Prophets, storytellers, sages, spiritual writers, poets and artists are calling us to the wild side! It is time to launch ourselves into the arms of the Beloved, to allow our full sensorium to embrace the numinous world (David Abram, The Spell of the Sensuous, Perception and Language in a More-than-Human World, 1996). Spiritual author Cynthia Bourgeault has reminded us…
These trees have been my friends for years. Seeing them broken was difficult for me. I look for signs of hope and peace in the Creation around me, one day at a time, where life is adapting. STILL Within the limbs of the locust, the spire of the pine lies broken. Yet, the pine…
One of my favorite books of all time is Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom by John O’Donohue. He writes that “time as a rhythm of soul has an eternal dimension where everything is gathered and minded. Here nothing is lost. This is a great consolation: The happenings in your life do not disappear.…
While on the Spiritual Renewal Day, I was walking at Prairiewoods on the afternoon of Nov. 9, 2020, and as always when I’m there, the beauty of God’s Creation struck me. I had every intention of going to the labyrinth and walking the labyrinth, one of my favorite things to do. However, God had something…
In March, Prairiewoods staff wrote a response plan that envisioned the need to respond to varying stages of how the coronavirus pandemic might manifest locally. We have done our best to be responsive and responsible in decision-making about how available Prairiewoods is to guests and visitors—and to safeguard the health of all our staff. While…
The Killdeer is a bird that lays its nest on the ground, a couple of brown-spotted gray eggs in a raised hole of roots and stems, in the middle of a field. When you approach, they act wounded in an attempt to draw your attention away from what they are really concerned about. For thousands…
On Sunday, we came together with six other area organizations to host the first of three seasonal Treasuring Our Trees events. Nearly 100 individuals and families joined us via Zoom to honor our beloved trees and our deeply felt connection to them. It was a time of song and poetry, of ritual for mourning and…
Today a tree along the Cosmic Walk trail at Prairiewoods offers us a visual meditation on finding new meaning in the midst of chaos. Please spend some time visually reflecting with this rare tree. What wisdom does it offer you today? As we all strive to discover meaning within world circumstances, we note the words…
Lightning bugs spark my way. There in the darkness but unseen in the light. Nature’s light, chaotic and beautiful. Temporary and divine in their definition of impermanence that defines all. Firefly flash in space bright and bold. Cold fire without heat. Advancing and exploring. Here then there but still showing “… the way, and the…
What are you noticing as we begin the autumn season? What are you seeing, now several weeks after the derecho storm? I am noticing trees and stumps and so much beauty. The forest in my neighborhood has opened up again. As I move along with the trees, the light pours in. The canopy is open…