Abba Lot came to Abba Joseph and said: Father, according as I am able, I keep my little rule, and my little fast, my prayer, meditation and contemplative silence; and, according as I am able, I strive to cleanse my heart of thoughts: now what more should I do? The elder rose up in reply and stretched out his hands to heaven, and his fingers became like ten lamps of fire.  He said: Why not become fire? -Desert Fathers Someday, after we have mastered the winds, the waves and gravity, we shall harness for God energies of love. Then for

I have been having dreams lately of cellos.  The cello is my favorite instrument and I have always wanted to learn to play sometime in my life.  The first two dreams were brief:  In the first I am lying down on a bed and a man hands me a cello and tells me to play horizontally and I can beautifully and it brings me great pleasure.  In the second dream a woman is teaching me to play cello, she is very demanding but only because she knows I can play well, and my fingers get raw from pressing the strings. Yesterday morning I awoke from a dream

I have written here a few months ago of The Illumination of Dreams.  Dream-tending is one of my primary spiritual practices.  I deeply believe that our dreams are gifts from God originating in a wisdom that is far greater than our waking consciousness. Our dreams are not bound by the cognitive restrictions of our waking life–they speak in a different language from our usual linear and rational thinking, in the language of poetry and image and symbol.  They let us know how we really feel and think, not the way we pretend to think and feel and so help us to live more deeply from our authentic selves. 

It is just my husband and I to share our Sabbath meal tonight.  I have been very tired the last few days because of some hormonal stuff, so I got the ingredients for two of my favorite, easiest, and most comforting dishes with the recipes below.  The chicken is so simple and satisfying.  It is adapted from The Taste of the Season: Inspired Recipes for Fall and Winter by Diane Worthington (I love her cookbooks and have several).  She has you make a sauce at the end which I tried once but it didn’t work right and I discovered the chicken is

Hazelnut Chicken Breasts with Cranberry Cherry Sauce Prepare the sauce at least 3 hours ahead.  For the cranberry cherry sauce, bring 2 cups marsala wine and 1/2 cup dried tart cherries to a boil in a saucepan.  Simmer about 8-10 minutes to reduce the liquid.  Stir in 12 oz cranberries (fresh or frozen) and 12 oz cherries (fresh or frozen), 1 cup light brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons fresh minced rosemary.  Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for about 8-10 minutes while sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.  Let cool and refrigerate. At least two hours ahead, prepare 4 boneless skinless chicken

I am back from vacation, and wouldn’t you know it, the trip home exhausted me!  I always feel like I need a vacation at home to recover from my vacation away.  Maybe it’s because I am such a nester, or maybe it is because there is always a pile of things left undone when you return.  Lots of realities that felt good to let go of for a time, but others that I am glad to return to. The time away was renewing for me.  I realized before I left just how tired I was.  I have a chronic illness, so

With summer approaching, we also starting to receive a bounty of wonderful fruits and vegetables.  Farmers Markets in Seattle are opening again this month and I am eager to go tomorrow to the one in my Capitol Hill neighborhood and browse the wonderful array of locally crafted foods and talk to the people who actually are involved with growing and making the food.  Food is such a ripe place for reflection on the sacred art of living.  Cooking has the potential to be a deeply creative act , sharing a meal as a sacred time to break bread with friends and to