Contemplative Voices Award to Margaret Guenther & John Philip Newell, Shalem Institute

Shalem was thrilled to present its first Contemplative Voices Awards to Margaret Guenther and John Philip Newell on Nov. 3, 2011. The Shalem Institute's Contemplative Voices Award was created to honor those individuals who have made significant contributions to contemplative understanding, living and leadership and whose witness helps others live from the divine wellspring of compassion, strength, and authentic vision.
Margaret Guenther is an Episcopal priest, spiritual director, and retreat leader. A former professor of ascetical theology at The General Theological Seminary in New York and director of its Center for Christian Spirituality, she has written a number of books on the contemplative life, including Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction; Toward Holy Ground: Spiritual Direction for the Second Half of Life; The Practice of Prayer; and most recently, Walking Home: From Eden to Emmaus.
"To know our own soul is not a self-centered exercise. Rather, it is to know which are the idols that distract and divert us from God and which are the icons, the windows to God. It is to see clearly where our attention, energy, and loves are centered." (Margaret Guenther, The Practice of Prayer) columba.org/index.php/2011/dir...
John Philip Newell is a poet, scholar, and teacher. The former warden of Iona Abbey in the Western Isles of Scotland, he is now companion theologian for the American Spirituality Center of Casa del Sol at Ghost Ranch in the high desert of New Mexico. Philip is internationally known for his work in the field of Celtic spirituality, including his Listening for the Heartbeat of God and his poetic book of prayer, Praying with the Earth. He is also the author of Christ of the Celts, and most recently, A New Harmony: The Spirit, the Earth, and the Human Soul.
"..it is at times of stillness within ourselves that we can be alert to the creative depths that are within us. This is when the imagination with its creative and unexpected ideas flows best. True creativity is not something that we can force out, but only let out. (John Philip Newell, The Book of Creation) www.salvaterravision.org/
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