Happy Juneteenth! Observation of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day continues since 1865 to spread across the United States and beyond. Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. A growing awareness of this celebration in cities across the country invites us to reflect how oppressive racism and pervasive violence imprisons. Amid…
Each week I look forward to the Tuesday Prayer Experience Series. It is a special and sacred time, made even more beautiful and powerful by a lovely and unique group of people praying together. All are welcome, and each week we have a unique prayer experience with a unique group of people (some newcomers and…
Has pausing and social distancing awakened in you a call to something more? Are you called to a new way of being? Is there a feeling in your heart that you can’t quiet? In his book of blessings, poet John O’Donohue offers wisdom on crossing “thresholds.” Thresholds are places of transition and change that call…
“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…
“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.…
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…
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…
The content of today’s blog comes from Bob Engler and Carol Nilles, great friends of Prairiewoods. They are using this Gratefulness.org video, A Grateful Day with Brother David Steindl-Rast, for daily prayer. Its opening question, “Do you think this is just another day in your life?” invites us to be mindful of all of the…
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. —John 14:18 There is a wonderfully songful prayer chant inspired by the scripture passage from John 14:18 called “I Will Not Leave You Comfortless” by Jan Phillips from her album All the Way to Heaven. This song is such a comfort and can be…
The following is a dipping of the toe by a perpetually novice wisdom seeker with early onset overly active mind syndrome who has several wonderful teachers and countless others. I have been thinking a lot about the term self-isolation recently. The question I ponder is why, when combined, these two terms (i.e., self and isolation)…