Triple Spiral Labyrinth

The triple spiral labyrinth, pictured here, is a wonderful symbol on many levels. It is an ancient pre-Celtic and Celtic symbol. Though it's original meaning is unknown, it was adopted by Christians in Ireland and became a symbol for the Trinity (God, Son, and Holy Spirit). What lovely image of the trinity it is. The intertwining of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and the journey we all travel amongst them.

A new meaning has emerged for me in the triple spiral labyrinth that is grounded in my passion and purpose to "hold space and time for people as they journey toward greater spiritual, emotional, and physical wholeness." The triple spiral labyrinth embodies this journey, reminding us of the the interconnectedness of the spiritual, emotional, and physical aspects of who we are. As we journey toward full wholeness we must be attuned to where we are on each separate journey and how each journey affects the the others.

We are all on a journey toward wholeness while God's spirit and love dwells within us!

Labyrinths: A Tool for the Journey Towards Wholeness

I wrote in a previous post about how my love affair with labyrinths began. This initial encounter with the seminary's labyrinth was only the beginning of my labyrinth journey. Labyrinths are an ancient form of prayer and meditation. They are "single path or unicursal tool for personal, psychological and spiritual transformation"(Labyrinth Society website). For many labyrinths represent the journey towards transformation. For Christians (as well as others) the first half of the journey is a journey inwards, away from the distractions of the world and towards God. The center of the labyrinth represents God's indwelling or presence with you. The second half of the journey is a journey outwards back into the world, hopefully with a renewed spirit and energy. 

As my labyrinth journey continues I am struck by the uniqueness of each labyrinth walk. Each time I walk a labyrinth my journey is different. Sometimes the twists and turns of the labyrinth are a bold reminder of the twists and turns my life has taken or is taking. Some walks are very emotional and cleansing. Some walks are very ordinary and seem like nothing really scared has taken place. During some walks I can literally feel God's presence around and within me guiding each careful step. One thing I know for certain is that each time I walk a labyrinth I am transformed in some way leading  towards greater wholeness and authenticity.

I love to talk about labyrinths; my journey, their varied uses, and offer suggestions for walking them. This is a passion of mine and I'd love to share more information and stories with you! 

Tell me you labyrinth stories! What questions do you have for me about labyrinths? How might you incorporate labyrinth walking into your life?

For some great information about labyrinths surf on over to the Labyrinth Society website.

Friday Photographs: Astonishing Light

"I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being."

~Hafiz

When we feel like darkness has engulfed our being it is difficult to remember that God's light illumines our being and that even if one speck of light is greater than massive darkness. It is this ever present light and love that can give us hope in the midst of darkness. It is this light and love that illumine the path from loneliness to belonging. It is this light and love that illumine the beauty that each of us share with the world.

In what ways do you feel God's light shining within you? How do you see yourself today? Share your stories in the comments. 

Our Death and Ressurection

There are moments where we are acutely aware of God's presence within us. We can feel God's energy moving in and around us. We are fully aware of the Spirit's indwelling. These moments are both completely terrifying and completely comforting all at once. When I am most fully aware of God's presence within me I tend to want to try and flea for fear I am not worthy or enough. Yet, I also want to dwell in this moment forever trusting I am enough and I am completely worthy.

The more I am fully aware of God's indwelling the less terrified I am. I think the more we are aware of God's presence within us the more comforting it is. In fact I think this is what it means to be authentic or to be your true self. Our authenticity comes from embracing who God created us to be and thus how God's Spirit shines through us. In order to let the Spirit shine from within us we must peel back the layers of our "shadow self" that formed because of life circumstances and what "the world" told us we should be. Uncovering our authentic self does not happen overnight. It takes time, energy, and work. In reality it might even take a life time because when we peel back one layer another one can form. I guess you could say uncovering your authentic self is a continuous process. It is a process of death and re-birth.

