tag:simondevoil.com,2005:/blogs/simon-de-voilSimon de Voil2021-07-26T21:23:00-04:00Simon de Voil is a sacred musician and interSpritual minister. Born in Scotland and now living in Washington state, USA.Rev Simon Ruth de VoilSimon de VoilfalseSimon de Voilsimondevoil@gmail.comtag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/66988492021-07-26T21:23:00-04:002021-07-26T21:24:14-04:00Sermon: Has Covid changed us?<p>There's no going back to the world as it was. Before covid. Before the public unveiling of white supremacy and racial injustice. Before climate catastrophe. But can the lessons we've learned and shifts we've created help us respond to our shared world with more compassion, mindfulness, and collective care?</p>
<p><em>This sermon is from zoom church with Suquamish UCC on July 25th 2021</em></p>22:14Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/66883452021-07-14T22:25:52-04:002021-07-14T22:25:52-04:00Meditation on the greening force of life<p>This Saint Hildegard von Bingen inspired meditation was sharing with OneSpirit Learning Alliance (the interfaith seminary that I myself attended) for midsummer in 2021.</p>16:39Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/66633952021-06-18T11:53:47-04:002021-06-18T11:54:33-04:00Article for 'Abbey of the Arts' about setting the Magnificat into song<p>Back in 2020, an email from our abbess Christine landed in my inbox on Good Friday. She said her heart longed for a version of Mary’s Magnificat for Abbey of the Arts, would I accept a commission? </p>
<p>I don’t know why I didn’t say OMG I can’t do that. I think if anyone else had asked me to do this I probably would have hid under my pillow. No way could I take on such a bold task! But this was my friend Christine; she wouldn’t ask me to do something unless she genuinely believed it was something I could do. So without even a second of a doubt I said Yes. </p>
<p>There was some divine timing at work. For months I had been praying with Joy Cowley’s setting, Modern Magnificat, and I knew in my heart that the Magnificat was a key in opening the pathway to our unitive consciousness—a key that the world urgently needs right now. I had also been captivated by Jan Richard’s poem, “Gabriel’s Annunciation”. Jan writes, </p>
<p>Yet when the time came, <br>when I had stammered <br>the invitation <br>(history would not record <br>the sweat on my brow, <br>the pounding of my heart; <br>would not note <br>that I said <br>Do not be afraid <br>to myself as much as <br>to her) <br>it was she <br>who saved me— <br>her first deliverance— <br>her Let it be <br>not just declaration <br>to the Divine <br>but a word of solace, <br>of soothing, <br>of benediction <br>for the angel <br>in the doorway <br>who would hesitate <br>one last time— <br>just for the space <br>of a breath <br>torn from his chest— <br>before wrenching himself away <br>from her radiant consent, <br>her beautiful and <br>awful yes. </p>
<p>After saying Yes to Mary’s Yes, I did what I always do when I set prayer to music: I placed myself inside the prayer and listened, deeply listened, to the words and feelings. I don’t try to write anything for a long time, instead I make a space ready within me in case the song wants to take form. That takes its own time, and sometimes quite a lot of time! It was close to a year later, in February 2021, when the song arrived. I remember I was listening to some French nuns singing Gregorian chant to Psalm 4, accompanied by a classical guitar. I decided to learn the guitar part, for no particular reason… and as I did, the entire melody and structure for Magnificat suddenly arrived, along with most of the words. I was, and still am, pretty astonished and delighted, and very grateful to those French nuns. I made a rough recording of the song-sketch and emailed it to Christine. I think she told me it made her cry, which I took as a sign that the prayer was ready. </p>
<p>The first time I publicly shared the Magnificat was during the 2021 Abbey of the Arts Novena on the feast of the Annunciation. Something vital started flowing through me; I felt so fragile, with my voice and guitar holding this cosmic prayer. Luckily I made it through the whole song and the 300 or so folks on the Zoom went nuts! I have never had a reaction like that to a song before or since, and while I soaked up all the love and blessings, what they were reacting to wasn’t truly my song—it was the blessing held within the song. All I can say is: Thank God for that, because if there was ever a prayer that deserved a good song it’s the Magnificat! </p>
<p>My faith has changed since I took on this task of translating the Magnificat into my own authentic song. For once thing, Mary is no longer just a mystery. Her sacred heart touches my heart. When I pray with her I feel more connected to that pulse that beats in all things. She has become a companioning presence that carves a path of healing and renewal where before there was only pain. I pray that others who listen and love this song will meet the sacred mother, just as I did, and be transformed and strengthened by her divine ferocity and unwavering compassion. </p>
