All Have Been Welcomed by Ruth Calder Murphy

Welcome to The Women Behind The Poetry, where we feature the women from the 'Journey of The Heart: Women's Spiritual Poetry Project'! 

Today, one of our project's first participants, Ruth Calder Murphy, of Paradoxologies, reminisces on when the project first began three years ago and reflects on where it has taken her since. 

I first became aware of the Women’s Spiritual Poetry Project when Catherine, its creator and editor, contacted me, back in October 2012. 

She said that she’d come across my poem titled 'The Dance'. (read here) in The Elephant Journal, and would it be okay if she featured some of it on her (then fairly new) poetry blog.

I had a look at the link she sent me and immediately felt an affinity with what she was trying to achieve there - a virtual space where the voices of women from all walks of life might be heard. Of course, I accepted her invitation with enthusiasm.

Since then, over the last three years, I have shared 53 of my poems through this project!

Over the years, I've watched the project grow, organically but rapidly, into the most beautiful, supportive, affirming community.

The project is a place where the poets are not in competition with each other, but rather in communion with each other, embracing their various and diverse voices and helping to make them heard.

Some women have come to the project with little confidence, in trepidation at the thought of putting their voices “out there”. Others have come from places where putting their hearts and souls into the public domain, in the form of their poetry, has become second nature.

 

All have been welcomed and encouraged!

For myself, poetry is an art form; I get a thrill from wordsmithery - creating word paintings that reflect my innermost thoughts and feelings.

It’s also a release—an escape— and at the same time a focus and an anchor: a constant companion that flows like breathing flows and keeps me keeping on.

The Women’s Spiritual Poetry project and community has added another wonderful facet to my poetry-life and has brought many kindred spirits into it, in the form of my fellow “Journey of the Heart” poets.

I’m thankful for the serendipity that led to that first email, and for the journey that began there.

(Ruth's poetry appears in our new book! Just click here) 

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Ruth Calder Murphy is a writer, artist, music teacher, wife and mother living in London, UK. Her life is wonderfully full of creativity and low-level chaos. She is the author of two published novels, The Scream and The Everlasting Monday, several books of poetry and one or two as-yet unpublished novels. More of Ruth' Spiritual poetry can be found in her book, Spirit Song and the soon-to-be-released sequel, "River Song". She is passionate about celebrating the uniqueness of people, questioning the unquestionable and discovering new perspectives on old wonders. She is learning to ride the waves that come along—peaks and troughs—and is waking up to just how wonderful life really is. You can visit Ruth and view more of her art on her website, or on her writer's page on Facebook. All her books are available on Amazon, here.