Wherever You May Be, Dance!

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dance, deep waters of spiritual awakening, Jan Phillips, Luke, No Ordinary Time, possibility, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, women

The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way, and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread. (LK 24:35)

This first sentence of today’s gospel passage could have been written yesterday or the day before in Binghamton, NY, USA. As a matter of fact, it is my opinion that (with a little more attention) we could have these experiences no matter where we live.

Yesterday was our bi-weekly book study at the Sophia Center. From noon to 1:30pm a group of “No Ordinary Women” (a designation we appropriated from our first book a few years ago: No Ordinary Time by Jan Phillips) we talked freely, honestly and deeply about the joys and challenges of living in our human, feminine bodies. We recognized ourselves in one another as we also celebrated our uniqueness in some of our experiences.

The day before, in a similar but not matching group of women, ideas for creative fundraising projects bounced around a different room with an energy and creativity that was beautiful to behold. What was happening was the gathering of possibilities for meaningful experiences of generosity. Willingness to share without worry about competing for the prize of the best idea or the most knowledge about such endeavors fueled not only the flames in the fireplace but also our spirits. It was, just as yesterday’s, an “all for one and one for all” experience and the impetus was the desire for deepening wisdom and community – as well as for the goal of raising money, of course!

In our seriously fragmented world, gatherings such as these cannot fail, in my opinion, to spread the light of Christ in the world. Regardless of topic or activity, it is the presence of people willing to do what Thomas Merton called “forgetting yourself on purpose” in order to “join in the general dance” that moves us closer to the center of oneness. Why not take the time today to find a partner or two – or six or seven – and dance. “Dance,” I say, “into the deep waters of spiritual awakening!”

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Inner and Outer Light

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believe, conscious living, fan the flames, gratitude, imagination, inner fire, light, light worker, meditation, possibility, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, the spiritual center

Sometimes I “talk big” and really mean what I say but find at the end of the day that I haven’t come close to accomplishing what I had decided at the beginning I would be able to achieve. Such was the interim between this moment and what I wrote on Friday about diving in with vigor and making a new start. Events intervene and change the pattern of our days sometimes so all we can do is our best – sometimes starting over the next day. The key is not to get either discouraged or lazy so that nothing ever gets done. This morning I’m ready to try again. Here’s why.

1. Yesterday morning six of us sat around a blazing fire in the living room of the Sophia House considering three themes for reflection in this new year. Our wonderfully creative tech person at Sophia, Mary Pat, walked with us on a non-stressful – peaceful even – path, stopping at directional points of inner and outer light, conscious living and gratitude. Our sharing was simple and then grew as did the fire’s warmth so that, in the end, we had a sense of that fire as an ongoing potential for this year’s journey.
2. Last evening my three Sisters and I sat in our own living room and had what turned into a long, lively exchange of ideas about moving forward with the fulfillment of certain of our proposed projects at the Spiritual Center. It was another experience of how the inner fire in each of us was caught in the circle because of all of us together.
3. This morning lying in my bed after waking I began to consider my day and to wonder what might be accomplished. Suddenly a wave of light seemed to burst within me – not a tidal wave but a flicker of determination that seemed to say, “Fan the flame. Go within to catch the spirit of those light workers who can help you in this realm and beyond. Use your imagination. Get up! Believe in possibility!” Needless to say I did not go back to sleep.
4. As I sat with my coffee to relate these events and their effect on me, a strong wind began to blow through the tallest of the trees outside my window, cheering me on. It’s still waving at me – so I need to move to my meditation mat to solidify purpose and begin the day. Blessings abound!

The Possibility of Life

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breath, consciousness, moment, possibility, Society of Saint John the Evangelist, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

In my absence today, here is a daily meditation from the monastic community, the Society of Saint John the Evangelist.

Importance

Each moment, each breath, holds the possibility of the life we most desire. The conversation you are now having is the most important thing. The cup of tea you are now cuddling is the most important thing. The walk you are walking is the most important thing.

-Br. Curtis Almquist

What Do You See?

