Author, Theologian, Retreat & Meditation Leader
“I believe becoming alive to beauty’s protean appearances helps us to fall ever more deeply in love with the world. Divine beauty shimmers and shimmies throughout the universe and in every barrio where someone is singing or weeping. Because of beauty, our spirits are enlivened. We can again be enchanted by the world, lament its neglect and abuse, and feel encouraged to fight for the well-being of every living thing.”
— Wendy Farley, in Beguiled by Beauty: Cultivating a Life of Compassion and Contemplation
Wendy Farley’s latest book, Beguiled by Beauty: Cultivating a Life of Contemplation & Compassion, was published in December 2020.
In times when we are experiencing darkness and discouragement, beauty offers a threshold to the divine. Wendy Farley argues in her latest book that we are “made for the Beloved” — we imitate the divine by learning to recognize the beauty of beings, to lament their suffering, and to take joy in all that is good around us. Much of the book is devoted to describing practices that deepen capacities for justice, compassion, and joyfulness by paying attention to beauty in nature, art, and one another, as well as to the inner workings of our minds and hearts.
This book is also the basis of a six-week fully-scripted worship series designed by Dr. Marcia McFee of the Worship Design Studio. Find out more about the worship series HERE.