20 - 27 Jan 2008

John O'Donohue, Iris poet and philosopher and priest, died suddenly on 3 January 2008 in his sleep at the age of 53. In a recent interview by BBC broadcaster William Crawley, he said:

"Our time in this world is so short,
it's so brief and it's running through our fingers like the finest sand; ...
now is the time to live."

John O'Donohue (1954-2008).

More Writings from John O'Donohue
From 'Benedictus – A Book of Blessings' (2007, Bantam):

"May the nourishment of the earth be yours;
may the clarity of light be yours;
may the fluency of the ocean be yours;
may the protection of the ancestors be yours;
and so may a slow wind work these words of love around you;
an invisible cloak to mind your life."

A Blessing For Equilibrium

"Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore,
May the music of laughter break through your soul.

As the wind wants to make everything dance,
May your gravity be lightened by grace.

Like the freedom of the monastery bell,
May clarity of mind make your eyes smile.

As water takes whatever shape it is in,
So free may you be about who you become.

As silence smiles on the other side of what's said,
May a sense of irony give you perspective.

As time remains free of all that it frames,
May fear or worry never put you in chains.

May your prayer of listening deepen enough
To hear in the distance the laughter of God."

13 - 20 Jan 2008

In preparing to lead a workshop on the spiritual needs of those of no religious belief, a Guardian article pointed me to a book which saw spirituality simply as the 'inner life' and key to happiness:

"There is an art to living happily and like every art it depends on learning, practising and if possible mastering certain skills … skills of what I will call the inner life, the inner world of thought, emotion, belief, feeling, desire, perception, and so on. The inner life … is just your own conscious experience."

"If your inner life is lived happily , you will live happily, it is as simple as that."

Tony Wilkinson (from "The Lost Art of Being Happy: Spirituality for Sceptics", Findhorn Press, 2007).

I would love to know if you think we can have a non-religious spirituality which is more than just having a good feeling when listening to a favourite piece of music or looking at some beautiful countryside. And how valuable is such a spirituality today?