Crafting Calm: Projects and Practices for Creativity and Contemplation

By Maggie Oman Shannon

As our world has become increasingly dependent on technology, and our Western societies have become woefully “Crackberried”— to use the title of a recent documentary on the emotional and social pitfalls of our too-wired ways—an intriguing phenomenon is occurring: There is an increasing amount of interest in returning to some of the simpler arts that were neglected or left behind with the onslaught of technology. Artisans and everyday crafters are finding a renewed satisfaction in making something with their own hands; some are even communicating about the inherent physical- and mental-health benefits found in handwork—and, even more than that, they are framing their handwork as meditation or spiritual practice. In today’s sophisticated and pluralistic society, people are more aware than ever that spiritual practice can be defined more expansively—and the popularity of books focusing on alternative spiritual practices demonstrate that readers are hungry for new (or ancient) ways of enhancing their inner lives. In Crafting Calm the author will explore these new forms of creative spiritual practice and the benefits they provide. The format of With Shannon's book will itself be creative, a rich “potpourri approach” that weaves together interviews, historical facts, projects for readers to do themselves, quotations, and suggested resources. Crafting Calm will serve as an inspirational resource guide to a broad assortment of spiritual practices gathered from the global arts-and-crafts communities, as well as from people who don’t consider themselves artists but who have adopted creatively expressive forms of spiritual practice. While there have been a few books published focusing on a particular form of creative spiritual practice (Skylight Paths, for example, has published books on beading as a spiritual practice; painting as a spiritual practice; and using clay as a spiritual practice), no one has yet explored the breadth of possibilities for creative spiritual practices contained in Crafting Calm.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Release date: Apr 8, 2013
• ISBN: 9781936740468

Maggie Oman Shannon

Maggie Oman Shannon is a spiritual director and writer. She is the author of One God Shared Hope, The Way We Pray and Prayers for Healing, and is the co-author of A String and a Prayer. She lives in San Francisco.

Reviews for Crafting Calm

[hopeevey · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The text was disjointed, and the "diy" sections were nearly useless. The author has some interesting things to communicate, but does a poor job of it in this particular book. I suspect her workshops are much more effective.

[morphidae_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is yet another Early Reviewers book where I did not get what I thought I was getting. I thought, even from the subtitle, that I was getting a how-to book. Instead, it is an idea book. Rather than steps on how to do a project, there are references to other books and websites. And there aren't references for all the projects either. For a good many, you are told to go do research on your own or given vague directions. Lastly, there was no clue that you were going to get a big portion of spirituality. Thankfully, it was non-denominational, but it was too navel-gazing frou-frou for me. It wasn't all bad. While only an idea book, I really liked the ideas and the references were good. I will certainly be doing some of the projects in future.

[scotdeerie_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Crafting Calm by Rev. Maggie Oman Shannon is an attempt to meld spirituality with handcrafts to bring about spiritual calm and healing, to yourself, to others, to our hurting world. I admit to getting lightheaded when someone starts quoting the Bible (and I may not have even asked to get a preview copy of this book if I had known it would!) but the quotes are well done, appropriate and understated. This isn't a "in your face" book on religion but rather a gentle exploration through different types of spiritual expression that suits all types of belief (and even non-belief) systems. I went from finding out the book is written by a Reverend and thinking, "This is not for me" to "when the time is right, the right book will come to you" and very early this spring I had Prayer Flags happily flapping away in my backyard. There is also a chapter on Prayer Shawls and I had to finish weaving a Prayer Shawl before I began the book so I guess the right book really DID find me at the right time. (I love synchronicity!)I appreciated the SIX PAGES of resources so I can follow up my explorations with other books. I appreciated the index, too, something that seems to be left out of a lot of books these days. I wish there had been photos instead of drawings but the drawings were fine and the instructions were certainly easy to follow without detail photos. There are "Inquiries" at the end of each chapter to help with journaling your path as well as "Guides" to send you onward. Very nicely thought out, IMO.It's a fun book and I am pleasantly surprised to find that I am planning on doing so many of the projects. Worth a read. Good for a gift for someone who is searching to find their own calm and spiritual place, from Pagan to Buddhist to devote Catholic or for the person who is still seeking, there is something for everyone here.

[buchowl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The drive to create is innately human along with the deep satisfaction that comes from fulfilling that drive. For most people this drive is used in their job or their hobbies and the focus is on visible/tangible results. Seldom is creating/crafting spoken of in spiritual terms unless you are a "serious" artist getting inspiration from your muse. Yet the spiritual/transformative component of the creative process is one of its greatest benefits and author Maggie Oman Shannon wants to show you how to bring it about.The book is divided into eight sections with five crafts assigned to each section. The crafts are used to to work with the concept focus of the section (such as calm, comfort, connection, etc). Each section is organized with a short discussion of the focus concept leading into the individual crafts. The crafts are presented with how they work in bringing about the concept, along with a set of questions for journaling/reflection and then there is a short DIY section. To conclude there is a resources section at the end of the book listing websites, books/magazines, and short bios of crafters and others who contributed to the book. Scattered throughout the book are quotes and personal crafting stories.Two things need mentioning in reviewing this book - first is this is NOT a how-to crafting book. No step-by-step instructions or detailed photographs. The crafting DIY is short and meant to inspire, not to instruct. The only visuals are a few line drawings. The second item is that this is not a secular book. While it is non-denominational, it is nonetheless a religious writing. I was a bit surprised about this as the cover and book description seemed on the more secular side even though the author is a minister.I enjoyed this book and found it rewarding. As an experienced crafter the crafts presented were wide in scope and the tone very encouraging - even a beginner would feel confident in attempting the craft. The author presented her material and ideas very well and I discovered many new things to contemplate. My complaint would be in the resources section/s - many of the resources were out-of-date. While classics in a particulair field would (and should) be presented, too many of the items were older and difficult to obtain. The ideal reader for this book would be the crafter that wants to add a new dimension to their crafting practice or for a religious/spiritual person who wishing to explore new avenues for devotionals. This book would be perfect for a devotinal group looking for new activities (also youth ministries would find a great deal of material here). Recommended.

[jen6e6moore · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While none of the projects or practices in this book particularly spoke to me, I really liked the overall approach, and it's given me some new ideas for ways to think about what I'm already doing.

[idj_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is a wide ranging collage of quotations, reflections and instructions on the theme of finding the spiritual in the act of making things by hand. It’s strength is the variety of examples and insights by various creative people. For a reader seeking a path to meditative exercises in the form of art or craft, it is a useful guide. For someone already tuned into the spiritual element of their art or craft practice, it provides some affirmation and inspiring quotations. The book could be disappointing to some readers who are deeply engaged in spiritually inspired arts or crafts because it remains superficial in terms of the craft projects themselves. It never seems to get beyond easy ornamentation with glitter, yarn or beads. A glaring error in the section on Icons states the first Icon is attributed to “the apostle Paul”. This suggests poor proof reading or research. Paul was not an apostle and the first Icon is actually attributed to the apostle and evangelist Luke. If the reader can get past such flaws, the book serves as an excellent source of interesting resources and a great introduction to the concept of creativity as spirituality.

[m4marya · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I requested this I knew that I might not have a lot of time since I was soon to be a new mother. I did not expect the biblical verses, but find that many of the crafts are things that I would like to incorporate into my daily life as new traditions, and so I can ignore the unexpected religion.