Staycation 2012 was both a dud and an exercise in recovery. I did very little of my normal workload: spiritual practices, writing, cleaning, cooking, etc. It was nice to take a break. To sit. To read fiction. I freed up some space to deal with some lingering dysfunction. That wasn’t quite how I wanted to spend my free time, and yet…. it was necessary and freeing. I didn’t have my normal distractions and some unresolved personal junk demanded attention. I... Read more
UPDATED: added some photos. Thanks to Regan House Photo for her permission. The resting doesn’t come easy for me. And now my nearly 4 year old is a whiny sick mess. But yesterday…. Yesterday was Priest Point Park (aptly named, no?). Just wild enough to please my soul. I sat in the trees while the baby girl toddled around. My boy was home with his papa, resting. A lazy bee buzzed around me in circles. A grey squirrel watched us... Read more
I’ve talked about how I struggle with vulnerability. I also struggle with rest. Part of this is because I’m a naturally energetic and enthusiastic person. I like doing! Part of it is I internalize not doing with wasting time and taking up space. I do not heap this judgment on others; it’s a special judgment I keep for myself. Resting can mean sitting on the couch, but I’d better be Reading Important Works or Thinking Deep Thoughts. Funny, all the... Read more
I’m going to discuss Female Things, like fertility and menstruation, so if this is not your cup of tea, I’ll just say – thanks for stopping by! – and wish you well on your way. This will likely be a little TMI for some. When I started this project my baby girl was five months old. I was exclusively breastfeeding her and it wasn’t until last month (at 12.5 months postpartum) that my period returned. Like girls beginning to menstruate... Read more
I was asked last week just what a practice of Place looks like. What does it consist of? Good question! The honest, straight up answer? I don’t know. You’ve heard me say this before. In fact, at the start of every quarter there’s been a recognition that I won’t know until I start Doing. Most of what Place means to me could easily be summed up with: going outside and paying attention. I plan to do a lot more of... Read more
Yesterday was the Feast of the Annunciation, one of my favorite Christian celebrations. I know, I’m not in my Christian quarter anymore, but Mary is a special lady and I wanted to mark this day. Seeing as how I didn’t go to church at all last quarter, I decided to take the kids to the nearby church. I thought maybe, just maybe, there would be some mention of the Holy Mother on her day. Of course there wasn’t. Two blocks... Read more
Today begins a new quarter! Hurray! Or hwre, as they say in Welsh. When I started this project I fully expected to be in Wales, exploring the green hills and red kites and Welsh mythology. Wales is a beautiful, powerful place; I miss it. Instead, I’m back in the US, in Washington state. Place may seem like a strange choice for a religion blog. There’s no religion called Place. What does that even mean? I put it last in my... Read more
Today is my last day with Christianity. Sunday, March 25, is the Feast of the Annunciation, one of my favorite feast days in the Christian calendar. Even though it overlaps into my Place quarter, I plan to attend church and write about the day – my last hurrah. For now, I want to sum things up. This quarter has felt like a disappoint to me. No juicy practice. No experiences that took me deeper into the tradition. I pulled away,... Read more
This is the final post in my ‘testimony’ series. (You can follow the links to parts one, two, three, and four.) My family landed in Wales in the early autumn of 2009. It was a grand adventure. Husband had never been to Wales before; I had been once for three days two years prior. But the gods said go, so we went. The rational reason for our moving to Wales was that I wanted to be nearer to my adviser... Read more
Reflections on Bertrand Russell’s speech from 1927. (Read the essay online here.) This is the only essay of his I’ve read. I recommend it. It’s short, amusing and to the point. Many of the arguments he raises are still being raised by those in the New Atheism movement. I want to use this post to talk very briefly about Russell’s essay, even more briefly about the New Atheism movement, and about why I, Niki, am not a Christian. We begin... Read more
A Witch's Ashram
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