The Words of Connection Blog
Words and Music Bring Light and Warmth to Winter
We have finally arrived at winter. It’s a moment to honour a season that includes a variety of important celebrations including Chanukkah, Christmas and the Solstice. The latest Words of Connection opens with a universal prayer for the season. This is followed by a diverse collection of quotations and proverbs all about winter from the four corners […]
Read more...Words for City Dwellers – Present and Past
Shakespeare said “What is the city but the people? Michelangelo said “I have never felt salvation in nature. I love cities above all.” Many of us feel we belong to City communities. This week’s Words of Connection is about Cities. 55 per cent of the world’s population occupies cities, and the pandemic has hit this […]
Read more...Discovering Patience, Peace and Portents
The pandemic is a harsh educator. Apart from cruel isolation and challenges to our finances, there are everyday lessons that challenge our patience. Standing in queues outside shops and post-offices is a real lesson in patience, something that many of us find very difficult. We seem to be learning so much about ourselves and others, […]
Read more...For the Love of Our City
Ours is a City with a strong sense of its own identity. It’s a City that wants to look after its own. Most of us live here by choice, and that is a great privilege. But maybe what makes Brighton and Hove so special is the diversity of its citizens. People come here from all […]
Read more...A Pilgrim Spirit in the Lockdown
A pilgrimage confirms one’s spiritual commitment, and is a path to self-discovery, whether the journey is physical and takes one to Mecca, Bethlehem of Char Dham, or whether it’s simply an inspired journey of the mind. Spiritual self-discovery is a bit of a challenge in lockdown, but the human spirit can thrive on challenge. […]
Read more...Irony, Hope and Words and Whispers of Good News
The news that we will return to total lockdown has been greeted in many ways — acceptance, approval, despair, disbelief and sorrow to name but a few. So perhaps the mood of the moment needs to be hope, faith and a smidgeon of optimism. Words of Connection was set up to bring a spiritual […]
Read more...Hidden Angels, Prayers and Progress of the Soul
This week we had two personal requests that proved very inspirational. The first was a request for a Mary Oliver poem entitled ‘Praying’ and because this great poet is so immediate, we added another of her poems which seemed very apt for this moment in time. In fact this beautiful text was read out at our Interfaith […]
Read more...Mystical Words to Transport Mind and Spirit
As the days get shorter and our freedoms become increasingly curtailed, it seems the perfect time to appreciate the possibilities of venturing far from the comfort of one’s own home, in spirit. Now is the time to allow one’s imagination to run riot with a good book, meditate, daydream while peeling the potatoes or listening […]
Read more...Connecting with the Heart: Pandemic Prayers and Joyful Poetry
Seven months ago, Words of Connection was launched with some beautiful prayers written expressly for those of us that felt deeply concerned about life under the pandemic. Bearing this in mind, it looked like a good moment to present some prayers that had appeared more recently. Selecting prayers is not easy. Many appear on-line, but […]
Read more...Lyrical Words of Faith, Hope and Love
We are constantly bombarded with news that doesn’t give us a lot of faith in our leaders, let alone trust in the information we get from the media. This is the moment when spirit can step in, and offer a helping hand, making us feel stronger and optimistic in the face of uncertainty. With this […]
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