Every Monday Morning  one of our teachers leads a meditation and open  sharing on Zoom between 9.30 am and 10.30 Dublin Time. If you would like to join the group live, please email for log in details frtimardouin@gmail.com. The recording of the meditation (first half hour) will appear here soon after.
In this inspiring meditation, Viv leads us in a quiet celebration of Pentecost and the coming of the guide and comforter, the Holy Spirit and our need to surrender and be guided by it. She draws from our readings in Morning Prayer earlier Joshua 1 and Luke 9,  and also a poem by Christian mystic, Mechthild of Magdeburg, called ‘Effortlessly’ which can also be found on ‘Poetry Chaikhana'.
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Balaam, the Donkey and all That
In our practice today, Malcolm invites us to meditate on the amusing story of Balaam and the Donkey from Numbers 22:21-35 and to consider the importance of becoming more aware of how our egos interfere with our being directly in the presence of God and hearing God’s guidance in our lives. He then leads us beyond this into simple direct contemplation of the presence of God with the words of The Bhagavad Gita.
​Jo helps us to attune in preparation for meditation. The 20 minute + meditation time is included in the video. We are encouraged in the letting go to Christ's work in us, just like Hafiz's poem about the holes in a flute, through which the Christ-breath sings.
The Spirit and the Road - ​a meditation about the road as metaphor for a life in Christ
​At the end of Luke Chapter 2 there is the singular canonical story of Jesus' childhood, when lost by his parents for nearly four days days, he is eventually found in the Temple with the teachers asking questions and debating with them. Jo asks us to listen afresh and contemplate the story as metaphor for the spiritual journey. Also drawing from an early icon of the Christ within the heart of the Theotokos, which shows clearly the mystical nature of Christianity before the 4th Century, Jo leads us in a deep and beautiful meditation. 
​Viv takes us through a beautiful meditation journey to the Temple of Wisdom within us.
“’Everything in God’ -
 In this beautifully-crafted meditation, Malcolm draws from two stories in Acts of blinding and being led into an experience of the fullness or pleroma of Being; that of Paul’s conversion and that of the false magician (Acts 9 and 13). He describes blinding to the outer world as both metaphor and opportunity to experience No-thing as separate from the One. He quotes Teresa of Avila and St Paul on the abundance, pleroma or fullness of Being in Christ, and in this quiet, spacious meditation, invites us to experience this.
​A meditation for Holy Week 2021, drawn from the intimate "farewell discourses" in the readings for the week which come from John's Gospel. Fr Tim teaches and practices some of the contemplative methods used by Christian mystics to open the way to "prayer of the heart", including use of the imagination, sound vibration and intoning of Aramaic words of Jesus.
​When we are weak, we are strong. False self, true self. Jo leads us in meditation to turn aside from the distractions and look deep into the burning bush until we find that the I AM is within us.
morning prayer half hour meditations March 28 and 29 2022
​“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it: bathe in the Light and radiate it into the dark in the World.” Starting with our NT reading from MP this morning ( Hebrews 1) and drawing in resonant teachings from the Egyptian tradition, an Aramaic chant and visualizations of the Sun/Son, Viv bathes our hearts and imaginations with the Light which cannot be overcome by the darkness, and which we can radiate out into our troubled world.
In this week's meditation, Jo reminds us of that far from being a daily chore, meditation should be joyful. The mystical storyteller, retells the Hebrew story of the Dream-teller sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt, whose beauty and indegrity attracts the rich and powerful there, and peels back the layers of our egos to reveal the light of Christ in us, as we meditate with the breath and the imagination. Her sources are the readings from Morning Prayer (Genesis 41.25-45 and Galatians 3.23-4.7) and she draws also from Sufi treatment of Joseph, as well as the mystical insight of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and of St Augustine.
At the Well of Refreshment, ‘Do you know what you want? Go to the Beginning; be still, ask, open, receive.' In this inspiring, gently-expressed meditation, Tim offers some beautiful biblical images of want or needs expressed and responded to by God in abundance. He leads us in breathing with the elements of Earth for stillness and grounded-ness; opening to receive the gifts of Spirit flowing into us abundantly like Water. Biblical references include: Psalm 44, Genesis 24. 1-28, 1 Timothy 6. 1-10 and Genesis 2. 4b-9, 15-25, Psalm 65, Revelation 4 and Luke 8. 22-25.