In many ways this process is resurrection process. Yet, unlike Jesus' death and resurrection which only occurred once ours happens daily. Jesus' death and resurrection give us a foundation for our own death and resurrection process. We know that Jesus was afraid and even prayed not to die. He wasn't fully prepared for his death or his resurrection. Yet, in faith he prayed "not my will but yours." We too are afraid to let parts of us die. For these parts of us seems to be foundational to who we are. The may be comforting they may have even served us well for a time. We wonder if I let this part of me die what will take it's place? Or will I know myself with out this part of me? Will others know me after this part of me is "gone"?  Jesus resurrection reminds us that death is not the end and that with death brings renewal and re-bith. Resurrection reminds us that by peeling away the layers of our "shadow self" we are able to be more fully alive and fully present in this world. We are able to have more moments of being acutely aware of God's presence within us. In the end it's about LOVE-the ability to give and receive God's love more freely. And that my friends is very Good News!!

Friday Photographs-Seasons of Life

Winters in Minnesota can be brutal. The bitter cold that invades your body to the core, the gray clouds that seem so foreboding, daylight that seems to fade just as it arrives each day, and then there is the never ending white and gray color scheme. There is a tendency for many Minnesotans to go into hibernation mode. We long to sleep more and we rush from warm building to our car to warm building and repeat. We tend to stay inside to conserve and renew our energy. Some days we are brave enough to venture outside for an outdoor adventure but these adventures seems to take more energy that those of summer.

By mid-February many of us are longing for Spring to arrive. We long for warmer weather, more daylight, and any color other than white or gray. It is like we are longing to be re-birthed. We are longing for renewed life. The vibrant colors of God's creation are to me symbols for this re-birthing. These colors remind me that with each new season of life comes a new way of being in the world. My favorite seasons are the seasons when my colors are at their most vibrant and I stand strong amongst my fellow humans.

Take minute to gaze at this vibrant reds, oranges and yellows of this plant. What season you are in?How might it be affecting your outlook on life and your interactions with others? Share your thoughts and stories in the comments.

From Shame and Fear to Enoughness and Worthiness

We live in a culture of scarcity, where nothing is ever "enough".  We are told we are not pretty enough, wealthy, spiritual enough,  good enough, creative enough, enough of a parent or partner...insert just about anything. Now you may be thinking, I don't hear those words everywhere, but think about it...most of advertising is telling you you don't have enough or won't be good enough until you buy their product. Shaming behavior, which is prevalent in our cultural, is all about telling others they are not worthy enough. Once you are aware of this issue scarcity in our culture you begin to see it everywhere and you be begin to notice the effect it is having on out society and on your self.

I struggle with not feeling worthy enough. This feeling of not being worthy enough is at the root of my struggles with fear and shame. Somedays these struggles paralyze me to the point of not being able to accomplish task, not taking a risk I would like to take or not being and ultimately not being able to be be my authentic self. Some days are easier than others-somedays (like today) I have the courage to be authentic and speak my truth. Other days I struggle just to make it through the day without spiraling downward into the negative thoughts that seem to be on auto repeat in the depths of my mind.

The Good News is that there is hope for all of us, because EVERYONE struggles with the "not enough" feeling at some point/s during our lives. The Good News is that we are good enough and worthy enough.

"God is the reminder of our divine worthiness."

Brene Brown

God is the reason we are worthy and good enough. We are created in the divine image of God, meaning we are part of God and God lives within each of us. When we deny our worthiness and our enoughness we deny that which is of God. They question then becomes how do we trust and have faith in our worthiness and enoughness?

We start by being grateful. We practice gratitude. We take time each day to intentionally make ourselves aware of what we have and who we are-that for which we are grateful. This may take the form of a gratitude journal, a family practice of sharing what we are grateful for with one another, creating a collage of gratitude or any other way you may intentionally become aware of what you are grateful to God for.