<p>I’d like to share one last amazing and everyday miracle that happened while I was recording this song. Because the song was so fresh in my heart, my Easter sermon was very influenced by the Magnificat. I talked about the way that Mother Mary’s witness and presence of the Crucifixion and resurrection births the Christ in Jesus and in us today. I described her as the “mama bear” of Christianity, a face of Godde so desperately needed. Less than two weeks later, as I was arranging the strings for the recording of Magnificat, a lean young black bear passed by my window and proceeded to circle my house! I do live in the woods, but this has never happened before and I felt the blessing of her steady, graceful beauty. </p>
<p>Thank you Godde, for asking me to pray with the Magnificat, Mary’s radiant consent, her beautiful and awful Yes.</p>Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/65555782021-02-22T20:24:23-05:002021-02-22T20:24:23-05:00Sermon for Imbolc/Brigid<p>Recorded on Sun Jan 31st 2021 for worship with Suquamish UCC.</p>33:13Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/65056052020-12-22T14:31:21-05:002020-12-22T14:32:05-05:00Winter Solstice concert<p>This concert with Alexa Sunshine Rose & Aimee Ringle was live-streamed on Dec 21st 2020.</p>2:07:44Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/65012862020-12-16T21:27:02-05:002020-12-16T21:27:03-05:00Advent sermon on Joy<p>This recording was taken from zoom worship with Suquamish United Church of Christ on Dec 13th 2020.</p>21:43Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/64857572020-11-25T18:02:01-05:002020-11-25T18:03:11-05:00Sermon for transgender day of remembrance<p>Recorded as part of Suquamish UCC worship on Nov 22nd 2020. My friend Eve Palay joins me for the tail of the this recording.</p>
<p>Image = Pride Mary by Søren Mason Temple</p>19:47Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/64284262020-09-08T21:09:17-04:002020-09-08T21:21:50-04:00Monk in the world post for Abbey of the Arts from 2018<p>One of my earliest memories took place in a monastery. I remember eating muesli from a wooden bowl in a very, very quiet place. I was 5, visiting Boston with my Scottish family; I turned out to be extremely allergic to our host's cat, so it was somehow organized for my mother and I to stay with the monks of St John of the Cross. I didn't go to church as a child, and our household of four children was rarely quiet, so this encounter with the monks and their silence left a strong impression. </p>
<p>Half a lifetime later, at the age of 30, one thing led to another and I came to live in the abbey on the island of Iona, in the inner Hebrides. Iona's is a modern-day abbey, staffed by a lay community that changes from year to year. I lived there for two and a half years, and found myself deeply accustomed to, deeply fed by, the life of routine: the bells calling to twice-daily worship, the daily liturgy, the year intricately woven around the holy days of the calendar and the holy seasons of the earth. </p>
<p>Each morning in the abbey we chanted, “If Christ's disciples kept silent, these stones would shout aloud.” On Iona the stones did indeed shout – especially when it was windy! I learned there that the stones are speaking, and the earth, sky and sea, that the teachings of Christ-consciousness are written in the bones of the land, not only in human words and voices. </p>
<p>People refer to Iona as a thin place, a place where the distance between heaven and earth is tissue-thin; I would add that Iona is also a place where history comes alive, where the distance closes between what has been and what is, and perhaps even what will be. Iona has not hosted a monastic order since the late 19th century, but their legacy and memory are still very much alive – you sense it as you walk the island, sit in the cloisters, or touch the magnificent weathered ruins of the old nunnery. There is a still-living history all around. </p>
<p>For me, Iona is a place where my soul woke up and spoke to me very directly, taught me to pay attention, to listen, to talk with nature, to think with my imagination and to sing to God with a full heart. Years later I remain so grateful that this intense, vibrant, open-minded & creative community was my real introduction to Christianity. I woke up hungry, very hungry, and began searching for what Christianity should have become. </p>