“ Love one another. As I have loved you” Jn 13:34
In this meditation, Viv refers to the readings from Morning Prayer (Leviticus 19. 1-18, 30-end 1 Timothy 1. 1-17) which seem to define spiritual life as obeying rules of behaviour and believing in propositions about the nature of God. She suggests that Jesus taught rather that it is about learning to love unconditionally. Using poems of Kabir(Indian poet) and prompts to personal reflection, she leads an uncompromising exploration of the in depth meaning of the practice of unconditional love.
​In this week's meditation from the School of Christian Mysticism, Jo leads us in meditation through breath and some elemental Aramaic words of Jesus for breath, air and spirit, water, earth and fire. The meditation connects us with the ancient Celtic celebration of Imbolc and the Christian feast of St Brigid, which fall together at the time of "Greening", with the changing of the seasons as the earth prepares to give forth the new life of Spring. Enjoy the sense of sap rising in you and awaken to the new year.
Silence is where we meet God. It is offered to everyone but, though many try it out, few keep up the returning. Why? Because it is painful. In the silence, we are faced with our fears and prejudices, about others and about ourselves. It is easier to let distractions take over and console ourselves with false notions about the worthiness of our apparent busy-ness. Meditation is not about avoiding work or action, as such self decieving consolation suggests. Rather it is a returning to Source, which coincidentally enables action and work to be done effectively. When we approach the world under our own 'steam', we wear out quickly and become ineffective. When we do so from Source, we draw from the well of eternity, which is our own true being, by the grace of God. Tim offers this meditation from his own experience and from the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and John Main.
Inspired by the Creation story read in Morning Prayer today (Genesis 1:1-19 ) and by Part 5 of the BBC programme “Universe” by Brian Cox, in a spacious meditation Viv enables us to view Genesis anew through the mirror of the newly-developed James Webb telescope which can take us far back in time before and during the ‘Big Bang’. She offers us Genesis as poetry that opens our hearts and minds to the awesome reality of our being.
In the first meditation for 2020 from the School, Jo draws particularly from the book of Ruth. She offers a beautiful practice in Oneness, in unity with the Breath of God, using body, mind and spirit, breath and Aramaic chanting.
Viv leads a deep meditation, reflecting on Malachi, "Messenger of God", guiding us to stillness, in which we may dwell authentically. Viv encourages imagination in us to meet experience, helping us encounter the meaning of being beyond words.
​The readings that inspired our meditation this morning reveal the significance of identity, of knowing who we are, experiencing the I Am as the one and the all. Through deeply plumbing the tears and joys that daily greet us, we touch what is beyond both and simply exist, now and forever.
​Viv leads us in the first meditation of the Advent season. She begins with Jesus breaking Sabbath laws in the morning's NT reading, Matthew 12.1-21, before taking us into a meditation on times in our lives when we have been led in the heart to break some rule for the sake of a greater purpose. We are led from here into a delightful and profound meditation out into multiverses of our cosmic being and back into the centre of our sitting self, by focusing on sound. We listen to the music of the spheres and to the beat of our own life, and everything within and without. Out there, and in here, we find the uncreated Christ, who is always and everywhere, Alpha and Omega.
Being Truely Alive - ​In this deep and spacious meditation on the morning's New Testament reading, Jo brings us into the Christ Healing, where we are touching Christ and Christ is touching us. She takes us right into Matthew 9.18-34, a "collection", says Jo, "of cameo shots of Jesus healing by teaching". Jesus has been ministering in his home territory of Galilee and has just called the unpopular tax collector, Matthew, to follow him. The scoffers and critics of Jesus are among disciples and onlookers, as he enters Matthew's house to eat with "publicans and sinners". Matthew then records for us what happened next, when Jesus and his followers went back into the crowd after the meal. What may happen here, as we listen and see, is that we get healed too. With gentle beckoning, Jo will show us how.
