Holy Encounter | spiritual-life 2/2

Welcome to Reflections on the Spiritual Life

Here you will find articles on spiritual direction, psychology and spirituality, contemplative practice, and the deeper movements of the spiritual life. Drawing on decades of experience in psychospiritual work and spiritual accompaniment, these reflections explore common themes such as shadow material, prayer struggles, images of God, dreamwork, and the emotional dynamics that shape our spiritual journey.

Whether you are seeking support in your own inner life or resources for spiritual direction practice,

I hope these writings offer clarity, depth, and encouragement.

Colorful glass candle holders, purple, orange, blue, green, pink, and yellow, hang with lit candles against a gray marbled background each one like a light-bearing form of prayer.

Prayer Life Series

For most people following the spiritual life prayer can be a source of great strength and joy. It can, however, at other times also confront us with questions, problems, guilt, confusion and even discouragement. Certainly, in the work of spiritual direction it never ceases to be a topic of reflection for those following a spiritual path. So, in this series I seek to explore what is prayer? What is its purpose? And to look at various practical issues around prayer drawing on

Sculptures by Barbara Hepworth with circular holes in her sunny garden reflecting the Jungian interplay of inner light and spaciousness, surrounded by lush greenery and flowers.

Barbara Hepworth's Spiritual Vitality

I've been staying a stone's throw from Barbara Hepworth's studio and museum in St Ives. So, before the crowds arrive each morning, I slip alone into her extraordinary garden - a captivating blend of sculpture and exotic planting. Her working spaces lie undisturbed as if she has just popped out for a moment to fetch milk for morning tea, or perhaps in her case a packet of cigarettes. The early morning light in St Ives is clear and full of promise, with a hint of the as yet unk

Ornate spiral staircase with intricate yellow and pink patterns, viewed from below. Black wrought iron railing enhances elegance. It is a visual paradox in that it is unclear if it is turning upwards or downwards.

Living With Paradox

Paradox and the Limits of Linear Thinking In our Western world many people suffer from an inability to live with paradox and contradiction. We have largely lost touch with paradoxical, mystical, or contemplative ways of thinking in an education system with its basis in formal laws of logic and linearity, which has an unfortunate tendency to reinforce either/ or dualistic thinking. The startling idea that truth can be multi-layered, unpredictable and contradictory is generally

Stack of smooth stones - a cairn -balanced on a pebble beach, with a calm sea and cloudy sky in the background, creating a serene mood.

Sacred Cains

On the home page of my website is a picture of a cairn. Cairns are piles of stone placed one on top of the other to mark key events such as battles, burial sites, mark trails, or remember sacred or important events. They have an impermanence as they fall apart with the onslaught of the elements of life, inviting us to touch and interact with them, to rebuild them anew. In a similar way we build inner cairns to mark key moments in our lives - recalling important people, plac

Lush garden with vibrant plants and flowers surrounds a brick archway. Warm glowing lights create a serene evening atmosphere showing the richness of the spiritual landscapes we can encounter.

Spiritual Landscapes...

There are so many landscapes we pass through, internally and externally, as we journey in life. I find the outer and inner are so often brought together in reflecting on the landscapes of geographical, and spiritual, journeying of God's people in the Old Testament, and how these places relate to our lives and experience now. There are lush gardens such as the Garden of Eden and the garden that is the backdrop to the lovers in the Song of Songs - an almost restored paradise;