The news is full of how tough things are going to get. There are many reasons to be angry. The scary aspects of human being are banging on our awareness like a noisy gong. It is tempting to hunker down in a bunker and block everything out with a wall of iron. Like working through […]
Author: Simon Lidwell
Gazing out of the cave
Happy Easter!
Have you decorated any eggs this year? With supermarkets and global supply chains it is easy to forget that for thousands of years eggs were only available when the sun returned and daylight hours lengthened. As well as looking like the stone which could be rolled away from the tomb for Jesus to walk out, […]
This beauty has been created by a band called Árstíðir It’s title is “Heyr himna smiður” Which can be translated as “Hear me Smith of the Heavens”. More info on it can be found here. I’m posting it here in order to use it as part of a discussion about pioneer ministry on Saturday. In […]
Ragnarock
A longer post today, inspired by thoughts of war which once again fill my social media feed, and mind. …When I tell the story of Ragnarock I grieve. It follows Loki telling too much truth, harshly. It is the breaking of oaths, conflict between those who should be family. It is the twighlight that follows […]
St. Brides Day
St. Bride, or St Brigit of Kildare, is a category 6 saint in the Scottish Episcopal Church Liturgy. For those unfamiliar with the number categories, this means that she is recognised as a person worth special recognition but that remembering this every year is a matter for local discretion. So why is she significant for […]
Bottleneck
We have passed through Christmas. The season is a welcome break in the drich winters of Scotland. There is light on the streets, and many people take the opportunity to do something special – even during Covid times. In the public gaze, all eyes are drawn to the stable and the birth of Jesus. Beyond […]
COP 26 Prayer Boats
Join in and set sail for climate Justice News Sent in By Lizzie, Some of us are meeting up on Monday morning to help each other explore prayer as a community. Lizzie has suggested that we make some boats! Not just in case the sea levels rise, but because politicians are meeting in Glasgow to […]
Quartz is a partnership between St John’s Dumfries and Wordsmith Crafts. Simon is supported a day a week to work flexibly to support Quartz activities, maintain this site and help people use the arts to experience, explore, and express spirituality through the arts, and for those that choose to, to enter into our heritage in […]
Standing in Stones

#SensingSpirituality is not restricted to religon or religious people. There are places which draw you in. ‘Most people, when they stand in an ancient stone circle, can sense the timeless presence of the place… …There is a temptation to be still and to ponder what surrounds you…. …There are ties and bonds between all people […]