<p>After leaving the abbey, I traveled to the USA and trained first as a carpenter and then an interfaith minister – always with the intention of joining the two. With time and distance my faith morphed and grew, my spiritual practice became less structured and more personal. I noticed that my lips no longer wanted to shape the words of the morning service or the litany of memorized prayers – but the abbey's familiar songs had burrowed their way into the center of my soul. To this day, the songs live inside me and sing through me, most especially the psalms. </p>
<p>Recently I've started giving my own musical expression to the psalms and sharing this aspect of my personal spiritual practice with others. Religious scholar Philip Novak describes the psalms as “expressions of religious emotion.” The psalms are a spiritual road map as well as a portal into the collective human pysche; the trick is finding the psalms set in a musical landscape and language that speaks directly to you, so that you can feel in them your own stories, longings, thanksgivings and lamentations. From that place, they've helped me to be human, one naked humble piece of Adam standing before the expanse of creation and creator. It is my deep joy to share this piece of my spiritual practice with you.</p>Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/64273142020-09-07T17:17:21-04:002020-09-07T17:17:22-04:00Story of my own spiritual formation<p>This podcast is taken from a sermon shared with Suquamish UCC on the 6th of September 2020.</p>23:39Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/63117092020-05-10T22:40:41-04:002020-05-10T22:40:41-04:00Ave Maria & Sermon for Mother's Day<p>Recorded on May 10th 2020 as part of worship for Unity of Port Townsend.</p>22:12Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/63043162020-05-04T13:30:08-04:002020-05-04T13:31:34-04:00Beltane Sermon<p>Recorded on May 3rd 2020.</p>24:05Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/62966552020-04-28T01:19:04-04:002020-04-28T01:19:04-04:00Befriending Death (Conversation with Rhonda Hull)<p>Making friends with Death - Simon de Voil in conversation with Rhonda Hull on 27th April 2020.</p>
<p>https://rhondahull.com</p>1:02:34Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/62924192020-04-23T18:28:50-04:002020-04-28T01:22:31-04:00Earth Day Sermon<p><em>Sermon from Unity of Port Townsend Worship 19th April 2020.</em></p>
<p>Nature is our being, it's not a place we go to -the Earth is not separate from you.</p>
<p><em>image 'Hohheart' by Darren Guyaz</em></p>20:51Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/62793082020-04-11T01:52:01-04:002020-04-11T01:52:51-04:00Good Friday 2020 - Grief & Remembrance Service<p>In the Christian tradition, we honor and remember the death of Jesus at 3 pm on the Friday before Easter. For me, it's a time to honor the healing and transformative aspects of death, and remember that death is a portal to love. </p>
<p>In this unusual moment, many of us who have experienced the death of a loved one aren't able to find healing through the usual rituals of funeral, wake, burial, or memorial. I hope this livestream service will offer a space for us to honor those we've lost. </p>
<p>This is not a traditional Good Friday service, but will draw inspiration from the psalms and use song, chant, and prayer to both mourn and celebrate the passing of our loved ones.</p>41:11Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/62620542020-03-25T21:06:31-04:002020-06-30T09:19:35-04:00Mediation: We are living Earth<p>This short meditation was recorded on Saint Brigid's day in 2020.</p>
<p>The Amazing woodcut image is by artist Tadeusza Kowalskiego called the "Creation of Adam".</p>3:55Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/62620502020-03-25T21:00:21-04:002020-03-25T21:01:20-04:00Sermon for Lent (our brilliance & brokenness)<p><strong>Forget chocolate</strong> - Lent is about standing closer to God </p>
<p>Lent is a time of deep reflection and self-examination that asks us to grow in honesty and humility—but the traditional theme of repentance is only half the story. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and the reminder that 'from dust you came and to dust you shall return.' Few people remember that dust is stardust, and this statement holds our finite fragility as well as our eternal greatness. The humility of Lent demands our brilliance as well as our accounting for our brokenness. To know God is to stand in peace with this powerful paradox. </p>
<p><i>This recording is from a sermon I gave at Unity of North Kitsap on Sunday the 8th of March 2020. I'd like to let you know that this church's PA system failed and I had to shout my words like an old style preacher: this creates a rather harsher tone than I would have liked. So please in your mind, imagine a gentler, more accepting tone as you listen to my words.</i></p>23:51Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/62147622020-02-13T23:46:50-05:002020-02-13T23:51:06-05:00 Sermon: Brigid and the quickening of the year<p>Brigid is one of the most beloved of the Celtic saints and goddesses. Sometimes called 'Mary of the Gaels,' Brigid is a healer, a teacher, and a protector, known for her bravery and generosity. Brigid has much to teach us about the compassionate face of the divine, and how we can fearlessly bridge the rifts around us.</p>