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apostles, believing, faith, Jesus, mindfulness, perseverance, possibility, seeing, silence, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas, vision

While I’m not certain that the adage “Seeing is believing” came as a conclusion from the story of Thomas, the Apostle who was missing when Jesus appeared in the Upper Room on Easter evening, it certainly applies in that case. It’s difficult to believe what we have not seen with our own eyes (our physical selves) and thereby experienced as true. How is it that we come to believe what we cannot comprehend with our “ordinary minds?” Moreover, what is it that so stirs a person to envision the possibility of something that has never been done – and then to carry the process forward until that possibility becomes a reality? It seems that great inventors must not only be gifted with vision but with steadfast perseverance. And then there is the willingness of those who come after that visionary soul to continue the work. I think here of scientists and medical advancement and immediately my favorite example in a different but related sphere comes to mind. I’m fond of saying, “Kitty Hawk to the moon in 66 years” as the miracle of flight astounds me each time I feel the take-off moment from inside a plane.

As I ruminate on these examples and then circle back to Thomas, I find the two categories of vision not dissimilar. In the realm of faith there is necessity for vision, to be sure, since not all of us are gifted with direct visitations from other realms. Whether or not we are privileged to “see” with our physical eyes or come to know by inner seeing, perseverance in the practices of silence and mindfulness can open us to a deeper kind of insight that feels very much like certainty. Then it is only a question of our willingness to let go of that certainty that can allow us to fall fearless into the arms of God.

 

 

 

 

 

After the Rain

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balance, companion, fear, flooding, God, mercy, Nan Merrill, possibility, psalm 25, rain, reflect, restored, shining, soul, steadfast love, sun, teach, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, thunder, trust, wake up

It’s been raining – torrents and thunder-filled sometimes – for the past three days. Yesterday it was if the divine weatherman was playing with us. Drenching downpours were followed by moments of sun peeking out of big gray clouds – then rain again…Even this morning the deck behind our house is puddle-strewn. I look out at the trees, rain soaked as well, but shining now in full sun. What a relief! I never mind the rain but when we begin to hear of flooding streams I know it’s all too much for the farmers and I pray for the balance to be restored. So today it feels as if God is saying, “Wake up! All your sluggishness is washed away! New possibilities await you!” and I sing a response with the psalmist in a translation by Nan Merrill.

To You, O Love, I lift up my soul; O Heart within my heart, in You I place my trust. Let me not feel unworthy; let not fear rule over me. Yes! let all who open their hearts savor You and bless the earth!…Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for through You will I know wholeness; I shall reflect your light both day and night. I know of your mercy, Compassionate One, and of your steadfast love. You have been with me from the beginning. Forgive the many times I have walked away from You choosing to walk alone. With your steadfast love, once again, companion me along your way. (Psalms for Praying, PS. 25)

 

 

 

 

 

Sparks of Possibility

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abundance, capacity, context, fear, fire, igniting force, infinite, kindling, Passion, possibility, scarcity, spark, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, universe

Quotes from Pendle Hill: Today’s quote comes from The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander.

In the middle ages, when lighting a fire from scratch was an arduous process, people often carried about a metal box containing a smoldering cinder, kept alight throughout the day with little bits of kindling. This meant that a man could light a fire with ease wherever he went, because he always carried the spark. But our universe is alive with sparks. We have at our fingertips an infinite capacity to light a spark of possibility. Passion, rather than fear, is the igniting force. Abundance, rather than scarcity, is the context.

Possibility

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dreams, Emily Dickinson, possibility, Scripture, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, work

Not awakened by any word of Scripture this morning, I will pass on only a brief sentence said once (or probably many times) by Emily Dickinson – a perfect beginning to another round of work or study or dreaming new dreams:

I dwell in possibility.

 

 

 

 

 

Things Visible and Invisible

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awareness, consciousness, John, Mary Magdalene, ministry, Peter, possibility, remember, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, thin places

I  was just watching the steam rise and dance around the rim of my coffee cup. That means my coffee is hot and my bedroom is cold. A bird just flew past outside my window with nothing to hold it up but the air and reminds me of the marvel of airplane travel. This morning’s gospel (JN 6:16-21) has the disciples in a boat – a familiar theme – and says that “the sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.” Occasionally it seems that those fishermen who could probably read the weather well in most cases were surprised by sudden winds – not unlike the tornadoes that have devastated whole towns in our country recently. All of these meandering thoughts remind me that there’s more to life than meets the eye and sometimes we’re called to believe in what we are unable to see or understand.

