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.…
A virus that attacks respiration has many of us focusing on our breath. In his recent essay on “The Meaning of Air,” Boyce Upholt takes us through a journey of the chemical composition of air, its place in natural and cultural evolution, and the disproportionate and deleterious effects of Industrial Era pollution on communities of…
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…
What hearkens to us in these disillusioned days following a bitterly divided election, when the aches and hollow places left by familial relationships and friendships torn asunder leave us desolate and perplexed? Is there a balm in Gilead for what ails us? A voyage into the imaginal realm, where mythic storytelling, music, art, dance and…
Inspirited with gratitude during this beautiful month of November, poised in the season of harvest, deeply breathing the crisp air that animates our anticipation of the holiday season, we long for grounding. Grounding energy invites us to hold our center amid these tumultuous times and difficult decisions swirling about how and with whom we will…
There are still many people who haven’t yet recovered from Aug. 10th’s derecho. It was the first storm of its kind for many in Iowa and has been designated as the nation’s most destructive natural disaster in 2020. We’ve endured many storms, and not all of them physical. The poem “Onto a Vast Plain” by…
Have you ever been awed by the balletic panorama of starlings flying in vast, undulating, geometric patterns across the sky (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnndQgIUraQ)? These astounding acrobatic formations are called “murmurations,” when hundreds or even thousands of starlings create dynamic, swooping, intricately coordinated patterns, formed over the flocks’ communal roosting site. Among other purposes, their unchoreographed ballet serves as mutual…
“Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.” —Zen Proverb In any kind of spiritual practice, whether that be prayer, routine meditation or silent retreat, we might glean sudden wisdom or understanding for something that previously had us feeling stuck. No matter how profound the discovery, life will give…
This weekend we “control time” as we set our clocks back one hour to facilitate more efficient energy use. Nature ever so gently invites us to consider the unitive energy between darkness and light. Between the full moon and the vibrant, red dawn, sacred, liminal space exists. So, too, our nation has been marking time…
The topic for the day was “faith journey.” I wrote this poem some time ago for a gathering of the Women in Interfaith Dialogue, a group that has been meeting for many years at Prairiewoods (now virtually). I share it here in honor of the Interfaith Women, hoping that we are finding nourishment for body,…