The Restory Retreat Centre

Me in inner child mode, discovering the berries of the cotoneasters.  Photograph by Sonja Hindley When Hanna used words like curiosity, openness, an attitude of wonder and humility to unlock the door to contemplative photography, my inner child sat up and took notice. Somehow, even though I've done my bit of reading up on the subject, I didn't make the connection. In anticipating my first hands-on encounter with contemplative photography during our weekend retreat, I imagined myself sitting somewhere very beautiful, keeping very still and being very serious as every now and again I serenely lift my camera to capture a very tranquil scene. Not so. We were invited to play! And so I did. Trying to keep in mind to wait for the image to be given rather than trying to capture or take or shoot one. How aggressive that sounds! I frolicked to my heart's content. Through my camera I witnessed the sun rising and painting everything in shades of red and gold, discovered the

  "The best camera is the one that's with you."                                                                       – Chase Jarvis  You can look at these pictures and say that they are beautiful. They are. But they are much more than the result of skilful photography or state of the art equipment. They are first and foremost reflections of spiritual journeys and doorways into deeper insight for the retreatants on the Contemplative Photography retreat here at Barrowfield over the past weekend. Matilda gave words to the other discovery we all made anew, “Everything is worth a photograph.” George

Detail of bed in Kiaat, made by George Angus (Photograph by Matilda Angus)       "Fine things in wood are important, not only aesthetically, as oddities or rarities, but because we are becoming aware of the fact that much of life is spent buying and discarding, and buying again, things that are not good. Some of us long to have at least something, somewhere, which will give us harmony and a sense of durability - I won't say permanence, but durability - things that, through the years, become more and more beautiful, things we can leave to our children."                                                                      James Krenov: A Cabinetmaker's Notebook

Happy hands. Photo by George Angus It’s not that I don’t want to write. I had a resolution at the start of the year to write every day, even if just for 15 minutes. Because I love it and I know that it has to be practised if it is to deliver the goods. Like my sporadic Pilates exercises, it does me good, making me feel focused and balanced, but sadly, both of these I neglect, to my own detriment.  I wake up every day planning to do my bit and write a blog post about the many subjects floating around in my head. After my hour of meditation, journal writing and Pilates (if at all), I get dressed and prepare our breakfast fruit bowl. Then make the bed, maybe start on the laundry if it’s laundry day, or start the yogurt if it's a milk day. We have a cup of coffee and discuss the day ahead.  “I’m going to try and write some”, I often venture. But first I must go down to the vegetable garden and see if the carrots are up/the beds need watering/the tomatoes or beans need harv

Peter Paul Rubens, The Descent from the Cross, 1612 -1614 Thus the overflow from things pours into you. Just as a fountain’s higher basins spill down like strands of loosened hair into the lowest vessel, so streams the fullness into you, when things and thoughts cannot contain it                                                                                Rainer Maria Rilke, The Book of Hours II, 10 ~ U weet dat ek nie die kruis verstaan nie. As ek doodeerlik moet wees, dan moet ek sê dat ek nie ten volle begryp wie Jesus regtig was of wat die implikasies van sy koms was of is nie. Op ‘n stadium het ek die dogmatiese uitsprake oor Sy persoon, Sy lewe en Sy dood op die punte van my vingers geken. Mens sou kon sê ek het al die regte godsdienstige geluide gemaak. Ek het gesê dat ek Jesus as my persoonlike verlosser en saligmaker aanvaar het en dat ek glo dat Hy vir my sonde aan die kruis gesterf het. Ek het absoluut geglo wat ek gesê het.