<p><em>(Recorded at Unity of North Kitsap on Sunday the 9th of February 2020).</em></p>19:00Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/62084232020-02-07T23:22:14-05:002020-02-10T07:23:51-05:00Audio from a Saint Brigid concert with Katy Taylor<p>This recording was taken from a concert held in honor of Saint Brigid on her feast day in 2020 featuring my musician friend Katy Taylor.</p>
<p>You can view the first hour of this concert on<a contents=" Youtube by clicking on this link" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwX5t-fFRRQ" style=""> <strong>Youtube</strong> by clicking on this link</a>. This audio is taken from the second half of the event after the video camera stopped working.</p>
<p><a contents="www.katytaylor.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://katytaylor.com" style="" target="_blank">www.katytaylor.com</a></p>37:55Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/59357222019-10-22T22:13:18-04:002019-10-22T22:14:46-04:00Saint Francis sermon 2019<p>Recorded on Sunday 6th October 2019 at Unity of Port Townsend.</p>28:56Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/57221382019-04-16T19:39:04-04:002019-04-16T19:42:51-04:00Palm. Sunday meditation, song & sermon<p>This recording is. a live recording of the message I shared with Unity of North Kitsap on 14th April 2019.</p>
<p>I would like to acknowledge the wonderful wisdom of James Finally in his co-authored audiobook <strong>Sanctuary</strong> - I borrowed heavily from it in the meditation section of this podcast. You can find taster and introduction to Sanctuary here:<a contents="&nbsp;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DiSTNuZCeM" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DiSTNuZCeM" target="_blank"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DiSTNuZCeM</a></p>
<p>Songs & chants that I sing are:</p>
<p><strong>I am</strong> by Nirinjan Kaur</p>
<p><strong>Face of God</strong> by Karen Drucker</p>
<p><strong>The deer's Cry</strong> by Shaun Davey (but at the end of this song I weave in a different melody 'Circle me Lord" by Andy Moss).</p>24:28Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/54722692018-10-16T14:54:47-04:002019-10-22T22:13:52-04:00Saint Francis sermon 2018<p>This sermon was presented at Unity of Port Townsend (Washington State in the USA) on Sunday the 6th of October 2018.</p>26:18Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/54722672018-10-16T14:51:50-04:002018-10-16T14:55:22-04:00Saint Columba sermon<p>This sermon was presented to Unity of Port Townsend (Washington State in the USA) on Sunday the 30th September 2018.</p>27:32Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/54180572018-09-06T18:10:48-04:002018-09-06T18:13:12-04:00Being a monk in the world<p><span class="font_large">I wrote this <a contents="article was written" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://abbeyofthearts.com/blog/2018/03/07/monk-in-the-world-guest-post-simon-ruth-de-voil/" target="_blank">article</a> for Abbey of the Art's in Ireland. </span></p>
<p>"One of my earliest memories took place in a monastery. I remember eating muesli from a wooden bowl in a very, very quiet place. I was 5, visiting Boston with my Scottish family; I turned out to be extremely allergic to our host's cat, so it was somehow organized for my mother and I to stay with the monks of St John of the Cross. I didn't go to church as a child, and our household of four children was rarely quiet, so this encounter with the monks and their silence left a strong impression. </p>
<p>Half a lifetime later, at the age of 30, one thing led to another and I came to live in the abbey on the island of Iona, in the inner Hebrides. Iona's is a modern-day abbey, staffed by a lay community that changes from year to year. I lived there for two and a half years, and found myself deeply accustomed to, deeply fed by, the life of routine: the bells calling to twice-daily worship, the daily liturgy, the year intricately woven around the holy days of the calendar and the holy seasons of the earth. </p>
<p>Each morning in the abbey we chanted, “If Christ's disciples kept silent, these stones would shout aloud.” On Iona the stones did indeed shout – especially when it was windy! I learned there that the stones are speaking, and the earth, sky and sea, that the teachings of Christ-consciousness are written in the bones of the land, not only in human words and voices. </p>
