daily life.

But Christ said shut and He meant shut. A complete barrier deliberately set up, with you on one side alone with God and everything else without exception on the other side. The voice of God is very gentle; we cannot hear it if we let other voices compete. It is no use at all to enter that room, that inner sanctuary, clutching the daily paper, the reports of all the societies you support, your engagement book and a large bundle of personal correspondence. All these must be left outside.

The object … is not intercession or self-exploration, but such communion with Him as shall afterwards make you more powerful in intercession; such self loss in Him as shall heal your wounds by new contact with His life and love.”

Evelyn Underhill was writing specifically for retreatants but Jesus’ words were not originally addressed to those on retreat. Instead, they were addressed to ordinary people going about their everyday lives, so his call to shut the door when praying was not once a year when we are on retreat but each time we pray. Likewise, seeking the opportunity of being alone with God and attending to God in order that we may do His will better in our everyday lives is not intended by Jesus as a once a year opportunity, rather as a regular experience.

The reward that God provides for our private prayers is the multiplication of all that we give, as St Paul says in our reading from 2 Corinthians 9: ‘He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.’

That was the experience of Mary Sumner who, in 1876, wrote her own personal prayer which she then prayed every day for the rest of her life: ‘All this day, O Lord, let me touch as many lives as possible for thee; and every life I touch do thou by thy spirit quicken, whether through the word I speak, the prayer I breathe or the life I live. Amen.’

Later, Mary decided that a new organisation was needed in her parish and the first branch of Mothers' Union was begun. She was spurred into action when her eldest daughter gave birth to her first baby. Mary remembered her feelings of inadequacy as a young mother charged with the terrible responsibility for a new life. She believed that women from every class needed to understand that motherhood was a profession and be equipped to perform it. Motherhood involved more than providing for the physical needs of children. The primary responsibility of mothers was to raise their children in the love of God. Mothers could only do this, she believed, if their lives were firmly rooted in prayer.

Her plan for a new form of mothers’ meeting, bringing together mothers of all classes, did not start auspiciously. Having gathered the women of the parish in the Rectory, Mary could not present her ideas due to nerves. She had to call them together again a week later to explain the objects of the new society and to give out simple cards containing practical suggestions.

In 1885, Bishop Ernest Wilberforce of Newcastle called on Mary to speak to a women's meeting made up of 1000 poor and anxious women at the Portsmouth Church Congress. Despite her initial resistance, as at that time respectable women did not address public meetings, she agreed. Painting a picture of the low moral standards in the country, she asked what could be done to improve the national character. Her answer was that the power for change lay in the hands of mothers. If women united in prayer and committed themselves to a Christian life the nation could be transformed.

The meeting responded to her passion and conviction with a rousing ovation. It was on this wave of public enthusiasm that the Bishop of Winchester decided to make Mothers' Union a diocesan organisation. This decision was destined to change the lives of many far beyond the boundaries of the diocese of Winchester.

The global movement that is the Mothers’ Union began with personal prayer in a room with a shut door and grew as a result of the prayer that underpinned its growth. May our generation commit ourselves to prayer by following the examples of Jesus, Evelyn Underhill and Mary Sumner. Amen.

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Celebrating Evelyn Underhill at the Retreat House with Canon John Howden.

Prayer: Away from others and in secret

Here's the sermon that I shared at St Andrew's Wickford this morning:

When Jesus prayed on this occasion, he went to a dark, deserted place (Mark 1.29-39). When he taught his disciples about prayer, he taught them to pray in secret with the door closed so they couldn’t be seen by others (Matthew 6.5-6).

While there is a place for public prayer, personal prayer is not for public consumption as it is something that happens directly between ourselves and God. In addition, as we see in this story of Jesus’ ministry, it is personal prayer undertaken in secret, hidden places that is what fuels public ministry.

Jesus knew that he could not carry out his public ministry without time spent in private prayer, that is why he gets up early in the morning and goes to a quiet place away from others in order to pray. It is not important that we imitate Jesus in the specifics of when and where he prays but it is important that we prioritise prayer in the way that he does and find our own times for private prayer as well as finding our own hidden, secret places in which to pray.

So, reflect for a moment on the times and places where you are able to pray.