Stripped: The Blessing of Simplicity​ - Drawing from this morning’s readings from Morning Prayer (Ps 20; Isaiah 5. 8-24; Matthew 4.23 – 5.12) Tim leads a spacious and deep meditation on the Beatitudes. He picks the first beatitude ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven’ for us to explore, inviting us to work consciously with breath and sound, and with the many layers of meaning hidden in the original Aramaic.
​Step Bravely - over the threshold of consciousness into the sacred darkness of winter, and find yourself among the Apostles there, on the road of your life, sitting in meditation with the Messiah, Teacher, Christ. Jo will step with you over the threshold and then leave she will you there with the Master. The rest is simply between him and you, you and him, you and you... Take courage. Step Bravely.
This week's meditation is a contemplation based on Tobit 3, John 17. 1-5 and Psalm 1. Viv leads us from the head to the heart, where we may bring the situations and relationships of our lives into the light of Wisdom. Ending with a reading of Nan C Merrill's beautiful translation of the psalm, Viv will take you to the deep wells of your inmost being, where you will find the healing of Christ has gone before you and is waiting for you there.
​“Be still and know that I AM God” In this meditation which springs from the account in John 13.1-11 of Jesus washing Peter’s feet, in soft song and spoken word, Tim opens us gently to an experience of being loved and at peace.
​“Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society,” says St Francis. Jo takes us deep within on this feast day of St Francis of Assisi, to encounter authentic being as it emerges beneath the broken kingdoms and fallen kings of egoic idealism, where love meets suffering and compassion is born. This, by the grace of God, may be the calling and the gift of Christ's church in this time.
Viv leads us in a beautiful and very deep meditation based on the morning's readings and with a closing prayer from the Sufi  master, Hazrat Inayat Kahn
Referencing this morning's readings in Morning Prayer (Wisdom 6.12-23 and Mark 11.1-11), a passage from Isaiah, a poem by Rumi and his own poetry, Tim spins a spell in words, music and images. He draws us away gently from the bustling city of our everyday preoccupations to the city gates, that silent place where Wisdom always waits for us to come to hear her holy tongue of silence.
​In this morning’s meditation, Jo brings together the day’s passages from the Old Testament on Wisdom and Jesus’ description in the New Testament of those who have recognised the Christ within as ‘the salt of the earth’ and his question as to how flavour may be restored to salt which has lost it. Constant and honest practice of five aspects of prayer- gratitude, repentance, supplication, invocation, communion – leads to the encounter of the ‘self’ with the ‘Self’, the light which is the goal of the life of the Spirit.
The Voice of Wisdom. Let those who have ears hear. Viv teaches us to find our own ears and to listen to the voice of Wisdom in nature, in the cosmos, in our being. Beginning with attentive physical listening, we pass through the veil of peceived consciousness into listening with the ears of the soul. Viv takes us to the threshold of our inner listening, and invites us to let Wisdom in. This morning's readings from which Viv draws this beautiful meditation practice are Psalm 80, Proverbs 8.1-21 and Mark 5.1-20.
Springing from the readings from today's Morning Prayer (Psalm 71, Proverbs 1.1-19 and Mark 2.23-3.6) words of St Francis, teachings of Jesus and the poem Taliesin in Gower by Vernon Watkins, Tim offers a rich tapestry of image, word and sound set in the earth sea and sky of Gower. The meditation is a stirring and powerful call to live from that state of Harmony and Oneness that transcends time and place.
Jo tells us that  during the season of Lammas in the Celtic calendar, Lough, God of light and fire is said to mediate the hot rays of the Summer to allow us to harvest the fruit of the year that has passed. She links this with the vivid biblical stories from Ezekiel, the breathing of new life into the bones of the dead and from Mark, the baptism of Jesus.  She leads practices with breath, movement and mantra that enable u to gather and digest the fruit of our individual experiences since November last year - a timely and powerful meditation.
