Occasionally something comes up and people say, “that was a a keeper,” [1].  Well today’s blog is about a new learning I came upon several years back. It’s so simple that it’s become one of my keepers.  A 15 second contemplative keeper. Perhaps it might become one of yours too.

My keeper has been very helpful to me in this time in which basic understandings about kindness, caring, empathy, and sharing are being disregarded.  You know, those basic rules we learned in kindergarten that help us to get along with one another.

I rely on my keeper more and more these days as it seems that these basics of human civility and decency are being mocked and undermined by some leaders’ behaviours. 

For some reason the millennia-old Golden Rule that we treat people the way that we want to be treated has been tossed aside by some members of our society.   As are the foundational beliefs that all people are equal and that each person is made in the image of God, (Genesis 1:26).

My 15 second contemplative keeper is one way that I hold onto the goodness of the world in the face of the recent dramatic shifts in how some people look at human and other life. 

I first learned about my 15 second keeper from Jane Garland, a friend, author, and child psychiatrist, [2]. Jane often said that our brains are wired to focus on problems and negative experiences— like Velcro, while positivity and happiness slip out of our brains, like they’re slipping off a Teflon pan. While Jane didn’t say so, she was probably citing the neurological researcher Rick Hanson who calls this the Velcro/Teflon Model of the Mind, [3].

So how do we humans with brains that have the tendency to hold onto bad experiences, fear and other negatives, cling onto the “slippery” positives? Rick Hanson’s studies show that our brains are better at holding onto gratitude and happy experiences through contemplation, [4].

Sometime in the future I will write a more detailed blog about contemplation, but for now, I want to share about this simple practice of 15 second contemplation. This contemplative practice, based on Hanson’s studies, [5] has been recommended by the Franciscan priest and author Richard Rohr.

Rohr invites us to imprint the positives we encounter onto our brains by savouring them for a conscious fifteen seconds (or more), [6].

The 15 seconds in which we ponder positives such as birds’ feathers, deep connections between friends, moments of kindness and so forth, can move us into gratitude, awe, and wonder, [7].  

I’ve found that contemplating for a full 15 seconds on the positives I’ve witnessed or experienced isn’t difficult if I have time and don’t have a lot of other life pressures.

It’s easiest when I’m on holidays and/or when I consciously set aside time for gratitude, prayer, and reflection. 

However, I find this practice difficult when my life is overly full.  In times of busyness I can easily fall into my old patterns— my neurological system returns to its original ways—holding onto fear, worry, and other negatives. 

And then I get frustrated with myself since there is so much negative swirling around right now.

When this happens, I find that this practice of spending 15 seconds contemplating on something that is good or beautiful can bring me back into balance. It can be grounding.

So, I invite you to consider rewiring your brain by taking regular 15 second positivity contemplative breaks.  

And if you, like me, sometimes find it challenging to stop during the day then perhaps you can take 15 seconds to remember a positive or two just before bedtime. Or in the morning before getting out of bed.

Anyone who’d like to deepen your contemplative experience could also integrate the 15 second contemplation into a daily gratitude or examen practice. Here’s a link to my blog on the examen, or “examination of life” practice if you’d like a review.

1. “Yes, that was a keeper” is the last sentence in Joyce Sutphen’s poem The Book of Hours. 

2. Jane Garland wrote helpful children and teen’s books to teach them, their parents and professionals how they can manage their anxiety.  For example:  E. Jane Garland and Susan L. Clark, Taming Worry Dragons, 4th Edition, Mood and Anxiety Disorder Clinic, B.C. Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, B.C., 2009.

3. Rick Hanson, Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence, Harmony Crown Publishing Group, New York, NY, 2013, xxvi.

4. Ibid.

5. Richard Rohr with Mike Morrell, The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation, SPCK Publishing, London, UK, 2016, 116.

6. Ibid.

7. Here’s the link if you would like to return to my September, 2025 blog on Awe and Wonder.

This blog is dedicated to Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

Storytelling can be transformational.  A wisdom path.  Authors Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham say that stories are spiritual when they communicate the mystery and the miracle of being alive, [1]. 

That these types of stories touch our hearts and assist us in asking the spiritual questions, [2]. 

Stories can change the storyteller and others who have been touched by the story.  As a bookworm from early childhood, I know that I’ve been changed by transformational stories.  Even childhood stories such as The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.

I’ve found meaning, inspiration, and even purpose as I’ve entered into fiction and non-fiction stories of people and creatures.  In particular stories of great love and great suffering.  The places where we are most likely to meet the Holy, [3]. 

As a spiritual guide/director I’ve had the privilege of spending time with people as they share their life stories.  I’ve heard stories from ordinary people living ordinary human lives.  What I’ve learned from these stories is that all people have times of great love and great suffering. Fully human experiences that can open us up to the Divine. 

And because of this—our life stories are not ordinary.

When a person’s story is heard and seen as sacred, when one’s story is held in a gentle and compassionate manner the storyteller, like the listener can be changed, even healed. 

Holocaust survivor, Nobel Laureate, and author Elie Wiesel invites people to tell their stories of suffering.  He says that storytellers’ suffering, shared with others, can teach the hearers to be more human, [4].  That these stories can become a bridge so that others might suffer less.  In this way the storyteller’s memories become a blessing, even redemptive, [5].  

Unlike spiritually based storytelling, propaganda is used by some leaders to tell people what they want to hear and feeds their fears, [6].  Propaganda uses contagious mesmerizing stories.  Its goal is to grow the propagandists’ power and bring them other benefits.  

Wiesel says that transformational stories also can be contagious when they include not only the facts of the story, but also the context in which the story occurred, [7]. That these stories bring out emotional and physical responses in the readers/hearers, [8]. 

I’ve often found myself tearing up, getting chills up my spine and sometimes even laughing out loud during tales that involve acts of justice, care, fierce love, and human solidarity, [9]. 

Wiesel’s anecdotal understandings of stories’ capacities to bring learning and connection with other people is supported by neuroscientific research.

Researchers at Princeton University have found that the brains of listeners mirror storytellers’ brains in a process called neural coupling, [10].  In this way stories can change our brain chemistry, releasing neurochemicals such as oxytocin, which enhances our sense of empathy for others, [11].

And so, science is showing what indigenous elders have known for millennia—that we are transformed by hearing others’ stories. 

American academic and podcaster Brené Brown encourages what she calls story stewardship, that is, honouring the sacred nature of story—both the stories that we share and the ones that we hear, [12]. 

Brown invites us to be curious and affirming and believe people when they tell stories from their own experience, especially stories that are different from our own experience. 

In this way stories won’t diminish the humanity of either the storyteller or the listener, [13]. 

And God knows that we need to somehow counteract certain leaders’ dehumanizing of people who they have deemed as “other.” 

Telling and hearing stories of truth, love and justice can help to remind us of the dignity of all human beings and all of creation, [14].

Today’s invitations include engaging in transformational storytelling as a spiritual practice:

1. Reflect on a story of great love or great suffering that you have recently engaged with.  Perhaps it was told through a movie, book, Scripture, documentary, podcast, poem, or some other artistic form. Here are some questions to aid your reflection:

   a. Can you relate to any of the characters in the story?  Who? How, why?

   b. Do you have a favourite character in the story?  Who?  Why?

   c. How does the story touch your heart, mind and/or senses?

   d. What has the story brought up in you? Are there places of deep resonance?  Places of dissonance?

   e. Have you learned anything new from the story?

   f. Does the story inspire you to some change or attitude or action?

   g. Did you see/feel the Divine in the story? 

2.    Reflect on a story from your own or an ancestor’s life.  Speak it into the world in some way.  Perhaps you might tell a friend, record it, or write it down.  After speaking the story consider:

a. How did the telling of the story make you feel?

b. How did the story change and/or inspire you?

c. Did you see or feel the presence of the Holy in the story? 

d. How might the wisdom of your story assist you in imagining and/or creating a different world?

3.    Consider reading or watching a “story” from present day that is outside your own personal experience.  A story that brings you closer to goodness, justice, love and/or solidarity with others and the earth.  Perhaps it’s a story of immigrants, people who have lived through recent wars, ones who have stood up to injustices and other harms.  Reflect with the same prompts from invitation 1 above. 

Pemberton Campfire by David Loretto

1. Ernest Kurtz, Katherine Ketcham, The Spirituality of Imperfection:  Storytelling and the Search for Meaning, Bantam Books, New York, NY, 1992, 9

2. Ibid, 8, 9.

3. Richard Rohr says that “there are only two major paths by which the human soul comes to God: the path of great love, and the one of great suffering.”  From Richard Rohr, Life Coming to a Focus:  The Path of Great Love and Great Suffering,  https://cac.org/daily-meditations/life-coming-to-a-focus-the-path-of-great-love-and-great-suffering-2020-03-20/, March 20, 2020.

4. Ariel Burger, Witness:  Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom, Mariner Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co., Boston, MA, 2019, 20.

5. Ibid.

6. Ibid, 32.

7. Ibid, 33.

8. Ibid.

9. These are characteristics of what Kaitlin B. Curtice says she wants to bring into her poetry and storytelling, as a way to support and encourage her Potawatomi people and its culture.  From:  How we produce healing in a world that has forgotten who we are, A conversation with author and poet Kaitlin B. Curtice, Sarah Bessey’s Field Notes, https://sarahbessey.substack.com/p/kaitlin-curtice-interview, October 27, 2025.

10. Ava Hawkins, The Brain Science of Storytelling:  Finding the Connection Between Storytelling and Academics, Innovation Hub, https://blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca/innovationhub/the-brain-science-of-storytelling-finding-the-connection-between-storytelling-and-academics/#:~:text=Stories%20can%20change%20our%20brain,they%20impact%20us%20so%20strongly, April 24, 2024.

