Prism

Only at day’s end, do we finally find a path to the stars. You may also like: Just a handful of coals At the close closing of the day Arrival Continue reading →

Lux perpetua

I sit quietly in an ornately decorated Portland church, hands in my lap, surrounded by the smell of incense, colorful stained glass windows, and the solemn but soaring crystalline melodies of a choir singing Fauré’s Requiem in Latin: Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam (Grant them, O Lord, to pass from death to … Continue reading →

Just a handful of coals

“Stars, you are the heavens’ flock, tangling your pale wool across the night sky, bits of oily fleece catching on barbs of darkness to swirl in black wind.” -from “The Heaven’s Flock” by Paulann Petersen, Oregon Poet Laureate We look upwards for answers. When the sun sets, blushing the sky and then sneaking away around … Continue reading →

Emerge

 “Behold God beholding you . . . and smiling.” -Anthony deMello, SJ- Out they come, smiling. We do the same. Continue reading →

Trillium

Holy Trinity, So tender and wild. ps. credit goes to Alicia’s student for initial inception of this idea. pps. Happy Vernal Equinox! Continue reading →

A new day, dazzling.

Hark! Spring has arrived! Somehow, without much indication of its transition, winter has been left behind in the mountains and the city has come alive with new life. This week, I have been able to walk out the front door without a jacket and stroll along the sidewalk, smelling the perfume of just-blooming flowers in … Continue reading →

Ascent

You, the mist, gather on treetops As we climb higher into ethereal realms. We meet you high above the world of mortals. Continue reading →

In the time when Mountains were people

I am continually blessed to live in Oregon, a state of oceans, mountains, deserts, and forests. A state of hearty soil that supports Douglas Firs and Hemlocks, Western Redcedars and Ponderosa Pines, Larches and Spruces. A state where Coyotes, Douglas squirrels, and Stellers Jays can be a normal sighting in one’s daily life. I spend … Continue reading →

Sacred Places of San Francisco: beyond Chartres

Somehow, through a combination of seeking out and happenstance, I have found myself walking through the opening to a labyrinth at times of uncertainty and transition in my life. These labyrinths have presented themselves in many unique designs, constructed materials, and locations throughout the years- a labyrinth painted onto canvas at a retreat on spirituality … Continue reading →

Sacred Places of San Francisco: the Cathedral

My dear friend Andrew calls it his Cathedral, and I agree. Though it is certainly not a cathedral of stone and arches, of gargoyles and ethereal music, this place of mysticism and beauty is a different kind of sacred. It is a cathedral of towering eucalyptus trees, their scent of dust and spice spreading like … Continue reading →