As a clergywoman – even one who no longer ministers in a parish – my life is interwoven with symbols and symbolism…with those things that literally ‘bind together’ (sym-bolen, to throw together.) Vestments are symbols; paraments are symbols; chalices and patens and crosses are symbols. The language of rites and sacraments is metaphor (which is …
London has the oldest and most extensive public transportation system in the world – which (in my admittedly biased opinion) is still a delight to use almost 125 years after its inception. However, because of the way earth settles and rises, rivers change course, and soil composition alters over time, not every platform lines up …
Please see the note about my Etsy shop at the conclusion of this blog. Although my entire vocation as an adult has been rooted in a geography of faith, I am not a religious scholar by any stretch of the imagination. I cannot speak with more than superficial knowledge about Islam, much less the finely …
As Lughnasadh invites us to gather the bounty of the earth and preserve it for use at a later time, so it invites us to gather other bounty: spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, psychological. Gathering is not to be confused with hoarding. Saving for a rainy day is a fine choice – provided we use those …
My apologies for the broken link in the 16 August blog mailing. There was an error in copying the URL. The world — this world, our beloved home planet — and the species that inhabit it have been blessed with amazing gifts: air to breathe, fresh water, food sources appropriate to our needs, oceans teeming …
The feast that begins Lughnasadh (pronounced loo-NA-sah) is Lammas – the word is an elision of Loaf-Mass – when the first loaves of bread from the first harvest of the new grain are baked, blessed and eaten. Lammas is one of the four fire festivals of the ancient Irish year. It honors the self-sacrifice …
In my first reflection for Beltane, I mentioned some of its characteristic foci, the aspects of the season that invite us to take note of particular areas of our own lives. I reminded us that it is a time of honoring earth and the fecundity of earth and the blessings she pours out abundantly …
Whether we are Christian or not, our sisters and brothers of that faith are moving into the final week of Lent, considering the death of Jesus from many perspectives, seeking to understand his witness on behalf of the vast majority of humanity who live on the margins of power. His teaching (in common with the …