My Soul In Silence Waits

Change is Inevitable …

The word change normally refers to new beginnings. But the mystery of transformation more often happens not when something new begins, but when something old falls apart. The pain of something old falling apart—chaos—invites the soul to listen at a deeper level, and sometimes forces the soul to go to a new place. Most of us would never go to new places in any other way. (more…)

The Buoyancy of Hope (COVID Vaccine) …

May it be Your will, Lord our God and God of our ancestors that this endeavor bring healing, for You are the generous healer. Siddur Edot HaMizrach from Assorted Blessings and Prayers (Hebrew Text) A Prayer for Receiving the COVID Vaccine I have been praying for this day and now it is here!With great excitement, a touch of trepidationAnd with deep gratitudeI give thanksTo all the scientists who…

Earth Teach Me Freedom (Earth Day) …

Earth, teach me freedom   as the eagle which soars in the sky.Earth, teach me regeneration    as the seed which rises in the spring.Earth, teach me to forget myself    as melted snow forgets its life. Earth, teach me to remember kindness   as dry fields weep with rain. — Ute prayer from Earth Blessings: Prayers, Poems and Meditations   I assert that the man who should know the true history of the…

Easter Is A Festival Of Human Solidarity …

Human beings are like parts of a body,created from the same essence.When one part is hurt and in pain,the others cannot remain in peace and be quiet.If the misery of others leaves you indifferentand with no feelings of sorrow,You cannot be called a human being.Saadi See no stranger has become a practice that defines my relationships … Seeing no stranger begins in wonder. It is to look upon the…

The Fertile Soil In Which Something New Can Grow (Easter Meditation) …

It’s not only moving that creates new starting points. Sometimes all it takes is a subtle shift in perspective, an opening of the mind, an intentional pause and reset, or a new route to start to see new options and new possibilities.Kristin Armstrong For most of my life I have struggled to find God, to know God, to love God. I have tried hard to follow the guidelines of the spiritual life—pray…

There Is A Balm In Gilead …

Blessed are you in whom the light lives, in whom the brightness blazes— your heart a chapel, an altar where in the deepest night can be seen the fire that shines forth in you in unaccountable faith, in stubborn hope, in love that illumines every broken thing it finds.Jan Richardson from Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons At times, it’s hardship that opens us, like a shovel…

The Hill We Climb …

When day comes we ask ourselves,Where can we find light in this never-ending shade?The loss we carry,a sea we must wadeWe braved the belly of the beastWe’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peaceAnd the norms and notionsof what just isIsn’t always just-ice.Continue reading

Prayer for Courage & Compassion (Morning Prayer) …

Abandon the urge to simplify everything, to look for formulas and easyanswers, and begin to think multidimensionally, to glory in the mysteryand paradoxes of life, not to be dismayed by the multitude of causes andconsequences that are inherent in each experience—to appreciate the factthat life is complex. — M. Scott Peck from The Road Less Traveled   For Courage Know that you are not aloneAnd…

Something Infinitely Richer (New Year’s Meditation) …

We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives … not looking for flaws but for potential.― Ellen Goodman   Interruption Is God’s Invitation We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our…

Dwell In Possibility (Christmas Meditation) …

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until…

Time To Go Into The Dark (Winter Solstice) …

Time to go into the darkwhere the night has eyesto recognize its own.There you can be sureyou are not beyond love.— David Whyte from The House of Belonging (Sweet Darkness)   We risk the life we’ve known to discover something new . . . The unknown territory will open before us only to the extent that we turn our whole being courageously toward it . . . And then we must venture wherever the road…

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.—1 John 4:7–8   The beginning and end of everything is love. Only inside of this mystery of the exchange of love can we know God. If we stay outside of that mystery, we cannot know God.— Richard Rohr (adapted from Love Is the…

Joy (Advent Meditation) …

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. — Isaiah 43:18–19

  I am so thirsty for the marvelous that only the marvelous has power over me. Anything I can not transform into something marvelous, I let go. ― Anais Nin from The Diary of Anais Nin

 Burning Man…

Peace (Advent Meditation) …

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.  —Matthew 5:9

  In our joy, we think we hear a whisper. At first it is too soft. Then only half heard. We listen carefully as it gathers strength. We hear a sweetness. The word is Peace. — Maya Angelou from Amazing Peace

  Peace is not just about the absence of conflict; it’s also about the presence of justice. Martin Luther…

Hope (Advent Meditation) …

Because when all is said and done, the last word is Immanuel — God With Us. — Isaiah 8:10, The Message

  Hope and Fear cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Invite one to stay. Invite one to stay. — Maya Angelou from Sacred Threshold by Paula D’Arcy

  A Pilgrimage of Discovery

There are no manuals for the construction of the individual you would like to become. You are the only one who can…

Eagle Poem (Gratitude) …

With deep gratitude to all those who have supported me so generously this year.  I was deeply moved by your generosity and very grateful for the support.  Your contributions are appreciated and have encouraged me to keep posting.  My gratitude goes beyond words.  Thank you.  

  Eagle Poem

To pray you open your whole self To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon To one whole voice that is you. And…

2020 Preparing for Advent

Ideally, a human life should be a constant pilgrimage of discovery. The most exciting discoveries happen at the frontiers. When you come to know something new, you come closer to yourself and to the world. Discovery enlarges and refines your sensibility. When you discover something, you transfigure some of the forsakenness of the world.

John O’Donohue from Eternal Echoes

It has been quite a…