“For it is not knowing much, but realising and relishing things interiorly, that contents and satisfies the soul.” ~St. Ignatius of Loyola Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, This Friday, August 28th we are delighted to welcome Wisdom Council member Dena Jennings who will lead us in a retreat on Ignatian Contemplation—a means of seeking deeper understanding of the scriptures through our senses. Dena offers this reflection. Imagine that you are in the stories of the Gospels— not reading or hearing the Gospels, but actually imagine yourself in the stories. As the life of Jesus of Nazareth, from his birth to his ascension, unfold in

For Trust in Abundance*Spirit of Generous Abundance,remind us there is always more than enough—enough food, enough love, enough time, enough resources.Help us to see how our disconnected patterns of livingamplify our scarcity.Bring us into the joy and challenge of communitywhere bread divided multiplies, where laughter shared overflows.Empower us to share freely from our own abundancewith others in need. Slow us down to see how time expandswhen we breathe and pay attention.Bless us in our efforts to trustin your goodness and love pulsing through the world,sustaining it moment by moment.Give us the courage to speak outwhen resources are distributed unfairlyso that

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, Blessings at this time of Lughnasa which is the Celtic festival to mark the beginning of harvest and time of gathering in.  Lughnasa is a time to gather in and to reap what has been sown. The other side of the wheel from Lughnasa is Imbolc, February 1st, when the very first signs of spring started to rumble awake on the earth. In these last six months, we have seen a cycle of flourishing and fecundity, both around us and perhaps also within.  It is sometimes thought of as the time of “first fruits”

For Rest on the Sabbath*Sanctifier of holy rest,on the seventh day you paused,laying down the work of creation,and entered into sacred stillness.Let us remember we were freed from slaveryin Egypt and you continue to call usto be people of liberation.Kindle in us the strength to say noto a world of perpetual busyness.Inspire us to set aside our plansand goals to receive the lavish giftof rest for ourselves,to rediscover the paradise within.Let the Sabbath be a time of profound renewal,a gushing forth of the holy well,a time of intimate connection with you,and a rekindling of our sacred desires to be of

Summer Solstice Blessing*Radiant One,creator of the cosmosand the luminaries which light our way,bless this day of longest lightand the gift of the sunto bring warmth to our livesand abundance of growth,sweetness of blueberries,refreshment of lemons,nourishment of kaleand a thousand other kinds of food.We sing in gratitudealong with the sparrows and robinsrising each morningto celebrate another day.Help us rememberthe universe came into being14 billion years ago,with ancient skies unfurling,stars spilling across the heavens,and manifesting in every living thing.Light is our inheritance,calling us to be bearers of radiance,bringing new lifefrom the fertile darkness. Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, In the northern hemisphere