Spirit First News - Spirit First
Spirit First Third Annual Poetry Contest
Deadline: January 31, 2012
First Prize: $175
Second Prize: $125
Third Prize: $75
Spirit First is pleased to announce its third annual meditation poetry contest. Poetry submissions may be of any length and any style but must have a theme of meditation, mindfulness, stillness, or silence. Poems may reflect any discipline, any faith, or none. Poems must be previously unpublished.
Complete guidelines:
Please do not enter more than three submissions. Sending more than three poems will lead to those poems being disqualified. Submit your poems by email unless you do not have access to the Internet. Poems will be accepted by U.S. Postal Service for those who do not have Internet access. All others are requested to be emailed. Poems sent by U.S. Postal Service will not be returned. Poems must be received by January 31, 2012.
Poems should be submitted with a cover note listing the author's name, address, telephone number, and email address. There is no cost to enter this contest.
Winners will be announced no later than March 31, 2012. Winning poems will be published here on the Spirit First website, the Spirit First blog, and in the Spirit First newsletter (authors retain full rights to their poems). Selected poems may be invited to participate in an upcoming book publication (authors will retain full rights to their poems).
How To Submit:
By email: send to .
By U.S. Postal Service (for those without Internet access), send to the following address:
Spirit First Poetry Contest
PO Box 8076
Langley Park, MD 20787
We look forward to reading your poems!
Our First Book, Moments of the Soul, Now Available
All of us at Spirit First are excited to announce the release of our first book, Moments of the Soul, a collection of poems on the themes of meditation, mindfulness, silence, stillness, and solitude. These 84 poems express moments of meditation written by 61 poets from across the United States and from several foreign nations, from writers between the ages of 18 and 85, from authors from many different faiths, and from authors who do not represent any organized religion. We are proud, and grateful, to offer these moments of the soul from so many beautiful writers.
Proceeds from sales of this book go to Spirit First and the creation of a meditation retreat center with quiet walking trails, fragrant gardens, and many places to pause.
To purchase this book, click here.
Spirit First Offers Free Meditation Series
Spirit First is hosting meditation services on the third Saturday of each month and we would love to have you join us. There is no charge for the meditations, but you are welcome to contact us at to let us know you are coming.
Upcoming Dates:
January 21, 2012
February 18, 2012
March 17, 2012
April 21, 2012
Location:
1901 Powder Mill Road
Silver Spring, MD 20903
Time:
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
We have attendees who are new to meditation as well as those who have been meditating for many years, so please feel comfortable to come regardless of whether you are a beginner or a seasoned practitioner. We offer leadings in various meditation practices (including mindfulness practice). Our meditations begin at 10:30 a.m. and continue up to an hour. Following the meditations we have vegetarian, whole, organic refreshments available for those who are interested.
For more information, contact Diana at or at 240.274.2367.
Past Events
Moments of the Soul Book Recption
On January 15, Spirit First held a book reception in honor of the newly published Moments of the Soul. What a beautiful day! Nearly 40 guests gathered to celebrate - on this day everyone was either a poet or a friend of a poet (thank you, Hershel) - and it was quite wonderful to meet all of you. After greeting one another and enjoying refreshments, some of our poets read from our book.
Our first poet to read was A. Jarrell Hayes from Baltimore, author of "Stone Mind"..."Enter the mind of wood, not of treetops and leaves swaying in the wind, but sturdy trunks which remain unmoving..."
Our second poet was Anne Whitehouse, who came to us from New York. Anne's poem, "Blessing XXXV," leads us to a place of meditation: "...My body fills with breath, my heart at front and center, thoughts dissolved, softening, deepening into the interval where a goddess passes by."
Our next poet was Krista Kurth from Washington, D.C. Krista has two poems in our book, and she read for us from "Evening Grace." The grace she described comes from a place of thanksgiving and brings peace..."Breathing in, I feel tiny tendrils of peace twirling and opening out, taking root, in the newfound space in my day - in my heart - spreading warm comfort throughout - and - into my core, and with it ripples of expanding quiet joy."
Our fourth poet was Carol Peck, from right here in Maryland. Carol first read "The End of Suffering" for us from her friend Stephen Cribari, who couldn't be with us (he was in London). Carol then read to us her poem "Quaker Meeting," showing us how we can carry our peace with us wherever we go (we also read this poem at our last month's meditation gathering).
Our closing poet was Terry Quill (also from Maryland), whose poem "Silence and Stillness" has led to a bit of discussion. Terry explained how he wanted to create a page of silence in the middle of all the reading and how he hoped readers would understand (Terry's poem was not part of the contest).
To the many friends who gathered with us to celebrate...thank you. You have been beautiful in your love and support for the publishing of our first book. In the beginning I didn't know anything about hosting a poetry contest or publishing a book, and all along I have been learning as I go. I am grateful to all of you for helping make it happen, grateful that it became "its own rich thing" (thank you, Lisa Dordal...I quite like quoting your poem). I have loved getting to know all of the poets. Your poems have become part of who I am.
To purchase this book, click here.
"Letting Go and Living in Harmony with Yourself" Retreat
Spirit First held its Autumn 2009 retreat on October 24 at the River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Bethesda. Our keynote speaker, New Zealander Jonathan Evatt, led us in meditations throughout the day and brought our awareness to understanding that the path to Letting Go of a thing lies in the experience of fully feeling it. Carol Thornton opened us to a discussion of letting go of spiritual clutter and the need for creating space, creating a space of acceptance, for those things within our own selves that we judge or despise and want to Let Go of. She also introduced us to mindfulness eating in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. French-Canadian Sanjivani Marie Amma, an Ayurvedic therapist specialized in the ancient Indian healing wisdom of Nadi Vigyan (neurotherapy) and in Ayurvedic medicine for women, introduced us to the Shamanic way of Letting Go. Her meditations were powerful, poetic, and profound.
We had many gifts of music in our retreat day, beginning with the mystical sounds of the flute from Joe Sullivan and the native sounds of the drums from Karima. Jonathan played piano for us on a baby grand. We had a special musical performance from singer/songwriter Felicia Rose and concluded our day with a Sacred Circle Dance led by Sufi Initiate Thomas Maxwell. We were all new to sacred circle dancing and may have stumbled a little in following our steps, but the experience was wonderfully unifying and deeply moving.
I have loved this day of peace with you and look forward to our next gathering.