A saying that has come to us from the Desert Fathers and Mothers, hermits, monks and nuns who lived mainly in the Scetes desert of Egypt beginning around the third century AD, is this: ‘Stay in your cell. Your cell will teach you everything’. The idea is that being in conversation with God through prayer will teach us everything we need to know. For this reason, when he was interviewed once by Radio 4 and was asked which wilderness he would go to for Lent if he could be taken anywhere in world, the Archbishop of York replied that he would stay in his own living room. The location for our prayer is not the main point (although quiet and privacy will help); instead, the point is the quality and depth of our prayer.

From the mid-1920s onwards, Evelyn Underhill became highly-regarded as a retreat conductor and an influential spiritual director. Much of her ministry was undertaken at our own Diocesan Retreat House in Pleshey.

In her book on The Fruits of The Spirit, she wrote, in relation to retreats, about Jesus’ injunction to shut the door and pray in secret:

“Christ, who so seldom gave detailed instruction about anything, did give some detailed instruction of that … recollection which is the essential condition of real prayer, real communion with God.

"When you pray, go into a room by yourself - and shut the door." I think we can almost see the smile with which He said those three words, and those three words define what we have to try to do. Anyone can retire into a quiet place and have a thoroughly unquiet time in it - but that is not … the shutting of the door …

Shut the door. It is an extraordinarily difficult thing to do. Nearly everyone pulls it to and leaves it slightly ajar so that a whistling draught comes in from the outer world, with reminders of all the worries, interests, conflicts, joys and sorrows of daily life.

But Christ said shut and He meant shut. A complete barrier deliberately set up, with you on one side alone with God and everything else without exception on the other side. The voice of God is very gentle; we cannot hear it if we let other voices compete. It is no use at all to enter that room, that inner sanctuary, clutching the daily paper, the reports of all the societies you support, your engagement book and a large bundle of personal correspondence. All these must be left outside.

The object … is not intercession or self-exploration, but such communion with Him as shall afterwards make you more powerful in intercession; such self loss in Him as shall heal your wounds by new contact with His life and love.”

Jesus’ words were addressed to ordinary people going about their everyday lives, so his call to shut the door when praying was for each time we pray. Seeking the opportunity of being alone with God and attending to God in order that we may do His will better in our everyday lives was intended by Jesus as a regular experience. The distractions Evelyn Underhill notes are with us each time we pray. We need to face them each time we pray. Jesus said, ‘whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.’ Our reward will be, as Evelyn Underhill wrote, ‘real communion with God.’

So, reflect again for a moment on the times and places where you are able to genuinely shut the door and be in quiet and in peace as you pray.

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Lavine Hudson - Create In Me.

Five Trios

'Five Trios' is a series of poems on thin places and sacred spaces in the Diocese of Chelmsford. The five poems in the series are:

• 'Barking';
• 'Bradwell';
• 'Broomfield';
• 'Pleshey'; and
• 'Runwell'.

The poems have been published by Amethyst Review and International Times.

The series draws inspiration from T.S. Eliot's 'Four Quartets' and, in common, with the 'Thin Places and Sacred Spaces' anthology reflects on the experience of feeling the touch of eternity in art, nature, silence, or sacred architecture. The ‘thin place’ is a Celtic term, originally indicating a specific geographical location where the veil between heaven and earth seems exceptionally thin or lifted altogether. Barking, Bradwell, Broomfield, Pleshey and Runwell are all places in the Diocese of Chelmsford where I have had that experience and where heaven and earth, past, present and future seem to be intermingled.

'Barking' is about St Margaret’s Barking and Barking Abbey and draws on my time as a curate at St Margaret's. My other posts about St Margaret's Barking can be found here, here, here, and here. See also here and here.

'Bradwell' is a celebration of the history of the Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, the Othona Community, and of pilgrimage to those places. My previous posts about Bradwell and the Othona Community can be found here and here.

Broomfield in Essex became a village of artists following the arrival of Revd John Rutherford in 1930. His daughter, the artist Rosemary Rutherford, also moved with them and made the vicarage a base for her artwork including paintings and stained glass. Then, Gwynneth Holt and Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones moved to Broomfield in 1949 where they shared a large studio in their garden and both achieved high personal success. 'Broomfield' reviews their stories, work, legacy and motivations. For more on the artists of Broomfield, all of whom are commemorated there with blue plaques, see here, here, here, here and here.