Next weekend I’m leading a 24-hour retreat based on four of the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus so I’m wondering what it must’ve been like for Mary Magdalene in the garden, the disciples in the Upper Room, the two travelers on the road to Emmaus and Peter and friends on the beach where Jesus fixed them breakfast. Jesus appears in substantial ways (“in the flesh”) but walks through walls or disappears when recognized, so he is obviously different while seeming the same. (Thomas could certainly attest to this fact.) What are we to make of these stories? Is the point to reassure those he visits that all is well? If so, his messages to Mary Magdalene (“Don’t cling to me!”) and Peter (“When you’re old, you’ll be led down ways you would rather not go…”) were certainly lacking in encouragement. It does seem rather that Christ is trying to tell those left behind that now the ministry is theirs. He has done what he came to do and now they must carry on. They have everything they need – all that he taught them and the example that he gave. The work will be to remember the lessons and to look for him in places outside of the norm – the “thin places,” the Celts would say. Listening for him in the wind and catching his look in the faces of those to whom we serve breakfast in a homeless shelter, hearing his voice in the garden we are weeding or on our morning walk…these are the moments of encounter that cannot be predicted.

So today is a new beginning. The steam is gone as I take the last gulp of my coffee but I remember the way it swirled around the rim calling me to consciousness and possibility in this day. Being alive and trusting that Christ lives in me as my deepest self is enough for me. What about you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exult!

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blessed, Exsultet, from darkness into light, from death to life, Great Vigil of Easter, joy, paschal mystery, possibility, ritual, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, transformation

The liturgical service on the evening of the Great Vigil of Easter is a masterpiece of ritual wherein we celebrate not only the historical event of Christ’s resurrection but, for those joined to Christ in faith, the possibility of our own transformation as well. The most obvious theme of the liturgy is from darkness into light (death to life) symbolized by a dark church transformed by the passing of the light to all participants from the new fire and celebrated in the chanting of the magnificent hymn called the Exsultet by the presider. I was struck last night by two phrases from that wonderful text that could in its entirety provide a lifetime of reflection. Both lines spoke of essential connection, the first being: Let this holy building shake with joy, filled with the mighty voices of the peoples! Although the response to that imperative was clearly present in the gusto of the congregation last night, the plural of the word “peoples” was not a misprint. The text was calling us to recognize our unity with all nations of the world who were singing Christ from death to life with unbridled joy! And in the joy of that recognition was also the call for us to perceive that on this truly blessed night…things of heaven were joined with those of earth and divine to the human!

Although the Paschal Mystery is still a mystery, inscrutable to the human mind, there are moments in life when we know that something has changed for us, in us. I can only hope that on this beautiful, fragile planet of ours, people of faith will come to perceive possibility in this union of spirit and cause, in time and with attention, the transformation that will truly light up the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In All Things

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divine exchange, grateful heart, James, Jesus, Lent, Luke, Peter, possibility, psalm 27, retreat, sacred place, sacrifice, Simon Peter, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Transfiguration of Christ

From 7:00PM on Friday evening until 7:00PM yesterday I was privileged to share a 24-hour retreat experience with four spiritual seekers, women who came to enter into silence in order to pray and then to share reflections on the Scriptures dealing with the women in the life of Jesus, women who accompanied him to the cross and finally to resurrection. It was an extraordinarily meaningful time and we left with some new insights and a new appreciation of the value of really delving deeply into each word and possible meaning in the Scripture texts. We learned also (perhaps not for the first time) of the value of conversation as together we mirrored the practice of Mary, the mother of Jesus who “pondered all these things in her heart.”

Today will be a different kind of day and yet analogous as we welcome a group of Sisters and lay Associates to our home for an afternoon of meetings about important issues in our present and future life together. I expect less silence but just as much thoughtful sharing and the enthusiasm that comes from women whose purpose is to extend the great love of God to the world.

Today’s gospel is Luke’s rendition of the Transfiguration of Christ (LK 9:28-36) which must have seriously impacted the lives of Peter, James and John, the disciples who witnessed this moment with Jesus on the mountain. I have come to believe that we are all transfigured by the experiences that we have, alone sometimes but also in communion with one another, if we open ourselves to possibility. The season of Lent is always a time for more constant awareness of this fact and of the necessity of being an active participant in this “divine exchange.” Psalm 27 speaks today of this reality as the psalmist sings:

…And in this sacred place I give my being back to you, and everything as sacrifice; and there I offer you in song a grateful heart and a voice filled up with praise and prayer. O hear this voice of mine that calls to you. Take pity on my soul and answer back, I pray. Instantly and deep within my heart I hear your voice. You say: “Seek out my face in everything.” And from my heart, I answer back to you, “Your face, and you alone, I seek, my God.” (Ps. 27: 8-10)