Always a personal favourite, the poetry of T.S.Eliot seems to be seeking me out lately. In September, I enjoyed a late-night concert at Hatfield House, with a powerful reading from Juliet Stevenson of one of the poet’s Four Quartets. Followed by a performance from The Navarra Quartet, the atmospheric venue lent itself beautifully to the music festival and reminded me how fortunate we are to have this provision on our doorstep.

Then I picked up a book at work, with an inscription from T.S.Eliot’s Four Quartets:

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

 

We often think of life as one linear pathway, and the connotation of ‘going around in circles’ is seen as a negative one. However, Eliot’s words shed new light on this. We can indeed explore, go back to our own beginnings and see them as if for the first time. A major event or trauma can be a catalyst for re-examining our start in life, our spirituality, values and relationships.

 

St Albans offers us many places to explore our spirituality and define our purpose in life. Just recently, I attended a candle lit Taize style service at the Abbey. Bringing together people from different backgrounds, we enjoyed time for meditation, reflection and singing in a calm and peaceful setting. It reminded me of my early days as a Christian and certainly gave me food for thought.

 

Where will your exploring take you?

 

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