Interpreting the morning's Scripture readings in terms of parabolic instruction about liberation from the negative influences of ego on our lives, a central theme for Christian contemplative practice, Viv offers a profound and searching, practical meditation. Viv draws on the book, 'Feeding Your Demons: Ancient Wisdom for Resolving Inner Conflict' by Tsultrim Allione, a seminal Buddhist teacher, for this practice. The Scripture readings for the morning were Ezekiel 28.1-19 and James 2.1-13.
A spacious and gentle meditation springing from this morning’s readings – Ezekiel 10: 19 and 2 Corinthians 6;1 to 7:1. Also Rumi’s poem “The Song of the Reed Flute”. Tim takes us deeper and deeper, through words, breath, music and chanting from separation and alienation and our soul’s longing to be reunited with Oneness, to experiencing how the glory of God pours through  that very separation when  we sit and breathe in silence and presence.
Another beautiful and deep meditation, in which Jo leads us through suffering and the joy so, in reviewing and re-experiencing aspects of our life journeys, we may practice the giving from our hearts and our human experience into the world, unconditional love, joy, compassion and peace. Jo weaves together the Scripture readings of the morning, Ezekiel 1.1-14, 2 Corinthians 1.1-14 and Psalm 98, together with personal experience and the teachings and practices of Sufi master, Inayat Khan, St Francis and a Buddhist meditation, to lead us into this profound practice.
"Be silent and I will teach you wisdom", says one of the voices from this morning's scripture readings."Enter into deep listening," says Viv during this meditation. Drawing from Morning Prayer - Job 33, Romans 14.13-end and Psalm 80 - and from the poem, 'Teach me to Love' by Louise Knight-Wheatley, Viv helps us move beyond egoic prayer and behaviour patterns, with all their 'days of brief enchantment,' to a spaciousness in which we may encounter, within the being of our true selves, the Love of God. In this love, we can hope that we might be taught how to truly love, and in the learning choose it.
On this Summer Solstice, Tim leads a rich feast of summer Fire and Light to celebrate the sun/Son. He draws from the readings we heard in Morning Prayer today, Job 27 and Romans 11.25-end, music “Dream 0 (till break of day” by Max Richter, a novel “Brigid of Kildare” by Heather Terrell, depicting an early Christian celebration of the Solstice by Brigid of Kildare which in turns draws from the words of a circle dance led by Jesus for his disciples before his crucifixion recorded in the Acts of John, and he ends by singing his own composition “Follow Me”. A Summer feast for the soul not to be missed!.
A week before Summer solstice, Jo leads us in a meditation and practice of Light. Drawing from the morning's Scripture readings, from St Francis and others, Jo takes us through the 'cracked pot' of our psyche and bathes our souls from within and without in the 'Noohra' Christ Light. Whether you are dancing in radient light right now, walking in the dark night or anywhere between, you will be greatly blessed here.
Qawi (Arabic - trust): Viv leads us in a beautiful and deep meditation which helps us to practice the trusting in God which we profess in our words of faith. As a cloud is powerful only in yielding to the wind and its corresponding closeness to the wind, so may we put our lives in the hands of God. Such is the way to living our lives in authenticity.
In a beautiful reflection on the morning liturgy for the week of Pentecost and the set passages for May 24th, Tim guides a profound meditation on the coming of the Holy Spirit, using Aramaic terms, so that the very sounds carry us beyond language to share the living experience granted to the Disciples.
Be ready to go deep on this one! Drawing from the morning's readings, Deuteronomy 26 and 1 Peter 4.1-11, Jo reflects on Peter, who through the Gospel accounts, Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles, has his humanity laid bare. His is the story of a human being walking the spiritual path, with all his failures and successes, mistakes and insights for us to see, mirroring our own experience and inviting us deeper: "Love bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back, Guilty of dust and sin... (Vaughan Williams). Jo's body practice and Lectio Divina, like "quick-eye’d Love observing" draw near to us "sweetly questioning" and lead and walk with us the path we are already traveling.
Drawing from this morning’s readings – Deuteronomy 16. 1-20 and 1 Peter 1. 1-12 - and from a feast of poetry including poems by Auden, Dylan Thomas, Wordsworth and Jehanne Mehta, Viv leads a richly-facetted meditation exploring the theme ‘Time and the Timeless’.
