One of my beloved spiritual friends emailed me a creative reflection template (pictured above) that invites an artistic way to reflect and journal about the past year 2021 flowing into our newly started year 2022. I love the flowy circular nature of this template and the gentle phrasing of the writing prompts. I find myself smiling and just looking at it as a work of art that I get to ponder, appreciate and engage with. Something about the artistic composition creates a feeling of freedom. I can start anywhere. Whenever I’m ready. There’s no hurry. I can sit with this a while, and even if I never fill it in, I can think about it and talk about it with other soul friends. I can color along the edges, as I’m pondering my own reflection.
I’ve been holding this image tenderly for a few days now …
Today, I have my fine-tipped colored markers nearby and the piece of the reflection that my heart is drawn to are the circles on the middle and right of the page with the words “These three books stay with me from this year …” floating among the circles, and continuing in parentheses “with a little note of what specifically made an impression.” Oh, bless your heart, dear artist, for asking.
The three books that come time mind, flowing from the late fall season of 2021 through the holiday break and into the beauty of our wintery January 2022 are Church of the Wild: How Nature Invites Us into the Sacred by Victoria Loorz, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Tasha Tudor, and Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers, illustrated by Mary Shepard.
A few of my favorite lines from Church of the Wild that made a special impression are: “The skies, the waters, the deer, the forests: these are speaking all the time. We may have forgotten that we have the capacity to understand their voices and to speak with them, ask their advice, and seek their wisdom.” The other thing that makes this book special is that one of my soul friends suggested this book to me. (I’m pretty sure this particular soul friend is human, although I do sometimes wonder if she’s is in fact an actual nature fairy.)
Have you ever read the original Mary Poppins book written almost ninety years ago in 1934? Over the holiday break, I listened to the audiobook while reading along and admiring the illustrations in my own copy of the book. This was the first time I’d experienced the original story in its entirety, and I tell you there are surprisingly delightful, ecospiritual moments for all ages in the book. In Chapter 9, John and Barbara’s Story, the baby twins are in their nursery, having a conversation with a golden shaft of sunlight who is dancing through their window. “’How soft, how sweet you are! I love you,’ said Barbara, holding her hands to its shining warmth. ‘Good girl,’ said the sunlight approvingly, and moved up over her cheeks and into her hair with a light, caressing movement.” As I type these words today, a golden shaft of sunlight is dancing through my office window, warming my hands and fingertips. The sunlight is grinning, saying hello, and holding my hand. I whisper, “How sweet you are indeed, dear sun! I love you, I love you, I love you!”
Can I tell you a secret? It’s about The Secret Garden … When I was in second grade I was given a brand-new copy of this classic book, and I knew instantly that this was a special book. I was meant to read it. I would often look at the cover of the book and wonder about the little girl who was about to open a door and cross a sacred threshold into a mysterious and magical garden. I would just look at the cover of the book and imagine … Here’s the secret: that book has been on my bookshelf for over thirty years and finally over the holidays, as an old 2021 year flowed into a new year, I read the book … for the first time! Yes, it’s true that I’d had this very special story sitting right there on the shelf for decades and I hadn’t actually read it. But when I was ready, when I was spiritually mature enough to really understand the story, I did experience the story. Turns out, it’s never too late to open a door, cross a sacred threshold, and experience something mysterious and magical.
—Angie Pierce Jennings, Prairiewoods hosted groups and hospitality coordinator
Sources for the creative reflection sheet pictured above:
“Reflection Sheet for friends and fellow sojourners. Collated by Wendy Ball (Instagram @simplybeherenow) Inspired by a beautiful collection of questions seen in an On Being blog by Courtney E Martin (21 Dec 2017).”
https://www.instagram.com/simplybeherenow/?hl=en
By Googling, I also found a PDF of the Reflection Sheet posted online if you’d like to print and journal about 2021–2022 using this beautiful template: