The Hippies of Nineteenth-Century America

Last updated on: August 19, 2011 at 10:48 am By Lori Erickson

Spending time with Bronson Alcott yesterday made me realize that before moving forward we need to get a bit clearer on what that ten-dollar word “Transcendentalism” means. Spoiler alert: abstract ideas ahead. I’ve asked my philosopher husband, Bob Sessions, to tell us everything we need to know about Transcendentalism in 500 words (how hard can this be?). Here’s his response: As Lori has written in previous posts, there’s a school of philosophy lurking behind the Concord stories she’s been telling.... Read more

Introducing the Alcotts

Last updated on: August 18, 2011 at 10:21 am By Lori Erickson

Today, we turn to my friend, Jo March. Oh, I know there’s a difference between the heroine of Little Women and the Louisa May Alcott who wrote the beloved children’s classic, but as someone who has read the book at least ten times, the two shade together. First, a warning: if you’re not a Little Women fan, this post may not be interesting to you. I remember that as we were about to enter the Alcott House in Concord, my... Read more

A Few Words From Ralph Waldo Emerson

Last updated on: August 17, 2011 at 2:34 pm By Lori Erickson

Yesterday I was a bit too snooty in relation to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s work, for some of his writings are still read and enjoyed. While his essays can be a challenge to wade through, many of his aphorisms are delightfully pithy and insightful. My personal favorite is “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.” Here are a few more: These roses under my window make no reference to former roses or... Read more

Concord, Then and Now

Last updated on: August 16, 2011 at 6:18 pm By Lori Erickson

Concord was a small town during the time of the Transcendentalists, and it’s still a small town today. A whiff of Old Money lingers in its air, and though there are certainly tourists in Concord, the town seems to have a somewhat ambivalent relationship to them, encouraging them to visit but not totally rolling out the welcome mat. While its downtown can be crowded with visitors, its residential streets give the best sense of the true Concord—genteel, discreet, and dignified.... Read more

The Transcendentalist Trail

Last updated on: August 15, 2011 at 10:33 am By Lori Erickson

There are times, I must confess, when I realize just how incredibly geeky I am. On a recent trip to the East Coast, for example, my family and I enjoyed a wide variety of attractions, from whale watching off Cape Ann in Massachusetts to touring downtown Boston. But what I loved most was visiting Concord, a small town famous both as the site of the first battle of the American Revolution and as the center of a literary and philosophical... Read more

Prayers in the Wind

Last updated on: August 6, 2011 at 8:33 am By Lori Erickson

Today’s post is my monthly column for the Episcopal News Service, reprinted below: My home church in Iowa City, Iowa, will soon have an addition to its grounds: a kiosk that invites passersby to leave a prayer request in a notebook and tie a ribbon around a nearby tree as a symbol of their petition. Because our church stands next to a well-traveled sidewalk, we hope that the little shrine will catch the attention of those walking by, an invitation... Read more

The Blessings of the Wind Horse

Last updated on: January 24, 2016 at 11:03 pm By Lori Erickson

Before leaving Deer Park Buddhist Center behind (see yesterday’s post), I want to tell you some interesting things I learned there about Tibetan prayer flags, those brightly colored squares of cloth that you may have seen tied between trees or strung between the corners of buildings. I’d never given much thought to those prayer flags before visiting Deer Park, but seeing hundreds of them arrayed around the center’s stupa, or outdoor shrine, made me curious about them. Our guide at... Read more

A Tibetan Tea

Last updated on: July 28, 2011 at 3:16 pm By Lori Erickson

One of the great joys of seeking out holy sites is the serendipity of the treasure hunt. While some sacred places such as holy wells or mountains grow organically out of the landscape, others seem to have been magically transported from a place far, far away. Such is the case with Deer Park Buddhist Center, which my husband and I visited this past weekend while camping in Wisconsin with friends. While I knew a little bit about the center before... Read more

Last updated on: July 20, 2011 at 4:53 pm By Lori Erickson

(My July column for the Episcopal News Service is based on a post I wrote last summer for The Holy Rover, so it may strike a bell with regular readers.) Of Blackberry Jam and Divine Goodness Soon it will be Blackberry Time at our house. No, not the electronic device—the real blackberry, as in fruit. For months the berries have been ripening in a patch just north of our house, slowing maturing from flower to fruit. Any day now my husband,... Read more

Of Gods and Men

Last updated on: July 18, 2011 at 9:58 am By Lori Erickson

The new Harry Potter movie is grabbing the headlines (as well it should), but there’s another film I want to recommend to you as well, one that you can rent via Netflix or some other subscription service. Of Gods and Men is a luminous, beautiful film, one of those movies that stays in your mind long after the final credits roll. The French-made film won a host of awards when it came out in 2010, including the Grand Prix at... Read more