What Dreams May Come?

“To be, or not to be—that is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep— No more—and by a sleep to say we end The heartache, and the…

Longing

“Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.” “Sense the deep resonance of your longing. Invite Great Spirit’s longing to ground you in what you are being called to transform in life.” These opening lines of a recent, world-wide meditation dropped me levels deep into meditation while strolling through the woods at Prairiewoods one evening at dusk.…

This Black Life Matters

Nine years ago, my husband and I moved from Chicago to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to be closer to family. Several weeks after we moved here, we went to a popular family-run breakfast restaurant. We waited in line for a table, only to have the four parties behind us get seated while we were ignored. When…

Interesting Times

“Hope is holding in creative tension all that is, with everything that could and should be, and each day taking some action to narrow the distance between the two.” —Parker J. Palmer “May you live in interesting times” is supposedly an ancient curse, although its origins are foggy. Still, we know why it is called…

Nature Photography as Self-Portrait

I am practicing nature photography as a prayerful experience and I’ve learned so much from two wonderful books by Christine Valters Paintner, The Soul’s Slow Ripening: 12 Celtic Practices for Seeking the Sacred and Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice. Both books are excellent. I’m also deepening my contemplative photography practice…

Hope Flows Freely

What is hope? We often think of hope (or the lack thereof) as a feeling we experience as we move toward a desired outcome. Valentin Tomberg, a French mystic, scholar and hermeticist, asserts that hope is not nearly that limited. In his view, it is more like “a light-force which radiates objectively and which directs…

Words for Today

NOT Domination. Cooperation. Collaboration. Co-Creation. Connection. Communion. We grow deeper together. We are One. Like the vast mycelial network connecting the trees beneath the surface, we are One. In the words of ecologian Thomas Berry, “That the universe is a communion of subjects rather than a collection of objects is the central commitment of the…

Peonies

Dear Prairiewoods friends, A few years ago, I planted a peony bush in my little yard. This year it is blooming for the first time—there are two blooms! I am beyond excited! Have you ever nuzzled your face into the face of a Peony? It’s, like, the best thing ever; it’s like a silky flower kiss…