lucidity
For reflections on neurodivergence, cognition, and the search for clarity.
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Divinity in Difference: The Window That Says What We’ve Been Trying to Say
Every now and then, an image comes along that says in colour and light what pages of writing have been circling for years. This stained-glass window feels like that. It gathers the heart of NeuroDivine—the essays, the fiction, the hymns, the poetry—and holds them up to the light with one steady claim: Difference is not… Continue reading
ActuallyAutistic, AuthenticSelf, Autism, AutisticFaith, BenedictineSpirituality, CelticChristianity, Christianity, ChristInTheEveryday, ChronicIllness, ChronicIllnessFaith, ContemplativePrayer, Faith, FaithInTheEveryday, FindingConnection, Hymnody, InclusiveChurch, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishHymnody, IrishSpirituality, LiturgicalReflection, ModernMonasticism, MonasticWisdom, NeurodivergentFaith, NeuroDivine, PoetryOfPlace, QuietMoments, Routine, RuleOfStBenedict, SacredRoutine, SacredSpaces, Spirituality, SpiritualJourney -
Fit Lads of Winter & The Birth of The Icicle Lounge
There’s something about winter that sharpens everything. The air is colder. The sky is clearer. The silence feels closer to the skin. And yet—in that cold—warmth becomes unmistakable. “Fit Lads of Winter” began as a playful meditation on contrast. I kept imagining figures striding through snow as if it were nothing. Jackets open. Breath visible.… Continue reading
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The rainbow on my wrist.
From Monasterevin’s quiet stopThe morning train rolls west;Past cattle grazing by the line,And rooks that guard each nest.We cross the Barrow’s silver span,The viaduct below;A hare breaks cover in the reedsAnd watches as we go.In Port Laoise-bound and drifting thoughtsI catch a sudden grin—A stranger nods as though they knowSome secret held within.In town, the… Continue reading
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The Cupboard Apparition
I searched the house from room to room,My heart a tightening thread;For Richard, steadfast tabby guard,Had vanished from his stead.I called his name through shadowed halls,Checked every chair and beam;For only Niamh would play at hide—For Richard, such a dream.Yet still no whisker met my sight,No sentinel in place;Just silence where his watchful eyesWould guard… Continue reading
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Two Sentinels.
Brown Tabby I take my post beside his chair,moon silver on his hair;the window breathes a colder air—I taste it, sharp and spare.He shifts beneath the blanket’s weight,the cough begins to climb;I fix my eyes upon the darkand measure out the time. White Cat I rest beneath his blue-bright crown,lamplight along his face;his breathing lifts… Continue reading
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Shepherd. Host. High King.
This hymn began with a simple wondering: What if Christ doesn’t only meet us at the table, but walks the whole week with us? Faith is rarely confined to sacred hours. It unfolds in Mondays heavy with responsibility, Wednesdays full of noise, Fridays marked by grief, and Saturdays thick with waiting. This hymn traces the… Continue reading
AnglicanTradition, AutisticFaith, bible, Christianity, ChurchOfIreland, Contemplation, ContemplativePrayer, Eucharist, Faith, FaithAndHistory, FaithInAction, FaithInTheEveryday, FindingConnection, god, Hymnody, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishHymnody, IrishSpirituality, jesus, LiturgicalLife, LiturgicalReflection, ModernMonasticism, NeurodivergentFaith, NeurodivergentTheology, NeuroDivine, NewHymn, NewHymns, Pilgrimage, Poetry, Prayer, QuietMoments, Routine, SacredRoutine, SacredSpaces, ScriptureAndStillness, Spirituality, SpiritualJourney -
Soft. Anchor. Steadfast.
Otto sits gently by my side,Grey Belfast hoodie wrapped with pride;A quiet friend who does not speak,Yet offers calm when days feel bleak.His soft paws rest within my own,A steadying weight I’ve always known;He comes to dialysis with me too,And helps me face what I must do.When noise or brightness starts to swell,He anchors me… Continue reading
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Lead. Glass. Light.
Inspired by the Celtic Irish tradition, this hymn blesses the craft of stained glass as a sign of Christ the Light made present through human hands. Circles and interlace, holy wells and hilltops, saints and living waters all speak of a faith where creation, artistry, and prayer are held together. The hymn invites the community… Continue reading
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Roots. Reverence. Resonance.
