The Gates of Mepkin Abbey

As I've walked the grounds of Mepkin Abbey, I've often taken pictures of a variety of gates.

Gate at the African-American cemetery

I like the gate as a metaphor.  What lies beyond the gate? 

gate at the cemetery of Mepkin Plantation family members

An open gate can be seen as an invitation.  But also, an open gate can be scary.  What if we go through the gate, and it swings shut?  What if we can't leave again?

 

 

What creative gates are waiting for us to push them open?  What spiritual gates beckon us?  Are they open or closed?

Gate at Mepkin Gardens

Are there small practices we can adopt to help us approach the gates?  Perhaps keeping a journal and then move to writing that novel. A practice of taking photographs can also serve as a journal.  Maybe we could try prayer once a day, and then progress to periodic prayer throughout the day.  We could skip one meal, instead of fasting for a whole day.  Small gates swing open to larger gates.