(For those looking for Turning the Wheel, see the bottom of this post.) Today is the second day of Christmas, the third day of Chanukah, and the first day of Kwanzaa. Oh, and the Feast of St. Stephen and Boxing Day. The sun is rising earlier and setting later. The holidays just keep coming. And […]
In some ways, this is a season of hospitality or its lack. Many of us hear the story of the emigration and return of Joseph and Mary to and from Egypt, reminiscent of the time the Israelites spent in Egypt generations earlier. Many of us hear the story of the pregnant Mary being welcomed by […]
What comes with the solstice, the last and deepest dip of the sun, Midwinter here in the Northern Hemisphere? The first last and deepest is answer is darkness, darkness, darkness. In some parts of North America, the continent where I live, it means bright sun on very short, very cold days; cloud-packed skies where it […]
Through my years as a Roman Catholic, especially as a teen, I became enamored with the liturgical calendar, the sort of Wheel of the Year for Catholicism (and many other Christian traditions, as well). Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, and everything that followed, including saints’ and Marian days and other holidays. The liturgical year began this past […]
Last night, I had the privilege of talking with folks about the metaphorical and material power of gardening, of plants, of the powers of weeds, watering, thinning, and composting. Composting as a metaphor for “putting death in its proper place.” The need for death to feed life. Recognizing that even human death feeds the cycles […]