We also show compassion for ourselves and for others. Showing compassion for ourselves is about being gentle with ourselves. We tend to be harder on ourselves for things we do or who we thing we are than we would be on others. Compassion for ourselves means giving ourselves space to make mistake, forgiving ourselves for things we are regret doing, and being intentional gentle with ourselves when our instinct is to tear ourselves apart.

Just practicing gratitude and compassion on a daily basis can transform our fear and shame into courage and joy! 

Questions for reflection:

In what areas of your life do you feel unworthy or not enough?

In what areas of your life to you feel shameful or afraid?

How might you begin to practice gratitude and/or compassion?

Where do you feel joy in your life? 

I'd love to hear YOUR story and/or walk with YOUR on your journey! Please contact me for more information!

Friday Photographs-Visio Divina: An Introduction

Visio Divina or praying with art is a spiritual/meditative practice that like its sister practice Lectio Divina is gaining popularity. Both Lectio Divina and Visio Divina are ancient practices that find their roots in the Benedictine Christian tradition.

Visio Divina (Latin for "divine seeing") uses images as the basis for prayer and meditation. While practicing Visio Divina one gazes at an image and lets the image speak to them. The image becomes an avenue for becoming aware of God's presence within us as well as for God to speak to us. Visio Divina speaks to me because it is accessible to almost everyone from young children to adults. It speaks to me because it lets our spirits connect with both the spirit of God and the spirit of the artist who created the image.Visio Divina speaks to my creative side and I hope it will connect with some of you.

Try Visio Divina with the image below. Here is one method to get you started:

Breathe in, breathe out.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Invite God into this time of prayer & meditation.

Gaze prayerfully at this photo...

...let your thoughts and feelings sit with you for a while.

What do you see?

What are you feeling?

What might God be saying to you through this photograph?

Say a work of thanks to God for this time! 

Friday Photographs - Kindness

"Kindness is like snow...

it beautifies everything it covers."

~Unknown

How will you cover the world with kindness today?

Season's of Life

"To everything there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under the sun."

~Ecclesiastes 3:1 

What season of life are you in? Are you content to be present in that season or are you eager to move into the next season?

May your light glow during this season!

Winter: A Soul Gone Dormant

We are in the depths of winter here in Minnesota. It is cold and there is a layer of white wet snow on the ground. The ground underneath this snow is frozen solid. When winter strikes in MN most of the trees, plants and many animals go dormant. Now, I am no biologist and don't claim to know exactly why plants and animals go dormant but my understanding is that they do so in order to conserve energy. They need to conserve energy because they aren't getting the nutrients, food or sunshine they need to thrive and grow.

It occurred to me that we humans all go through phases in our life when we go dormant. Now most of us don't actually hibernate or sleep for days on end but rather we go through times in our life when we need conserve energy so that when our spring comes we are ready to thrive. Our dormancy's probably feel like we are stuck or come to a stand still in our spiritual life. Sometimes there is something we can do to move this dormancy along other times we just have to wait it out like the plants and animals in winter.

If we are called to wait it out that can be difficult because we live in a culture that tells us to always be moving forward, to be getting more, and getting better. So we must find solace in the fact that there are times in our life that we are called into to a time of waiting of dormancy by God. During these times we need to tell ourselves that we are stuck "right now." We can tell ourselves that our Spring will soon come and that again we will see ourselves thriving and growing. That is the Good News of the Gospel - that God loves us enough to know when we need to go dormant and when we are again ready to thrive.

Are you in a time of dormancy or a time of growth and thriving? What was the time of dormancy like? What did you learn about yourself or God? How did you you the dormancy was over and that spring had sprung for you? Share in the comments so others can learn and grow form your story!

WWJD? The "Outcasts" of Society and Our Personal Response

The New Testament is filled with stories of Jesus interacting with the outcast. In fact these stories are predominate in the Gospels. Jesus is either interacting with, telling parables about or telling his disciples about interacting with outcasts. It's not just that Jesus is interacting with outcast but rather that he is treating them as a Child of God. He sees their humanity AND the divinity that lives within them. He sees and treats them as God would. By his example and teaching he shows and reminds us to do the same.

