 Mary McGowan Ash WednesdayThe season of Lent always offers us the possibility of connecting with new energy in our lives as we, as Christians, focus more specifically on our connection with the Divine in our world and lives and attend more consciously to God’s presence among us, especially in those in need Connecting through colour
This Lent we invite you to connect with God through colour through some simple exercises or practices, which we will suggest each week. It is a different yet, ancient and universal way of connecting to the divine in our lives and world. Inspired by and rooted in the symbol of the rainbow in the First Reading of the Eucharistic Liturgy for the First Sunday of Lent this year Gen: 9: 8 – 15, we invite you to connect with the energies of colour, of life and of nature. We invite you to discover there your own personal symbols and signs of God’s presence, nurturance, covenant and love as well as discovering anew the universal symbol of the rainbow, expressed in Genesis 9. The suggested practice
To begin to enter into the spirit of Lent and of this prayer it could be good between now and Sunday just to be aware of any colours around you, noting those
that catch your eyes,
that you notice a resonance with,
or that attract you. Then you can consciously open yourself to that energy in your life, inviting the Spirit to free the energy associated with the colour in your life, interaction with others and with the world. Each week we will propose a specific colour and suggest ways of tapping into the spiritual energies associated with the different colours, inviting you to find your own form of spiritual practice within the guidelines given. Spiritual energy
Spiritual energy, what do we mean?
Energy basically means the ability to do something. The spiritual energy we speak of here is the type of energy Jesus connected with when he went out into the hills to pray. The lilies of the field, the birds and the trees, all spoke to him of our Creator’s care – of his Father’s sustaining and nurturing care, as he would put it. Spiritual energy is the energy that enables us to exercise and activate our human spirit expressed in our capacity to forgive, to be compassionate, to be interactive and creative, to experience and live with courage, hope, faith, wisdom, inner joy and peace. Spiritual energy in the Eastern/Western traditions
The Eastern traditions seem more sophisticated in their awareness of spiritual energy. Certain Eastern traditions define and classify spiritual energies more explicitly and precisely than the Western tradition appears to, connecting them with seven classical energy centres called chakras in the body. The chakras comprise the seven colours of the rainbow In the Western tradition spiritual energies were often spoken of as virtues, in the sense of the Latin word virtus – meaning potential, power or energy. That meaning of virtus has now been somewhat lost in modern parlance giving way to a quality of behaving or acting rather than an inner source of energy. In the Christian tradition, spiritual energy is presented and expressed as gifts or graces. Paul discussed many gifts of the Spirit in 1 Cor: 12 – 13. He also presents the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5: 22 – 23 – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, which we speak of receiving in the Sacrament of Confirmation. So there is nothing left to do or say except “Enjoy the images, the colour, the exercises or practice. Find your way of making them work for you. I hope we enjoy the journey together this season as we re-connect with ways of being with and being found by the Divine, which we’ve known deep within our bodies, our spirit and our culture all our lives. Bon Voyage. Buen Viaje. Have a good journey!
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