MORE ABOUT ME
Spirit
At a Unitarian Universalist Minister's Association retreat I led my colleagues in a discussion on "spirituality", focused on heart-opening "awe": where and how we experience it, how it changes us, and whether and how we can nurture it in our own lives.
I consider experiences of awe absolutely essential to my own well being and to my ability to serve with authenticity and integrity in a ministerial capacity. I'm convinced that members of our Unitarian Universalist congregations would benefit from more opportunities to explore and share their own experiences.
As a panentheist/mystic I experience the presence of Divinity within each of us, woven through each day into activities as mundane as driving to work and taking the dogs for a walk. I experience it when I step outside and see the light of a new day; when I draw, paint, play my flute, read Rilke and Rumi and Joanna Macy; when I travel to beloved landscapes or discover new ones; when I blow bubbles, sit at a hospital bedside, chant, listen to music, paint, dance or do Reiki; when tears flow or laughter explodes; when I see fireflies or hear drums; when I bear witness to the faith journey of others; when I feel my heart open in forgiveness or trust; when I hug my children and recognize myself in a stranger...
Each of these experiences open me to life's incredible fragility and resilience, it's beauty and abundance. They bring focus to my place within a huge, complex system of realities and possibilities, opening me to gratitude and courage - the desire to help other people feel as connected, affirmed and empowered.
So the question I often ask myself and others (particularly during Spiritual Direction sessions) is: which contexts and practices help YOU feel that way?
I find time in and with nature incredibly transformative. The Berkshire Mountains in New York are very precious to me and I try to spend some time there each summer with my Fire Tribe. Daily gratitude practices help draw attention to the presence of Spirit in all times, places and beings, as does Deep Listening. Poi/Fire spinning is a form of embodied prayer I've taken up since 2017.
Congregational ministry was a potent form of spiritual practice, but it did not allow me consistent time for drawing and painting. So I started a practice of taken daily photographs of shadows and light, portals, hands, textures - allowing those images to speak for that place within me where words have no hold. For the last several years I've been taken a daily photograph with a monthly theme in mind or simply allowing myself to be drawn to what I see, to meditate upon it and invite Spirit to point out its meaning.
After leaving congregational ministry I started painting again, challenging myself to at least one 5x7 oil painting or sketch a day. Many of these are posted on my TendingSpirit Facebook page every morning, together with an original meditation or reflection. This has become both an important part of my spiritual practice and, as I have discovered, a form of ministry to those who may not "like" or comment, but who actively seek out those postings each morning.
Feel free to visit my FaceBook page, and to email me at [email protected] if you'd like to find out about my Spiritual Direction practice.
I consider experiences of awe absolutely essential to my own well being and to my ability to serve with authenticity and integrity in a ministerial capacity. I'm convinced that members of our Unitarian Universalist congregations would benefit from more opportunities to explore and share their own experiences.
As a panentheist/mystic I experience the presence of Divinity within each of us, woven through each day into activities as mundane as driving to work and taking the dogs for a walk. I experience it when I step outside and see the light of a new day; when I draw, paint, play my flute, read Rilke and Rumi and Joanna Macy; when I travel to beloved landscapes or discover new ones; when I blow bubbles, sit at a hospital bedside, chant, listen to music, paint, dance or do Reiki; when tears flow or laughter explodes; when I see fireflies or hear drums; when I bear witness to the faith journey of others; when I feel my heart open in forgiveness or trust; when I hug my children and recognize myself in a stranger...
Each of these experiences open me to life's incredible fragility and resilience, it's beauty and abundance. They bring focus to my place within a huge, complex system of realities and possibilities, opening me to gratitude and courage - the desire to help other people feel as connected, affirmed and empowered.
So the question I often ask myself and others (particularly during Spiritual Direction sessions) is: which contexts and practices help YOU feel that way?
I find time in and with nature incredibly transformative. The Berkshire Mountains in New York are very precious to me and I try to spend some time there each summer with my Fire Tribe. Daily gratitude practices help draw attention to the presence of Spirit in all times, places and beings, as does Deep Listening. Poi/Fire spinning is a form of embodied prayer I've taken up since 2017.
Congregational ministry was a potent form of spiritual practice, but it did not allow me consistent time for drawing and painting. So I started a practice of taken daily photographs of shadows and light, portals, hands, textures - allowing those images to speak for that place within me where words have no hold. For the last several years I've been taken a daily photograph with a monthly theme in mind or simply allowing myself to be drawn to what I see, to meditate upon it and invite Spirit to point out its meaning.
After leaving congregational ministry I started painting again, challenging myself to at least one 5x7 oil painting or sketch a day. Many of these are posted on my TendingSpirit Facebook page every morning, together with an original meditation or reflection. This has become both an important part of my spiritual practice and, as I have discovered, a form of ministry to those who may not "like" or comment, but who actively seek out those postings each morning.
Feel free to visit my FaceBook page, and to email me at [email protected] if you'd like to find out about my Spiritual Direction practice.