The Altar of Dawn

sculpture (not title) by Mary Southard CSJ

                          “I place on the altar of dawn:
                            The quiet loyalty of breath, 
                            The tent of thought where I shelter,
                             Wave of desire I am shore to
                             And all beauty drawn to the eye.”

                                       …..from A Morning Offering
                                                by John O’Donohue
                                      (Irish poet and philosopher)

 Two inspirations for me today; one a sculpturist, found through Jan Phillips’ latest Museletter, and a second from a line in a poem I keep on my writing table. I just love the whole notion of dawn as an altar. So I put it in a visual with Mary Southard CSJ’ creation.

So, Jan Phillips tells us in her Museletter she has discovered in her cross-country travels to her speaking and artistic engagements this summer, the formula for how to stay inspired. Ready? Drumroll….

Here it is:

“I discovered a formula for staying inspired. It takes 3 equal parts of the following: immerse yourself in creation, share your creative gifts, and spend time with people who are dedicated to their creative work”

                                     Mary Southard CSJ

Jan says, “Being in communion with people who are actively creating and giving expression to the great mysteries of life is an important part of sustaining your own inspiration. We need that infusion of vital energy, passionate questioning, shared awe. It’s the soul sharing part that matters–the conversations of consequence that lead to deeper, more vivid and robust imaginings.”

These words from Jan’s poetry cannot fail to inspire anyone in love with creating:

“We who are alive today are creating tomorrow
with our thoughts and words.
We are shaping ourselves and our cultures 
by what we do and fail to do.
Justice and mercy are the works of our hands.” 

               The Unfurling Self by Paula Matthew Brown, CSJ

And the next time you’re feeling a bit on the low side, take these words to heart from

Jan Phillips’ poem, “We Who Are Alive Today”  2011

 “We are made of starlight and clay, minerals and meteor dust.
We are the Infinite Wave concentrated into finite particles,
light years compressed into the speck of a lifetime”

We are who we are, photo by Jan Phillips.

Besides becoming inspired, Jan Phillips had another reason for travelling across the country this summer, coast to coast. People wanted her to share what she has revealed in her latest book, “No Ordinary Time, The Rise of Spiritual Intelligence and Evolutionary Creataivity”.

For informative, fascinating and inspiring reading, buy a copy of the book at her website   http://www.janphillips.com/workshopdates.htm .