I see very few people in person now, but I cherish the connections via technology with the ones who mean the most to me. I treasure the responses to the little posts I offer. I savor the touch of my good spouse.
As for my spiritual biography - it is changing radically and I have decided to watch that process unfold for a while. I once centered myself in the life of the church, and in intentional retreats, as well as in all-too-brief sojourns into the natural world. Now, with retirement hastened by illness and the sequestering offered by winter, my theology is being deconstructed rapidly. I am no longer sustained by the physical presence of a well defined community or the intricate weaving of doctrine.
I am treasuring the email chats I have with a Buddhist cousin. I am exploring the wisdom from a variety of spiritual traditions. I am letting go of everything I once knew. I am resting more often and more deeply in uncertainty.
I welcome the sharing and prompting you offer here - thank you!.
I think embodied connection is something we have to work at intentionally, and you clearly do, and that helps you thrive despite all the challenges you deal with.
And this whole idea of spirituality as something that evolves is fascinating to me. Since I don't have a seminary education as you do, and am not a pastor as you are, I have never thought systematically about spirituality. Your experience makes it so clear: spirituality is something that changes as we change, and that is not a bad thing. I am inspired that you continue to learn and grow and explore. And to "rest deeply in uncertainty" takes courage, but will surely yield insights in time. Sometimes I think the best insights is to realize how much we don't and can never know.
Your posting today reminded me of this account by Ram Dass of his experiencing a stroke, (or "being stroked" as he would say), and what he learned from it about his own expectations of spiritual "attainment":
"The paramedics took me to the Kaiser hospital in Marin. As I was being wheeled in on the gurney, I was looking up at the pipes on the ceiling. Entering the emergency room, I thought, “This is a critical moment, and my mind isn’t on God!” Here I was, Mr. Spiritual, having a life-and-death experience. I should’ve been merging with God, with Maharaj-ji, not watching the pipes on the ceiling." This is from an article in Parabola at https://parabola.org/2021/01/31/stroked/
While it took him a long time, he managed to reframe that life-altering experience and to find the grace in it. I'm grateful for this reminder! And for the inspirations you offer from your journey!
As Jack Kornfield famously said, After the ecstasy, the laundry.... I love this Ram Dass story, and I remember being so inspired when I read Still Here. He had such a beautiful way of being humble and also really, really funny about his spiritual journey. And also his great love of life no matter what challenges he dealt with.
Thanks for reading these posts, and for coming along on the journey. I hope our paths cross again in person some day. <3
Like you, I think the challenge for some of us is to balance our need for solitude with a feeling of urgency that we need to help fix the world that seems to be falling apart. Interestingly, I just finished Jack Kornfield's book, "After the Ecstasy, the Laundry," and he stresses that we must have compassion for ourselves before we can help others.
I remember when I read Kornfield's After the Ecstasy, the Laundry years ago, and what a huge impact his teachings had on my thinking about my life and my path. I probably should read it again, as I'm sure I'd learn more! I believe that learning to embrace ourselves is critical to being able to be fully human and fully effective in whatever our work is in healing this battered world. Do you know Roshi Joan Halifax's work? Her book, Standing at the Edge, was very useful to me.
Susan, in case you might be interested, one of the books I read through 2023 in parallel with my daily journal was SCN's Linda Hasselstrom's "The Wheel of the Year: A Writer's Workbook," about writing through the 8 Celtic seasons. She has lots of good writing exercises in there, gives rich insights into everyday small occurrences in her rural life, and writes through two years. I'm reading the second year along with my writing and gleanings from last year's journal.
I see she's done an update since I got my copy in 2016 and has partnered with an area photographer with the new one. Their work together is exquisite. I'm tempted to get the updated version.
Linda was my first editor and she was my encourager in chief to not to give up on my memoir. Sending a hello to you from a snowy cold day in the Shenandoah Valley. Kudos on your endeavor!
Thanks for the recommendation, Mary Jo! Linda is a longtime writing friend, and I am glad that her Wheel of the Year has been so inspiring to you. I reviewed it when it first came out, and have enjoyed dipping into it since. She's persevered though some hard years, and I am glad she is still writing and walking and ranching, and gifting us all with her observations of her daily life! The updated version of The Wheel of the Year sounds like it is worth adding to my shelves. Hello back to you from a sunny day outside Santa Fe, with the snow blanket melting as the temperature warms up. May the frigid weather there moderate soon!
I don't think I've read Joan Halifax's book. I'll check it out. And Jack Kornfield gives talks on Monday night, sometimes once a month, through Spirit Rock. He's very inspiring.
My late husband took some mindfulness retreats with Jack and with Sharon Salzburg. He found both of them very inspiring teachers. I'm more attuned to the nature spirituality of Celtic teachings, I think, but I find the mindfulness teachings useful as well.
This is all very interesting. I consider myself essentially as an animist and all as inspirited. My practice, I realize, consists of anything I do to connect with or nurture earth’s sacred life force. Sounds a bit self-important put that way, but I truly believe that tending to my native plant garden, volunteering for land restoration activities and speaking to the trees, birds, animals and other nonhuman entities I encounter as I walk the landscape are all helpful ways of loving this beloved Earth.
Carmine, I agree with you. I think that what we do in our lives, the way we behave toward other species and this numinous planet, has great impact. For one thing, our actions influence others, and for another, I think that at the level of spirit and love, by doing good--tending your native plant garden, restoring land, and walking your talk in other ways--really does increase what Quakers call the Ocean of Light and Love around us. And that matters now more than ever.
