Summer life
09 Sep 2010 Leave a Comment
in Blogging, Event, Family, Friendship, NYC, Spiritual Home, Spirituality, Star Island Tags: Family, Friendship, Blogging, Star Island, Bicycling, NYC, New York City
“Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”
-Mary Oliver
Photo by Seth Rockmuller
Yes, attention, astonishment – but I’ve had trouble with the “tell about it” part. My blog has languished, as I prepare for Marian’s visit, the Elderwoman series, and this month’s SWW gathering. It didn’t help that the modem died over the holiday weekend (it has been replaced). My response to being without internet access for three days is worthy of a separate post.
Photo by Seth Rockmuller
But it’s been a wonderful summer. I attended a college reunion where we wandered by kayak and canoe on the Delaware River; had bike riding adventures with cousins Mia and Keir; and visited son Ben in NYC. His new apartment is near the Chrysler building; the photo of it was taken from the roof of his building.
Yesterday I discovered a video about Star Island, where I spent a week in July/August. It shows the stark beauty and rich history of the place.
There is more, always, but it will have to wait; work beckons.
Sense of the Sacred ~ Please help me spread the word!
30 Aug 2010 2 Comments
in Books, Climate, Connections, Cosmos, Earth, Elderwomen, Event, GreenSpirit, Nature, Nature Spirituality, SWW, Special Event, Spirituality Tags: Nature, Earth, Books, Climate, GreenSpirit, Consciousness, Religion and Spirituality, Marian Van Eyk McCain, Green Spirituality, SWW. Event
Only by understanding the Universe as a vast, holistic system and Earth as a unit within it can we help restore balance to that unit.
Only by placing Earth and its ecosystems – about which we now understand so much – at the centre of all our thinking can we avert ecological disaster .
Only by bringing our thinking back into balance with feeling, intuition and awareness and by grounding ourselves in a sense of the sacred in all things can we achieve a new level of consciousness.
Thus says the website of the book GreenSpirit: Path to a new Consciousness. In a couple of weeks the author, Marian Van Eyk McCain, will be speaking about this book upstairs in the Community Room at the Real Food Co-op in Chatham. (Please note that the Co-op is not open for business on Sundays.) I’m very happy that Marian will be here, and I’d like you all to meet her. She is also author of the book Elderwoman: Reap the Wisdom – Feel the Power – Embrace the Joy, which ties in with Growing Older, Growing Wiser: Becoming an Elderwoman, a seven-part series beginning in Chatham on September 14th.
Please help me spread the message about her talk at the Co-op on September 12, 2 PM. Thanks!
Here is a poster with the details:
afternoon with a soul mate
26 Aug 2010 1 Comment
in Connections, Friendship, Love, Soul, Women Tags: Connections, Friendship, Soul, Women, Soul mates
Today my friend Gail stopped by on her way traveling from West Hartford, CT to Syracuse, NY. Reconnecting with old friends is heartwarming. We told each other stories about our lives and caught up. With such a soul friend, even though time had passed, it was as though we had seen each other yesterday; the conversation was immediate, free, deep, and easy.
In our past, we shared raising and home-educating our children; we found we embraced similar spiritual interests; we were both involved in creative pursuits involving textiles, and we’ve shared the joys and challenges of life.
Gail reminded me that, no matter the time and distance between friends, we are never far apart. For this I am grateful.
At the end of our visit, we enjoyed a Japanese meal together. All in all, it was a very satisfying day.
GreenSpirit: Marian Speaks! September 12, 2010
17 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in Books, Event, GreenSpirit, Nature Spirituality, Simple Living, Spirituality Tags: Books, Event, GreenSpirit, Living Simply, Nature, Nature Spirituality
News Flash for Sept. 12, 2010! Marian Van Eyk McCain, editor of and contributor to GreenSpirit: Path to a New Consciousness, will be in Chatham, NY on Sunday, September 12. 2010, 2 PM, to speak about the book and about living simply, at The Real Food Network Co-op, upstairs in the Community Room, 15 Church Street, Chatham, NY. (Please note that the Co-op is not open for business on Sundays.)
Marian and her husband live simply in Devon, England. She limits her air travel for environmental reasons, so we are fortunate to have her with us. Please join us on September 12th!
This event is sponsored by Sanctuary Without Walls.
Wild Flowers
16 Aug 2010 3 Comments
in Birds, Camping, Community, Event, Nature, Sacred Play, Sanctuary, Stargazing Tags: Birds, Camping, Connections, Event, Nature, Sacred Play, Star-gazing
After several days in the woods with more than a dozen women, I’m slowly adjusting to the indoor world. The rooms seem cramped and stuffy, but I suppose that shouldn’t be surprising, after living outdoors for a few days.
There were many memorable moments. One of my favorites was watching a huge flock of hundreds of birds encircling the clearing in which I was sitting ( a little freaky, in that it reminded me of the Hitchcock movie). They were silent except for the sound of their wings.
The photos show the back of the stone fireplace, where some flat surfaces provided spaces for small “altars” to be created by the women present.
On one evening, we lay on our backs near the coals of the fire and watched for meteors. There were many, but one was absolutely spectacular as it streaked across the sky, leaving a long trail which looked almost double. Later that night I took the rain-fly off my tent so I could continue to watch the stars through the night.
On the last evening, a friend and I created a “dusk walk,” a liminal experience on the paths in the woods, which were lit with candles. The experience left me with the desire to create more outdoor magical experiences for others.
I’m already dreaming about next year’s Wild Flowers event. It is sponsored each summer by the organization Wellspring Haven.
