"Its not just about what you believe. Its about being real".
That was how Ray Simpson, our guest from the Holy Isle of Lindisfarne, began to tell of his journey to Christianity and priesthood.
We men were gathered with him over a potluck on the sunny, spring patio at St. Joe's as he told us of a series of events by which he was finally led to confront a distant and angry father. As a young man, searching for his way, Ray had been given several signs, as he called them, which guided him to that moment. The man to man confrontation led to a reconciliation with his father and set Ray on the course toward his life of ministry. "Its about being real".
Ray, who afterwards became the "guardian" of the Holy Isle of Lindisfarne (residence of Sts. Aidan and Hilda and birthplace of Christianity in the UK) carried this insight into his lifelong exploration of Celtic Christianity. That vision, he told us, combined the cross with the circle, the sacrifice of Jesus with a divine love that embraced all.
It was in that context that Ray discovered the 'teaching about the archetypes' (warrior, king, magician and lover). With the street noise fading in the background, Ray told us about his understanding of each of them: the warrior, driven to goal and purpose; the king embodying stability and in-gathering; the magician opening up the realms of knowledge and mysteries; and the lover, sensing and seeking union. Then he formed us in a circle and illustrated each dynamic with a yoga-like pose that we imitated. Each pose embodied a different energy and brought the archetype to life viscerally.
Afterwards, we gathered inside and Ray showed us slides of the illustrations from the Lindisfarne Gospel (c. 600 AD) in which each of the evangelists was pictured. Here again he brought to life the force of the archetypes and talked about their symbolic meaning. In this gentle and very 'kingly' way, Ray provided the space for us to begin to unpack our own experience and speak about the strengths and weaknesses of the archetypal energies in our own lives.
It was a very rich gathering. We are all grateful to Ray for his pilgrimage to us.
see also, the Post from Ray's visit ... Prayer Postures of the Archetypes
That was how Ray Simpson, our guest from the Holy Isle of Lindisfarne, began to tell of his journey to Christianity and priesthood.
We men were gathered with him over a potluck on the sunny, spring patio at St. Joe's as he told us of a series of events by which he was finally led to confront a distant and angry father. As a young man, searching for his way, Ray had been given several signs, as he called them, which guided him to that moment. The man to man confrontation led to a reconciliation with his father and set Ray on the course toward his life of ministry. "Its about being real".
Ray, who afterwards became the "guardian" of the Holy Isle of Lindisfarne (residence of Sts. Aidan and Hilda and birthplace of Christianity in the UK) carried this insight into his lifelong exploration of Celtic Christianity. That vision, he told us, combined the cross with the circle, the sacrifice of Jesus with a divine love that embraced all.
It was in that context that Ray discovered the 'teaching about the archetypes' (warrior, king, magician and lover). With the street noise fading in the background, Ray told us about his understanding of each of them: the warrior, driven to goal and purpose; the king embodying stability and in-gathering; the magician opening up the realms of knowledge and mysteries; and the lover, sensing and seeking union. Then he formed us in a circle and illustrated each dynamic with a yoga-like pose that we imitated. Each pose embodied a different energy and brought the archetype to life viscerally.
Afterwards, we gathered inside and Ray showed us slides of the illustrations from the Lindisfarne Gospel (c. 600 AD) in which each of the evangelists was pictured. Here again he brought to life the force of the archetypes and talked about their symbolic meaning. In this gentle and very 'kingly' way, Ray provided the space for us to begin to unpack our own experience and speak about the strengths and weaknesses of the archetypal energies in our own lives.
It was a very rich gathering. We are all grateful to Ray for his pilgrimage to us.
see also, the Post from Ray's visit ... Prayer Postures of the Archetypes
No comments:
Post a Comment