Yesterday, this concept became very real to me. I don't consider myself a prejudice person in fact I consider myself to be very open minded about and empathetic towards the "outcasts" of our society. Yet, yesterday I was forced to take a deeper look within myself and ask "how would Jesus treat this person?" The first experience occurred at First Presbyterian Church in South St. Paul MN where I was teaching an Adult Education class on Contemplative Spiritual Practices. Earlier in the week I'd been contacted (via email) by Jennifer, the member in charge in Sunday morning Adult Education. So I was expecting to be greeted by her upon arrival. I first saw her from the back; she was tall and wore a lovely dress. When she turned around to greet me and introduce herself it was clear she was a transgender women. I admit I was a bit shocked and starred at her for a moment before I responded. It was this moment of shock that has stayed with me. Why should I be shocked to see a transgendered person? Why should I be shocked to see a transgendered person in church? Why should a be shocked to see a transgendered person in a leadership position in a church? I shouldn't and yet I was!

Fast forward to that evening. Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, MN has been hosting homeless and underprivileged men, women and children for an Sunday evening meal once a month for over 25 years. The young adult group, WestConnect, had volunteered to help serve this sit down meal and I had signed up to participate. Unlike that morning when there was a moment that stuck with me, the evening experience on a whole has stuck with me. As I looked out over the individuals sitting down for a home cooked warm meal I began to see them differently. As I interacted with each individual I began to truly see them as individuals who are just like me. As a long time FEAST volunteer said in our orientation, "These people care about the same things that you do. They want to talk about what is going on the world-football, the weather, music etc." It was true!

So how would Jesus treat these people? First of all Jesus wouldn't be shocked by someones outward appearance. Jesus would treat each individual with respect, love and compassion. We all probably know that and we all know that is how we "should" be treating others. Yet, as the saying goes sometimes "it is easier said than done." So what does respect, love and compassion towards the "outcasts" of our society look like? How can we respond to the "outcast" with respect, love and compassion? These are questions that I am still pondering for myself. I know someways I can be more like Jesus but I also know that I can do more. I will strive to make better choices and strive to see EVERYONE as God see them and respond accordingly.

How will you respond?

Quiet Joy

"I wish you quiet joy today 

and that you will take it slow

so that you can note all the little things again."

~Unknown

MLK Day Reflections and Actions

It's Martin Luther King Jr. Day and frankly I have never really given it much thought. Yes, my grade schools celebrated the day and we learned about MLK's influence on the Civil Rights Movement. We probably did plays, crafts, and sang songs about MLK. It was part of the public school "curriculum". Yet, I was never pushed to think about the impacts on my life. It just hasn't been part of who I am or so I thought.

Even with all the horrific stories in the news about police brutality, racism, and senseless deaths of minorities, my only reaction has been deep sadness and prayer. Frankly, the prayers have been less and less as this past year has unfolded. Not because I don't care but because the events of my personal life needed my attention. Recently, I have wondered should I be doing more? I "watched" as some of my friends joined in peaceful protest, held Facebook conversations and contacted their politicians. I ask myself should I be out protesting, writing letters to politicians, posting on Facebook etc.?

I have come to the conclusion that, no, these are not things I need to be doing at this time. Don't get me wrong they are powerful and important actions and they need to be done. However, they are not true to who I am and how I operate. I am reminded everyday that in order to truly impact the world I need to operate as my authentic self. This means taking actions that are true to my personality. For me this means writing a blog post to share my story and inspire others, lift up these issues in prayer (more often than I have been), showing kindness to other (especially minorities), and befriending those who are different from me.

So on this MLK Day where we are asked to reflect and take action for justice and peace how are you going to be true to yourself? What actions are you going to take to further the Kingdom of God? How are you going provide peace and justice in your family and/or community?

I'd love to hear what you are doing, please share them with me in the comments!