11. Ibid.

12. Brené Brown, The Practice of Story Stewardship, https://brenebrown.com/articles/2021/12/05/the-practice-of-story-stewardship/, December 5, 2021.

13. Ibid.

14. There are opportunities for learning about and entering into transformative storytelling.  For example, Gareth Higgins and the Porch Community have created retreats, groups, and learning experiences about transformative storytelling.  See:  https://www.theporchcommunity.net/order

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

Joy seems like such a ridiculous thing to talk about when the world seems to be filled with so much that is despairing.

But joy is something to be cultivated. To be sought in amongst the thick weeds of lies, immorality, indecency, visible corruption, and violence that we’re witnessing and experiencing in 2026.

Joy isn’t the same as happiness. We can have a deep inner joy even when we don’t feel happy. In fact, we can feel sad, angry or a host of other emotions while holding joy inside.

In one of Wendell Berry’s poems, he writes “Be joyful though you have considered all the facts,” [1]. Today I’m suggesting that we follow Berry’s suggestion. That we consider what’s going on in the world but still seek to find places of joy.

To cherish joy in our hearts, holding onto the moments of joy, peace, tenderness, peace, sacred presence, and love, as we’re able.

I’m not inviting you into forced happiness or toxic positivity. Joy is something that comes naturally. It doesn’t come when we’re being fake, pretending to be happy, putting on false smiles.

Each of us will experience joy differently, [2]. Lydia Sohn invites us to follow the breadcrumbs of joy, [3] while Mary Oliver says in her poem Don’t Hesitate that “joy is not made to be a crumb,” [4]. In Mindful, another of Oliver’s poems, she indicates that she was born for joy, [5].

How might we follow breadcrumbs of joy, or possibly even live an inner life that is permeated by joy? How can we be open to the idea that we, like Mary Oliver were born for joy?

Potawatomi botanist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer says that the earth gives her joy and other gifts every day and invites us to respond to earth’s offerings by using our own gifts and dancing for the renewal of the world, [6].

Several soul friends have expressed to me of their deep love of and spiritual connection to the earth and that they feel fully at home, fully alive in nature.

Nature is where they experience joy with its awe-inspiring natural wonders—spring buds, autumn leaves, the scents of trees and flowers, hearing birdsong, watching the flights of butterflies, feeling mist on their faces, and so much more. Some, like Kimmerer, even joyfully dance in response.

Joyce Rupp, the Catholic sister and author quotes an ancient Chinese proverb as one way to open ourselves to joy: “Write your sorrows in sand and etch your joys in stone,” [7].

Rupp suggests that joy can be etched deeper into our souls by mindfully “noticing something, however small, that prompts wonder and gratitude,” [8].

This is further supported by the work of Christina Feldman who says “there is a powerful link between mindfulness and joy and the effect it has upon perception,” [9].

The connection between joy and gratitude is fleshed out further by Benedictine monk and author David Steindl-Rast who has devoted his life to encouraging people to be grateful. He says that gratefulness is the root of joy, that joy springs from gratefulness, [10]. And because of this, a gratefulness practice can assist us in cultivating joy in our lives.

Our own joy can be contagious, It can bring out joy in others.

I believe, like Anne Lamott says that “joy is medicine,” [11].

And so, cherishing joy is an important practice not only for our own souls but also can provide nourishment and sustenance for others.

It can be medicine for the world.

The spiritual practice on the Soundcloud audio below involves reflecting on times of joy that we’ve experienced, [11].

Afterwards you may want to journal, sing, draw, dance, or find another way to express what you’ve experienced during the spiritual practice.

1. Wendel Berry, “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front,” All Poetry, https://allpoetry.com/poem/12622463-Manifesto--The-Mad-Farmer-Liberation-Front-by-Wendell-Berry, 1973.

2. Cole Arthur Riley, Black Liturgies, Prayers, Poems and Meditations for Staying Human, Random House Pub., New York, NY, 2024, 164.

3. Lift Every Voice: Contemplative Writers of Color Podcast, A conversation between Claudia Love Mair, Christine Valters Paintner and Lydia Sohn based on Lydia Sohn’s book, Here: A Spirituality of Staying in a Culture of Leaving, https://abbeyofthearts.com/lift-every-voice/here-a-spirituality-of-staying/, January 1, 2026.

4. Janice Falls, Don’t Hesitate by Mary Oliver, Heart Poems: How Poetry can Speak to You, https://janicefalls.wordpress.com/2019/12/15/dont-hesitate-by-mary-oliver/, December 15, 2019.

5. Christine Mackenzie-Janson, Mindful-Mary Oliver, Mindfulness Association, https://www.mindfulnessassociation.net/words-of-wonder/mindful-mary-oliver/?srsltid=AfmBOooFhjQWaIpsnPAPKlHumw6qgNo8LeSYKFSB30FpjesLxSspucIM, July 8, 2018.

6. Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Milkweed Editions, Minneapolis, MN, 2013, 384.

7. Joyce Rupp, Return to the Root: Reflections on the Inner life, Sorin Books, Notre Dame, IN, 2021, 55.

8. Rupp, Return to the Root, 56.

9. Ibid. Rupp is quoting Christina Feldman, Boundless heart: The Buddha’s Path of Kindness, Compassion, Joy and Equanimity, Shambhala, Berkeley, CA, 2017.

10. David Steindl-Rast Quotes, Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/4182.David_Steindl_Rast

11. This practice is based on ideas from myself and several sources including Cole Arthur Riley, Black Liturgies, 169, 170, and Lift Every Voice Podcast, https://abbeyofthearts.com/lift-every-voice/here-a-spirituality-of-staying/

12. Anne Lamott, Getting Our ‘Joice Back, https://substack.com/home/post/p-186644283, February 2, 2026.

‘

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

Photo by David Loretto

You might be asking why I’m talking about death and not talking about compassion, joy, and other love-based spiritual practices when the world seems to be filled with with so much death and cruelty right now. Why I’m not encouraging myself and you into following Sacred Love.

Well, believe it or not, keeping our death before our eyes is a spiritual practice that can lead us into connecting with Sacred Love. To being deeper in relationship with the Holy. It can be a life-giving practice.

Death also came to my mind because this is Holy Week for Christians, the week that culminates in Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross. The time just before his resurrection on Easter morning. Reflecting on our own death can bring about transformation, small areas of growth in our inner life. Mini resurrections in our own lives.

For those of you who are grieving a loved one or are not in a space to reflect on death I invite you to stop reading this blog until you feel like it’s the right thing to do. Follow your heart. Follow Spirit.

And if reading this post is causing any negative reaction in your body, I invite you to consider reaching out for support—perhaps by speaking to a friend, a counsellor, a crisis line, [1].

Recently the practice of “memento mori” has become a more familiar spiritual practice. Even TikTok has people speaking about it.

The Latin phrase memento mori means “remember you must die.” It’s not a new practice. In fact, it was written into the rule of Saint Benedict of Nursia in the 6th century.

I don’t know why this ancient practice has had a resurgence lately. I wonder if the reality of death has been coming more to our awareness because of the Covid 19 pandemic, so many wars happening around the world, deaths of people from changes in funding to health organizations and the developing world, deaths of protestors, and so much more.

It seems that the fragility of life is becoming more apparent to us twenty-first century earthlings.

Saint Benedict’s Rule to remember to keep our deaths before our eyes isn’t meant to create fear, sadness or anxiety. It’s a spiritual practice which encourages us to focus on what is essential in life. A practice that invites us to be grateful and to assist us in trusting the Divine as we live out our lives.

The truth is that mortality is the ultimate equalizer of all humans. No one will escape this reality, [2]. Our death could happen in a day, a month, or years from now. It’s an uncertainty that we all live with.

Prayerfully remembering the reality of life’s impermanence is one way to help us live with intention and attend to the fullness of life with all of its joys and challenges.

Accepting this reality invites us into a deeper connection with the Holy and can inspire us into a deeper seeking of the presence of the Sacred in our lives.

I find that this spiritual practice has been helpful to me when I’m discerning life decisions. Asking myself the question “How would I choose, what would I do if I were to die tomorrow?” allows me to make decisions knowing that I have made the best possible choice in the situation.

Another gift of the practice is that I’ve been calmer when I’ve brought the Divine into my decision-making.

Memento mori, along with my daily examen, has assisted me in making small and not-so-small life transitions. A wise elder once told me that each transition made, soaked in the Holy, can help to prepare us for death, the biggest transition that we will ever experience.

There are several spiritual practices that involve reflecting on the reality of death.

While these practices can be healing and can help us to accept the inevitable with hope, they can also bring up complex emotions, [3].

So, I gently invite you to enter into any of the practices below only as you feel able and ideally with a trustworthy soul friend who can accompany you in the process.

1. Spend 10-20 minutes, (or more) prayerfully imagining yourself lying on your deathbed. After your reflection, have your deathbed-self write a letter to your present-day self. Consider what wisdom you would impart to yourself.

2. Spend a few minutes each day prayerfully reflecting on your death:

   1. Connect with the Source of Love in a few moments of quiet.

   2. Perhaps add a breath prayer such as:

      Inhale: Show me who I am, Exhale: And what is mine to do, [4].

   3. Journal about your experience or journal about it as a part of a daily examen practice, [5].

   4. Share your reflections with a soul friend, [6].

3. Visible reminders to assist you in doing the practice can include, [7]:

a. Placing a note to yourself in a prominent place. This might include any words that remind you to remember your death.

b. Prominently placing a photo or other art of a skull, skeleton, crucifix, coffin, dying flowers, a deceased loved one, or any symbol that reminds you of death.

4. Consider using any of the resources from the Daughters of Saint Paul which include a memento mori journal, Lenten resources, and calendar, [8].

1. In Canada there is a 24 hour, 7 Day/Week Crisis Line: Call or Text 988.

2. Cole Arthur Riley, Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human, Hodder & Stoughton Ltd., London, UK, 2024, 192.

3. Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble, Memento Mori, Pursued by Truth Blog, https://pursuedbytruthblog.wordpress.com/memento-mori/

4. From: Sarah Bessey’s Field Notes, 40 Breath Prayers for When You are Despairing, January 27, 2025, https://sarahbessey.substack.com/p/breath-prayers-despairing?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

5. See link for the Spirituality for Chaotic Times Blog describing the Examen: https://www.vancouverspiritualdirection.com/single-post/spirituality-for-chaotic-times-the-examen

6. There are even online memento mori communities. See #mementomori and #livemementomori.

7. Anna Nussbaum Keating, Memento Mori: A Practice for Living, Spirituality & Health: A Unity Publication, https://www.spiritualityhealth.com/articles/2020/07/14/memento-mori-a-practice-for-living?srsltid=AfmBOooYtFE08geW_T0WrcDjv0V4W6f9Ye072B8ofLSJJEEp8XxH0ckd, 2026.

8. See https://paulinestore.ca/catalogsearch/result/?q=+memento+mori

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

Photograph of the Coast Salish Risen Christ, written by André Prévost, (2019).

Perhaps you’re wondering why I’m writing about icons in a 2026 Spirituality for Chaotic Times Blog. Well, somehow I felt called to do so. I think it’s because the iconographers’ intent is to lead those who gaze upon icons into communion with the Holy.

And the intent of this blog is to provide some spiritual practices that can negate the negative forces swirling around by bringing us into communion with the Source of love, goodness, compassion, kindness, beauty, life...

So here I go:

Icons are an ancient art form that have traditionally depicted portrait-style Christian characters and scenes. While this has expanded to icons of other Holy people, the process always involves an iconographer prayerfully painting or “writing” the icon.

The artists’ intent is to lead those who gaze upon the icon into communion with the Holy, Absolute Love.

Mostly icons are painted on wood with mineral and earth pigments and egg yolk, [1], but they also have been written on metal, mosaics, frescos, paper, and other surfaces, [2]. There are many examples of icons on the internet if you’d like to see more than the ones in this blog, [3].

I was introduced to icons forty years ago when a friend commissioned Canadian iconographer André Prévost, [4] to write an icon as a wedding gift for my husband and me, (see below). At the center of the icon are the Madonna with the Child Jesus on her lap. Mary and Jesus are flanked by two characters—Saint Raphael, the archangel with whom I’d had a prayerful relationship and Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. Cecilia was someone who my musician husband could connect with.

In all honesty, I hadn’t spent a lot of time gazing upon this special, personally-written icon until I started writing this blog. It was simply a painting that hung in my living room. But recently I’ve spent time with the wedding icon and these unique prayer times have reinforced my understanding that icons truly are gateways to the Divine. Bridges to the other side of the veil.

Photograph of our Wedding Icon written by  André Prévost, (1986).

Previously I’d only gazed upon icons in churches or at retreat centers. It felt good to be reminded that I could do this type of prayer at home. In fact, I obviously have an attraction to icons since I have hung a number of them around my house, [5].

Prayer with icons is a unique experience, mostly because it’s an “eyes open” prayer. But more importantly it’s a prayer of receptivity that can sink us deeply into our souls.

More than a few times icons have brought me to tears, laughter, and awarenesses of my inner life and needs. Often, they remind me of God’s unconditional love for me, [6]. All of these experiences have been helpful, especially in times of struggle.

This type of prayer can be challenging because we aren’t meant to do anything. We simply receive whatever comes from the image. There are times that I feel antsy while trying to hold my gaze on the icon. Part of the practice is to work through distractions, those feelings of struggling to be. Relying on the Divine to help us be.

The small, (or not so small) times in which we gaze upon icons provide us with opportunities for the images to speak to our hearts. In this way the Source of Life can connect to us through our senses.

I invite you to consider praying with an icon. You could use one of the icon photos in this blog, or any other icon that you feel attracted to. The SoundCloud voice note will guide you into praying with your chosen icon, [7]. If you’d like to journal after praying with your icon there are some journaling questions below the SoundCloud voice note.

Photograph of The Trinity, written by Andrei Rublev, (early 15th century). I cannot remember where I purchased this icon.

Potential journaling questions, [8]:

• What stands out for you from your icon prayer time?

• What was it like to use your eyes so intently in prayer?

• Did you struggle to “be” with the icon and if so, how did that unfold in your prayer time?

• Did you feel the presence of the Holy during your prayer? If so, then how did this feel? What did you experience?

• Do you feel inspired to pray in this way in the future? Why or why not?

Photograph of The Annunciation, written by Fra Angelico, (1432-1434). The icon photographed was purchased in the Museo Diocesano, Cortona, Italy.

1. If you’d like to hear more about this technique see: Icon Workshop, BCEReligousEd:

2. Other contemporary icons have been created with different materials, such as paper and metal. See Marcy Hall’s icons on paper: https://abbeyofthearts.com/poetry%EF%BD%9Cart%EF%BD%9Cmusic/icons/#browse and Evan Wilson’s with metal, https://orthodoxartsjournal.org/making-magnificent-hammer-crafted-icons-an-interview-with-evan-wilson/

3. Two other contemporary iconographers include Robert Lenz and Kreg Yingst. Here are sites that showcase their work: https://trinitystores.com/collections/br-robert-lentz-ofm?srsltid=AfmBOoo_F6oFckyymNhHpG-eMlMhuPtH_dRwZJbCsPSsoKrd42Ra06QP and https://www.etsy.com/shop/PsalmPrayers?ref=hp_from_thank_you_module&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

4. See André Prévost: https://www.andreprevost.com/

5. The photographs in this blog are from my collection of icons.

6. This is supported by Jeannette de Beauvoir as something that can happen when we pray with icons. From Jeannette de Beauvoir, Praying with Icons, St. Anthony Messenger, Franciscan Media, https://www.franciscanmedia.org/st-anthony-messenger/praying-with-icons/ .

7. Teresa A. Blythe, 50 Ways to Pray: Practice from Many Traditions and Times, Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN, 2006, 41-42 and Script for Praying with Icons, Catholic Identity: Professional Development and Resources, https://catholicidentity.bne.catholic.edu.au/prayer/SitePages/Script-for-praying-with-icons.aspx, and Jim Forest, Praying with Icons, Spirituality and Practice: Resources for Spiritual Journeys, https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/practices/view/17837/praying-with-icons and https://www.franciscanmedia.org/st-anthony-messenger/praying-with-icons/

8. These are my own ideas and some others from Teresa A. Blythe, 50 Ways to Pray, 42.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

Dear readers— we’ve made it through this difficult year! When things started unraveling in January 2025, I felt a strong calling to do something. This blog was one of my responses. I began writing in order to assist myself and others in holding onto sanity and peace during such a chaotic time. It’s hard to believe that we are still in chaos one year later. In fact, it seems like this February is even more chaotic than last year.

In some ways it’s like we’re on a pilgrimage. That is, a time of unknowing that’s changing the world and us along with it.

It’s been a year of ups and downs. Some of you may have avoided the news or distracted yourselves. Others of you may have learned more than you’d ever wanted to about geopolitics, world trade, artificial intelligence, climate destruction, a changing world order, authoritarianism, and so much more.

Because you’re reading this blog, you may have engaged in more spiritual practices.

Maybe you’ve joined “seedbeds of love,” [1] or other groups, done random acts of kindness, written letters to politicians, leaders of churches or other people of influence, donated money, or done whatever you felt inspired to do in response to the challenges of our time.

The long and the short of it is—the world has changed in this past year and so have we. We’ve been in the refiner’s fire. On a pilgrimage that we haven’t chosen. Been a part of a world-wide journey of transformation.

Christine Valters Paintner describes pilgrimages as outward journeys that we consciously accept as times in which we can become closer to the Holy, [2]. This involves us being intentionally open to new experiences, [3] and taking time to reflect on the presence of Love in our lives and in the world, [4].

Pilgrimages aren’t always filled with spiritual consolations. They can be uncomfortable, challenging, and/or bring up more questions than answers.

Being open to all aspects of pilgrimage can allow us to grow closer to Holy Mystery in ways that are “beyond our own imaginations and ideas,” [5].

I have seen this in myself when I look back at my “pilgrimage-like” life with my neurodivergent son. I turned to the Holy One more times than I can count while trying to mother my beloved middle child with his invisible, but significant special needs.

And through this mother-child journey my relationship with the Divine expanded and deepened beyond what I could ever have imagined when my son was born over three decades ago.

But I must return to the topic of today—honouring the one-year anniversary of this blog.  At first, I had hoped to blog for a brief time, just until the world situation had settled down.  This continues to be my goal. Because of the ongoing world situation, I will continue to write. And I am deeply grateful that you are on this spiritual journey with me.

In gratitude for your presence and support, I will continue to present opportunities for spiritual practices during this time of ongoing pilgrimage, as I am able.

Today’s practice invitation involves the prayer-blessing on the SoundCloud audio file here: Prayer Blessing of the Body. 

You may choose to bless yourself and/or do the blessing with a trusted soul friend, [6].  You will need a small bowl filled with some water or scented essential oil. 

The words to the introduction part of the blessing are below the owl carving if you’d like to read along. 

Introduction to the Prayer-Blessing of the Body

(Adapted from the words of Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude, 81)

O Holy One,

We have no idea where we’re going.

We do not see the path ahead of us.

We cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do we really know ourselves, and the fact that we think that we are following Love does not mean that we are actually doing so.

But we believe that our desire for the Holy does in fact bring about Love.

And we know that if we do this You will lead us by the right path, though we may know nothing about it.

