Regular readers here will know that I’m a huge reader, mostly of fiction. I love how good stories well-told can open us up to experiences and cultures far from our own, or make us feel seen in our own experiences — sometimes at the same time. Moreover as a proponent of narrative psychology and narrative … Continue reading Soul Speech: Fiction as a Sacred Text
[As I was preparing this week's Sunday post, I realized that my heart was basically writing the same post as I'd already written three years ago. So here it is once again.] Last Sunday, we looked at Jesus’ controversial words that he was (and is) the way to the Father and “no one comes to … Continue reading Another Advocate, Another Coach: A Reflection on John 14.15-21 [Re-Post]
Today’s practice will be about writing our own Psalms, poems addressed to God that express our thoughts, fears, hopes and trust with wild abandon, often using dramatic language. It’s a bit like journaling in its introspection and tendency towards ‘shitty first drafts’, but goes beyond that. As I wrote in my post on Psalms as … Continue reading Soul Speech: Writing Psalms
When we think about sacred practices we in the West tend to think of engaging with our hearts, minds, and spirits — not our bodies. This is not a new issue, and has in some ways been a defining feature of Western thought for millennia. Whether intentionally or accidentally, we have internalized a dualism that … Continue reading Soul Speech: Sacred Movement
The aim of this series is to develop a toolkit of practices we can use to quiet the mind and so be better be able to connect with and listen to the soul. But so far, all of the practices we’ve looked at have still been pretty mind-oriented: things designed to ‘empty’ the mind, whether … Continue reading Soul Speech: Visual Art
Matthew Root 