The Many Names of Rain
It’s raining. You live in the Pacific Northwest and it’s November, you say. Of course it’s raining. Winter is coming—or is here, depending on whose calendar you’re asking. And winter means rain, here on the northwest coast of the United States. But where I was born and where the landscape of my heart was carved, […]
Rest for God’s Beloved–That’s You!
“It is in vain that you get up early and go to bed late, eating the bread of anxious toil. For God gives restful sleep to the beloved.” (Psalm 127:2) I used to go on retreat with a congregation of Roman Catholic religious sisters. One retreat in particular stands out in my mind. At the […]
Might Your House Be Your Temple?
I’ve written here and elsewhere about the practice of building altars. About how they are little (or not so little!) centers of attention. I’ve posted photos of what my personal working altar looked like. I’ve shared the experience of gathering things that are meaningful and arranging them in ways that are evocative. This week, though, […]
Let’s Begin Again, In Love
I’ve never been exactly sure what “beginner’s mind” is. Nonetheless, I know about the struggle to be a beginner, just to let myself learn and grow and take steps as small as I need them to be to keep moving. I know a lot about that struggle. And maybe it doesn’t need to be a […]
What We Touch Changes
She changes everything She touches / And everything She touches changes. / Change us, touch us. / Touch us, change us. Those lines, originally written by the theologian and Pagan leader, Starhawk, have been my theme for the morning. And they might be a theme for you if you’re stuck in your practice or wondering […]
One Newsletter, A Thousand Thanks
Behind the scenes at The Way of the River, I learned something very important this past week. I knew it was going to have been important, but I didn’t have the faintest idea how. As those of you who receive the newsletter, Reflections, know, this past week was a very intense love letter. I wrote […]
Altars and Figurine Displays
I love altar-making because it is a concrete representation and focus for spiritual concerns. One altar has been a table with plants on it, just as anyone might have. What made this one different was that the plants’ arrangement was around a small statue of Gaia, one of the many Goddesses of Earth. But obvious […]
Guest Post | Befriending Death: A Meditative Spiritual Practice
My Unitarian Universalist colleague, Karen Johnston, has graciously agreed to post on The Way of the River. Her wisdom and compassion—born of a committed Buddhist practice—consistently impress and inspire me. I commend her to you and hope you will check out her blog, linked at the bottom of the page. Blessings! As this sound […]
May We Be Reconciled?
Forgiveness is something I—like many of you—struggle with. In my case, mostly, it’s not because I don’t forgive people. It’s because I forgive people—or what I then think is forgiving—too easily. I have allowed people who have hurt me to hurt me again and again out of some kind of misplaced sense of “compassion.” Fierce […]
Courage, Child of Love and Integrity
The Friday Mirror will return, I promise. What I have to give tonight is somewhat different from the Friday Mirror. Feel free to reflect on your week, spend some time writing this weekend (as I will), and know that the Mirror will be back soon. *** “Courage is being willing to at what you’re afraid […]