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" ' Behold, I make all things new." Then he said, 'Write these words down'" (21:5). Hearing this in the monk's choir, I gasped. No wonder this chapter is Dickinson's favorite. Christ's commission may well have helped her define her calling, her vocation as a poet (and I would clam, one of the great biblical interpreters of the nineteenth century.) I gasped again, as a phrase entered my mind: " Ezra Pound thundered,'make it new,' and Jesus said, 'I will." . . .
Dragons within, dragons without. Evil so pervasive that only the poetry of the apocalypse can imagine its defeat . . . We will sing a new song.
Kathleen Norris, The Cloister Walk (1996)
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"Earth's fragile beauties we possess.”
THE VERY REVEREND DR ROBERT ANDREW WILLIS, DL
May Author of the Month:
Dean of Canterbury
May Author of the Month:
Dean of Canterbury
Robert Willis was installed as Dean of Canterbury in July 2001. He was educated at Warwick University, Worcester College, Oxford and Cuddesdon College, Oxford before serving in Shrewsbury, Salisbury, Tisbury and Sherborne from 1972 to 1992. In 1992 he was appointed as Dean of Hereford where he served for nine years. For sixteen years he was Chairman of the Deans of England. He is the Patron of various charitable organisations and is a Knight of the Order of St John whose charitable work organises St John Ambulance. He is a Freeman of the City of Canterbury and is also one of the Queen’s Deputy Lieutenants of the County of Kent. He has received an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Yale University and Doctorate of Civil Law from the University of Kent. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an Honorary Fellow of Canterbury Christ Church University. For his work across the world in promoting understanding between nations he was awarded the Cross of St Augustine in 2012. He is a keen musician and is known as a writer of lyrics, carols, hymns and verses.
Source: Canterbury Cathedral. Used by Permission.
Dean of Canterbury who became viral sensation with his cathedral cat during lockdown to retire
Dean of Canterbury who became viral sensation with his cathedral cat during lockdown to retire
Thursday, 17 February, 2022 ITV News
The Dean of Canterbury, who became a viral sensation with his cat during lockdown, will retire on his 75th birthday.
Robert Willis has been in the role since July 2001 and will step down from the role of Dean on the 16th May.
Dean Robert's daily online Morning Prayer videos, from Canterbury Cathedral, were well known to viewers during the pandemic.
Even more well known was his cat Leo, who was caught on camera wandering into view before disappearing beneath his robes.
The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis managed to keep a straight face during the sermon and continued speaking, much to the delight of viewers.
The Dean's other animals also became famous during lockdown for stealing the show, with their regular appearances during the sermons.
He was frequently joined by his cats Leo and Tiger, pigs, turkeys and rooster Russell Crow.
In one of his videos, Tiger could be seen licking milk out of a jug meant for Dean Robert's afternoon tea, as he sat in the garden.
The mischievous Tiger was also known for nibbling on the microphone used to record the prayer videos, with his purring audible as he sat on Dean Robert's lap.
Although the standard age of retirement for clergy in the Church of England is 70, Dean Robert was granted permission by the Archbishop of Canterbury to continue in office until 75, the maximum age permitted by Church law.
Speaking of his time at Canterbury, Dean Robert said: "These 21 years have been exceptionally happy and fulfilling, and I shall miss Canterbury greatly.
"The Archbishop of Canterbury and I had hoped that there could be some kind of extension for me to cover the Lambeth Conference, which takes place in late July and August this year, but, unfortunately, this option has been ruled legally impossible.
"In looking forward to the next few months, I’m hoping until Easter that the normal course of cathedral life can resume here and that all farewells can be left until after that time. Until Easter, we will still keep our commitment day by day to the Garden Congregations across the world, which has been a feature of ministry during the pandemic. I am sorry that we will not be here to see the full opening up of cathedral life as the months of Covid restrictions come to an end.
"There will be time to express heartfelt affection and gratitude to all who have been part of our life here and across the world during these happy years, but that will be for later as we prepare to say goodbye."
The Archbishop of Canterbury, who was installed by Dean Robert at Canterbury Cathedral in 2013, said: "Dean Robert has been one of the most exceptional deans of the post-war period – overseeing Canterbury Cathedral’s life of worship, prayer and witness with creativity and imagination. He is deeply loved not just at the Cathedral but across the Diocese of Canterbury, the Church of England, the Anglican Communion and far beyond.
"Over the course of the pandemic, he has brought the comfort and hope of Jesus Christ to many thousands of people around the world through his daily Morning Prayer videos. Dean Robert has been a faithful, prayerful friend to our whole family and we will miss him greatly. In turn, we will be praying for him and all those who have supported him over many years, as he prepares for retirement and the next stage of his ministry."
Movie Night with Voetelle
Movie Night with Voetelle
Emily Isaacson is known for her lucid and dramatic poetry, as well as her astute vision to use revelation to make information, images, and words relevant and meaningful. Her use of images and soundtracks to create movies during Covid lockdown has contributed to some of her poetry being put to sound and images for her viewers.
