Crafting Calm: Projects and Practices for Creativity and Contemplation

by Maggie Oman Shannon

In this wired, wild world, it is harder than ever to shut out noise and busyness in order to truly calm yourself, but in Crafting Calm , a D.I.Y. guide to peace of mind, you'll find inspiring ideas for how to do exactly that through a wide range of creative exercises. In this book, author Maggie Oman Shannon explores crafts and creativity as a practice with enormous physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. By immersing ourselves in a craft with intention and mindfulness, we can quiet those voices around us and in us--we can enter sacred stillness. Through revealing interviews, personal stories, and forty suggested activities, the author shows how creative processes can become spiritual practices. Whether you're an aspiring artist, longtime craftsperson, or someone who has never set foot in a craft-store (yet!), you'll find something in Crafting Calm to inspire you.

Crafts and how-to ideas include contemplation candles, visual journals, prayer shawls, collage mandalas, intention beads, finger labyrinths, personal prayer flags, spiritual toolkits, and tabletop altars.

Features inspired craft ideas from luminaries such as Angeles Arrien, Mary Ann Radmcher, Shiloh Sophia McCloud, Sister Marianne Heib, May Ann Brussat, and many more.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crafts, Spirituality, Art, Self Help, Personal Development

269 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

For more than 10 years, Rev. Maggie Oman Shannon, M.A., has explored cross-cultural forms of prayer and spiritual practice through her work as an interfaith minister, spiritual director, workshop and retreat leader, and author of five published books: Prayers for Healing; The Way We Pray: Prayer Practices from Around the World; A String and a Prayer: How to Make and Use Prayer Beads; One God, Shared Hope, Prayers for Hope and Comfort, and her latest, Crafting Calm.

Through her books, magazine articles, workshops and retreats, and blog, Oman Shannon offers creative tools, resources, and guidance for walking the modern contemplative path.

Reviews

[Dora]

Not quite what I was expecting

I read the ebook and I have found that the formatting is sometimes lost in the ebook format for whatever reason. I am not certainly if this is what detracted from my enjoyment of the book or if I simply read this book at the wrong time. When I first read about the book, I could scarcely wait to read it. Glancing at the table of contents, I saw many topics that piqued my interest. As I read the book though, I became more and more anxious. I would be reading along the text and then realize that somehow I was in the middle of a quotation. I do think that the book would have been better with photographs of the projects as well as more instructions. I did like the sources section. I'm not sure how eager I would be to recommend this book.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers group.

This book is similar in tone to many other crafting for charity/religious purposes/meditation books. Each chapter briefly discusses a time in the author's life or a motivating event that gave the author an opportunity to apply her spirituality to her craft. This book focuses more specifically on Christian religion than I expected, but does reach out to touch on a few other spiritual paths.

I usually keep these types of books on the shelf to flip through when I need inspiration, but I believe I'll be passing this one on to other members of my knit group.

[Dianne Tyree · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book for the time of COVID

Someone asked me why I spent the time to. knit, weave, or sew? I tried to explain to them that crafting was as much a part of me as breathing and it was my drug of choice. This book delves into the heart and soul of the crafter. If you’re a crafter it is well worth reading.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lately in my life, I have been feeling overwhelmed, over extended, used up and unremarkable in my crafting. I have had great need for a way to practice calm and contemplation. This book has given me guidelines with which to accomplish that goal.

This is not a DIY book in the ordinary sense of DIY. There are drawings, suggestions, ideas not step by step, picture by picture instructions. That is the best part for me. It is not about replicating someone else's craft but in creating your own.

Maggie Oman Shannon explores the craft of creating calm with ideas of anointing oils, tabletop mediation fountains, blessing baskets, prayer shawls,homemade bread, finger labyrinths and Milagros boxes. There is an extensive resource guide at the end and her conclusion includes a quote by Matthew Fox, who wrote," There is a river of creativity running through all things, all relationships, all beings, all corners and centers of this universe. We are here to join it, to get wet, to jump in, to ride these rapids, wild and sacred as they be."

I intend to use this resource to construct or create a calm place to practice my craft. A place to meditate, study, read or pray. I place where I can be the person I am with no other demands to be someone I am not.

[Sarah Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried reading this one, but I just couldn't get into it. A big chunk of it was that it is a totally religious book, which would probably make it a great book if you are into that. However I am not and felt that it was not a book for me. I did understand that it was spiritual and meditative, but you can have that in a more religiously natural tone than this one does. It has a lot of references back to scripture and the bible. Too much for my tastes. Also something about the writing it was just hard for me to get into. As for the crafts I am sure there are some great ones in there, but I like to see pictures with certain types of crafts so more real pictures of the projects would have been great. This also has some journal prompts, some of which I did enjoy, others again were way to spiritual for me. And there were a lot of various types of crafts with the authors own life experiences dabbled in. I think for a beginner that doesn't know where to start this might be a good book, but again for an experienced crafter this book had quite a few things that I already know/do/did.