Therefore, we will trust in You, the Source of Love,

Though we may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

We will not fear, for you oh Compassionate One are ever with us.

Somehow, somewhere. 

1. Brian D. McLaren, Life After Doom:  Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart, St Martin’s Essentials, New York, NY, 2024, 245.

2. Christine Valters Paintner, The Soul of a Pilgrim:  Eight Practices for the Journey Within, Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, IN, 2015, 1-2.

3. Ibid, 3.

4. Ibid, 4.

5. Ibid, 2.

6. This audio prayer-blessing is based on Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude, Garden City, NY, Doubleday, 1968, 81, Valters Paintner, The Soul of a Pilgrim, 9, and Anne Wicks, Spiritual Companion, Blessing of the Body:  For Presence, 2020, Anne Wicks

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

In this time of year with the gradual lengthening of the days, of increasing light, I am reminded of the importance of light.  Light without and light within. 

We’ve certainly had some dark days in this past while.  And as you know, that’s one of the reasons that I began to write this blog. 

I don’t know how you’ve been doing in this chaotic time filled with overt racism, corruption, imperialistic and warring mentalities, celebrated cruelty and injustices and so much more, but sometimes I find myself moving into my own personal darkness.  This can show up as as anxiety, worry, frustration, and anger.   

It doesn’t help that dopamine hits from social media and shocking news can lead me into downhill spiral thinking and doomscrolling.

Otis Moss III describes this personal darkness as walking a dark path in which evil obscures the light, [1] and says “once it has you living in darkness, that which should not be painful becomes so,” [2].  His words have been true for me—when I’ve overly focussed on the suffering and horrors of the world I can easily make things more difficult for myself and those around me.

So, how can we avoid that dark path without putting our heads in the sand?

How can we create and bring forth goodness if we are in darkness ourselves, or are in denial of the realities of our 2026 world? 

It’s a delicate balance—this knowing of what’s happening in our world while still staying healthy and at peace.

Many spiritual paths use light metaphors, which can be helpful and can prevent us from falling into darkness’ shadowy grip.

There are over one hundred references to light in the Christian Bible.  I particularly like Matthew, (5:14-16) when Jesus says, “You are the light of the world” and then invites us to bring this light out into the world through our actions.

Rumi, the 13th century Sufi mystic wrote several poems referring to light—the light in our eyes, in our hearts, the light of the Divine, and so on. One Rumi quote seems particularly pertinent for us today: “If everything around you seems to be dark, look around, you may be the light.”

Several Eastern religions celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights each Autumn .  This is a celebration of light overcoming dark forces, [3].  The light then can bring clarity and inform a goodness-centered way to live, [4].

Photo by Nicola Loretto

Parker Palmer, the writer, speaker, and activist acknowledges that people, both living and dead have rekindled his light when it has dimmed [5].  Palmer says that this rekindling happens when people join him in sorrow, anger, and laughter, respond to the questions in his blog or pose their own questions, tell their own stories, and act in ways to reduce the world’s suffering, [6].

The November 18, 2016 article by author and anthropologist Sarah Kendzior prophetically invites us to be our own light, [7].  She suggests that we avoid accepting brutality and cruelty as normal, even if they are sanctioned.  That we protect and stand up for people who are vulnerable and support and encourage those who are fearful. She also invites us into being kind if we can’t be brave, [8],

I particularly resonate with Kendzior’s recommendation that we never lose sight of who we are and what we value during dark times, [9].  Her words inspired me to create the following breath prayer:

Inhale:   Never lose sight of who you are.

Exhale:  And what you value.

Breathing while praying these words brings me a deeper sense of my life purpose in this particular place and time in history. 

Brian McLaren, the author, speaker, activist, and public theologian deepens these light-filled understandings and has even named a chapter in one of his books, “Find Your Light and Shine It,” [10]. 

McLaren implores readers to find our light and shine it through conversion from the dirty energy of “arrogance, rivalry, fear, hate, greed, lust, domination, revenge” to the clean energy of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control,” [11].

He believes that this transformation can come through inner contemplative work and small gatherings that he calls “seedbeds of love energy,” that allow for “deep belonging” [12].  Conversion of our hearts can enable us to imagine new beginnings for ourselves and future generations, [13].  McLaren adds that this conversion process allows us to recognize that we are privileged to be in a time that “matters so much,” [14].

Otis Moss III also provides hope for light during dark times when he reminds us that even in the darkest night, when the clouds are thick, we know that the sun and stars are still shining above us, [15].

So, we have light without and light within.  And with the help of the Source of all Light, I believe that we can bring light into this time of darkness.

Today’s invitations are meant to remind you that You Truly Are Light in the World:

1. Listen and, if you feel so inspired, sing along to the refrain of “Let Your Light Shine,” by Fran McKendree.

2. Reflect and journal on the following:

   1. When have you been light to the world? Imagine ways that you could further extend your light. 

   2. When have you seen others be light to the world? Do these light-bringers inspire you to extend your light further? How?

3. Consider creating a breath prayer related to light, [16].

1. Otis Moss III, Dancing in the Dark: Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times, Simon & Schuster, New York, NY, 2024, 95.

2. Ibid.

3. Sadhguru, Why is Deepavali or Diwali Celebrated and What is Its Significance?, October 30, 2021.

4. Ibid.

5. Parker Palmer, With Gratitude: A deep bow to those who reach into the darkness to rekindle other peoples lights…, November 27, 2025.

6. Ibid.

7. Sarah Kendzior, We’re heading into dark times. This is how to be your own light in the Age of Trump, de Correspondent, November 18, 2016.

8. Ibid.

9. Ibid.

10. Brian D. McLaren, Life After Doom, Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart, St Martin’s Essentials, New York, NY, 2024, 239-250.

11. McLaren relates these “clean energy” behaviours to the Christian fruits of the Spirit, (see Galatians 5: 22-23). From McLaren, Life After Doom, 243.

12. McLaren, Life After Doom, 245-246.

13. Ibid, 245.

14. Ibid, 246.

15. Otis Moss III, Dancing in the Darkness, 96.

16. For a reminder of how to create a breath prayer see the Breath Prayer Blog from June, 2025.

    This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

I hesitated to write about stargazing in this blog since most of us can’t see many stars with the present-day light pollution that limits our ability to see the stars and planets. Very few of us will ever experience the true dark skies that our ancestors lived under.

Even so, I couldn’t resist writing about stars today, since this is the day that Christians celebrate Epiphany.

That is, the day of remembering the journey of the Magi who followed a star to find their way “from the East” to Bethlehem. These Biblical astrologers used the night sky to find their way to pay homage and give gifts to the newborn baby Jesus, (Matthew 2: 1-12).

It required night, darkness, for these Magi from the East to make this life-changing journey.

And perhaps this is important for us right now with what we’re going through in this dark period, this time of unraveling. Because, as Martin Luther King Junior famously said, “… I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars,” [1].

I’ve always loved reflecting on stars on the feast of Epiphany. In fact, I still cherish a crocheted star that was gifted to me during an Epiphany retreat in the 1990s. To this day I often wonder who made the yellow wool star with its googly eyes and soft pink nose.

Stars and the night sky have always been an important part of my life. When I was a small child I lived in several remote areas of British Columbia where the stars were abundant. I loved going outside with my parents during the clear nights.

My father was an avid star gazer. He often got up in the middle of the night to look through his telescope. Sometimes he even set his camera on a tripod to take photos of significant astronomical events, [2].

While my dad never spoke of his awe and wonder at the night sky, his behaviours clearly spoke of his delight in the immense universe.

And when asked, he’d describe the moon, stars, planets, comets and all of the universe, including dark matter as “God’s wonderful creation.”

My mother also had a healthy respect for the night sky. She often told me that she gazed up at night in order to feel closer to her parents who lived in Alberta, the province next to ours. In my maternal grandparents’ elder years, they regularly assured my mother that after their deaths they would be like stars shining down on her. That they’d always be there for her. My mother absolutely believed them.

What’s interesting to me is that my grandparents’ idea about being stars shining down on us wasn’t far off from recent scientists’ findings. And neither of them had finished high school or ever had access to knowledge which has shown that we all carry within us ancient stardust. That we are all made of stardust!

Like my parents, the Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, past director of the Vatican Observatory invites us to find God in the cosmos,”[3].

So, how might we find the Holy in the cosmos?

The most obvious way would be to spend time looking out at the night sky. Soaking it in.

The spiritual practice on the SoundCloud file below will guide you through a time of prayerful reflection on the night sky, [4].

Some of you may already be casual astronomers and may have connected with the Source of Life through studying the constellations, using telescopes and the such.

For those who are interested in expanding your knowledge and experience of our sacred universe you may find astronomy field guides helpful in getting started in this awe-inspiring spiritual practice.

But for those of us who don’t really want to go outside in the dark or cannot see many stars from our homes, there are other ways to find the Holy in the cosmos:

• Consider visiting a space center such as the H.R. McMillan Space Center in Vancouver, [5]. Whenever I’ve seen the night sky in this planetarium, I find myself getting teary and awestruck at the immense, mysterious universe. Being there helps me to find the Divine in nocturnal beauty. Perhaps it might be the same for you.

•. Prayerfully spend time with the online images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, [6] and the Hubble Space Telescope, [7]. Seeing star nurseries, pillars of creation, far, far away galaxies and so much more can be a spiritual experience in itself.

1. Martin Luther King Jr., I've Been to the Mountaintop, April 3, 1968.

2. I inherited books filled with my father’s stargazing photos. The two night sky photos on this page are from these books. My father labeled the top photo as: “Eclipse of Moon, September 26, 1996” and the SoundCloud photo: “Hale Bopp Comet, March 8, 1997.”

3. Guy Consolmagno, Finding God in Cosmological Things: Remembering George Coyne, in America Magazine: The Jesuit Review, www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/02/19/finding-god-cosmological-things-remembering-george-coyne-sj/

3. This spiritual practice is based loosely on material from Christine Valters Paintner, Sacred Time: Embracing an Intentional Way of Life, Sorin Books, Notre Dame, IN, 2021, 127, 128 and Abbey of the Arts Prayer Cycle: Birthing the Holy, https://abbeyofthearts.com/prayer-cycle/birthing-the-holy/day-3/ and Christine Valters Paintner, Breath Prayer: An Ancient Practise for the Everyday Sacred, Broadleaf Books, Minneapolis, MN, 2021, 205-206.

4. See details of their programs at: https://www.spacecentre.ca/

5. NASA, Webb Image Galleries, https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/multimedia/images/

6. RocketSTEM, Hubble’s Top 100 Images, https://www.rocketstem.org/2015/04/23/the-top-100-images-of-the-universe-captured-by-the-hubble-space-telescope/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=294050895&gbraid=0AAAAADh7MOlQpRTye_hs_3T-awkWMQ7tl&gclid=CjwKCAjwr8LHBhBKEiwAy47uUuzIYy08kxmJv-jqnsD4sx5r5jho81L7cNDBaza-IRFdXxA6NytTfBoCFWYQAvD_BwE

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

Before beginning today’s blog I’d like to follow up on the pregnancy-related Birthing blog from ten days ago.

I’d love to hear what has come forward from your time of reflection and Advent waiting. This place of openness to new life, to creativity, in this tumultuous time.

Please share with me if you’re comfortable: vancouverspiritualdirection@gmail.com

In this second “Birthing” blog my focus is on the season of Christmas. That is, the time that Christian churches focus on the actual birth and early days of Jesus’ life.

Anyone who has birthed a child or birthed any newness into the world, (e.g. a new group, a video, a book, a garden, a renovation, etcetera) knows that giving birth isn’t always easy. In fact it can often be downright hard.

Reflecting on the story of the baby Jesus this Christmas of 2025 seems important in the context of our present world. Jesus was born in a particularly harsh time. He and his parents were refugees who fled from the “birthing-stable” in Bethlehem to a Egypt, a completely new country. His parents were running away from King Herod who’d decreed the killing of all male children under two, (see Matthew 2:13). The family’s story seems to echo that of many of today’s migrants.

The Holy Family’s flight to Egypt was inspired by an angelic visitation. The angel came to Mary’s husband Joseph in one of his night dreams and told him of Herod’s murderous intentions. And then the angel instructed Joseph to flee with his family to Egypt.

So, Jesus, Mary, and Josephs’ lives were upended by one specific spiritual experience that involved an angel who came in a night dream, [1]. This type of spiritual experience is similar to what Rosalie Norman-McNaney describes as a “birth-quake,” [2].

For Norman-McNaney, birth-quakes are “reconciling and renewing growth spurts” in one’s spiritual journey that mostly come through “trials and tribulations,” [3].

Certainly, Jesus and his family experienced trials and tribulations which began with his entry into the world.

Norman-McNaney says that birth-quakes involve wrestling within one’s soul and can bring forth new beginnings, new visions, and can help us align us with Spirit’s plan for our lives, [4].

While Joseph and Mary probably wrestled in their souls about uprooting their entire lives based on an angelic dream, I don’t know if they would have immediately seen it as an experience for their own spiritual growth. Perhaps they might have after they’d reached safety and had some time to reflect.

I too have experienced large and small spiritual birth-quakes in my life. I agree with Norman-McNaney that each challenge, trauma and/or ending did bring me into new ways of being in relationship with the Holy. And that each birth-quake eventually led me into new opportunities and new awarenesses.

But I know that I often needed quite a lot of time to reflect before I saw any goodness that had come through these life-altering spiritual events.

Today’s spiritual practice invitation is to take time, (at least 10-45 minutes) to prayerfully reflect back on your life. Begin with your birth and go forward decade by decade. As you reflect, seek out and ponder deeply on any spiritual experiences that have been significant in your life journey

You may want to draw or journal your spiritual life story.

Some questions to ponder during and/or after your reflection:

1. Which were your peak spiritual experiences and what, if anything did you learn from them?

2. Did you and/or your life change from any of these spiritual birth-quakes? If so, how?

3. How did your relationship with the Source of Life change from one or more of these experiences?

Dear readers;

May you have a blessed Christmas. Over the next few weeks I will be spending time with my beloveds. My next blog offering will be on Stargazing, January 6, 2026.

Love and prayers, Tanya

1. If you want to return to the blogs on angels and night dreams see https://www.vancouverspiritualdirection.com/single-post/angels-saints-and-ancestors and http://www.vancouverspiritualdirection.com/single-post-dreams

2. Rosalie Norman-McNaney, Spiritual Journey for the Birthing of My Soul in Embodied Spirits: Stories of Spiritual Directors of Color, ed. Sherry Bryant-Johnson, Rosalie Norman-McNaney & Therese Taylor-Stinson, New York, Morehouse Publishing, 2014, 81-82.

3. Rosalie Norman-McNaney, Spiritual Journey for the Birthing of My Soul, 82.

4. Ibid.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

Icon: Madonna del Parto written by Piero della Francesca

I felt called to write about pregnancy during the Christian season of Advent, the focus of which is on Mary, the mother of Jesus. But what does that have to do with us in 2025, especially those of us who aren’t pregnant right now?

Before going there, it’s probably important to give a bit of history about the Christian celebrations of Advent, (Mary’s pregnancy), and Christmas, (Jesus’ birth and early days).

Many of you will know the story of Mary’s unexpected pregnancy, her need to travel while heavily pregnant to Bethlehem where her husband Joseph had been born, her lack of an indoor space to give birth, her preparing to give birth in a stable with animals, and so forth.

The season of Christmas came to be included in the Christian Church’s liturgical year around the 3rd century C.E. The Church decided to place the celebration of Jesus’ birth into the dark winter season. That is, winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

This was one way to entice non-Christians to join the church since it replaced the Romans’ winter festivals associated with the winter solstice, the return of the sun.

Advent was added several centuries later as a four-week preparation time for the birth of Christ.

I know that each of you will have your own understandings and ways of entering into the seasons of Advent and Christmas. Perhaps you celebrate these within your own faith tradition or maybe you celebrate them more culturally, such as with family gatherings, gift giving and the like.

I felt called to write about pregnancy during Advent because its focus is on Mary’s time of waiting. I’ll write about birthing and the season of Christmas in the next blog.

I love the seasons of Advent and Christmas. Somehow they give me permission to take times of quiet and prayer in amongst the busyness of December.

I hope that you, like me might find that reflection on these seasons can be helpful for your spiritual journey. Especially if you are feeling invited to be creative, to birth something new.

Besides, it can’t hurt to reflect on pregnancy and birthing, two very hopeful aspects of human life during this dark time of the year.

Dark in terms of sunlight and dark in this time of 2025 when much of what’s happening in the world right now can feel dark and dispiriting.

Pregnancy is a time of waiting. This liminal space is often filled with hopes and dreams for the new baby.

Some of us, including myself, may never become pregnant with a human child. But all of us are creative. And so, each of us can birth newness into this world. Whether that is by creating social medial posts, singing in the shower, cooking, gardening, writing poetry, or creating whatever the Spirit moves us to.

Creativity often requires a time of waiting and pondering, just like pregnancy. And the dark Advent winter days can be conducive to this creative pondering.

Taking the time to wait and pray as part of our creative process is a way for us to connect to the Creator. To communicate “with the sacred origins of all creation.”[1] To assist and inspire us in bringing about new beginnings, [2].

And with the destruction of many things in this world, clearly we need new ideas, some creative imaginings for a more hopeful future.

It’s not easy to wait. Especially waiting for the Spirit’s inspiration and creative flow. It can even involve suffering and letting go of our own ideas and plans.

Even if we consciously spend time in contemplative prayer and listening, we can easily get off track while in the gestation time. Perhaps we notice fears and judgements in ourselves, [3]. We might have trouble accepting that we have the capacity to be creative. Perhaps something else inside is preventing us from entering the creative flow.

Self-compassion and gentleness towards ourselves can be essential elements of this pre-birthing time,[4].

I invite you to consider moving into a time of Advent waiting and listening as you consider which new beginnings might be yours to bring into our hurting world.

I have two invitations to assist you with this:

1. Journal about the following questions:

What might help you to enter into a contemplative, listening, “waiting” stance during this Advent?

Do you have any inklings of what, if any creative actions the Spirit might be calling you towards?

2. Listen to the YouTube video of Rumi’s poem The Guest House. Reflect on how the poem might be speaking to you in this 2025 Advent time of creativity-in-waiting. Here are the words of the poem if you’d like to read along:

The Guest House by Jalaluddin Rumi, [5]

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honourably.

He may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing,

and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond.

1. Kaitlin B. Curtice, Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God, Brazos Press, Grand Rapids, MI, 2020, 21 and Christine Valters Paintner, Betsey Beckman, Awakening the Creative Spirit: Bringing the Arts to Spiritual Direction, Morehouse Publishing, New York, NY, 2010, 5.

2. Curtice, Native, 23.

3. Valters Paintner, Beckman, Awakening the Creative Spirit, 22.

4. Ibid.

5. From Rumi: Selected Poems, trans. Coleman Barks with John Moynce, A. J. Arberry, Reynold Nicholson, Penguin Books, 2004. Accessed September 6, 2025 from https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/guest-house/

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

Looking at our night dreams might seem to be a superfluous activity, especially in this challenging time. Some might say that we should be doing more important things.

On the surface, if we look at dreams literally rather than metaphorically, that could be true. My dreams have been known to involve bleeding polar bears, sari-wearing gun-toting mothers, toilets, incandescent sea stars and so much more.

