About the Word, Breath and Spirit: Poetry and Prayer course
Prayer is not something that we do just with our words but our whole selves: through silence, stillness and movement, in our breathing and our crying. Poets are not just wordsmiths but guides in the art of paying attention – to the world, to ourselves, and to God. They are explorers on the threshold of silence who also teach us to inhabit our own bodies. They are sensitive souls who give expression to our wordless cries. Poets can teach us to pray.
This day includes a mixture of close reading, reflection, discussion and creative practice. It introduces a range of poetic voices: from George Herbert to Stormzy, from Rainer Maria Rilke to Kae Tempest, and draws on the theologies of Simone Weil, Rowan Williams, Rubem Alves and Sarah Coakley. Taking up the themes of silence, breath, body and cry, it will go deeper into the rich well of prayer, providing food for spiritual development and resources for ministerial practice.
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