Transitionary Time

Here in the magnificent Pacific Northwest, the last few days have been a falling back and forth between seasons, a wild gyration between the tomb of winter and the fresh life of spring.    Nature reminds us, as she does every year, that the interplay between death and life is vital, regular, and right.   This …

Landscape of the Soul – Retreat, May 11-13

Hello Friends. I trust that Winter has provided you times of inner reflection that you needed, and that you've found new hope emerging in you as you move toward the renewing energy of Spring.   May God bless you richly in that journey from death back into life. Several of you joined us for The Celtic …

Henry David Thoreau

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

Rumi – on Silence

"This silence, this moment, every moment, if it's genuinely inside you, brings what you need. There's nothing to believe. Only when I stopped believing in myself did I come into this beauty. Sit quietly, and listen for a voice that will say, 'Be more silent.' Die and be quiet. Quietness is the surest sign that you've died. Your …

Suffering Isn’t

Since I wrote the post called "Suffering Is", I've been pondering my own ponderings.  In that post I suggested that, to be fully alive, we must embrace the reality of suffering and incorporate it into the life-journey.  Otherwise, we spend our energy navigating around suffering instead of being present to what is.  I still think that is true.  But …

Suffering Is

Suffering is.  There is no escape from suffering, and if you live with your eyes open then suffering is available on a daily, dare I say hourly, basis.  Sometimes it visits as a horrible crisis or tragedy.  Sometimes it whispers from the walls of an empty room saying "you are alone".  And sometimes it arrives …

Kabir – The Drop and the Sea

I went looking for Him And lost myself; The drop merged with the Sea – Who can find it now? Looking and looking for Him I lost myself; The Sea merged with the drop – Who can find it now?

Prayer of St. Francis

This prayer is often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi although that connection is unproven.  It has been used in many forms and has assisted many in their prayerful journey.  Alcoholics Anonymous uses a form of this prayer in recovery work.  We all need this kind of "recovery". Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is …

Silence II – Elaine Maria Upton

Silence is not a lack of words. Silence is not a lack of music. Silence is not a lack of curses. Silence is not a lack of screams. Silence is not a lack of colors or voices or bodies or whistling wind. Silence is not a lack of anything. Silence is resting, nestling in every …

The Sacrament of Waiting – Macrina Wiederkehr

Slowly she celebrated the sacrament of letting go. First she surrendered her green, then the orange, yellow, and red finally she let go of her brown. Shedding her last leaf she stood empty and silent, stripped bare. Leaning against the winter sky she began her vigil of trust. Shedding her last leaf she watched its journey to …