I see very few people in person now, but I cherish the connections via technology with the ones who mean the most to me. I treasure the responses to the little posts I offer. I savor the touch of my good spouse.
As for my spiritual biography - it is changing radically and I have decided to watch that process unfold for a while. I once centered myself in the life of the church, and in intentional retreats, as well as in all-too-brief sojourns into the natural world. Now, with retirement hastened by illness and the sequestering offered by winter, my theology is being deconstructed rapidly. I am no longer sustained by the physical presence of a well defined community or the intricate weaving of doctrine.
I am treasuring the email chats I have with a Buddhist cousin. I am exploring the wisdom from a variety of spiritual traditions. I am letting go of everything I once knew. I am resting more often and more deeply in uncertainty.
I welcome the sharing and prompting you offer here - thank you!.
I think embodied connection is something we have to work at intentionally, and you clearly do, and that helps you thrive despite all the challenges you deal with.
And this whole idea of spirituality as something that evolves is fascinating to me. Since I don't have a seminary education as you do, and am not a pastor as you are, I have never thought systematically about spirituality. Your experience makes it so clear: spirituality is something that changes as we change, and that is not a bad thing. I am inspired that you continue to learn and grow and explore. And to "rest deeply in uncertainty" takes courage, but will surely yield insights in time. Sometimes I think the best insights is to realize how much we don't and can never know.
Thank you for being part of this community!
Your posting today reminded me of this account by Ram Dass of his experiencing a stroke, (or "being stroked" as he would say), and what he learned from it about his own expectations of spiritual "attainment":
"The paramedics took me to the Kaiser hospital in Marin. As I was being wheeled in on the gurney, I was looking up at the pipes on the ceiling. Entering the emergency room, I thought, “This is a critical moment, and my mind isn’t on God!” Here I was, Mr. Spiritual, having a life-and-death experience. I should’ve been merging with God, with Maharaj-ji, not watching the pipes on the ceiling." This is from an article in Parabola at https://parabola.org/2021/01/31/stroked/
While it took him a long time, he managed to reframe that life-altering experience and to find the grace in it. I'm grateful for this reminder! And for the inspirations you offer from your journey!
As Jack Kornfield famously said, After the ecstasy, the laundry.... I love this Ram Dass story, and I remember being so inspired when I read Still Here. He had such a beautiful way of being humble and also really, really funny about his spiritual journey. And also his great love of life no matter what challenges he dealt with.
Thanks for reading these posts, and for coming along on the journey. I hope our paths cross again in person some day. <3
Like you, I think the challenge for some of us is to balance our need for solitude with a feeling of urgency that we need to help fix the world that seems to be falling apart. Interestingly, I just finished Jack Kornfield's book, "After the Ecstasy, the Laundry," and he stresses that we must have compassion for ourselves before we can help others.
I remember when I read Kornfield's After the Ecstasy, the Laundry years ago, and what a huge impact his teachings had on my thinking about my life and my path. I probably should read it again, as I'm sure I'd learn more! I believe that learning to embrace ourselves is critical to being able to be fully human and fully effective in whatever our work is in healing this battered world. Do you know Roshi Joan Halifax's work? Her book, Standing at the Edge, was very useful to me.
Susan, in case you might be interested, one of the books I read through 2023 in parallel with my daily journal was SCN's Linda Hasselstrom's "The Wheel of the Year: A Writer's Workbook," about writing through the 8 Celtic seasons. She has lots of good writing exercises in there, gives rich insights into everyday small occurrences in her rural life, and writes through two years. I'm reading the second year along with my writing and gleanings from last year's journal.
I see she's done an update since I got my copy in 2016 and has partnered with an area photographer with the new one. Their work together is exquisite. I'm tempted to get the updated version.
Linda was my first editor and she was my encourager in chief to not to give up on my memoir. Sending a hello to you from a snowy cold day in the Shenandoah Valley. Kudos on your endeavor!
Thanks for the recommendation, Mary Jo! Linda is a longtime writing friend, and I am glad that her Wheel of the Year has been so inspiring to you. I reviewed it when it first came out, and have enjoyed dipping into it since. She's persevered though some hard years, and I am glad she is still writing and walking and ranching, and gifting us all with her observations of her daily life! The updated version of The Wheel of the Year sounds like it is worth adding to my shelves. Hello back to you from a sunny day outside Santa Fe, with the snow blanket melting as the temperature warms up. May the frigid weather there moderate soon!
I don't think I've read Joan Halifax's book. I'll check it out. And Jack Kornfield gives talks on Monday night, sometimes once a month, through Spirit Rock. He's very inspiring.
My late husband took some mindfulness retreats with Jack and with Sharon Salzburg. He found both of them very inspiring teachers. I'm more attuned to the nature spirituality of Celtic teachings, I think, but I find the mindfulness teachings useful as well.
This is all very interesting. I consider myself essentially as an animist and all as inspirited. My practice, I realize, consists of anything I do to connect with or nurture earth’s sacred life force. Sounds a bit self-important put that way, but I truly believe that tending to my native plant garden, volunteering for land restoration activities and speaking to the trees, birds, animals and other nonhuman entities I encounter as I walk the landscape are all helpful ways of loving this beloved Earth.
Carmine, I agree with you. I think that what we do in our lives, the way we behave toward other species and this numinous planet, has great impact. For one thing, our actions influence others, and for another, I think that at the level of spirit and love, by doing good--tending your native plant garden, restoring land, and walking your talk in other ways--really does increase what Quakers call the Ocean of Light and Love around us. And that matters now more than ever.