'Pleshey' celebrates the Diocesan Retreat House at Pleshey in Essex and the legacy of Evelyn Underhill as a retreat director. My posts about Pleshey can be found here and my posts about Evelyn Underhill here. My poem can also be found on the Diocesan Retreat House website here.

'Runwell' takes the reader on a visit to St Mary's Runwell, while also reflecting on the spirituality of the space plus its history and legends. This poem has also been included in the Amethyst Press anthology, 'Thin Places and Sacred Spaces',

I am giving a reading of the five poems accompanied by photographs at St Andrew's Wickford on Friday 31 January at 7.00 pm and am also giving a talk at St Mary with St Leonard Broomfield about two of the Broomfield artists on Saturday 8 February at 2.00 pm.

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Billy Bragg - A13, Trunk Road To The Sea.

International Times: Barking

My latest poem to be published by International Times is entitled 'Barking' and is about St Margaret’s Barking and Barking Abbey. 

It has come to be written because one of the responses to my 'Four Essex Trios' series of poems was a suggestion from the Bishop of Chelmsford that I also write a poem for the Barking Episcopal Area of the Diocese of Chelmsford. This is that poem and it expands the series to become 'Five Trios'.

'Four Essex Trios' is a series of poems on thin places and sacred spaces in Essex. The four poems in the series are:

• 'Bradwell';
• 'Broomfield';
• 'Pleshey'; and
• 'Runwell'.

The poems have been published by Amethyst Review and International Times.

'Bradwell' is a celebration of the history of the Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, the Othona Community, and of pilgrimage to those places. My previous posts about Bradwell and the Othona Community can be found here and here.

Broomfield in Essex became a village of artists following the arrival of Revd John Rutherford in 1930. His daughter, the artist Rosemary Rutherford, also moved with them and made the vicarage a base for her artwork including paintings and stained glass. Then, Gwynneth Holt and Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones moved to Broomfield in 1949 where they shared a large studio in their garden and both achieved high personal success. 'Broomfield' reviews their stories, work, legacy and motivations. For more on the artists of Broomfield, all of whom are commemorated there with blue plaques, see here, here, here, here and here.

'Pleshey' celebrates the Diocesan Retreat House at Pleshey in Essex and the legacy of Evelyn Underhill as a retreat director. My posts about Pleshey can be found here and my posts about Evelyn Underhill here. My poem can also be found on the Diocesan Retreat House website here.

'Runwell' takes the reader on a visit to St Mary's Runwell, while also reflecting on the spirituality of the space plus its history and legends. This poem has been included in the Amethyst Press anthology, 'Thin Places and Sacred Spaces',

My other posts about St Margaret's Barking can be found here, here, here, and here. See also here and here.

The series draws inspiration from T.S. Eliot's 'Four Quartets' and, in common, with the 'Thin Places and Sacred Spaces' anthology reflects on the experience of feeling the touch of eternity in art, nature, silence, or sacred architecture. The ‘thin place’ is a Celtic term, originally indicating a specific geographical location where the veil between heaven and earth seems exceptionally thin or lifted altogether. Bradwell, Broomfield, Pleshey and Runwell are all places in Essex where I have had that experience and where heaven and earth, past, present and future seem to be intermingled.

My earlier pieces for IT are an interview with the poet Chris Emery, an interview with Jago Cooper, Director of the the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, plus reviews of: albums by Joy Oladokun and Michael Kiwanaku; Nolan's Africa by Andrew Turley; Mavis Staples in concert at Union Chapel; T Bone Burnett's 'The Other Side' and Peter Case live in Leytonstone; Helaine Blumenfeld's Together exhibition, What Is and Might Be and then Otherwise by David Miller; 'Giacometti in Paris' by Michael Peppiatt, the first Pissabed Prophet album - 'Zany in parts, moving in others, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more unusual, inspired & profound album this year. ‘Pissabed Prophet’ will thrill, intrigue, amuse & inspire' - and 'Religion and Contemporary Art: A Curious Accord', a book which derives from a 2017 symposium organised by the Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art.

