January | 2026 | Contemplative Inquiry

MORNING PRACTICE

I want to say something about my regular morning practice as it has developed in recent months.

Compared to earlier iterations, I have stripped my practice down and abbreviated it. Although solo, it relies on speaking and at times moving (eg to greet directions). It has become more affirmative than meditative or prayerful, though elements of prayer and meditation are included. It is grounded in an animist and panentheist Druidry, finding a depth dimension in the here and now of this world. It doesn’t reference any named or personified deity.

I have used material from my past work in Druidry, and to a lesser extent Buddhism and the Eckhart Tolle community. But I have stylised and adapted these influences better to sound my unique note in the Great Song.

To begin, I light a candle, sound my Tibetan bells three times and say: I arise today in the strength of heaven, light of sun, radiance of moon, splendour of fire, speed of lightning, swiftness of wind, depth of sea, stability of earth and firmness of rock.

May there be peace in the 7 directions:

May there be peace in the east, power of light, element of air, domain of the hawk, quality of vision, time of sunrise, season of spring and early growth.

May there be peace in the south, power of life, element of fire, domain of the dragon, quality of purpose, time of midday, season of summer and of ripening.

May there be peace in the west, power of love, element of water, domain of the salmon, quality of wisdom, time of sunset, season of autumn and bearing fruit.

May there be peace in the north, power of liberation, element of earth, domain of the bear, quality of faith, time of midnight, season of winter, dying and regeneration.

May there be peace below, in the deep earth and underworld.

May there be peace above, in the starry heavens.

I abide in the peace of the centre, the bubbling source from which I spring, and heart of living presence. May there be peace throughout the world. May I be present in this space.

I begin a breath exercise: breathing in through my nose, counting to 8; holding, counting to 8; releasing, counting to 8, resting, counting to 8. I repeat this 11 times. Then I say: I am the movements of the breath and stillness in the breath; living presence in a field of living presence in a more than human world: here, now, home.

I say: A blessing on my life. May I be free from harm; may I be healthy; may I be happy; may I live with ease. A blessing on my life.

A blessing on Elaine’s* life. May she be free from harm; may she be healthy; may she be happy; may she live with ease. A blessing on her life.

A blessing on the lives of our kin. May they be free from harm; may they be healthy; may they be happy; may they live with ease. A blessing on their lives.

A blessing on the lives of our companions. May they be free from harm, may they be healthy, may they be happy, may they live with ease.

A blessing on all lives we touch and are touched by. May they be free from harm; may they be healthy; may they be happy; may they live with ease. A blessing on their lives.

A blessing on all beings throughout the Cosmos; may we be free from harm; may we be healthy; may we be happy; may we live with ease. A blessing on our lives.

A blessing on our lives (arms raised), a blessing on the work (hands over heart), a blessing on the land (hands on ground).

I say: In the heart of Being I find protection,

and in protection strength;

and in strength, understanding;

and in understanding, knowledge;

and in knowledge, the knowledge of justice;

and in the knowledge of justice the love of it;

and in the love of justice the love of all existences;

and in the love of all existences, the love of this radiant Cosmos. Awen (Aah-ooo-wen, as a chant).

May there be peace throughout the world. May I be present in my life.

I stand today in the strength of heaven, light of sun, radiance of moon, splendour of fire, speed of lightning, swiftness of wind, depth of sea, stability of earth and firmness of rock. I ring my bells three times and extinguish my candle.

*NOTE ON PICTURE: original photo by me and stylised by my wife Elaine Knight with AI support.

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January 26, 2026

TWILIGHT AT TW0 PM

old wall, old tree – both in shade:

clouds constrain the sun,

and there’s stillness in the land.

January 23, 2026

GENEALOGY OF BRIDE

The year has moved on from its midwinter moment. I am just beginning to feel the pull of Imbolc (Candlemas in the Christian year). This feast marks the returning light and early signs of spring. I recently saw a local picture showing a newborn lamb.

In the Gaelic traditions Imbolc/Candlemas (1 February) is dedicated to Brigid/Bride. The lines below are from the Scottish Highlands and Islands. They seek protection and are not specifially seasonal.