<p>People refer to Iona as a thin place, a place where the distance between heaven and earth is tissue-thin; I would add that Iona is also a place where history comes alive, where the distance closes between what has been and what is, and perhaps even what will be. Iona has not hosted a monastic order since the late 19th century, but their legacy and memory are still very much alive – you sense it as you walk the island, sit in the cloisters, or touch the magnificent weathered ruins of the old nunnery. There is a still-living history all around. </p>
<p>For me, Iona is a place where my soul woke up and spoke to me very directly, taught me to pay attention, to listen, to talk with nature, to think with my imagination and to sing to God with a full heart. Years later I remain so grateful that this intense, vibrant, open-minded & creative community was my real introduction to Christianity. I woke up hungry, very hungry, and began searching for what Christianity should have become. </p>
<p>After leaving the abbey, I traveled to the USA and trained first as a carpenter and then an interfaith minister – always with the intention of joining the two. With time and distance my faith morphed and grew, my spiritual practice became less structured and more personal. I noticed that my lips no longer wanted to shape the words of the morning service or the litany of memorized prayers – but the abbey's familiar songs had burrowed their way into the center of my soul. To this day, the songs live inside me and sing through me, most especially the psalms. </p>
<p>Recently I've started giving my own musical expression to the psalms and sharing this aspect of my personal spiritual practice with others. Religious scholar Philip Novak describes the psalms as “expressions of religious emotion.” The psalms are a spiritual road map as well as a portal into the collective human pysche; the trick is finding the psalms set in a musical landscape and language that speaks directly to you, so that you can feel in them your own stories, longings, thanksgivings and lamentations. From that place, they've helped me to be human, one naked humble piece of Adam standing before the expanse of creation and creator. It is my deep joy to share this piece of my spiritual practice with you"</p>3:46Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/51348572018-03-18T16:39:02-04:002018-03-18T16:39:33-04:00Radio interview about my musical ministry<p>This is an excerpt from a longer interview recorded in January 2018 on KPTZ 91.9 (my local Port Townsend radio station) with DJ Eva.</p>
<p>I'd like to extend my grateful thanks to DJ Eva for her generous interviewing style.</p>47:02Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/47137482017-05-18T12:58:55-04:002017-07-11T13:45:17-04:00Sermon - My Iona Easters <p>Sermon I gave to to Unity Port Townsend 2nd April 2017</p>17:47Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/40631182016-02-27T00:10:38-05:002021-06-26T15:00:28-04:00Church sermon about being transgender.<p>If you had told the 21 year old, defiant, "religion is narrow-minded bullshit" me that one day I'd be standing in a pulpit preaching I would never have believed you. But one spring morning in 2011 I did exactly that - years later people still talk to me about this sermon and tell me how important it was to them. <br><br>Here's the Bible reading that I talk about. Mark 14 from the New International Version</p>
<p><u>Jesus Anointed at Bethany </u></p>
<p>Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.” </p>
<p>While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. </p>
<p>Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. </p>
<p>“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” </p>
<p>Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.</p>29:27Simon de Voiltag:simondevoil.com,2005:Post/40570872016-02-23T22:31:00-05:002016-02-27T00:13:49-05:00“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” MLKWhen I was at seminary a few of my classmates asked if I would write a song about Martin Luther King's I have a dream speech. What a tall order! <br><br>I tried and tried and in the end realised that nothing I sang remotely gave justice to his words and the incredible power captured in that moment. So I found the original speech online, listened to it on headphones and recorded this improvised piano piece. I made 3 takes, this is the one I like the best.<p>Part of the reason I am posting this as a blog is to ask those of you who are interested: Please comment on what you hear in Martin Luther Kings words.<br><br>For me the 'I have a dream speech' hold incredible vulnerability. In the face such hatred, ignorance and danger I can imagine that many of MLK's peers thought he was weak and naive. A sad tale of our age is that the warrior is seen as strong and the unarmed monk as weak. MLK's vision and incredible spiritual strength cost him his own life and brought tremendous pain and hardship to his family. <br><br>Martin Luther King I honour you & I honour the community and ancestors who made you such an incredible teacher of our times.</p>4:46Simon de Voil