A literal interpretation would indicate that these dreams were absurd nonsense. But dreams, taken metaphorically are grace-filled. And we certainly need as much grace as possible right now.

Over the years, dreamwork has been one of my most important spiritual practices. Because reflecting on dreams is like opening letters from the Holy, [1].

Each dream is uniquely ours, a special messenger with a sole purpose of guiding us into health and wholeness, [2]. Our night-dreams provide us with insights from our Divinely created unconscious.

Dreams abound in the Judeo-Christian traditions, all which have influenced people to change their lives, sometimes significantly. The most famous are the dreams of Joseph, (Genesis 37), Daniel, (Daniel 2 and 7) and the ones around Jesus’ birth, [3].

However, most religious traditions haven’t encouraged us to honour our dreams. To pay attention to them as a way of listening to Holy Mystery.

In the past century, dreamwork has been integral to Jungian psychoanalysis and recently Jungian-informed spiritual directors have been inviting us to pay attention to our dreams as a spiritual practice.

Taking dreams seriously and trusting that they are from God allows us to be open to their daily guidance, and illumination. They are conduits for us to better understand ourselves and our journey with the Divine, [4].

I’ve also found that dreams can inspire and comfort us. For dreams, even nightmares, [5] have only good intent, bringing us awarenesses that can lead us to wholeness, holiness. That is, if we are open to listening.

So how does one go about doing dreamwork as a spiritual practice? Well, it takes a commitment to spend time with at least some of your dreams. Time on your own and ideally, time with other dreamers.

For those of you who are new to this spiritual practice and those who’d like to renew your dream practice, here are some dreamwork basics, [6]:

• Place a journal and pencil beside your bed. Prior to falling asleep, invite the Holy to give you a dream.

• Write down any dream(s) as soon as you awaken. Dreams dissipate once we move into our daily activities. Deciding on how and what to write isn’t always clear. Write down only as you feel so called by the Spirit. Even the smallest dream fragment can hold wisdom.

• Note the dream setting, characters, (human and animal), inanimate objects, actions/plot, as well as any emotions that arise. Each has value and likely will be related to something in your life.

• Seek associations to each of the above aspects of the dream. For example, if you dream about horses then consider what experience(s) you’ve had with horses, or what horses mean to you.

• Prayerfully interpret the dream, seeking meaning related to your own life, (internal and external). Consider why this dream came to you at this time in your life. Perhaps something is happening in your life that might be connected to the dream’s meaning.

• Look for “aha” moments as you interpret the dream. These are places that provide deep resonance with your inner knowing. Pause and celebrate if you experience an “aha” moment.

• Consider talking to one or more of the dream characters and/or drawing something or someone in the dream.

• Give your dream a title.

• Notice if this dream is related to any of your other dreams since they often come in groupings or cycles. The Divine provides many dreamy opportunities for us to learn.

• Repeat any of these steps as you feel called, either on your own or with a trusted soul guide/friend.

Please feel free to contact me about dreamwork and/or becoming involved in a dream group.

1. Robert L. Haden Jn., Unopened Letters from God: A Workbook for Individuals and Groups, Flat Rock, NC: Haden Institute Publishing, 2010, 1.

2. Jeremy Taylor, The Wisdom of Your Dreams: Using Dreams to Tap into Your Unconscious and Transform Your Life, Penguin Group (USA) Inc., New York, NY, 2009, 4.

3. See the Biblical Gospel of Matthew- chapters 1 and 2 in which Joseph and the Wise Ones from the East have dreams which ensure Jesus’ safety.

4. Joyce Rockwood Hudson, Natural Spirituality: A Handbook for Jungian Inner Work in Spiritual Community, Revised Ed., Chiron Publications, Asheville, NC, 2016, 108.

5. If we have a negative arousal from the dream, Naisa Wong recommends that we move towards emotional regulation before attempting to unpack the dream. From Naisa Wong, Discovering the Creative-Imaginative in the Spiritual Direction of Color Experience: Storytelling, Creativity, Imagination, and Dreams in Kaleidoscope: Broadening the Palette in the Art of Spiritual Direction, ed. Ineda Pearl Adesanya, Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY, 2019, 114.

6. Some books that provide these and more detailed outlines of dreamwork include:

a. Robert L. Haden Jn., Unopened Letters from God.

b. Joyce Rockwood Hudson, Natural Spirituality, 105-126.

c. Christine Valters Paintner, Sacred Time: Embracing and Intentionally Way of Life, Sorin Books, Notre dame, IN, 2021, 59-62.

d. Jeremy Taylor, The Wisdom of Your Dreams.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

There are a number of spiritual writers who are inviting us to find hope in this confusing and sometimes dispiriting time.

Hope to buoy us along, to counteract the attacks on our souls that come fast and furious from our screens.

Hope to heal us from the visible evidence of cruel injustices, masked men grabbing and disappearing people, toxic politics and so much more.

Even though hope can anchor our souls, especially in difficult times, I am struggling to write about it. I think that my difficulties come because there are so many definitions of hope.

So, I humbly write this blog using a variety of definitions of hope, those hopeful definitions which most resonate with my own life and spiritual experience.

As a young person I mostly held to the definitions of hope that used “light” metaphors--a ray, a beam, a glimmer of hope; the break in the clouds; the light at the end of a dark tunnel, [1]. But as life has buffeted and blown me around over the past nearly seven decades, I’ve come to realize that hope is much bigger than these metaphors.

Many writers remind us that hope is different than optimism. Hope requires us to face reality without being decimated by situation(s), while optimism allows us to disregard the truth of situations.

This past summer I participated in the 6-part On Being course on hope. Krista Tippett, the program facilitator invited course participants to develop our “muscles of hope” individually and in community. Her intention was to build our hope so that we would be inspired to remake the world, [2]. In this way hope is an action word, something that is learned with practice, [3].

The series included a podcast and free online journaling booklet, [4] both of which encouraged the building of our “hope muscles” as we faced our grief and despair, used our imaginations, journaled, learned to make careful word choices, and reclaimed joy, all the while recognizing the long game of time.

I enjoyed participating in the On Being Hope Series and am grateful that Tippett and so many wise others are providing opportunities that encourage us towards hope.

That is, the hope that inspires us to make changes in ourselves which can change the world.

However, as Brian McLaren says, “hope is complicated,” [5]. Hope is not always helpful or easy to understand, [6].

McLaren reminds us that hope shouldn’t be tied to a positive outcome. When our hope requires a positive outcome then we’re prone to discouragement if our desired outcome doesn’t transpire, [7].

But conditions that seem hopeless don’t have to lead us into despair. Václav Havel, the former Czech president, dissident, and author says that hope in hopeless situations is important. It can give us the strength to live and to continue to try new things, [8].

This type of hope allows us to accept what is, so that we can continue to have a desire to stay alive, be creative and take action, including during the harshest of times.

While writing this blog, I was reminded that hope, and other spiritual practices, including the practices that I’ve previously presented in this blog, even if they have value for our emotional well-being, can numb us to reality.

Brian McLaren describes this numbing as “hope-ium,” a type of hope that pacifies rather than inspires, [9].

“Hope-ium” can prevent us from seeing the goodness, joy, peace and other gifts that are right in front of us. And can avert us from acting in ways that might be helpful to us and the situation.

Sadly, in the most serious of situations, hope can also be used by oppressors to manipulate and render us into compliance to their oppression, [10].

There is so much more that can be said about hope, but I’ve already written much more than I usually do. So I’ll stop. Please consider looking at the resources below if you’d like to reflect on hope more deeply.

My hope upon hope from this blog is that you will connect with Holy-Inspired Hope in some fruitful way.

And as you do, may you become a hopeful bearer of light in this sometimes-unbearable time.

Today I am inviting you to two spiritual practices related to hope:

Practice One: Spend some time, (a few minutes, a few hours, all day), looking for small signs of love/hope/kindness. Seek out signs of loving/kind/hopeful action in yourself and others. Look for simple things—compassion in yourself and compassionate connections between people, between people and animals, between people and plants.

Perhaps you’ll see people helping one another, gardening, walking their dogs, smiling over a cup of tea. Perhaps a rainbow will come. But my guess is that you’ll see much more than I’m offering.

Practice Two: Prayerfully listen to the poem Blessed Are You Who Bear the Light, [11] on the SoundCloud link below. If you want to follow along by reading the words, the blessing is written below the link.

Consider spending time afterwards reflecting on how you have been a bearer of the light in 2025.

Blessed Are You Who Bear the Light

By Jan Richardson

Blessed are you

who bear the light

in unbearable times,

who testify

to its endurance

amid the unendurable,

who bear witness

to its persistence

when everything seems

in shadow

and grief.

Blessed are you

in whom

the light lives,

in whom

the brightness blazes—

your heart

a chapel,

an altar where

in the deepest night

can be seen

the fire that

shines forth in you

in unaccountable faith,

in stubborn hope,

in love that illumines

every broken thing

it finds.

1. Maurice J. Nutt, Trouble Don’t Last Always: Toward a Spirituality of Hope in Embodied Spirits: Stories of Spiritual Directors of Color, ed. Sherry Bryant-Johnson, Rosalie Norman-McNaney & Therese Taylor-Stinson (New York, Morehouse Publishing, 2014), 19.

2. This is the link to the first podcast of the On Being Series: Hope Portal

3. Maurice J. Nutt, Trouble Don’t Last Always: Toward a Spirituality of Hope in Embodied Spirits: Stories of Spiritual Directors of Color, 19.

4. This is a link to the On Being Journaling Resource: Hope Journal

5. Brian D. McLaren, Life After Doom, Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart, St Martin’s Essentials, New York, NY, 2024, 73.

6. McLaren has an entire chapter on hope in Life After Doom, 73-86. And other authors have written entire books about hope, such as:

a. Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone, Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re In with Unexpected Resilience and Creative Power.

b. Cynthia Bourgeault, Mystical Hope: Trusting in the Mercy of God.

c. Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams, The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times.

