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Ancient Wisdom of the Heart – A Practice for Lent

Listen to the long stillness: New life is stirring New dreams are on the wing New hopes are being readied: Humankind is fashioning a new heart Humankind is forging a new mind God is at work. This is the season of Promise. -Howard Thurman A week from Wednesday the Lenten journey begins. On Ash Wednesday we always hear the words of the prophet Joel: “Return to me with your whole heart.” Lent is an invitation toward whole-heartedness. The heart is an ancient metaphor for the seat of our whole being – to be whole-hearted means to bring our entire selves

February 8, 2010

Stirring in the Belly

Monastic practice offers me the gift of paying attention to the seasons of the day and the year. February 1st is a potent time. On the Celtic wheel of the year it is Imbolc (meaning “stirring in the belly”) which is one of the cross-quarter days falling between the Solstice and the Equinox. Imbolc marks the first day of spring, the time when the very beginning of earth’s stirrings and awakenings from winter can be seen. In Christian tradition it is the Feast of St. Brigid (an Irish Saint who is associated with fire) and on February 2nd is Candlemas

February 1, 2010

Visual Meditation: Gathering Flock

Creation tells me a story – this is what beauty is for – it whispers, to soothe your wearied spirit, to enliven you, to invite you into dancing once again, to imagine gathering with a whole flock of kindred spirits who journey alongside you in grief and delight, who don’t ask you to be anywhere other than where your pulsing heart carries you right now. Sabbath begins for me this evening, a time when I can surrender into the restoration this time offers, a time to simply be and delight in my flock. Shabbat Shalom to all of the kindred

January 29, 2010

Lost

** Stop by last Monday’s post to find out more about 50% for Haiti ** © Christine Valters Paintner at Abbey of the Arts: Transformative Living through Contemplative & Expressive Arts

January 28, 2010

Let it Be Winter Still

I wrote this poem in my journal on Sunday and discovered this morning that a former student died suddenly yesterday. I offer this here in honor of Rob and for all those who are grieving for a multitude of losses: ___________________________________________ *** Let it Be Winter Still Let it be winter a while longer, Let darkness be my closest companion cradling me in her inky velvet shawl. Let the owl cry softly from his place among the long aching branches, under the bone-white face of the moon. Let my heart break for the dead in Haiti, buried under collapsed stone

January 26, 2010

Pondering

I have been feeling tired this week, unwell, my body feels tender and fatigued and so I am taking extra care of myself. My spirit is also feeling tender, in part because my body is vulnerable, but also because of the tragic events in Haiti, my mother-in-law’s gradual decline with dementia, and some much smaller personal struggles where I am being called to stand in my own strength in ways that are stretching me. I find myself drawn back again and again to this statue I posted last week (the images below are close-ups). I am so moved by the

January 21, 2010

Visual Meditation: A Place of the Heart

I grew up in New York City where my father worked for the United Nations. He was half Latvian (father’s side) and half Austrian (mother’s side) and at age 12, during World War II, he had to flee Riga where he was raised to go to Vienna and live with his grandparents. For my entire time growing up he would identify as Austrian (never talking about his Latvian roots) and we traveled regularly to Vienna in the summers where until I was 8 we had an apartment. The last time I visited was when I was 19 until two summers

January 18, 2010

“I need to be silent / for a while”

All beings are words of God, His music, His art. Sacred books we are, for the infinite camps in our souls. Every act reveals God and expands His being. I know that may be hard to comprehend. All creatures are doing their best to help God in His birth of Himself. Enough talk for the night. He is laboring in me; I need to be silent for a while, worlds are forming in my heart. -Meister Eckhart It has been a full week and I find myself longing for less words, more silence. The photo above is of a marvelous

January 14, 2010

Invitation to Poetry: Words for the Heart

Welcome to our Poetry Party #43! I select an image and suggest a theme/title and invite you to respond with your poems or other reflections. Add your responses in the comments section. Feel free to take your poem in any direction (ie, you can break the “rules” suggested below) 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) On Friday, January 15th, I will draw a name at random from those who participate and send

January 11, 2010

The Exquisite Tenderness of Bodies

This article also appeared over at Patheos (click on the link and to the right of my piece you can see a whole list of articles for their discussion this week on religion & the body): Here I am. This is the body-like-no-other that my life has shaped. I live here. This is my soul’s address. -Barbara Brown Taylor, An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith Two summers ago I was traveling in Austria and visited the tiny village of Hallstatt. Perched between a mountain and a lake, Hallstatt is best known for its early Celtic heritage and

January 7, 2010

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Ancient Wisdom of the Heart – A Practice for Lent

Stirring in the Belly

Visual Meditation: Gathering Flock

Lost

Let it Be Winter Still

Pondering

Visual Meditation: A Place of the Heart

“I need to be silent / for a while”

Invitation to Poetry: Words for the Heart

The Exquisite Tenderness of Bodies

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