Several of my short stories have been published by IT including three about Nicola Ravenscroft's EarthAngel sculptures (then called mudcubs), which we exhibited at St Andrew's Wickford in 2022. The first story in the series is 'The Mudcubs and the O Zone holes'. The second is 'The Mudcubs and the Clean-Up King', and the third is 'The mudcubs and the Wall'. My other short stories to have been published by International Times are 'The Black Rain', a story about the impact of violence in our media, 'The New Dark Ages', a story about principles and understandings that are gradually fading away from our modern societies, and 'The curious glasses', a story based on the butterfly effect.

IT have also published a poem, The ABC of creativity, which covers attention, beginning and creation, 'Broomfield'.

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Tom Yates - Love Comes Well Armed.

Four Essex Trios

'Four Essex Trios' is a series of poems on thin places and sacred spaces in Essex. The four poems in the series are:

• 'Bradwell';
• 'Broomfield';
• 'Pleshey'; and
• 'Runwell'.

The poems have been published by Amethyst Review and International Times. 

'Bradwell' is a celebration of the history of the Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, the Othona Community, and of pilgrimage to those places. My previous posts about Bradwell and the Othona Community can be found here and here.

Broomfield in Essex became a village of artists following the arrival of Revd John Rutherford in 1930. His daughter, the artist Rosemary Rutherford, also moved with them and made the vicarage a base for her artwork including paintings and stained glass. Then, Gwynneth Holt and Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones moved to Broomfield in 1949 where they shared a large studio in their garden and both achieved high personal success. 'Broomfield' reviews their stories, work, legacy and motivations. For more on the artists of Broomfield, all of whom are commemorated there with blue plaques, see here, here, here, here and here. 

'Pleshey' celebrates the Diocesan Retreat House at Pleshey in Essex and the legacy of Evelyn Underhill as a retreat director. My posts about Pleshey can be found here and my posts about Evelyn Underhill here. My poem can also be found on the Diocesan Retreat House website here.

 
'Runwell' takes the reader on a visit to St Mary's Runwell, while also reflecting on the spirituality of the space plus its history and legends. This poem has been included in the Amethyst Press anthology, 'Thin Places and Sacred Spaces', 

The series draws inspiration from T.S. Eliot's 'Four Quartets' and, in common, with the 'Thin Places and Sacred Spaces' anthology reflects on the experience of feeling the touch of eternity in art, nature, silence, or sacred architecture. The ‘thin place’ is a Celtic term, originally indicating a specific geographical location where the veil between heaven and earth seems exceptionally thin or lifted altogether. Bradwell, Broomfield, Pleshey and Runwell are all places in Essex where I have had that experience and where heaven and earth, past, present and future seem to be intermingled.

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Rev Simpkins - Gathering Grounds.

International Times: Bradwell

 

The fourth poem in my series of poems on thin places and sacred spaces in Essex called 'Four Essex Trios' has been published today by International Times. 'Bradwell' is a celebration of the history of the Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, the Othona Community, and of pilgrimage to those places. My previous posts about Bradwell and the Othona Community can be found here and here. 

The first poem in the sequence to be written - 'Runwell' - was also published by Amethyst Review and has recently been included in the Amethyst Press anthology, Thin Places and Sacred Spaces, This poem takes the reader on a visit to St Mary's Runwell, while also reflecting on the spirituality of the space plus its history and legends.

The second poem in the sequence to be published is at International Times and is entitled 'Broomfield' Broomfield in Essex became a village of artists following the arrival of Revd John Rutherford in 1930. His daughter, the artist Rosemary Rutherford, also moved with them and made the vicarage a base for her artwork including paintings and stained glass. Then, Gwynneth Holt and Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones moved to Broomfield in 1949 where they shared a large studio in their garden and both achieved high personal success. My poem reviews their stories, work, legacy and motivations. For more on the artists of Broomfield, all of whom are commemorated there with blue plaques, see here, here, here, here and here. I will be giving a talk on 'Rosemary Rutherford's Religious Art' at St Mary with St Leonard Broomfield today, together with Kathy Rouse (see below). This talk will be followed, in December, by a talk on the Broomfield artists at St Andrew's Wickford (see below).

