A Shabbas Table: "The Floating Monastory"

(Top image is of St Catherine holding the Church-as-a-ship, next one of the Church-ship as a healing light/lamp...which will make more sense later)

A couple posts ago, shared a qoute about trusting God "even for the weather". And also how it was the gift of rain that helped calm something when was at a stress highpoint this week. Well, the stress is still going on honestly...between all these doctors visits, and being dizzy all the time and barely able to swallow, and not being able to rest or feel "at home" becuase of all the noise here (at night too), not to mention the chemical sensitivity going through the roof more and more from all the fumes, and the exhausting dance of having to open and close the windows all day long...well i've been seriously about to lose it. But the experience Wednesday with the rain has really stayed with me as a comfort, a rope to hold in a sense. Keep remembering how something about the rain "softened the edges" of things somehow. And how i'd heared so strongly "notice this" (notice how the rain had made such a difference). It had made me think then of the "not a desert but an ocean" image that keeps coming up a lot. And i've found myself going back to it again and again through the stress of late, something keeps beckoning.

One image thats really stood out lately is what is called the "floating monastory". This is an ancient Celtic custom that i'd recently read about when was exploring St Brenden before. To set the scene before going into it, in the early days of Christianity there was a growing tradition of the "desert" monastics... which began in the Middle East and made its way over into Europe. Its what has still influenced monastic life greatly today. But it was not the only path there, i am just more and more convinced of that. I look back to Biblical times and see plently of desert images... Christ in the Desert, God in the Burning Bush, Elijah in his desert cave. But there are also plently of very deep water images. Baptism itself, Christ calming the waters, Noah's ark, Jonah and the whale, Rebekka at the well, and so many more i'm sure. More and more i am convinced that the desert is not the only path/image for living a life more "set apart" life....there is also the ocean.

The thing is, the desert is a traditional place for soldier training and the early desert monastics saw their going apart as a sort of spiritual warfare. Warfare and battling is really bound in with the archetype of the desert it seems...the desert even battles with our own bodies, making us become more rigorous just to survive in it. Such perfect training for a soldier or a hero really, for toughening up for battle (physically or spiritually). And it sure was fitting for our most ultimate Hero (Hero to say the least), Our Lord, who frequently went to the desert of fast and pray. But.... what about Mary? She too had a sacred role to play and the desert was not her training ground for it.

And so ....what about her daughters? Men and women are not just "the same" after all, a woman is not typically designed to be hero or soldier but rather a nurturer and "keeper". And so while the desert is the perfect place for preparing the courage and rigor and toughening up one needs as a soldier... i feel it makes less sense for helping create the softness and openess and such needed so badly for a nurturer. What feels to provide that more strongly isnt the desert but the ocean as the image. Well, this has been explored a bit before...

But this new image that came acrosss recently was this Celtic idea of the "floating monastory". While those in the Middle East tended to off into the desert when there was the need for a spiritual pilgrimage or an especially prayerful and set apart life, those in the Celtic world tended towards the sea (such as St Brendon's sea voyage, of course, but also many others). The boat then became the monastery, the ocean in the place of the desert. And i dont know too much about these "floating monasteries" yet (couldnt find much) but the image itself really feels to really hold something. Becuase the Church herself has been traditionally seen as a ship....and a ship needs the ocean, not the desert. So this feels to be a very powerful image.

About the Church as ship, from here:

As those outside of Noah's Ark were destroyed, the ship became a perfect early symbol of the Church. In the same vein, the main part of a church's interior, the place where the people worship, is called a "nave," from the Latin "navis" -- ship.

and here:

The image of the Church as a boat in which the faithful find refuge from the sea of the world is extremely commonplace in medieval iconography. The architecture of the church building itself is meant to recall an image of a boat; the "nave" (from the Latin "navis" meaning "ship") is often constructed so that the roof resembles an upside-down ship's keel.

And there were some further thoughts in this vein back here.

Anyway, ive just been very drawn to this image of the floating monastery lately. The ship rather than the traditional "cell". Perhaps becuase my life seems to reflect the former more it seems, so far anyaway, so maybe i should just accept it. My little ship here (this little vintage trailer) will be moving yet again now. I knew when i moved here it was temporary and all that, knew the highway's fumes couldnt be lived by for long with the chemical sensitivity and all. But i did so enjoy the wilderness part of being here (how ironic, living on such a noisy-fume-y highway yet still being able to walk up the hill to such deep wilderness that was so dear). I had no idea though just how quickly that move would need to happen until all the new noise happened, along with the continuing impact of the fumes of course. But really, i'd have had to move eventually becuase of the fumes anyway, all this did was speed it up, so i shouldnt be complaining.

Have found someplace to move to, but its more in the city, which i was really trying to avoid. But i'm trying to trust its been found for a reason...and i'm gratfeul for it. Its offroad from the main street so there wont as much traffic fumes as here, and the neighbors (as far as i know anyway) seem quieter at least... so i'll be moving next week or so, and we'll see. This wont be where i "land" though, i can see that already, becuase its too close to neighbors. When someone has chemical sensitivity they need to be far from neighbors (unless those neighbors share or respect your sensitivity, which is rare)...becuase if not then eventually there's usually conflict due to their fumes making you ill. I know that now, though it took me awhile to admit it....its simply the reality. So i either need to somehow have a miracle happen of having land away from city and neighbor fumes to finally ground and be at home (blissful sigh, smile)....or i need to truly embrace this image of my home-cloister here as a ship, simply being led by Him even if not grounded in the traditional way. Or maybe both, that would be heaven. Will have to see what unfolds.

