Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims,
We are entering what the ancient Celtic tradition calls the dark half of the year. The feasts of Samhain, All Saints’, and All Souls’ Day coincide as we make a journey of descent into the gifts of darkness. Tomorrow, November 3rd, Simon de Voil and Polly Paton-Brown will lead our Contemplative Prayer Service on the theme of Mycelium.
Mycelium is the beautiful, root-like, branching, underground network of fungal systems that act, in part, as a communication highway for plants. Trees in particular communicate with one another through this mycorrhizal network, sharing information essential to their health and the health of the forest.
When we think of mycelium as it relates to our human lives, we can ask the questions, “Who do we belong to? How can we support our neighbors and community?”
During these Samhain days that the Celts consider a “thin time” the portal between words is especially open. We are invited to pause, reflect, and interact with our ancestors, many of whom may be buried deep in the living earth, wrapped in a web of roots and mycelium. We are invited to consider how we are communing with those who have gone before, and, how we are communing with our own soul.
During our Contemplative Prayer Service Simon and Polly will break open these questions with music, storytelling, silence, and reflection.
On Friday, November 7th we are excited to welcome Abbey Program Coordinator Melinda Thomas for a poetry reading to celebrate her new book Elements of Being: A Spiritual Memoir in Verse. This collection weaves imaginal elements and true events with personified voices of Earth, Water, Fire and Air. The poems move like seasons and walk between worlds to chart the sacred terrain of motherhood, mental illness, and joy. During this hour-long, free event Melinda will share poems, stories, and a meditation inviting you into communication with your soul-network.
Here is an excerpt from the beginning of Melinda’s book.
Fourth Voice: Earth
Weight of stone
Texture of soil and sand
Home to roots and rhizomes
that dispatch intelligence throughout
the community of forest and field.
She comes to me seeking solitude, wonder, provision—
all that is sacred and alive.
And I deliver the arc of seasons,
messenger spirits traveling on the backs
of raven, redwing and chickadee,
morning dew and mountains that expand her heart
for one more drop of love
bringing her back to those sad days when she stood
empty and grieving.
Only now she feels joy for she has learned my secret.
To live in this world,
to incarnate,
is to always walk with
Earth and Sky, Wind and Water, Fire and Air
sorrow and joy.
These are the elements of our Being
And I am Mother to you all.
~ by Melinda Thomas from Elements of Being
Join us Monday for our Contemplative Prayer Service and Friday for the Poetry Reading as we honor the mycelial web of interconnection with our ancestors, each other, and the earth.
With great and growing love,
Christine
Christine Valters Paintner, OblSB, PhD, REACE
Image: Paid license with Canva
