Meet Amma Winter. Amma is the title given to those sage women who lived in the desert in the 3rd century offering their wisdom to seekers. They lived in harsh and barren landscapes and so were intimate with the wilderness of the soul. Winter is a rescue, she entered our lives last week and has been slowly settling into the rhythm of life here at the Abbey. She has a heartbreaking story. She was abandoned with some other dogs on a farm and left to freeze to death. When the rescuers arrived she survived but her litter of puppies did not. Because of this she has trust issues with humans and was clearly abused. Yet, like most dogs, she really just wants a loving and safe space to call her own. My dogs have always been spiritual directors for me, wise guides and witnesses to the otherness of creation. Winter has already become an amma for me, offering her lessons in how to proceed slowly, to build trust, to begin healing a wounded heart.
We had to let our beloved Abbess Petunia go last November. We were going to wait longer to get another dog. But after my time in Vienna and being in the hospital with a pulmonary embolism – a frightening experience which deserves its own story another time – I sensed a deeper call in me to bring the gifts and challenges of the winter season to others. This has been a central part of my path for a while, but something shifted, broke open in a new way, and I discovered that inviting people into the wild and dark spaces of their lives with full presence is to be at the heart of what I do. I have long wanted to write a book called “A Midwinter God” about the what a winter spirituality looks like and the mystical tradition of unknowing. I knew I could resist this project no longer. Then I started to look online for a canine companion and quickly found Winter. Her name and her story called to me and I knew she was the Muse I was seeking.
It will take Winter time to grow in her sense of ease and to let her personality flower forth fully. I am honored to be a witness to this process. Welcome Winter. You are home now.
13 Responses
Welcome to gorgeous Amma Winter and what a wonderful place she has found to live. Spirit has her way for sure. with all of us.
And to think your dark moment of illness has opened up for all of us to face the winter side of our soul. St John of the Cross has rich poems to help us journey that dark night. His says: “though the path is plain and smooth for people of good will, those who walk it ,will not travel far, and will do so only with difficulty if they do not have good feet, courage and tenacity of spirit”
Yes we need the fiercness and courage to open to it. I look forward to my poem when it comes.
My abbess Millie a golden lab is very sick at the moment and we are both lying on the floor a lot and just holding and reassuring each other . .there are no words . . . too deep for that but the words will break free because words are my way through. Love and blessings to you all
Colleen keating
Hello,Winter. Will your name change at the vernal equinox?
Remember Princess Summer Fall Winter Spring from Howdy Doody?
Cheers,soul dog.
What a beautiful, touching post. I love how you see dogs as your spiritual directors — animals really do offer so much wisdom to us. My cats (also rescued) certainly give me more than I ever could expect.
I like how Amma Winter’s story is intersecting with your own, and I look forward to the book that arises from that place. Winter deserves to be broken open and honored– such a hard season, but with wonderful treasures below the surface.
Blessings to you, Christine.
Welcome Amma Winter! I’m sure she will in time feel right at home with all of your love and care.
I love The Midwinter God. I’m glad there are people who willing to lead and share their journey through the winter. It’s no acknowledged often, let alone talked about.
Blessings to you, to Tune’s spirit and to the lovely Winter.
“Winter Spirituality” poetic alone and yet so many images flashed through my mind. Best to you and Amma Winter.
A Midwinter God. What a title! This may be your magnum opus. How wonderful to be able to write and reach so many.
Christine: I admire the courage it takes for a conscious passage in the wild and dark places. Your openness to invite others to explore the unknowing means so much to me right now. I have been finding that is where God is.
Winter is beautiful, and she could not have found a more loving place for restoration. Your project sounds fascinating. Blessings.
What a lovely girl she is. Welcome home, winter.