Tim follows a profound reflection on Hohkmah/ Wisdom/Holy Spirit, who was, is , will be always at the beginning, always in peace, with a potent practice of synchronising breath and heartbeat with the Aramaic word shlama, which carries all the overtones and undertones of his ruminations. He finishes with a brief lectio divina from Mark's gospel, Chapter 6, when, as the wind got up, the disciples out on the sea became fearful and Jesus calmly walked across the waves, stepped into the boat and wrapped them in 'the peace which passeth all understanding'
Beginning with an Aramaic breath practice on the word for God, 'Allaha', Jo takes us ever deeper into contemplative prayer, into conversation and communion with the I Am Presence, where we discover not only our own I Am presence but the I Am presence that is in all people and all creation. Jo draws from the Morning Prayer Scriptures of the day, Deuteronomy 5.1-22 and Ephesians 1.1-14.
Drawing from today’s readings - Deuteronomy1, 3-18 and John20, 1- 10, and focussing particularly on the line from Deuteronomy ‘do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God'– Viv leads a masterly and powerful meditation based on the “4 C’s” of no comparing, competing, criticising or complaining, which challenges us to live without judging others or ourselves,  and thus to find the peace which Jesus lived and taught.
As Holy week proceeds, Tim leads us in a profound and beautiful meditation on Jesus’ last supper with his disciples, which became the pattern for the central sacrament of the Church- the Eucharist.
Readings behind the meditation: lamentations 1.1-12 a and Luke 22.23, augmented with extracts from The Gospel of John and The Gospel of the Beloved Companion.

 
Through Lectio Divina, breath and visualization, Jo leads us to experience deeply the cosmic, eternal and always present Christ without us and so ever more profoundly within. We hear the call of Love, through the portal of Holy Scripture and the personality of Jeshua the Christ, to emerge from the tomb of whatever binds us and be free.
Being like a tree planted near a stream’: Viv leads a light-filled and spacious meditation referencing Jeremiah 17. 5-18 and John 9. 18-end, Thomas Keating and the Tao Te Ching. Opening our consciousness to our part in the universe, this meditation reminds us we can let go and trust God.
In a magical meditation in voice and song, and drawing from Jeremiah 11.1-17, John 7.37-52 and the poetry of W B Yeats, Tim steals us away to a shy place of living waters where the treasures of our native Celtic heritage and the message of Christ Jesus merge and flow.
Using intriguing and graphic images, Jo leads a profound meditation on the nature and practice of faith. She reveals that faith is not something we do, like believing, but a gift  we receive, when hopeless and helpless, we release ourselves into the chasm of unknowing.
Drawing from the morning's readings, Viv leads us in a deep, timeless meditation of breath and light, teaching us to connect with inspiration through God's prompting, reflecting on our lives and the decisions we make. The readings for the morning are Jeremiah Chapter 1 and john 3.1-21.

Viv uses also poetry by Rumi and other spiritual poets translated by her friend Melita Kolin.

https://harpercollins.co.uk/blogs/authors/azima-melita-kolin
Arising from Ecclesiastes7, 1-14 and John 19, 1-16, Tim leads us from deep contemplation of the feminine ground of wisdom(Hokhmah), through the steadfast silence of Jesus in the face of baseless accusation and betrayal, vividly to walk a labyrinth.

At it’s centre, with the silver trout of Yeats’ immortal poem and wild Celtic imagery, we enter fleetingly the deep well of unknowing…Drawing from the morning's readings (Ecclesiastes 7.1-14 and John 19.1-16) and from WB Yeats' poem 'The Song of Wandering Aengus', Tim leads us through a labyrinth meditation to the wisdom within.
Jo guides a meditation on the divine feminine as Brigid as we cross the threshold from Winter to Spring or Imbolc. Making reference to 1 Corinthians 12: 12-end, and to Brigid who is said to have fostered the boy, Jesus, the meditation offers one way to help us develop the Christ within.
Remembering St Paul’s conversion, Viv guides us profoundly, back into our own first realisation of the truth that all is One, and asks how we stay faithful to it and how we permit it’s stream of love to pass to others in a way that speaks to them.
