A Pilgrimage into Silence and Beyond: Welcome to Pecos Abbey

the Power of Slowing meets us in the wilderness.  

~ Gerald May, The Wisdom of Wilderness

I began to experience the Power of Slowing as we drove into the mountains and approached the Abbey.  The clouds were beginning to break in the distance and much of the recent snow had melted into the earth, only flurries in the wind to remind me of the wild nature of the wilderness I would be immersed in for the next few days.

the river calls ... divine whispering in the wind

                                                               Be still and Know that I am God.   Psalm 46:10  

 

In the sunshine and in the snow, I am God.

In your walking and in your resting, I am God.

In your joy and in your sadness, I am God.

In your laughter and in your tears, I am God.

In silence, everything is experienced as "within" but not as "within us."  We, along with everything else, are within silence.

~Robert Sardello

God of the Wilderness,

May I sink deep, deep into Silence.

Amen.

The Prior at Pecos Abbey, Father Aidan, invited us to join the monks for praying the hours of the Daily Office.  From their schedule, I set my own:  Vigils 6 am, Midday 12 noon, Vespers 5 pm, and Compline 7:15 pm.  Listening for the bells ... leaving my silence for sweet moments of worship.

 Trees dance in the wind

branches shiver in the cold

like my soul on a brisk winter walk.

Sunsets are so beautiful that they almost seem 

as if we were looking through the gates of Heaven.

~John Lubbock

And now I lay me down to sleep ... Amen!

Take this link for Part 3: Silence, Sabbath, and Snow

To take the journey from the beginning, take this link:
A Pilgrimage into Silence and Beyond 
 

In the River of My Life

sitting in the silence of the night

getting a sense of stirrings within

darkness calling

unknown spaces

deep places

sad little girl

who are you?

wondering ... wandering

so much pain in the world

so so much pain inside that little girl

crying ... crying ...crying

deep flowing waters

moving upward

bursting outward

womb of God

fount of birthing

shatters with a piercing cry

pushing forth the healing waters

salty tears ... deep red fears

mix together

flowing along

the river of my life

dear sweet tree

growing so strong

in the river of my life

let your roots drink deeply

of tears, fears and pain

draw them together

into the womb of God

into the center of my soul

into union so mysterious

let my life bloom

with nourishing leaves

of prayers and worship

along the labyrinth

of music and delight

let my life fill to overflowing

with loving relationships

and beauty divine

let me create my life with you

and color the world

with drawings and poetry

that speak of the soul

let my life be a retreat

into the silence of true rest

let my life be a journey

into the action of love so true

dear sweet tree of God

in the river of my life ...

may i always live

MY life and no other

© Image and Poetry by Cindy Serio Nov 2011