The third poem in the sequence to be published was 'Pleshey', which was published by Amethyst Review. This poem celebrates the Diocesan Retreat House at Pleshey in Essex and the legacy of Evelyn Underhill as a retreat director.  My posts about Pleshey can be found here and my posts about Evelyn Underhill here.

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Rev Simpkins - In The Marsh A Desert.

October online launch for 'Thin Places and Sacred Spaces'

The October online launch for Thin Places and Sacred Spaces is this Friday, October 25th, 7-8PM BST. All are welcome to attend. Join editor Sarah Law of Amethyst Press on Friday for an evening hour of poetry readings and discussions on what makes the concept of a thin place so compatible with poetry/

The eventbrite link to register for Friday's event is: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/thin-places-sacred-spaces-october-online-launch-tickets-1026964326947?aff=oddtdtcreator

To see the September Launch, which includes my reading of 'Runwell', click here.

In this important and wide-ranging new anthology from Amethyst Press, with contributions by over 150 contemporary poets, readers are invited to reflect on and experience the poetry of ‘thin places’. The ‘thin place’ is a Celtic term, originally indicating a specific geographical location where the veil between heaven and earth seems exceptionally thin or lifted altogether. The anthology embraces and expands the concept of thin places and sacred spaces, including:

• Sacred Locations
• Sacred Nature
• Sacred Architecture
• Sacred Times & Holy Hours
• The Thin Veil Between Life & Death
• The Holy Unexpected
• Thin Places in Art, Poetry & Language

If you have ever felt the touch of eternity in nature or sacred architecture; at specific times of the day or year; in stillness, movement, art, silence or surprise – this collection is for you.

'Runwell' is part of a series of poems on thin places and sacred spaces in Essex called 'Four Essex Trios' and was the first poem in the sequence to be written and published. The poem takes the reader on a visit to St Mary's Runwell, while also reflecting on the spirituality of the space plus its history and legends.

The second poem in the sequence to be published is at International Times and is entitled 'Broomfield' Broomfield in Essex became a village of artists following the arrival of Revd John Rutherford in 1930. His daughter, the artist Rosemary Rutherford, also moved with them and made the vicarage a base for her artwork including paintings and stained glass. Then, Gwynneth Holt and Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones moved to Broomfield in 1949 where they shared a large studio in their garden and both achieved high personal success. My poem reviews their stories, work, legacy and motivations. For more on the artists of Broomfield, all of whom are commemorated there with blue plaques, see here, here, here, here and here. I will be giving a talk on 'Rosemary Rutherford's Religious Art' at St Mary with St Leonard Broomfield in November, together with Kathy Rouse (see below).

The latest poem in the series to be published is entitled 'Pleshey' and celebrates the Diocesan Retreat House at Pleshey in Essex and the legacy of Evelyn Underhill as a retreat director. The final poem in this sequence - 'Bradwell' - will be published shortly.

I also had a poem included in All Shall Be Well: Poems for Julian of Norwich, the first Amethyst Press anthology of new poems. 'All Shall Be Well' is an anthology of new poems for Mother Julian, medieval mystic, anchoress, and the first woman to write a book in English. Lyrical, prayerful, vivid and insightful, these poems offer a poetic testament to Julian's enduring legacy of prayer and confidence in a merciful God who assured her that 'All Shall Be Well, and All Shall Be Well, and All Manner of Thing Shall Be Well.' The anthology has been edited by and comes with an introduction by Sarah Law, editor of Amethyst Review.

My poem for that anthology is based on a large painting 'The Revelations of Julian of Norwich' by Australian artist Alan Oldfield which is to be found at the Belsey Bridge Conference Centre in Ditchingham, Norfolk.

Amethyst Review is a publication for readers and writers who are interested in creative exploration of spirituality and the sacred. Readers and writers of all religions and none are most welcome. All work published engages in some way with spirituality or the sacred in a spirit of thoughtful and respectful inquiry, rather than proselytizing.

