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Winter Wisdom

A major obstacle to creativity is wanting to be in the peak season of growth and generation at all times . . . but if we see the soul’s journey as cyclical, like the seasons. . . then we can accept the reality that periods of despair or fallowness are like winter – a resting time that offers us a period of creative hibernation, purification, and regeneration that prepare us for the births of spring. -Linda Leonard, from Call to Create : Celebrating Acts of Imagination One of the greatest gifts of the seasons to me as a writer and

November 18, 2010

Luminous Wisdom of Night

The darkness embraces everything, It lets me imagine a great presence stirring beside me. I believe in the night. -Rainer Maria Rilke, Book of Hours The Christian feasts of All Saints and All Souls on November 1st and 2nd honor the profound legacy of wisdom our ancestors have left to us and continue to offer. In some denominations, we celebrate and honor the dead for the whole month of November. In the Northern hemisphere the world is entering the dark half of the year. The ancient Celtic people believed this time was a thin space, where heaven and earth whispered to

October 26, 2010

Embraced by the Divine Mother

After writing this post yesterday morning about honoring the anniversary of my mother’s death I stepped into the day releasing expectations of what the hours ahead would hold and opened myself to how my mother might whisper to me across worlds. I arrived at my yoga class ten minutes early as is my habit to settle into a few moments of silence to begin this sacred time of entering the body’s wisdom. As I moved into the room there was an ethereal woman’s voice singing. Another student asked the teacher what music this was. “Hymns to the Divine Mother” she replied. I smiled and let the rise

October 20, 2010

Re-membering

I practice yoga at a beautiful place, it is a non-profit studio in Seattle thoroughly committed to making yoga accessible for everyone. They do amazing work bringing yoga to persons dying of AIDS, to veterans and refugees, to persons with disabilities. They also are wonderful at integrating yoga philosophy into their regular classes. Each month has a specific theme and instructors talk a bit about it at the start of class and then weave it throughout our practice together. I find that the principles of yoga consistently deepen my practice of Christian contemplative and monastic spirituality, opening new doors for me into the

October 19, 2010

Postcard from the Abbey: Surrender

October 13, 2010

“Surge like an ocean, don’t scatter yourself like a storm”

Search the Darkness Sit with your friends, don’t go back to sleep. Don’t sink like a fish to the bottom of the sea. Surge like an ocean, don’t scatter yourself like a storm. Life’s waters flow from darkness. Search the darkness, don’t run from it. Night travelers are full of light, and you are too: don’t leave this companionship. Be a wakeful candle in a golden dish, don’t slip into the dirt like quicksilver. The moon appears for night travelers, be watchful when the moon is full. -Rumi We are moving toward the dark half of the year, and unlike

October 11, 2010

Water, Wind, Earth, & Fire is a “Best Spiritual Book”!

I was very honored to find out yesterday that Water, Wind, Earth, & Fire: The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements was included on Spirituality and Practice’s list of Best Spiritual Books of 2010 (scroll down to Nature category). Their website says: Every year from the more than 300 books we review on this website, we choose 50 “best spiritual books.” These are the titles that have most impressed and inspired us, and since we only review books that we want to recommend to you for your spiritual journey, this selection actually represents the best of the best. Our full

October 8, 2010

Invitation to Poetry: Ode to Animal Wisdom

Welcome to Poetry Party #47! I select an image and suggest a theme/title and invite you to respond with your poems or other reflections. Scroll down and add your responses in the comments section below. Feel free to take your poem in any direction and then post the image and invitation on your blog (if you have one) and encourage others to come join the party! (permission is granted to reprint the image if a link is provided back to this post) Today is the Feast of St. Francis, the wonderful mystic who saw the wonder of God in all of creation.

October 4, 2010

Monk Manifesto now available in Spanish

I am very grateful to Nicolás Crespo for translating the Monk Manifesto into Spanish! Click here for a PDF version of the Manifiesto del Monje. Please feel free to pass it along to friends who might appreciate this. Manifiesto del Monje ¿Quieres unirte a mí para comenzar la revolución del monje? ¡Difundamos un compromiso con la contemplación, la compasión y la creatividad a lo largo y ancho del mundo! Monje: Del griego monachos, que significa solo o solitario, un monje en el mundo no vive apartado, sino inmerso en la vida diaria con una presencia plena y sin reservas, esforzándose siempre

October 3, 2010

Spiritual Directors International 2011: Cultivating Compassion

Registration for the Spiritual Directors International 2011 Conference on Cultivating Compassion in Atlanta April 28-May 1, 2011 is now available! There are always lots of wonderful reasons to attend. This year Betsey Beckman and I will be presenting the Friday night Plenary Session on Cultivating the Elements of a Compassionate Heart: The elements of earth, wind, fire and water have long been celebrated by sacred traditions as expressions of the divine. Join Betsey Beckman, MM, and Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, to actively participate in a variety of hands-on expressive arts experiences—both reflective and playful!—such as movement, song, image, story, and

October 3, 2010

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Winter Wisdom

Luminous Wisdom of Night

Embraced by the Divine Mother

Re-membering

Postcard from the Abbey: Surrender

“Surge like an ocean, don’t scatter yourself like a storm”

Water, Wind, Earth, & Fire is a “Best Spiritual Book”!

Invitation to Poetry: Ode to Animal Wisdom

Monk Manifesto now available in Spanish

Spiritual Directors International 2011: Cultivating Compassion

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