As you read this, I’m trekking about the ancient lands of northeast Wales. I’ve arrived just in time to celebrate Lammas or Lughnasad on August 01. Lugh is the Celtic Sun god and August is his sacred month often celebrated in lively Fire Festivals. As I come to understand more the connections between Christianity and paganism, the more I…
Mindful walking has become an intergral part of my self-care and practice. Wherever I am, home or away, I look for suitable walking routes that eventually become daily journeys of letting go, miniature pilgrimages of sorts. Music or no music, podcasts or no podcasts, the little camera on my iPod, I’m lightly equipped to sing, dance, move, take photographs,…
I’m sitting out on the screened-in porch listening to the forest prepare for rain. It’s both sensual and removed sharing protected space from most of the elements. I can hear the breeze rise to a wind in the treetops, yet I don’t feel it against my skin. The young spring leaves, newly greening just this week, help turn the entire…
There is an especial quality of healing in the smell of baking bread. For me, it is not just any bread but the warm, yeasty smell of my mom’s homemade bread. It seems no matter what darkness enters into my life, the smell of her bread reminds me that somehow — however remote that how appears — all will be…
I’m sitting in front my screen, tapping absently at the keys trying to formulate a final paper for my Lutheran Confessions course. Nothing. I have plenty of material, but I have zero impetus to engage in medieval theology anymore. You would think a theology of grace would be liberating. But during the actual class, I found myself pulling my hair…
“If we remember that the German word for holy (selig) is the root of our word silly, we may be forced to make some pertinent connections.” — Mary Rose O’Reilly, Radical Presence: Teaching as Contemplative Practice It’s been a long, cold winter. I smile behind my wool scarf as I crunch over the snow and on down the road. It’s…
“…I was a stranger and you invited me in” -Jesus (Matthew 25:35b). To some, this little cabin looks the pristine picture of a perfect retreat. To others, it’s a bit far out of the way of civilization. To a few friends of mine, it’s the perfect horror movie setup, and I’m clearly trying to get myself killed by a) an…
All begins in darkness. In silence. In cold. In the beginning, there was light eventually but the Spirit hovered over the waters in darkness. While the chaos waters — tehom — raged about Her, I somehow enter the scene with the raging on mute. There’s silence. And it always feels cold. Creation feels cold to me. Light has not come…
“Every child, every person needs to know that they are a source of joy; every child, every person, needs to be celebrated. Only when all of our weaknesses are accepted as part of our humanity can our negative, broken self-images be transformed.” ~Jean Vanier, Becoming Human Dear Jean, After a 4:30am wakeup call, driving to Calgary, flying to…
“Compassion is not only relevant to those who are blameless victims, but also to those whose suffering stems from failures, personal weakness, or bad decisions. You know, the kind you and I make every day.” – Kristin Neff, Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind I’m sitting on the Embarcadero, San Francisco, watching the almost-full moon rise over…