They walk a rustic, sandy footpath toward countless unknowns, flanked by mesquite trees, their branches intertwining overhead. In the searing, dry days of summer these branches can offer life-saving shade from the brutal Sonoran Desert sun for those on this passage paved in uncertainty. Here, near the Mexico/United States border, the Arivaca Creek Trail is…
Join us for the Pathways to Peace: Food as Relationship Retreat Jan. 24–26, 2025. Learn more and register on our website. “What would happen, for example, if we were to start thinking about food as less of a thing and more of a relationship?” —Michael Pollan Peace, as defined by the Earth Charter, is the…
Traversing a Franciscan Hiking Route I’m fortunate enough to work for an employer with a structured (and mandatory) sabbatical policy, so over this past month, I’ve been enjoying the blessing of rest. There’s been plenty of reading, a surprisingly fruitful period of writing, and increased time spent with my family, all without the lingering anxiety…
As we approach the beginning of a new year, I’ve been reflecting on simple actions that might just impact the state of the world. Jeremy Lent, a past speaker at Prairiewoods’ Spirituality in the 21st Century, extended an invitation to do just that! We invite you to engage his Pause for Peace. It’s simple! Stand…
I recently found a collection of nature essays by Thomas Merton called When the Trees Say Nothing: Writings on Nature, edited by Kathleen Deignan. The title really caught my attention. How can that be, I asked? The trees talk to me every day. I cannot imagine a world when they say nothing, one where we…
An essential principle of ecological spirituality is multi-disciplinary wisdom. It is a phrase that sounds academic and not particularly spiritual. Other words we might use for the same idea are interconnection and interdependence. It means that the path to flourishing for people and the planet has been laid by many hands over thousands of years.…
Just Sitting is related to the full moon, tides, and that idea that the earth is mostly water and so are we. So I thought it’s not hard to believe that the moon would impact our internal energies and water tides too—if we can tune into them. I call it “just sitting” as this is the…
When the temperatures drop, the number of hours of daylight shortens and a tree’s sugar intake is reduced, the leaves shine the most. We all marvel in the beauty of brilliant oranges, deep reds and bright yellow hues that the trees have been hiding under shades of green the entire season. Something about the changing…
“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself.” ―Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire…
Because of love I kneel down here— To a bird, a seed, a story. To a wildflower, a stream, a vision of The light cracking on sky Because of love I leave myself here— On the far side of the place where I thought I was going— Nearer to something that I cannot name, And…