[Yvonne S]

For calm: anointing oils, biblical gardens, spiritual wisdom wall hangings, sacred bath salts, tabletop meditation fountains. For clarity: collage treasure maps, visual journals, personal prayer flags, blessing baskets, spiritual toolboxes. For comfort: portable shrines, prayer shawls, affirmation blankets, prayer cards, power pouches. For contemplation: prayer mats, tray sand gardens, luminarias, rock cairns, meditation cushions. For creation: prayer paintings, intention jewelry, inner wisdom dolls, icons, messages in bottles. For community: talking sticks, prayer-ribbon weaving, collage mandalas, group prayer beads, prayer arrows. For connection with others: thinking-of-you candles, prayer pillows, milagros boxes, homemade bread meditation, prayer stones. For connection with spirit: prayer outfits, finger labyrinths, personal holy books, tabletop altars, prayer pots.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book about how to use arts and crafts as a form of prayer and involve them in your spirituality. There are all kinds of different crafts discussed: affirmation blankets, prayer pots, jewelry, personal holy books, and much, much more. I loved the quotes that were on almost every page, and the instructions for the crafts were rather simple and easy to follow. For example, the instructions for making a prayer shawl were for a simple sewing project, rather than a knit or crochet project. I liked the stories from other contributors, and the organization of the book with crafting for calm, contemplation, for groups, for community, etc. I really liked reading this book, it was very calming and soothing to me; it felt nourishing to my soul, and I look forward to trying out several of the crafts in this book.

[Yaaresse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw this in our library's new acquisitions list and checked in out on a whim. Really, I have got to start looking at author names when doing that because I would save myself a lot of time. The author's name didn't register when I saw the download file, but turns out I read another of Shannon's books last year and had a lukewarm response to it as well.

This book has the same vibe, a sort of fluffy (OK, shallow) Chicken Soup workshop feeling or what you might expect if Guideposts magazine offered a crafting blog (only without any pictures).
Also, the tone of these books promote cash cropping on other traditions' practices and cultural appropriation that I find annoying.

[Whole And · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book if you're looking for full immersion into the creative side of yourself.

This is not just another craft book, it's an experience of getting to know yourself through a wide range of suggested activities.

The quotes, stories and personal expressions shared by others along the way are wonderful elements of this creative compilation.

"Crafting Calm" is an experiential book, one you will want to spend time with, contemplate and of course, create.

"Know the nature of creating.
Where there is joy, there is creating.
Know the nature of joy.
Where there is the Infinite, there is joy."
- The Upanishads
pg 112 in "Crafting Calm"

[Kati · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the theory of this book, but without pictures it was sometimes hard for me to visualize the author's ideas for the various crafts, with the exception of crafts that are or have become commonplace, such as baking bread and making prayer shawls. Would have liked to see examples of the crafts as created by other people, to give inspiration to those of us who are not good at visualizing for ourselves. That said, this book was lovely, the feel was lovely, and it had a great index of websites, books, info about the contributors, etc.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a very inspiring book that reminded me that the processes of crafting and creating art can be very spiritual in themselves, no matter the outcome. I gained a few ideas for projects to try as well as a different way to look at the time I spend doing creative things. However, I personally felt the book was a bit too heavy on Christian spirituality and prayer, referencing Bible passages and feeling closer to God, when the concepts could have been applied even more universally to include all kinds of spiritual paths.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read an ARC of this book so I'm not 100% sure what the final version will look like, but I have to say a book like this really suffers from a lack of pictures. There were some neat ideas but it's hard to get inspired by an art/craft book that's nothing but words.

[Hope · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ideas in this books would be helpful for people who want to journal and can't think of what to say. If you do some of the projects , they are restful but would achieve 2 things: you would gone something to write about and a project so show for your efforts.

[Glynn]

really really want to read this one!

[Mtejeda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Want to make some of these this summer!

[Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good basic guide to creating, but lacked depth. I would have preferred more ideas for creating.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If it had PICTURES I would have given it 5 stars. A solid overview nonetheless and it has really motivated me to start creating.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and liked the many ways in which to "craft calm".

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a more about spirituality than I expected, so it wasn't really what I was hoping for.

[Barbara Brownyard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maggie’s books each have a flavor all their own. This ones a keeper. I’ll use it for my writing and crafting. So practical and beautiful!