Last Friday night I was with my women ministers’ circle, a wonderful place of support in my life. Our theme for the evening was sharing about our foremothers and telling stories about the women who came before us and showing pictures if we had them. It stirred in me several levels of revelation about the [...]
Archive for June, 2006
Pay Attention!
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PRAYING a new poem by Mary Oliver (appears in Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality, Spring 2006) It doesn't have to be the blue iris, it could be weeds in a vacant lot, or a few small stones; just pay attention, then patch a few words together and don't try to make them elaborate, this isn't [...]
Apprentice to Beauty
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The phrase “apprentice to beauty” keeps coming up in my prayers and journaling time. I think that captures, at the very heart, this call to which I keep responding. Whether as writer, artist, spiritual director, teacher, dream-tender, wife, or friend, in crafting the art of my life I seek the wisdom and guidance of the [...]
Sign and Witness
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One of my favorite quotes comes from Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet: “There is only one thing you should do. Go into yourself. Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depths of your heart; confess to yourself whether you would have to [...]
Rule of Life
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When I first began my doctoral studies in Christian spirituality I had no real fondness for monasticism, I didn’t really get it at the time. Despite having always had a very contemplative nature, I did not understand how monastics make a difference in the world. It was while studying for my history exam that I [...]
Further Thoughts on the God of Play
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Maria Thompson’s comments on my post earlier about my koala dream and the playful nature of God, reminded me of the Hindu concept of lila (or someties leela) which means the playful creativity of God. It is a concept that Stephen Nachmanovitch discusses in his wonderful book titled Free Play: The Power of Improvisation in [...]
God the Dreamer
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I was on retreat this weekend at St. Placid Priory, a wonderful Benedictine women’s community in Lacey where I am an Oblate. It was our annual oblate weekend retreat. The retreat theme was inspired by the feast of Pentecost which Christian churches celebrated yesterday. I had an interesting prayer experience connected to my previous post [...]
Communal Altar Cloth
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Please visit our main website Creating Space to view larger images of the communal altar cloth we painted together at our May 2006 Gathering, facilitated by Amy Wyatt. It was a wonderful time! There you can also find dates for our 2006-2007 Monthly Gatherings resuming on Friday, September 8, 2006 from 9:45-12:30, at St. Joseph Church Parish [...]
Creativity and Social Transformation
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If in the Judeo-Christian tradition we believe that we were created in the image of God, a God who is continually at work bringing to birth the Universe and the God who “makes all things new” then why isn’t creativity something that gets more attention in our church communities? I think, in part, it is [...]
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