Welcome!

If you are here to explore working with a Spiritual Director, you may well be in the right place. Explore the site -- go to the GETTING STARTED (FAQ) page where many of your questions may already be answered; read the blog and listen to how you feel; follow some of the links to learn more; find out a little something about my background. If you'd like to contact me -- either to set up an appointment or ask a questions, there's a contact form on the right side of each page that you can use to MAKE A CONNECTION.

Most simply, though, the spirit of my practice can be summed up in these words (adapted from Robert Mabry Doss): For those who come here seeking God ... may God go with you. For those who come embracing life ... may life return your affection. And for those who come to seek a path ... may a way be found, and the courage to take it step by step.

Monday, July 9, 2018

Our Place in the Cosmos - We Are All Connected

Many years ago now I stumbled across the work of a musician, remix artist, and video maker that has inspired me ever since. He goes by the name Melodysheep, but his real name is John D. Boswell.  While he's done a great deal more than this, what has touched me so powerfully is his "Symphony of Science" series.

In his Symphony of Science videos, Melodysheep (Boswell) takes ordinary science lectures and documentaries, and mixes them with original music (and using technology to make the scientists "sing").  These visual and musical creations are sermons, as far as I'm concerned.  (I'm mindful that Saint Francis is remembered as saying, "Preach always.  When necessary use words.")

In the next few posts I'm going to share some of my personal favorites from this series, and I encourage you watch and listen meditatively.  Afterward you might want to think about how you felt during the video, as well as what you might have been thinking about.  (From the point of view of spiritual direction, how we feel -- physically and emotionally -- can be much more revealing that what our intellects think.)  Some questions that might guide you meditation include:



  • How do I feel while watching this video?
  • Which effected me more -- the words, the visuals, or the music?
  • Did the video in any way change the way I look at myself or the world?
  • Am I continuing to reflect on the video for some time after watching it?
  • What might this video -- and the act of engaging with it -- have to do with my spiritual life?


    • You also might to share these videos with friends and family members -- encouraging them to also watch the meditations, or perhaps watching them together.  You could then talk with each other about your experience(s).

    The first one I'll share is the first one I discovered, "Our Place in the Cosmos."  It includes clips fro m Carl Sagan's Cosmos, Richard Dawkins' Genius of Charles Darwin series as well as his TED Talk, Stephen Hawing's Universe, Michio Kaku's interview on physics and aliens, along with added visuals from the films Baraka, Koyaanisqatsi History Channel's Universe series, and IMAX Cosmic Voyage.




    * * * * *

    This second video, "We Are All Connected," includes clips from Carl Sagan's Cosmos, The History Channel's Universe series, Richard Feynman's 1983 interviews, Neil deGrasse Tyson's "Cosmic Sermon," and Bill Nye's Eyes of Nye series.  It also includes visuals from NOVA's The Elegant Universe, Stephen Hawking's Universe, Cosmos, and Powers of 10 (plus others).




    Enjoy!




    Pax tecum,

    RevWik


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