Christine Valter Paintner’s beautiful four-minute reflection, Praise Song for the Pandemic, might offer us words for the gratitude we sense most deeply these months. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCYoikGaI6U —Ann Jackson, PBVM, Prairiewoods spiritual services coordinator
Five years ago, my husband and I bought our first home, relishing the joys of our own walls, our own lawn, our own silence. And for five springs, I’m ashamed to say, we have rushed through our lives, barely aware of the natural world that also calls this plot of land home. (We only seemed…
“The horizon leans forward, offering you space to place new steps of change.” —Maya Angelou I began working from home on March 19. Since then, I have been mostly at home, self-isolating and having minimal in-person interaction with the rest of the world. Working from home has meant long days at my computer or on…
On the days leading to Beltane, the Celtic May Day, I walked through the forest wishing for Beltane songs, wishing I knew the ancient words my ancestors would’ve sung to celebrate the season of fertility and new life. I found myself humming one morning, and spontaneously singing the opening of an old favorite song, “Feeling…
“It’s strange to be here. The mystery never leaves you alone.” —John O’Donohue Spirituality is defined as “the quality of being concerned with the human spirit as opposed to physical or material things.” Thank you, Oxford, we forgive you. That definition no longer works for millions of souls who have ceased to separate the two,…
“Love alone is not enough. Without imagination, love stales into sentiment, duty, boredom. Relationships fail not because we have stopped loving but because we first stopped imagining.” —James Hillman, The Force of Character: And the Lasting Life, 2012 “Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can, No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of…
These times are inviting us to share our stories. I keep getting that message over and over again. This past weekend, Sharon Blackie, our Spirituality in the 21st Century presenter, spoke about myth and story. Her storytelling of “The Handless Maiden” felt divinely timed, gently inviting us through story into exploration of these crazy, enchanting times…
Seeking wisdom for systemic change, I’ve recently been reading and listening to a wise voice alive and well today—David Korten, self-described “author, speaker, engaged citizen.” David offers a frank query: “We will prosper in the pursuit of life, or we will perish in the pursuit of money. The choice is ours.” Captivated by the paradox…
In September 2016, I got a tattoo (my first and only, so far). I had considered getting inked before but had never found any symbol or phrase that I could imagine still wanting on my body when I am 70 or 80 years old. But in the summer of 2016, my beloved grandmother, who I…
This past weekend, Prairiewoods held our annual conference, Spirituality in the 21st Century. Our facilitator, mythologist Sharon Blackie, used a fairytale as a focal point for the themes we discussed. The tale, “The Handless Maiden,” tells the story of an innocent young woman whose hands are cut off to protect her frightened father, who has…