Sometimes the most unexpected conversations become the doorway to something sacred. At a recent family gathering, one of my father’s cousins pulled me aside with a spark in her eye—the kind that says I’ve just discovered something, and I need to tell someone who will understand. She and her husband have begun learning about the… Continue reading
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Threads. Loom. Beauty.
Some hymns arrive not just as words but as sensations—colours, textures, patterns that settle into the body before they ever reach the intellect. The hymn I’m sharing today is one of those pieces. It grew out of my own love for the way creation speaks in colour and form, and how many neurodivergent people encounter… Continue reading
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Eighty. Honour. Joy.
On Saturday we celebrated my mother’s 80th birthday—a milestone full of stories, laughter, and a few happy tears. I had written a hymn for her, and despite battling a stubborn cough that made speaking a challenge, I managed to read it aloud for her and for everyone gathered. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth… Continue reading
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Andrew. Richard. Niamh.
Home woven in three strands: partner, creatures, grace Some prayers begin in silence. Others begin in the small, ordinary movements of a home—the click of the kettle, the soft thump of paws on the stairs, the familiar presence of the person who shares your days. This new hymn grew out of that kind of holiness:… Continue reading
AttentivePresence, Autism, AutisticFaith, Cats, CatsOfCompassion, Christianity, Contemplation, ContemplativePrayer, DailyDevotion, DivineHealer, Faith, FaithInTheEveryday, family, FindingConnection, god, GodsCreation, HeldInLove, HolyStillness, Hymnody, Ireland, IrishReflection, IrishSpirituality, KnownAndLoved, life, LivingFully, MentalHealthMatters, Neurodiversity, NeuroDivine, NewHymn, NewHymns, NewSong, Poetry, Prayer, QuietMoments, QuietWitness, Reverence, Rhythm, SacredRoutine, SacredSong, SacredSpaces, SacredTime, Sanctity, SmallMercies, Spirituality, SpiritualReflection, SupportSystems, UnexpectedGrace, writing -
Rise. Renew. Forgive.
A reflection and a new hymn based on Baruch 1.15 – 2.10 and Matthew 20.1-16 rooted in the landscape of the Irish midlands. Continue reading
AnglicanTradition, AutisticFaith, bible, Christianity, ChurchOfIreland, ContemplativePrayer, Faith, FaithAndHistory, god, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishSpirituality, jesus, LiturgicalReflection, NeurodivergentFaith, NeuroDivine, NewHymn, NewSong, Prayer, QuietMoments, Routine, SacredRoutine, SacredSpaces, ScriptureAndStillness, Spirituality, SpiritualJourney -
Language. Matters. Always.
Worship isn’t a slogan. It’s a rhythm of truth. Christians worship the Triune God — not instead of creation, not against people, but through love that holds all things together. When language gets loud, clarity matters more than ever. Continue reading
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Scripture. Tradition. Reason.
The Anglican “three-legged stool” is no flimsy metaphor. From a Benedictine vantage, Scripture, Tradition, and Reason are not rivals but companions—each leg essential, each supporting the other. Privileging Scripture alone unbalances the seat; true stability comes only when all three are held in rhythm, humility, and communal discernment. Continue reading
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Snip. Clear. Breathe.
Clearing brambles with garden shears becomes a focused act of care—restoring the path, honoring presence, and making space. Continue reading
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Sacred Rhythms of Humility
Creation Speaks and Law Revives Psalm 19 greets us like an Irish dawn—each mountain and breeze declaring God’s handiwork. As someone on the autism spectrum and a dialysis patient, I find solace in repetition: the sunrise, the steady hum of the machine, the gentle lilt of birdsong. Like the psalmist, I delight in precepts that… Continue reading
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Cathedrals, Containers, and the Unexpected Fit
A sensory-overwhelming IKEA trip becomes a quiet reflection on neurodivergence, structure, and the grace of unexpected, imperfect solutions. Continue reading
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Hospitality and Care
The Rule of St Benedict commands: Let all guests that come be received as Christ. Continue reading
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