This meditation on contemplative prayer by Fr Tim is drawn from the morning's readings (Amos 6 and 1 Corinthians 6.1-11) and extracts from the Gospels of Matthew and Thomas. It includes some instruction on and a twenty minute practice of Centring Prayer.
Jo guides a profound meditation on the symbol of Jesus’ baptism and of the cross, representing our journey through the deep and muddy waters of separation within us to find the deep Silence, find union in the Christ centre of the heart and free the Dove, the Christ Spirit.
Balance, feminine masculine, divine human, spirit matter, a beautiful meditation on the alchemical marriage through the Prophet Isaiah and the Gospel of John by Viv.
Winter Solstice and three days befor Christmas, Fr Tim leads us in a meditation of Light. The readings for Morning Prayer that preceded the meditation, and from which it springs, were Isaiah 52.13 - end of 53 and 2 Peter 1.1-15
Face to Face. Drawing from the morning's Scripture readings and psalm, Jo Jamila leads us gently through imagination and visioning to the reality of a "face to face" meeting with the Christ who is always present and who never forgets us, though we ourselves are so often forgetful.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight" (Proverbs 3.5). Hadia takes us by the Grace of God and the inspiration of Mary into a deep and spontaneous meditation. We are encouraged and taught to descend from the illusive identities and attachments of perceived knowing to the more open receptiveness of the heart.
Tim takes us on a remarkable journey from the passage in John’s Gospel, where some Greeks (Gentiles) express a desire to see Jesus, to the story of His anointing before the cruciixion by Mary Magdalene with the rich oil of spikenard, symbolic of the feminine quality of Wisdom. This sacred act, redolent of a tradition stretching back centuries, makes him the Way to our meeting the Christ in us.
"A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." Reflecting on the readings from the day's Morning Prayer (Isaiah 40.1-11 and Revelation 14.1-13) Jo leads us, through the ancient practice of Lectio Divina, into a deep and profound meditation as we prepare for the coming seasonal contemplative pilgrimage of Advent.
Noting the highly symbolic and apocalyptic nature of this morning’s texts (Daniel 8 and Revelation 10) as “inscrutable”, Viv goes on nevertheless, to use these texts as a springboard into a clear, courageous and spacious meditation into a taste of the sweet mystery of God always present within, despite the sometimes bitter challenges of outer daily life.
"Who Are You? Really?" In a series of vivid images, Tim draws us into the wilderness. He invites us to let go of the hard definitions we have of our separate self, and ask ourselves who are we really.
As the seasons turn from Autumn to Winter, Jo Jamila quotes Nan C Merrill, "Wisdom abides in the deep recesses of the heart. Who is at home to receive her?" Jo leads us in a meditation practice to help us be home and so open to Wisdom's sacred presence.
Viv leads us in a beautiful and far reaching meditation journey after some challenging teaching about how and why the feminine and masculine balance was lost for so long to the Christian and Hebrew relationship with God. She encourages us to reconnect with the feminine to help redress the balance in us and through us.
This morning Tim leads us in a profound and powerful meditation emerging from deep teachings about the tree of life, attributed to Mary Magdalene. He explains more about their source in his opening remarks.
Prompted by stories in the day’s Morning Prayer bible readings about witnessing to the light and using the breath and the beautiful Aramaic word Noohra, Jo leads us in an inspiring meditation designed to allow the Christ Light to permeate all the levels of our being, so that we become that which we witness.
A  meditation led by Viv  in how to open to inner guidance in decision making so that our will may be more closely aligned with God’s will.
Tim takes us on a  journey of the heart starting with the line in Psalm 119 “Create in me a clean heart, that your light may be seen.
Jo takes us through an elemental experience of our 'true selves' and Christ, with a Celtic Christian empathy for Nature and Seasons.
Meditation by Viv on Wisdom with breath and imagination practices helping us to drop from attachment to freedom in the Christ.
Coming to wareness of the small self and living from the true self. Meditation and practice to move from fear to love.
Metanoia: moving from the head to the heart, from concept to contemplation and  transformation through 'imaginal cells' to wholeness.