As the rocks and trees, rivers and animals and all living things
Sing their songs of life in the South
May our Souls sing the song in our heart
May we sing it gladly whether in joy or sorrow.
And may it help us find humor and laughter in the day
-From “Prayer to the Four Airts” by Tom Cowan
My beloveds, how are you? What has your week held that would be better, easier, or even just more sustainable shared in community?
Can I light a candle for you tonight?
How are you, my friends? What things are making you curl and hunch? What feels hard or scary? What grief or grief anniversaries are heavy for you in this season? What joy is wanting to be shared even though it feels hard to admit happiness right now?
Can I light a candle for you tonight?
Such a beautiful storm
That radiance
you have always
carried with you
as you walk
both alone
and completely
accompanied
in friendship
by every corner
of the world
crying
Allelujah.
-The Bell and the Blackbird (excerpt) by David Whyte
How was your week? What spoke to you? Who did you speak with? What things, big or small, hard or jubilant, are you carrying?
Can I light a candle for you tonight?
Just gonna give this baby a roll to make my decisions
It’s beautiful
I call this photograph “Yeah, trail’s not too bad!” in honor of this conversation I had coming off a trail that was entirely comprised of slush, ice, mud, fallen branches, and little streams running across:
Guy: Nice day!
Me: Absolutely beautiful
Guy: And trail’s not too bad!
Me: Not at all
It appears to have Been A Week, my friends.
Had to break out the large community ritual supplies for Friday night candles this evening.
Take a moment to breathe in and settle yourself at the end of this hard week in this hard time.
My friends, this week has been a lot for me. I’m exhausted and stressed and I considered not doing community candles this evening because the call of my bed is strong. But this practice I hold also holds me.
So, how has this week been for YOU? What’s been hard? What has held you gently?
*You deserve so much more than just to be tolerated. You deserve to be loved for exactly who and what you are right now. This, of course, is a double-edged sword. This also means you must return the favor.*
-ivan coyote
Can I light a candle for you tonight?
Still icy trails and frigid waters, roaring from recent rains, but I got to plunge my hands in the current and splash river water on my face for the first time since last fall this evening.
Drive carefully tonight, Western MA! Big peeper and salamander migration night!
Spent a few hours helping salamanders make it across roads to the vernal pools and had a blast.
#bignight #salamanders
Love that ❤️
Thank you
What does stillness look like for you?
How do you cultivate stillness and presence in your life?
How do you choose what things to let go of when everything feels important? What do you prioritize?
How do you work towards a better place in life while still finding peace in the present?
I mean, it’s subtle but some folks may have picked up on it
May the works I manifest be genuine and true to my personal walk and vision
May I be firmly rooted in the world and connected to the nurturing energy of the Earth
Yet like the slender birch, be flexible and strong enough to withstand the storms, I will encounter to bend without breaking
Máire Durkan
May you find yourself rooted in the softening earth as we inch or sprint into spring. What is feeling hard to hold in this strange, beautiful, difficult world? What can be shared in joy or sorrow with community?
Can I light a candle for you tonight?
Sometimes I wonder if I made a good choice going to the undergrad I did, and other times I get texts from undergrad friends I otherwise have no contact with that read, “Any interest in 45ish coyote toes? Degreased not whitened.” and I am delighted with the weirdos I know 🤣
The bones deep appreciation for the warmth over the past couple days cannot be overstated.
This one is big for me, especially figuring out what vulnerability looks like when I’m leading or officiating in spiritual or ritual space.
What feels hard on this day at the cusp of seasons? What joys are waiting to burst forth with the snow drops? What would be easier to let come out of your mind and into words?
Can I light a candle for you tonight?
The sky this morning is steely gray above the mists of the sublimating snow, giving us the waning pieces of winter, still forceful even as the earth begins again to wake as she has year after year after patient, persistent year.
Silently,
I smell the wind for my ancestors
pale blue leaves
crushed wild mountain smell.
Returning
up the gray stone cliff
where I descended
a thousand years ago.
-Where Mountain Lion Lay Down with Deer (excerpt) by Leslie Marmon Silko
This question got a big response on one of my discord servers, and I’m curious what folks here think.
What makes something a devotional practice? Is the action alone enough (say, gardening) or does there need to specific intention in the action?
Standing in my kitchen, struck with sudden anxieties and memories, something told me to bake bread.
So I did.
Well, you’re welcome for the dream I shared with you earlier 🤣
It has been nine months since my friend Laura gave me this mug and it still cracks me up.
It says, “we do not invoke the Morrigan for sibling squabbles” which will forever be one of the best rules I found myself instituting for my kids.
How are you doing? Is there anything that you’re holding close that would be better shared? A joy that could be amplified, or a heaviness that community could help shoulder?
Can I light a candle for you tonight?