“The genealogy of the holy maiden Bride

Radiant flame of gold, noble foster- mother of Christ.

Bride the daughter of Dugall the brown,

Son of Aodh, son of Art, son of Conn,

Son of Crearar, son of Cis, son of Carmac, son of Carruin.

Every day and every night

That I say the genealogy of Bride,

I shall not be killed, I shall not be harried,

I shall not be put in a cell, I shall not be wounded,

Neither shall Christ leave me in forgetfulness.

No fire, nor sun, nor moon shall burn me,

No lake, no water nor sea shall drown me,

No arrow of fay nor dart of fairy shall wound me,

And I under the protection of my Holy Mary,

And my gentle foster-mother is my beloved Bride.”

Carmina Gadelica: Hymns and Incantations collected by Alexander Carmichael. 1994 edition by Floris Books, Edinburgh, edited by C. J Moore.

The work is an anthology of poems and prayers from the Gaelic oral tradition in Scotland. They come from all over the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Alexander Carmichael compiled the collection in the second half of the nineteenth century, thereby creating a lasting record of a culture and way of life which has now largely disappeared.

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January 19, 2026

MURK AND INSPIRATION

Above, murk outside my window. Below, an image from summer. The scenes are not identical, but close enough to make the contrast clear. Today, the murk contains and constrains me. My horizon is narrowed. I feel confined, yet also intrigued. What lies within and behind the murk?

This murk has appeared on a day when I woke slowly still caught by the after echo of a dream. I held on to the ghost of an image, aware of its importance but unable to see, grasp or name the image itself. I had a similar experience two days earlier. What is the imaginal realm communicating to me?

When I am present to the moment I feel blessed by this unknowing, just as I feel blessed by the murk. When my thoughts are in movement, I desire more clarity. I trust that clarity will come, and that insight and inspiration will come, and have their moment too.

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January 14, 2026

A WINTER DAWN

a sliver of waning moon

under the pink clouds:

the dawn of a winter day.

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January 6, 2026

TOUCHED BY FROST

Yesterday, 5 January, I walked in Hillfield Gardens, Gloucester, in the early afternoon. Overall it was bright and sunny, despite being cold. But in shady spaces there were residues of frost.

I noticed how they changed the look and feel of these spaces for me. They became quietly exotic, as if differently blessed than the green grass in the sunlit areas. A light dusting was enough to make a difference. The three pictures below show the effects of the frost’s magic dust on a small tree, an old puddle on the path and fallen leaves on grass. All very ordinary. But the touch of frost had made them special to me in that moment. They held my attention, and enriched my day. It was an instance of re-enchantment.

January 4, 2026

ARRIVING IN JANUARY 2026

I have lived in Gloucester since January 2022. Specific locations in the city affect me in different ways.

The physic garden at Llanthony Secunda Priory is one of them. It feels both open and tranquil. Earth and sky are strongly present and jointly nurturing. It is a good space for unpressured reflection.

I was in the garden yesterday afternoon, feeling my way into 2026. It was a bright moment in the day, about an hour before the still early sunset. It was cold but not freezing. I was feeling good in myself. I wondered how my life with Elaine will unfold now that we are both a little more mobile. I reflected on the dance of loving and being loved.

As a left the garden, I acknowledged my fears about the wider world. I walked to another favourite place, very close to Llanthony, where the Gloucester canal begins its journey out of the city. There is irrepressible bird life in the foreground and a (to me) liberating expanse of water beyond. My picture doesn’t tell me what’s around the corner and I am reminded to live with unknowing. I didn’t walk any further out on this occasion.

Returning home, I learned the news from Venezuela – in particular the kidnapping, as I would name it, of the President. I fear this may become yet another running sore in the life of the world. Modern Druidry, my spiritual anchor, has a strong commitment to justice and peace, where each is understood as compromised by the absence of the other.

Druidry isn’t an ‘above the battle’ path. Whilst not mandating any specific partisanship, this path does assert political values and points to a willingness to engage. So, in 2026, I’m asking myself more specifically where to put my limited energies, and how justice and peace work meshes with my contemplative inquiry. Indeed, this is where my inquiry has now arrived.

Contemplative Inquiry

Month: January, 2026

January 28, 2026