The Editor-in-chief is Sarah Law – poet (mainly), tutor, occasional critic, sometime fiction writer. She has published five poetry collections, the latest of which is 'Thérèse: Poems'. Her novel, Sketches from a Sunlit Heaven is a 2023 Illumination Book Award silver medal winner. She set up Amethyst Review feeling the lack of a UK-based platform for the sharing and readership of new literary writing that engages in some way with spirituality and the sacred.

Five of my poems have appeared in Amethyst Review. They are:'Pleshey', 'Runwell', 'Are/Are Not', 'Attend, attend' and 'Maritain, Green, Beckett and Anderson in conversation down through the ages'. To read my poems published by Stride, click here, here, here, here, and here. My poems published by International Times are 'Broomfield' and 'The ABC of creativity'. The latter covers attention, beginning and creation and can be read here.

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Launch of Thin Places & Sacred Spaces: an anthology of new poetry

Pleshey poem included on Retreat House website

Following the publication by Amethyst Review of my poem entitled 'Pleshey', the poem has been added to the website of the Retreat House at Pleshey. It can be found there by clicking here.  

The poem, which celebrates the Diocesan Retreat House at Pleshey in Essex and the legacy of Evelyn Underhill as a retreat director, is part of a series of poems on thin places and sacred spaces in Essex called 'Four Essex Trios'. My posts about Pleshey can be found here and my posts about Evelyn Underhill here.

The first poem in the sequence to be written - 'Runwell' - was also published by Amethyst Review and has recently been included in the Amethyst Press anthology, Thin Places and Sacred Spaces, This poem takes the reader on a visit to St Mary's Runwell, while also reflecting on the spirituality of the space plus its history and legends.

The second poem in the sequence to be published is at International Times and is entitled 'Broomfield' Broomfield in Essex became a village of artists following the arrival of Revd John Rutherford in 1930. His daughter, the artist Rosemary Rutherford, also moved with them and made the vicarage a base for her artwork including paintings and stained glass. Then, Gwynneth Holt and Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones moved to Broomfield in 1949 where they shared a large studio in their garden and both achieved high personal success. My poem reviews their stories, work, legacy and motivations. For more on the artists of Broomfield, all of whom are commemorated there with blue plaques, see here, here, here, here and here. I will be giving a talk on 'Rosemary Rutherford's Religious Art' at St Mary with St Leonard Broomfield in November, together with Kathy Rouse (see below). This talk will be followed, in December, by a talk on the Broomfield artists at St Andrew's Wickford (see below). 

The final poem in this sequence - 'Bradwell' - will be published shortly.

Amethyst Review is a publication for readers and writers who are interested in creative exploration of spirituality and the sacred. Readers and writers of all religions and none are most welcome. All work published engages in some way with spirituality or the sacred in a spirit of thoughtful and respectful inquiry, rather than proselytizing.

The Editor-in-chief is Sarah Law – poet (mainly), tutor, occasional critic, sometime fiction writer. She has published five poetry collections, the latest of which is 'Thérèse: Poems'. Her novel, Sketches from a Sunlit Heaven is a 2023 Illumination Book Award silver medal winner. She set up Amethyst Review feeling the lack of a UK-based platform for the sharing and readership of new literary writing that engages in some way with spirituality and the sacred.

Four of my poems have appeared in Amethyst Review, in addition to 'Pleshey'. They are: 'Runwell', 'Are/Are Not', 'Attend, attend' and 'Maritain, Green, Beckett and Anderson in conversation down through the ages'. To read my poems published by Stride Magazine, click here, here, here, here, and here. My poem entitled 'The ABC of creativity' is at International Times. It covers attention, beginning and creation and can be read here.

Several of my short stories have also been published by IT including three about Nicola Ravenscroft's EarthAngel sculptures (then called mudcubs), which we exhibited at St Andrew's Wickford in 2022. The first story in the series is 'The Mudcubs and the O Zone holes'. The second is 'The Mudcubs and the Clean-Up King', and the third is 'The mudcubs and the Wall'. My other short stories to have been published by International Times are 'The Black Rain', a story about the impact of violence in our media, 'The New Dark Ages', a story about principles and understandings that are gradually fading away from our modern societies, and 'The curious glasses', a story based on the butterfly effect.

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The Moody Blues - Watching and Waiting.