Aligning with Grace

I am poised to begin the Lenten journey once again, ready to commence it with a seal of ashes tomorrow on Ash Wednesday. Such an ancient ritual - but for the past few years it has been a time of personal growth and recommitment for me... A few years ago, I gathered my Lenten entries from over the years and forged them into a collection I titled, Everything in God and God in Everything... I repeat those words today, as a mantra... "Everything in God and God in Everything." As in other years, Maha Shivaratri, the Great Night of Shiva, observed by many friends, also coincides with this journey... Years ago, a friend gave me a photo with this quote: "I do not know what it calls me to, but I recognize the Voice." I truly do not know what - or where that Voice calls me to - but I know I must respond and go where I am led. It has become more insistent and persistent over the years... The Voice speaks. It beacons. It invites me to a journey. It will be lon...

"Create a clean heart in me, and renew my spirit." ~ Psalm 51 Create a clean heart in me... Sometimes, this means our hearts will be broken open... Sometimes, this means that we must excavate the innermost chambers within and let go of what does not serve... For nearly a year - or more - I have recited this simple verse - and prayed it - almost as a demand - perhaps not truly knowing what it means, or what it implies... If we ask for our hearts to be cleansed, then every bit of us must be cleansed as well: our bodies, our minds, and our very souls. Every part of us must be healed... I begin this Lent, very mindful of where the last one took me, on a most unexpected journey. I begin this Lent by praying with a group of women I have joined every week, for a  good while. Our gatherings punctuate my week and splits it in two... I attend the Ash Wednesday service at this wonderful, and very welcoming Episcopal Church where I go to pray, sitting next to one of th...

I love drinking "Yogi Tea," and I love the inspirational messages that come with every tea bag... Recently, I came across this one: "Wherever you go, go with all your heart." In other words, put your whole heart and soul into everything you do or say. By any measure this is no small feat indeed... To go everywhere with all our hearts is such an appropriate message for this week. Tomorrow Christians all over the world enter into the holy season of Lent through Ash Wednesday. On this day Christians will begin to journey through their Lord's passion and death, and ultimate resurrection - and will most especially reflect on their own mortality and all the ways in which they have failed to miss the mark, and hopefully rectify whatever is in need of inner work.  As I often told my students in my theology classes, Lent is more about cultivating a quality within oneself, or deepening one's relationship with God, or improving an aspect of one's life ...

"Out there beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field, I will meet you there." ~ Rumi On this day of Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of Lent, I take time to go church, get my ashes and reflect on my own wrongdoing, and ask for forgiveness for so many things. The readings and the homily for some reason, touch me very deeply, perhaps in light of all the recent events in my Anusara yoga community. Yesterday, my entry reflected my initial preparation as I enter this season... It pains me to see so much separation in my community, but I am also heartened to see the flames of unity sparking in the broad expanse of so much divisiveness... I told my students this morning, that this season is about Hope, because it coincides with spring, and Easter - which is symbolic of Resurrection. And spring, never fails to come - no matter what... And I realize, there cannot be any rising without dying... We cannot give birth to something new, without letting go of the old... Thi...

There are gifts that are both providential and transformational - and arrive in our lives without expectation... Two gifts received - one yesterday, and the other today - are both meant for my Lenten journey... Yesterday, my spirit merged with a dear soul companion, as our meditations became intertwined while walking the labyrinth. My friend was led to bestow a healing on me, that was both physical and spiritual, and continues to dramatically unfold, gifting me with one miracle after another... This gift take me beyond, in ways that defy articulation... My walk and healing at the labyrinth was an experience of Oneness and merging with the Divine that now enables me to step into the next 40 days of the desert of my Lenten Journey more fully. It is a journey I dedicate to experiencing, embodying, and reflecting, everything in God, and God in everything... Today, I receive another providential gift from a wonderful student and friend. She brings the recording Beyond: Buddhist and Christia...