7. Brian D. McLaren, Life After Doom, 77-82.

8. Ibid, 73.

9. Ibid, 75.

10. Ibid, 74-76.

11. Jan Richardson, Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons, Wanton Gospeller Press, Orlando, FL, 2015, 47-48.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

The daily ups and downs in this chaotic time can be tough to manage. Even when I hold onto my daily centering prayer and other spiritual practices there are times that my thoughts and feelings are all over the place. It’s especially hard when there seems to be so many opposites happening at once. I’m sad and horrified that there are masked, armed men disappearing people and at the same time I cherish reading to my niece’s beautiful baby.

I catch my breath as I listen to news about famine and war and I also catch my breath while attending a wedding of two young lovers.

Life is about holding all of life’s experiences in some way.

Last April I wrote about lectio divina, the practice of listening for God’s voice in sacred texts. Lectio divina is a heart-centered practices that has helped me to discern how to hold life’s variations-- the good, bad, and everything in between. Here’s the link if you’d like to return to the Lectio Divina blog.

Visio divina is an adaptation of lectio divina. Both are encounters with the Spirit, the One who is active and intimately involved with our lives. In visio divina we gaze upon an image—listening to and heart-fully attuning ourselves to what God might be saying as we contemplate the image.

Like lectio divina, the practice of visio divina has 4 steps:

1. Visio or deep looking at the image.

2. Meditation. Looking for connections between your own life and the image.

3. Oratio or prayer. Listening for an invitation or challenge that arises from gazing on the image.

4. Contemplation. Resting and being in God’s presence.

The following visio divina practice on the video is based on the practice outlined in Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice, [1].

1. Christine Valters Paintner, Eyes of the Heart: Photography As a Christian Contemplative Practice, Sorin Books, Notre Dame, Indiana, 2013, 36-37.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

Photos and words © 2025 Tanya Stark Loretto. Any copying, usage or reproduction requires owner consent.

Depending on where you live, November can be a gloomy month. As a native British Columbian, I am accustomed to the low-lying cloud, mist and rain that can envelop Vancouver during this month. But other people I know really struggle in the fall, especially in this month with its changing weather.

It might be my imagination, but it’s not just the weather that transitions in November. It’s a month in which more people seem to transition to the other side of the veil.

This is supported by some liturgically-based Christian Churches that celebrate November as a month of remembrance. This long-held “remembering” tradition honours those who have died.

The month-long devotional practice provides opportunities to reflect on, be grateful for, and develop connections with those who have been helpful and inspirational in leading us to God, the Source of Love.

In the September 28, 2025 blog I invited you into a practice of developing a relationship with someone from the communion of saints. That is an angel, ancestor, or saint. I don’t know if you took the time to find, research, and spend time with this “other world helper.” But if not, and you are interested in doing this during the month of November, then you might consider returning to that blog: https://www.vancouverspiritualdirection.com/single-post/angels-saints-and-ancestors

Today, I’m inviting you to consider receiving blessings from people who have passed into the heavenly realm. That is, receiving assistance and guidance from the church-canonized saints, other people who have lived lives of love, integrity and justice, and the wise and well ancestors.

All of these, on their own and as a collective can provide powerful support for us, especially in difficult times, such as what we are going through in 2025.

People from the other side of the veil can be particularly helpful because they lived fully human lives. None was perfect, and they had their unique faults, idiosyncrasies and weaknesses.

Each one made mistakes and had her/his own struggles and difficulties, [1].

Many lived through times of upheaval and darkness and yet were still able to hold onto a relationship with the Holy. And they did their best, with the Spirit’s help, to live lives of love amidst all of it.

I believe that you wouldn’t be reading this blog if you weren’t trying to live a life of love and compassion during this chaotic time. So, you are well on your way to becoming a saint.

Even if you don’t achieve “sainthood” you certainly will become an ancestor, which means that you have an important part in creating a better world for those who come after you, [2].

You, simply by living, will shape the future.

And with the help of the Holy, you will assist in bringing justice and compassion to the Earth and her future inhabitants.

It is my hope that the prayer in the video will allow you to receive blessings from both sides of the veil as you move forward to shape the world, [3].

1. Joyce Rupp, Out of the Ordinary: Prayers, Poems, and Reflections for Every Season, Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, IN, 2000, 32.

2. Kaitlin B. Curtice, Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God, Brazos Press, Grand Rapids, MI, 2020, 92.

3. The prayer in the video is loosely based on The Blessing of the Saints in Joyce Rupp, Out of the Ordinary, 39-40.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

Photos and words © 2025 Tanya Stark Loretto. Any copying, usage or reproduction requires owner consent.

As we live out the craziness of 2025, can we imagine a different world? A better world?

Can we imagine different ways to be in relationship with the Divine, each other, all there is?

Spiritual and world leaders are speaking of the importance of using our imaginations while we live a world that seems to be falling apart. Imagining what to do while we’re in this chaotic time, as well as imagining a better future.

A different future than the dystopian one presented to us by wealthy, corrupt world leaders.

Sarah Bessey says that imagination can be sacred work, [1]. She encourages us to imagine a just, communally good world, [2]. Bessey also says that our imaginations can assist us in healing, and living joyfully in stressful times, and that imagining can enable change, evolution, liberation, and peace, [3].

Parker Palmer, Carrie Newcomer, and Susan Frederick-Gray invite people to use their imaginations in finding actions and possibilities that can counteract the negative forces in the world, [4]. They suggest that our imaginations can help us to fully accept that no action is too small, [5].

I would add that the world will benefit even more if many people use their imaginations to bring about a multiplicity of compassion and justice-based present-day actions and possibilities for the future.

Using our imaginations as sacred work isn’t something new. The 16th century Saint Ignatius of Loyola developed a series of Spiritual Exercises that involve praying with Scripture during which we imagine ourselves being in Biblical stories.

Ignatius’ intent is for us to pray with and in the stories so that they can help us find meaning for our own lives.

Today’s video invites you into a practice of imagining yourself in the Biblical story of Bartimaeus, the man described as a “blind beggar,” [6].

This practice is one way of using your imagination.

It is my hope that it may open you up to using your imagination in other ways. Because I believe that all of our imaginations will be required as we repair our world, adapt to new realities, and create possibilities for the future, [7].

1. This is a Walter Brueggemann quote from Sarah Bessey’s Field Notes, Imagining a world that is steadily and communally good, June 9/25. https://sarahbessey.substack.com/p/brueggemann?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=4420&post_id=165347853&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=2cb88f&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

2. Sarah Bessey’s Field Notes, Imagining a world that is steadily and communally good, June 9/25.

3. Ibid.

4. The Growing Edge Podcast #60 A Conversation with Unitarian Universalist pastor and Activist Susan Frederick-Gray, Jun 5, 2025

5. Ibid.

6. The video practice is based on Teresa Blythe, 50 Ways to Pray: Practice from Many Traditions and Times, Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN, 2006, 101-102.

7. Brian McLaren, Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart, St. Martin’s Essentials, New York, NY, 2024, 184.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

Photos and words © 2025 Tanya Stark Loretto. Any copying, usage or reproduction requires owner consent.

Thanks for reading Spirituality for Chaotic Times! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Recently, concern for the environment and protecting Earth and all of creation seems to be taking a back seat to other concerns. And even more disturbing is that some countries are even reducing or eliminating environmental protections.

You might wonder what that has to do with our spirituality, our connection to the Divine. Quite simply—a lot.

In Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si', he describes Earth, our common home as a sister that we share life with [1], and reminds us “that we ourselves are dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7)," [2}. Based on scientific knowledge he says that “our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters,” [3].

In other words, while we may have thought that we are separate from the Earth community, we are actually but one small part of a complex interconnected web of creation.

Social scientists and others are recognizing the benefits of being in nature. Pam McPhail’s blog Nature Deficit Disorder, outlines what can happen when humans don’t spend time in nature, [4] and she encourages us to go outside, to connect with nature in a variety of ways.

All of creation can be teachers, catalysts for understanding ourselves and can help us to connect with the Divine. Thomas Merton describes trees, flowers, colts, lakes, and mountains as saints and says that they give glory to God simply by being what God means them to be, [5]. He then goes a step further, inviting us to give glory to God in the same way that creation does, by being ourselves, by choosing to be true to ourselves, [6].

It isn’t always easy being true to ourselves unless we know ourselves well. And nature can assist us to be catalysts in deepening our self-understanding, [7].

Christine Valters Paintner says that by paying attention to the rhythms of each day, the seasons, migrations, as well as cycles and processes of the natural world we can have a better understanding of our bodies and our souls, which in turn can give us “access to an immense and ancient source of wisdom,” [8].

I would add that nature, as God’s creation, reveals something of the Creator. And so, entering into intentional relationships with nature can encourage and support our relationship with the Divine.

There are many ways to connect with nature. The “nature practice” on the video is only one, but it’s my favourite. It’s based on my own ideas and several from Joyce Rupp, [9].

1. Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, [On Care for our Common Home], https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html, 2015, 1.

2. Ibid, 2.

3. Ibid.

4. Pam McPhail, Nature Deficit Disorder, https://sunsetyears.ca/nature-deficit-disorder/ , October 16, 2021.

5. Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation, New Directions Books, New York, NY, 1962, 29-31.

6. Ibid, 31.

7. Christine Valters Paintner, Earth Our Original Monastery: Cultivating Wonder and Gratitude through Intimacy with Nature, Sorin Books, Notre Dame, IN, 2020, x.

8. Christine Valters Paintner, The Wisdom of the Body: A Contemplative Journey to Wholeness for Women, Sorin Books, Notre Dame, IN, 2017, 174.

