Blessed Pilgrimages

01/10/2024

Hello October,
My spiritual journey has involved the study of different ancient practices and I have decided to dedicate this month to Visio Divina “Divine Seeing”.
The sacred art of inviting God to speak to my heart through images.

Many people use religious icons or other paintings to meditate and exploring the divine within the art/photos, however I have decided to use photos of everyday places, people and things that capture my attention in the moment wherever I am. (Another form of spiritual practice of being present in the moment)

I recently planted a new garden bed and I am delighted to discover one of my rose bushes is coming into bloom. 💐

Joanne’s Visio Divina Reflection:
Title - GROWTH
“All things grow with love and patience!
Every petal unfolds in its own time.
If each rose bloomed at the same time then you wouldn’t appreciate each new growth.”

“You don’t need a whole bouquet to appreciate the beauty in the rose, just like you don’t need an entire ocean to quench your thirst.”

I invite you to join me in this practice of Visio Divina through your own len and share your experiences below. 💗

08/09/2024

1 year ago today I arrived in Chartres l, France to begin my Pilgrimage in the footsteps of the Divine Feminine and to honour Mother Mary’s birthday.

(According to Catholic calendar 8 September is Mother Mary’s birthday.)

Much has changed in my life since then.. and that’s the blessing of a pilgrimage.. it’s an opportunity to journey into a deep inner pilgrimage where you have to navigate your being through the landscape of uncharted waters.

The destination is not the end of the pilgrimage, but a continuation of one’s life path.

03/09/2024

13 years ago I embarked on a spiritual journey along the Camino de Santiago that transformed me on so many levels.

You may wonder how walking 790km from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela can affect someone so deeply.

I can tell you that I learnt a lot about my self.
My strengths and weaknesses. (Physically, mentally and emotionally)

It is said that” you don’t walk the camino… The Camino walks you” and I believe this statement to be true.

Then there are the deeper, more profound experiences that words simply cannot express adequately, it is in the “doing” that these are understood.

One of the greatest blessings the Camino gave me was the opportunity to spend quality time with my sister Kerry Cashman as we walked the first 100km together. 💗💗

Photo: Me and my sister, taken on the day we arrived in St Jean Pied de Port. France.

11/02/2024

Give yourself time to make a Prayer that will become the Prayer of your Soul 💗

What does your soul want?

Give yourself time to make a prayer that will become the prayer of your soul. Listen to the voices of longing in your soul. Listen to your hungers. Give attention to the unexpected that lives around the rim of your life. Listen to your memory and to the inrush of your future, to the voices of those near you and those you have lost. Out of all of that attention to your soul, make a prayer that is big enough for your wild soul, yet tender enough for your shy and awkward vulnerability; that has enough healing to gain the ointment of divine forgiveness for your wounds; enough truth and vigour to challenge your blindness and complacency; enough graciousness and vision to mirror your immortal beauty. Write a prayer that is worthy of the destiny to which you have been called.

JOHN O'DONOHUE

Excerpt from his book, Eternal Echoes
Ordering Info: https://johnodonohue.com/store

Doolin, Co Clare, Ireland
Photo: © Ann Cahill

30/01/2024

How do you set your intention before you seek council from Divine Wisdom?

I intuitively select a card from one of my Oracle Card Decks.
(Today I used “The Divine Feminine” deck by Meggan Watterson.

I set my intention to seek council from Divine Wisdom following these simple steps:

- Close my eyes.
- Take a few deep breathes
- Place my hand on my heart, until I can feel the rhythm of my heart slow down and I feel relaxed.
- Then verbal state your intention (out loud or quietly to your self)

Today these words came to me as I began to state my intention..
(But you can use your own words)

“Wisdom within
Wisdom without
Speak to me
Guide me
Show me the way”

14/01/2024

Do you have a sacred space or altar in your home where you can prayer / Connect to the Divine?

I brought this picture home from the church of Mary Magdalene in Rennes Le Chateau, South France and added it to my sacred altar.

13/01/2024

Standing at the threshold of the external world, ready to begin the journey within.
🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀

At any time you can ask yourself: At which threshold am I now standing?
At this time in my life, what am I leaving?
Where am I about to enter?
What is preventing me from crossing my next threshold? What gift would enable me to do it?

A threshold is not a simple boundary; it is a frontier that divides two different territories, rhythms, and atmospheres. Indeed, it is a lovely testimony to the fullness and integrity of an experience or a stage of life that it intensifies toward the end into a real frontier that cannot be crossed without the heart being passionately engaged and woken up.

At this threshold a great complexity of emotion comes alive: confusion, fear, excitement, sadness, hope. This is one of the reasons such vital crossings were always clothed in ritual. It is wise in your own life to be able to recognize and acknowledge the key thresholds: to take your time; to feel all the varieties of presence that accrue there; to listen inward with complete attention until you hear the inner voice calling you forward.
The time has come to cross.

JOHN O’DONOHUE

Excerpt from John O’Donohue’s book: To Bless the Space Between Us

Photo credit:
Joanne Cashman
Hotellerie St Yves, Chartres. France.

08/01/2024

I loved incorporating the heart coherence practice into the Labyrinth experience and then each person received a mini sound bath with my Tibetan singing bowl which resonates with the heart charkra energy centre before they passed over the labyrinth’s threshold.

04/01/2024

Everything is Sacred when you engage your heart in the process.

After returning home from my recent Divine Feminine Pilgrimage I started creating these handmade Rosary Beads. Every bead infused with a prayer & blessing.

Swarovski Pearls & Swarovski Crystals

Prayers and Blessings to you 🙏

30/12/2023

As I stand at the threshold of a new year with my hand on my heart, I would like to thank my family and friends for your love and support throughout this year.

May you give thanks for the blessings in your life and when the clock ticks to midnight and the labour pains of 2023 have ceased, the new year will be born.

May 2024 bring you joy and peace in your heart.

17/12/2023

The third Sunday of Advent - This candle represents JOY.

“ Find JOY in the ordinary moments”

Sometimes your JOY is in the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your JOY” - Thich Nhat Hanh