See her YouTube here.
Call to the Poets
Call to the Poets
Before the Fire
There was a vandalised wall
between my heart
and my mind.
The graffiti coloured wall drove
believers underground
for fear of persecution.
Few continued on in this vein
of silence over spiritual matters,
of quiet church,
humming the great hymns of the faith
in reservation
behind bolted doors.
When the wall came down,
missionaries came
like tiny people,
only for us to tell them
there was no watermelon
on this side of the wall before now.
They talked about Creation,
but we had only heard
of evolution.
Their script
was to smile, accept us,
and invite us in.
We were an acceptable darkness,
with poverty of religion,
no candle to see by,
like being married
with no wedding rings
and no church.
Then there was a bonfire,
and people surrounded it
with their hands stretched out;
better to be warm, we thought,
than cold.
Now we could sing louder.
Alleluiah, alleluiah
rang over the hills
of Germany:
it was a sad and glorious song.
Emily Isaacson, published in Hallmark (2017)
Self portraits by Isaacson
Self portraits by Isaacson
Emily Isaacson is a poet with both Canadian and American influences, who is a dual citizen. Her prolific verse and multimedia art bring poetry to life: she has created over 75 videos of her poetry, and hosted a weekly poetry movie on YouTube during Covid lockdown. In the last sixteen years her sites have been visited over 1.8 million times by more than 45 countries. She is also an arts advocate who has taught on Creative Writing. She has a Bachelor of Science from Bastyr University in Seattle and is currently the Director of the Wild Lily Institute, founded to preserve her poetry and legacy.
She now invites you to her secret cache of over 35 photos, taken by herself over a time span of 15 years.
All photos are under copyright by WLI. To use any of these photos for media purposes, please contact us.
The Fleur-de-lis
The Fleur-de-lis
What is Emily Isaacson's claim to fame?
__________________
She was chosen to write the sacred manuscript of The Fleur-de-lis to commemorate the marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton in 2011.
_____________________
This historical book of Canadiana literature contained over 800 poems in English and French and was published in three volumes.
____________________
Not only that, it was her first real publication of her work, and took her over 5 years to complete. She claims this divine invitation was given to her by God and that it is a prophetic and anointed work.
____________________
The Lion and the Unicorn Tapestry
The Lion and the Unicorn Tapestry
Emily's stylised poetry under the symbol of the Fleur-de-lis is world-renowned for its poignant and lyrical style and theatrical use of language. She engages an audience that may have lost interest in the dusty field of poetry long ago. Now rekindle the fire: postmodern poetry at its finest hour.
Quote
Quote
"But she lives; for great poets do not die; they are continuing presences;
they need only the opportunity to walk among us in the flesh."
-- Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own
Click Here to Add a Title
Click Here to Add a Title
WELCOME!
ISAACSON'S Latest Poetry
ISAACSON'S Latest Poetry
"The New World sounds its horn to all its evangelists, antagonists and enthusiasts, in bold claim of the English language and all its endeavors. There are those who will rise up. This new renaissance of post-modern verse varies in its expense from page to page, and yet, no expense is spared. The jewels of the world vary greatly, but few are as rare a find as this trilogy of works of the Black Saint. . . "
Preface to Victoriana (2015)
ISAACSON POEM
ISAACSON POEM
I listened from out the little window
to see if I could hear your song
in the lane,
and when the familiar whistle sounded,
even my dulcet heart gave way.
There was the song of us
that whistled on the moor
before the seasons began,
when we knew we’d be together
even in a foreign land.
There was the wood
that burned dry in the hearth;
I took a coin from my purse,
and counted the face on it
memorizing the moments your touch
reached out in healing.
There was the building of
something new amid the old,
a search for independence,
a need to voice a referendum.
The old country calls me home.
Its architecture has not yet crumbled.
I wave from my window
and write Scottish poems
to the sonorous bagpipe,
the fire, burning, burning cinders.
From the poem "Burning Cinders"
Victoriana
What is the length of the
complete works?
What is the length of the
complete works?
Isaacson's complete works includes over 1600 poems in chronological order, ranging from age 13 to her most recent unpublished works. The book is at present approximately 1,100 pages.
The Wild Lily Institute
The Wild Lily Institute
1.8 Million Visits to WLI
1.8 Million Visits to WLI
S P I R I T U A L L I F E
S P I R I T U A L L I F E
Take courage and find solace in your faith ...
Visit our page of encouragement
Recommended Reading
List of the Month
Recommended Reading
List of the Month
Visit here: May pics
Toward the replanting of a land—
once deserted, cold, and barren, still;
now citrus, and the olive, myrtle stand,
our pride in the distance, through the hills
spilling fine perfume and virgin oil.
Early songs still rise from temple mount
amid the prayers, centuries old toil.
--Emily Isaacson, The Replanting
House of Rain
A VOETELLE SITE
A VOETELLE SITE
Emily Quote:
“Does anyone here know how to use a pressure cooker?”
Emily Isaacson