9. Joyce Rupp, Boundless Compassion: Creating a Way of Life, Sorin Books, Notre Dame, IN, 2018, 147.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

Photos and words © 2025 Tanya Stark Loretto. Any copying, usage or reproduction requires owner consent.

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Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the “shock and awe” politics of 2025. The sheer volume of “shocks,” each of which highlights the rise of cruelty, injustice, visible corruption, disregard for law, and so much more, can make me feel helpless.

Prayer and other spiritual practices can reduce my feelings of helplessness and overwhelm. But sometimes I recognize my limitations and will turn to helpers from heaven. Angels, saints, “Holy Ones,” and wise and well ancestors.

I am not an angel expert and have only had a couple of periods in my life when I felt the need to ask for the help and protection from angels. I chose Michael and Raphael the Archangels. Both of these majestic beings were very helpful. In gratitude, and because my middle son's name is Michael, I've often made angel food cake on the Archangels' feast day, (September 29). While I'm not making angel food cake this year, I am writing today's blog in their honour.

Saints and “Holy Others” can also be strong allies from the other side of the veil.

Technically, Saints are people who have been canonized by the Christian Church, while there are non-canonized Holy Ones whose lives demonstrate intimate relationships with God, with Love.

Saints and Holy Others often begin life as very imperfect human beings who grow into holiness. Usually this happens when harsh life experiences lead them into connecting with the Divine. Their new relationship with the Divine moves them into living lives of justice and compassion.

Because of their raw humanity and their spiritual growth, Saints and Holy Others can be wonderful role models for us.

Several Saints and Holy Others have lived in times of suffering not dissimilar to ours. Julian of Norwich lived through a series of pandemics. Salvadorian Archbishop Óscar Romero died because of his vocal criticism of political violence. Howard Thurman lived through racial discrimination and segregation from U.S. Jim Crow laws. And Etty Hillesum, even while in Auschwitz continued to see the love and goodness in all people, including the Nazis who eventually sent her to her death.

Barbara Otero-López has studied and reflected on her indigenous ancestors’ experiences of suffering and resilience, and she suggests that we look at our own ancestors’ lives for inspiration and wisdom in living out the challenges in 2025, [1]. That we ask for the assistance of our wise and well ancestors, [2]. In particular those who have experienced times of suffering and injustice.

Today I'm offering two spiritual practices:

Spiritual Practice 1:

I invite you to consider moving into relationship with someone from the other side of the veil. It may be helpful to ask for the Spirit’s guidance by spending a few days in prayerful, holy listening before making your choice.

Once you’ve found your "heavenly" helper, you may want to research about, and reflect on them and their lives. Perhaps you’ll learn about angels, a particular Archangel or Saint, a Holy Other, or even one of your wise and well ancestors.

If there’s little information available about your chosen being/person, you may want to use your imagination and/or research their time and place in history.

Once you’ve found your heavenly helper—ask what they might want for you during this time. Are they asking you to name your sadness, pain, or trauma? Are they inviting you to tears? Do they want you to do an act of resistance? Might they be asking you to let go of negative thoughts such as cynicism, bitterness, or defeatism?

How do they want you to respond to this 2025 time of upheaval? What goodness are they inviting you into? [3].

Spiritual Practice 2:

You may want to click the link to listen and/or sing along with this song, which is based on Julian of Norwich’s comforting words:

Kathryn Christian- All Shall Be Well (Julian of Norwich)

All shall be well, all shall be well,

All matter of things shall be well.

All shall be well, all shall be well,

All matter of things shall be well.

Rest in my embrace, my beloved, all is well.

Sleep in safety,

Let your cares melt away.

Place your heart in my embrace.

1. Barbara Otero-López, Loving in a Time of Exile: Healing the Wounds of Exile, https://cac.org/daily-meditations/healing-the-wounds-of-exile/, May 7, 2025.

2. Ibid.

3. These are based on questions by Barbara Otero-López in the May 7, 2025 article above.

This blog is dedicated to the archangels

and to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

Photos and words © 2025 Tanya Stark Loretto. Any copying, usage or reproduction requires owner consent.

Thanks for reading Spirituality for Chaotic Times! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Experiencing the barrage of news that's filled with stories of leaders' corruption, insults, threats, lies, lawlessness, and othering makes me feel pessimistic about the world and her people. Especially when leaders encourage divisions. Their beliefs in “us” versus “them.”

While Jesus spent time alone, the Biblical stories show that he spent most of his time in relationships with people. Theologian Daniel Horan says that “everything Jesus communicated about how God wants us to live in community was about expanding our sense of belonging, inclusion and justice,” [1]. This seems opposite to what we’re exposed to in our 24/7 news cycle.

I depend on my times of stillness as well as various spiritual communities to lead me towards Jesus’ ideals for myself and humanity as outlined by Horan.

My cherished communities often remind me that there is love and compassion in the world. That most people are kind and empathetic. Are willing to help others. To work towards justice.

We have a basic need to belong. We flourish when we have people around to meet our social needs, those who are there when we need help. And to give us opportunities to help others.

Some of us have our needs met in churches or other faith-based communities and others find meaningful community in places like book clubs, quilting circles, sports teams, neighbourhoods, choirs, and so forth.

No matter where they’re found, healthy communities can provide spaces that are safe, predictable, and meaningful. And right now, these are essential in the 2025 world with its lack of safety and predictability.

Several blog readers have expressed their concerns around not being able to find safe or meaningful spiritual communities. I appreciate their vulnerability in expressing this. It’s not easy for us to recognize and articulate our need to belong, [2]. Our need for intimate, communal experiences.

Other readers have recently moved into meaningful, helping communities as a form of resistance against the negatives swirling around us. They have chosen to enter groups that help others, that bring love into the world.

Gareth Higgins, co-founder of the Porch Community says that small, meaningful communities don't "just make the journey less lonely and more agreeable," but also "the intimacy of traveling with others is part of what makes life liveable,” [3]. Higgins also encourages people to create in-person and online weekly, small, meaningful circles, [4].

And so, if you'd like to reflect on your experiences with finding, (or not finding) sacred company that cherishes you, [5], I invite you to consider the following questions, [6]:

1. Who was the first friend you felt deeply known by? Were they known by you in return? How was intimacy cultivated?

2. Which communities are you currently grounded in? How do, (or don’t) the people in these communities understand you?

3. Might you consider creating or entering a new community?

I'd love to hear about your sacred community experiences if you feel comfortable sharing.

1. Daniel P. Horan, We Need a Theology of Abundance, April 3, 2025, https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/guest-voices/we-need-theology-abundance?utm_source=NCR+List&utm_campaign=c1661e6763

2. Cole Arthur Riley, Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human, Hodder & Stoughton Ltd., London, UK, 2024, 65.

3. gareth higgins, how not to be afraid: SEVEN WAYS TO LIVE WHEN EVERYTHING SEEMS TERRIFYING, Broadleaf Books, Minneapolis, MN, 2021, 162.

4. See: https://www.theporchcommunity.net/porch-circles

5. Cole Arthur Riley, Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human, 66.

6. These are based on Cole Arthur Riley's questions in Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human, 72-73.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

All images @2025 Tanya Stark Loretto. Any copying, usage or reproduction requires owner consent.

The news seems to be filled with so much horror and cruelty and yet at the same time there is also much beauty and goodness in the world.

Life, especially at this time in 2025 involves a confusing mixture of feelings and experiences.

We have up-close screen views of the suffering and trauma of the world. We hear about bombings while preparing salad for dinner. Dispiriting lies fly around the media and we notice that rays of sun make raindrops look like sparkling diamonds. Videos of ordinary people being detained by armed, masked men seem ridiculously juxtaposed with the sight of an elder and a small girl flying a kite together.

How then can we hold the good alongside the horror?

How can we resist moving into confusion and despair?

Perhaps by avoiding doomscrolling. Or by putting our heads in the sand. But ostriching doesn’t fit for most of us, especially when we have hearts for justice and a love for our earth and its inhabitants.

Cole Arthur Riley says that we can resist despair by anchoring ourselves in beauty, [1]. She invites us into the practice of beholding, having fidelity to seeking beauty in all things, [2].

I would add that paying attention to beauty as well as to places of truth and goodness can bring us to awe and wonder. That is, if we surrender to these moments.

A delightful added benefit of seeking awe and wonder in our lives is that this spiritual practice can move us into our inward journey where we meet the Holy One, [3]. I'd say that's a beautiful way, (forgive the pun) to connect with the Divine.

Where might we experience wonder and awe? Nature is probably the first place to look. Or in loving relationships. But there are many other places that can bring us to awe—I've found myself feeling teary and having a sense of wonder while experiencing dance, song, the visual arts, poetry, the night sky, and rituals. And even while reading a good novel and spending time with my cockapoo Kona.

I invite you to use your imagination in seeking spaces and places of goodness, truth, and beauty. And to surrender to these awe-inspiring moments.

Today’s video practice is a prayer from Cole Arthur Riley’s “Wonder” Ritual, [4]. The words to the breath prayer are below the video.

Words to the video’s breath prayer:

Inhale: Holy One, awaken my soul to beauty.

Exhale: I resist the tyranny of despair.

Inhale: I can pause to behold and to listen.

Exhale: I am healed by beauty.

Inhale: I choose a life enchanted.

Exhale: There is a miracle in the ordinary.

1. Cole Arthur Riley, Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human, Hodder & Stoughton Ltd., London, UK, 2024, 33.

2. Ibid, 33.

3. Barbara Holmes, Joy Unspeakable: Contemplative Practices of the Black Church, (2nd Ed.), Fortress Press, Minneapolis, MN, 2017, 198.

4. Cole Arthur Riley, Black Liturgies, 38-39.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.

All images @2025 Tanya Stark Loretto. Any copying, usage or reproduction requires owner consent.