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Invitation to Poetry: Unknown

Our 14th Poetry Party!  I select an image and suggest a title and invite you to respond with your poems, words, reflections, quotes, song lyrics, etc.  Leave them in the comments or email me and I’ll add them to the body of the post as they come in along with a link back to your blog if you have one (not required to participate!)  I’ll add your contributions all week and then I will draw a name at random on Friday from everyone who participates and will send the winner a copy of my newest zine What is Blossoming Within You? This week’s photo is

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Sacred Artist Interview: David Ash

I met David through my dear friend and teaching partner Betsey Beckman. My husband and I went to the teahouse where her husband and son were performing music that night and we ended up sitting next to David.  He and his wife have been long-time friends with Betsey through their role as musicians.  We spent the evening listening to great music and enjoying David’s sense of humor as he told us about his new publishing adventure.  I was entranced by the way he has dedicated himself to this new work so singularly and passionately.  So with this week’s edition of the Sacred

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Abbey Bookshelf: Confession and Conversion Edition

On Monday I received a very disheartening email.  The bookstore at the Graduate Theological Union where I did my graduate studies will be closing its doors.  They simply can’t keep up with online retailers anymore.  It is such a fine source of theological resources and the fact that a university bookstore can’t stay open is very sad to me indeed. I think even sadder to me right now is recognizing my own culpability in this.  I buy a lot of books, and I buy most of them through Amazon.  I wholeheartedly believe in supporting independent bookstores and have often thought I would be

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Engaged Spirituality

Today’s reflection post is a hodge-podge of resources.  I am behind on a number of things as I try to finish up the winter quarter and get ready for a two-week pilgrimage back east at the end of March to visit family and friends.  More about that next week.  Beth at the Virtual Tea House is hosting a wonderful blog carnival about engaged spirituality.  Click over to read a wide variety of thoughtful posts submitted.  I shared a post I wrote a year and a half ago titled Widening Circles, it is still one of my favorites, click on the link to go revisit

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Sacred Arts Ring

Time for another lap around the Sacred Arts Ring to see what new treasures are scattered there.  Read on for a few selections.  First, welcome to the newest member — Tom Delmore at Crow’s Perch. Tom is a poet and fellow Seattleite.  Carrot Top Studio shares some Lenten book recommendations.  Tandaina at Snow on Roses shares a moving Lenten poem.   Sally at Eternal Echoes reflects on reclaiming Mary as the feminine face of God. Jacq’s Fibers shares some funky fiber postcards.  Kate at Thru My Lens Lightly offers some lovely images from her travels.  Kazi Dolezal at Circle the Divine writes about

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Sacred Artist Interview: Jan Richardson

I have been a fan of Jan Richardson‘s work for a long time.  Her books In Wisdom’s Path: Discovering the Sacred in Every Season and Night Visions: Searching the Shadows of Advent and Christmas are two of my favorites because of their combining of word and image. Unfortunately the latter of those two is only available used through Amazon now as very expensive copies (I helped Jan sell out of her own copies), but she is working on getting it re-printed. I also enjoy Sacred Journeys: A Woman’s Book of Daily Prayer, filled with Jan’s meaningful words.  She also has a

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Abbey Bookshelf: Shadow Work

“But when the shadow is given conscious recognition we will find that it has much of positive value to add to our personality, often giving us the earthiness, or instinctuality, or zest for living, or humility that is exactly what we need to complement our personality and become a complete human being.” -John A. Sanford, Dreams: God’s Forgotten Language (originally found at lucy’s) Tending Two Shops Don’t run around this world looking for a hole to hide in, There are wild beasts in every cave ! If you live with mice, the cat claws will find you. The only real rest comes

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Notes from New Orleans

I spent the last several days in New Orleans at a meeting for Loyola’s adjunct faculty in their ministry extension program.  I began this role in the fall so this was my first time at their campus, even though I used to do some group facilitation for them while living in the Sacramento Diocese.  It was a great trip in many ways.  There were four new faculty members this year and we were warmly welcomed by returning faculty. So much has been stirred in me from this trip.  Some of it has to do with witnessing the slow work of rebuilding

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6 Words

H.M. offered this 6 Word Memoir Meme to his readers: try to write your whole life story in just six words.  I am doing a slight variation, in that trying to encompass the whole of my life so succinctly feels overwhelming.  But while at this conference I am attending, someone asked me what is the fundamental message I try to convey in my retreat work.  I offered a longer version of the words below, and realized this is my own primary practice: making space for newness emerging within I’d love to hear your own six word memoir which you can leave

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