This is all so rich and beautiful. The small doses of this that have been introduced to me, have been really beautiful so I really appreciate how you've laid this all out, Lahni! Thank you! Thanks for all the resources too. If you had a book to recommend, what might that be? (Or seems like you should write one!)
Thank you for your kind and encouraging words, Bethany! I’m so grateful you found this so helpful. A handful of books come to mind that have all been really informative and insightful on my own journey, but I’ll give a brief description of each so that you might be able to decide which is a good fit if you’re looking to start with just one!
1) Seeking God: Finding Another Kind of Life with St. Ignatius and Dallas Willard by Trevor Hudson—This is both a beautiful and practical companion to Ignatian spirituality in everyday life. Trevor has a video series accompanying this book that you can find at conversatio.org. Recommending it first because it’s a great place to start! Trevor is a well of wisdom and has been walking the Ignatian way for a long time!
2) Inner Compass: An Invitation to Ignatian Spirituality by Margaret Silf. This is also a beautiful and practical companion. It dives even deeper into the interior journey. Definitely not a quick read. It’s one to take slower and process in pieces.
3) Finding God In All Things by William Barry— I really enjoyed this and found it very thorough without being too dense. It is more of a companion reflecting on the process of the spiritual exercises themselves, though, diving a bit deeper into each step in a modern context.
4) All The Things: A 30 Day Guide to experiencing God’s Presence in the Examen by Kate Haseltine—This one focuses specifically on the treasures found in praying the prayer of Examen. It’s set up as a 30 day devotional type book, but I did not use it that way. I dipped in and out of it!
Lahini, this is beautiful. I love your focus on Ignatian prayer and 'The gospel centered reality that our entire life is an ongoing conversation with God, for it is in Him that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).' I love your connection with nature and the seasons too, which is so grounding and important for us all. Thank you for sharing these inspirations, I'll look forward to more.
Lahni, this is a genuinely beautiful piece of writing — and the Guidebook you've attached is such a gift.
What strikes me most in the post itself is the way you resist making the 'inner movements' too tidy. The Japanese stilt grass entry is quietly profound — the insistence that we shouldn't compare or rate the severity of our desolations, and that seemingly small natural lows can draw out deeper interior ones — that's a really helpful pastoral insight.
The Guidebook's five-movement structure is elegant. I particularly like the physical postures; they do real work in anchoring what might otherwise remain abstract. And the three sacred questions assigned to the first quarter — 'Where are you?', 'Why are you weeping?', 'Could you not keep watch with me?' — form a kind of arc in themselves: location, grief, presence.
This is all so rich and beautiful. The small doses of this that have been introduced to me, have been really beautiful so I really appreciate how you've laid this all out, Lahni! Thank you! Thanks for all the resources too. If you had a book to recommend, what might that be? (Or seems like you should write one!)
Thanks and blessings!
Thank you for your kind and encouraging words, Bethany! I’m so grateful you found this so helpful. A handful of books come to mind that have all been really informative and insightful on my own journey, but I’ll give a brief description of each so that you might be able to decide which is a good fit if you’re looking to start with just one!
1) Seeking God: Finding Another Kind of Life with St. Ignatius and Dallas Willard by Trevor Hudson—This is both a beautiful and practical companion to Ignatian spirituality in everyday life. Trevor has a video series accompanying this book that you can find at conversatio.org. Recommending it first because it’s a great place to start! Trevor is a well of wisdom and has been walking the Ignatian way for a long time!
2) Inner Compass: An Invitation to Ignatian Spirituality by Margaret Silf. This is also a beautiful and practical companion. It dives even deeper into the interior journey. Definitely not a quick read. It’s one to take slower and process in pieces.
3) Finding God In All Things by William Barry— I really enjoyed this and found it very thorough without being too dense. It is more of a companion reflecting on the process of the spiritual exercises themselves, though, diving a bit deeper into each step in a modern context.
4) All The Things: A 30 Day Guide to experiencing God’s Presence in the Examen by Kate Haseltine—This one focuses specifically on the treasures found in praying the prayer of Examen. It’s set up as a 30 day devotional type book, but I did not use it that way. I dipped in and out of it!
You're so welcome! And oh wow! This is such a lovely and helpful list - I really appreciate it!! Blessings!
Lahini, this is beautiful. I love your focus on Ignatian prayer and 'The gospel centered reality that our entire life is an ongoing conversation with God, for it is in Him that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).' I love your connection with nature and the seasons too, which is so grounding and important for us all. Thank you for sharing these inspirations, I'll look forward to more.
Thank you, Michelle! I’m so glad you stopped by! 🤍
I’ve not always been as in touch with nature or the seasons as I am now, but it has been a beautiful (and stretching) part of my journey.
Lahni, this is a genuinely beautiful piece of writing — and the Guidebook you've attached is such a gift.
What strikes me most in the post itself is the way you resist making the 'inner movements' too tidy. The Japanese stilt grass entry is quietly profound — the insistence that we shouldn't compare or rate the severity of our desolations, and that seemingly small natural lows can draw out deeper interior ones — that's a really helpful pastoral insight.
The Guidebook's five-movement structure is elegant. I particularly like the physical postures; they do real work in anchoring what might otherwise remain abstract. And the three sacred questions assigned to the first quarter — 'Where are you?', 'Why are you weeping?', 'Could you not keep watch with me?' — form a kind of arc in themselves: location, grief, presence.
Looking forward to making good use of this.
Thank you for engaging so thoughtfully with this piece and the guidebook. Your encouragement, reflections, and insights each mean so much!