Divine

  

Acknowledge that you have been made divine.

       
           ~ Saint Gregory of Nazianzen (325-374)

Riding the Ox, A Spiritual Journey



Sculpture and poems by Linda Shinji Hoffman

On exhibit in the Marie Louise Trichet Art Gallery through August 25, 2012

            Lost in the mountains

                   Footsteps echo

                         Ox unknown

            Alone and uncertain, you begin the journey.

 

~ For complete poem, click "new works" on www.lindahoffman.com 

Saint Gregory of Nazianzen

From whom do you have rain, agriculture, your food, crafts, dwelling houses, laws, civilized life, friendship and intimacy with your relations?  Surely the answer is quite simply God - and God now asks you before all things, to show kindness.

                 Saint Gregory of Nazianzen (325-374)

Riding the Ox, A Spiritual Journey

       Sculpture and poems by Linda Shinji Hoffman

      On exhibit in the Marie Louise Trichet Art Gallery

through August 25, 2012

This Ox Herding sculpture series parallels stages encountered by Zen students in training.  The ox wants to eat grass and wander at will and gets angry when roped in.  We like to satisfy all our desires and are unhappy when we don't get what we want.  This sculpture series guides us along the spiritual path of Enlightenment.

ATHA Aritsts Gather

With mountains of materials of colors that would make a rainbow jealous, more than 50 women members of ATHA (Association of Traditional Hooking Artists) spent four days at Wisdom House creating hook rug art.

This was their fourth year with us enjoying creating this specialized art form and the community of artists they have formed.

Confluencia

Sr. Jo-Ann Iannotti, OP, read some of her poetry as part of a literary event titled "Confluencia," sponsored by Naugatuck Valley Community College and held on March 28 at Palace Danbury in Danbury, CT.

Other works were read by (from left to right) Jocelyn Cullity, professor of English at Trinity College, Hartford, who read a selection from her novel about women in 1857 India, Mairanell Meddrano-Mara, Ph.D., poet and facilitator of the panel and organizer of the event, Juana M. Ramos, poet and writer from El Salvador, Margarita Drago, former political prisoner, poet, born and raised in Argentina, and Ira Joe Fisher, poet and Emmy award-winning writer for television.

"Confluencia" refers to a community gathering to share the experiences of different cultures via the written word.

Soul Sisters

 

Poet and author Edwina Gateley recently gave a weekend retreat for women at Wisdom House titled: "Soul Sisters: Women Called to Birth Hope and Healing in a World of Pain and Fear."

Her enthusiastic and inspiring presentations gave encouragement to all who attended.

Two Women Mystics

We are struck by the similarity of spirituality of two women mystics:  Julian of Norwich, 14^th century England, and Edwina Gateley, 21^st century United States.

Julian’s feast is celebrated on May 8.

 

“I saw that our Lord was never angry, and never will be.  Our Lord is God and is good, is truth, is love, is peace.  God’s power, wisdom, charity, and unity do not allow God to be angry….  God is that goodness which cannot be angry for God is nothing but goodness.  I saw no anger in God.”

~ from The Showings, Julian of Norwich, Translation by Edmund Colledge, OSA and James Walsh, SJ, 1978, Paulist Press, Ramsey, NJ

Edwina Gateley

“I came to know with great certainty that God longs to comfort and assure us that, no matter what we have done, where we have been,  or even how we have lived – we will never be abandoned or excluded from God’s embrace.” 

~ from In God’s Womb: A Spiritual Memoir, Edwina Gateley, 2009, Orbis Books, NY – also available through Wisdom House / info@wisdomhouse.org

Feast of Blessed Marie Louise Trichet

Blessed Marie Louise Trichet, co-founder of the Daughters of Wisdom, 1703.


Her feast day is May 7.

In addition to founding this congregation of women, she was the administrator of the hospital and "Poor House" in Poitiers, France. A businesswoman by necessity rather than by choice, several new foundations found her confronting administrators and sometimes even bishops, contract in hand, to save the original nature of an apostolic congregation of universal dimensions.

(Excerpt from "The Lure of the Saints", Jon Sweeney, Paraclete Press, 2005, p. 89.)

The Journey of the Artist

On Sunday, April 29, Wisdom House sponsored its 6th Art and Spirituality Forum, whose theme was "The Journey of the Artist."  Moderating the conversation among the artists on the panel was actor Jack Gilpin. The panelists were sculptor Linda Hoffman, composer Joshua Stone, author Dani Shapiro, and artistic director Darko Tresnjak.

The attached slide show has shots of the program, participants, guests, and the opening of Linda Hoffman's exhibit, "Riding the Ox." The exhibit will be in the MLT Gallery at Wisdom House until August 25.

A video of the program was created by Doug Parker, editor of www.Litchfield.bz.  Click here to view the video.