Sharing the heart-swelling gift of encouragement

September 15, 2014 By Women of Spirit and Faith

I once heard someone describe how, while traveling on a bus in Africa, where many roads look like something Americans would reserve for all-terrain vehicles, he’d had an unexpected encounter with the power of encouragement. As the driver navigated the deeply rutted road, the passengers would repeatedly, and with great enthusiasm, cry out a phrase that sounded like “ay-kushay.” As the American man watched more carefully, he realized that this was a kind of cheer they made each time the... Read more

Make it Be So…and the Time is Now

September 8, 2014 By Women of Spirit and Faith

I am sitting at a picnic table watching a steady stream of people team towards stages around the Ulster American Folk Park to hear some foot stomping bluegrass and soul resounding Gospel music. In a seriously post-viral state, I consider myself legitimately excused from this melee; I have ducked singing with the Festival Choir. Later on I will go and sit in the audience, listen and applaud. That is about the height of my power at this moment. As I... Read more

Believing in our own goodness – that’s what’s tugging at my heart

September 3, 2014 By Women of Spirit and Faith

Recently I led a women’s retreat in Berkeley called “I’m Coming From A Great Space: Learning to Tend and Befriend the Chaos in Our Lives“. The room was filled with some great women –“wimmens“, I call us — all of who were on intimate terms with Chaos in Her varied manifestations, and wanting, as I did, to find ways to not only move beyond the tumult but use it as a way to transform our lives for the better. One... Read more

Invitation to blog: What is tugging at your heart?

August 28, 2014 By Women of Spirit and Faith

So much of our lives can be spent living the “To Do” list. Things we HAVE TO GET DONE – it’s never ending, and exhausting. Worst of all, we can get to the end of our day – or our lifetime – and wonder where it all went. As life rushes past us, we too often forget to ask ourselves if we are living from our heart space – that place within us that is our personal truth, the place... Read more

THERE’S A VEIL?

August 14, 2014 By Women of Spirit and Faith

When I enrolled in massage school so many years ago, it was yet another foray into the quest for me-ness? You know, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Not expecting too much, after all it was just massage therapy, I threw myself wholly into the process. And, not realizing at the time, that it would save my life. Having said that, I must acknowledge that a series of unrelated, unexpected synchronicities fell into place to allow... Read more

The veils have thinned…

August 5, 2014 By Women of Spirit and Faith

The veils have thinned. Yet the streets are empty and seemingly swept clear of people hurrying about their daily routines. No doubt about it. How to apprehend the thinning of the veils in times of tumultuous chaos where nothing makes sense because we humans are locked in the throes of seemingly endless earthbound struggles that have grave consequences if we don’t care to rise to the task of securing a calming consciousness? No one is about. No one seems to... Read more

The Veil

July 30, 2014 By Women of Spirit and Faith

I first heard the phrase “the veil is lifting” back in the 90’s; at the time, I would imagine that each of us who heard it mentioned in the rather generic way in which it was brought to our attention, thought of it as being something a little different. We didn’t discuss it. One of our teachers mentioned it in passing and left the concept hanging out there. Since then I have heard many interpretations of the lifting of the... Read more

Emerging Paradigms, The Divine Feminine and Learning to Love the Bear

July 29, 2014 By Women of Spirit and Faith

As I scan the horizon in search of religious trends and emerging spirituality, I see a huge wave of change that can be summarized in one sentence: The Divine Feminine is on the rise… and that’s a good thing! The wisdom of the Divine Feminine may be the only compass that can lead us through these times. The past few weeks have been a real challenge for those of us working to build cooperation, collaboration, unity and enlightenment on this... Read more

Lifting the veil: Is the Time Now?

July 21, 2014 By Women of Spirit and Faith

Is the time now? Always. Have our religious, philosophical and ethical systems converged? Well…it’s a process. Like any seed sprouting, there is a struggle against resisting soil to burst to the surface. The evolving spiritual consciousness is happening now. But to happen, it also meets resistance. This is a necessity of growth. Change is a tricky thing for us humans. On one hand our philosophers early on told us that change is the human condition. Yet, the I Ching was... Read more

Is the Veil Thinning? Time, Consciousness, and Spiritual Evolution

July 15, 2014 By Women of Spirit and Faith

This summer we will be part of a Patheos-wide theme of “religious trends”. Over the various weeks, each of the channels here at Patheos are being featured, with diffrent questions and themes for each. The theme for the Spirituality Chanel is as follows: Is the Veil Thinning? Time, Consciousness, and Spiritual Evolution Many of those deeply interested in the spiritual life apart from particular religious traditions believe that the evolution of religion itself has been leading to a new age... Read more