At any rate, the ship image has been such a healing one lately. Its grounding comes not from an owned and claimed spot of earth, but rather from a sacred life in itself, from here:

A way of life - a floating monastery:

The journey was guided and shaped by the rules, not of navigation alone, but of the monastery from which Brendan started out - feasts, festivals, fasts and psalms.

When he left his original more traditional monastory walls, he built them on the ship really.... through "feasts, festival, fasts and psalms". Such food for thought.

And the ship image goes further too , from here:

The ship (bark or barque, barchetta) was an ancient Christian symbol. Its is the Church tossed on the sea of disbelief, worldliness, and persecution but finally reaching safe harbor with its cargo of human souls. Part of the imagery comes from the ark saving Noah's family during the Flood (1 Peter 3:20-21). Jesus protecting the Peter's boat and the apostles on the stormy Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35-41) (is another.... And it is also symolic of) a means of conveyance between this world and the next. In Christian tradition, in which earthly life was seen as a pilgrimage, the ship of the church transports the faithful through the seas of the world to the heavenly home.

Through ths ship image, home really becomes simply...God. He is leading ones little ship. I am just finding more and more healing in this image.

Well, prayers for all that is happening would be so cherished if anyone is willing....for physical healing, for peace and quiet, for a calm and successful move, but most of all for a deepening trust.

A Very Blessed Shabbat all, and a wonderfully healing Sabbath : )

(Images from here and here)

A Sacred Table: Feastday of the Queenship of Mary

Blessed Feastday : )

The importance of feastdays has really been sinking in more and more. Things have been very trying lately to be sure....and feastdays really do help put things more in perspective, the deeper picture...the deeper life. The devotion of Medieval life in particular really revolved around sacred feastdays... and i so long for this.

But its more. Its the history of them, including the modern ones. When it comes to many of them their origins are ancient and Biblical, and yet they are instated later.... at the time in history when they are truly needed most. Talk about wisdom and healing! About today's feastday, from here:

In 1942, Pope Pius XII proclaimed this day (August 22) in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and in 1945 he established this holiday of devotion to Mary in her compassionate aspect. Both were acts of spiritual warfare, designed to pose Mary and Catholicism as supreme weapons in the battle against godless Communism.

Then their is the "mirroring" aspect of feastdays, how they deepen the connection between heaven and earth, let us feel heaven a little closer. Yet is also goes the other way around too, from here:

The gospel reading for the Queenship of Mary is the story of the Annunciation, and what struck me at Mass today was the fact that the royal status of Mary was established on earth historically before it was established in heaven. First of all it was established because Mary was the wife of Joseph, who, Matthew's geneology tells us was descended from King David. Secondly it was established through the message of the angel. Mary's son will receive the throne of his Father David, and he will rule of Israel (Lk.2:32,33) This fact makes Mary the Queen Mother of Jesus the Lord, the King of Israel.

Her crowning in heaven is simply the ultimate fulfillment of her role on earth. When we see her in the Book of Revelation crowned with twelve stars (Rev.12:2) the symbolism and her function are complete. The twelve stars represent the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles--symbolic of her son's rule as the King of Israel and the everlasting Ruler of the Apostolic Church. Her role as Queen of Heaven is therefore the completion of her role as the hidden Queen Mother of the King of Israel here on earth.

What I find intriguing about this is the idea that an event in heaven parallels a reality on earth. If this is the case with Our Lady, then perhaps it is also the case with all of the redeemed. Mary's Queenship on earth was always humble and lowly and full of suffering-- for a sword pierced her own heart also. However, this lowly and humble Queenship on earth was magnified and brought to its full reality and full glory as she was assumed into heaven and crowned as the Queen Mother of her Son.

Is it the same with us? I think so. Certainly our participation in the sacraments is a time when our actions on earth are mirrored in heaven. When we repent the angels rejoice. When we participate in the Eucharist we share in the wedding feast of the Lamb in heaven. When we are baptized, confirmed or ordained we are given a new and everlasting character.

Furthermore, perhaps all our earthly sorrows, trials and tribulations have a parallel version in the cosmos--a sort of mirror version which is far more glorious than we can ever imagine. Are our lives hidden? Do we struggle day after day to realize the glorious royal potential to which we are called? I believe on the other side it will all be transformed. Here we see through a glass darkly. Then we shall see things as they really are. Then we will be blinded by the awesome beauty of reality, for we shall see Him as he is who is Reality itself. Then every last detail of our lives will be redeemed and transformed into an intricate and eternal plan of glory that is far more beautiful and profound than we can now comprehend. (bolding my own).

This just really moved something, reading this. Especially that part about things being transformed. It so much reminded me of that dream from last Candlemas, when there was a beach stick on the mantle and in the dream i woke up there to find it suddenly beautifully embellished....with the realization that perhaps that is what happens in heaven. That that is why we so need to be simple and mindful and devoted and carefully pay attention to details.... rather than rush rush rush and gather gather gather gather. Why we need to not be cluttered or scattered, inside or out....becuase it will all get em-bell-ished in the end. And depending on how we have lived, that em-bell-ish-ment can then bring rich and peaceful beauty or it can bring overwhelm and chaos. Well, those were the feelings of the dream anyway, for what they are worth. I just find myself thinking back to it today.

This truly is a beautiful feastday today. And we need this reminder today more than ever it seems. This wonderful reminder that our own dear Blessed Mother is indeed Queen of Heaven, and the most loving Queen or Mother we could ever dream of....

For human life is short, but Mary reigns above, a Queen forever--Cardinal Newman

A Very Blessed Feastday Everyone : )

(Image from Standing on My Head)

A Shabbas and Feastday Table: "Assuming" Joy

Today is the feastday of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother...though in my head i kept misakenly thinking today was St Helena's feastdayfor some reason, go figure.

But it really is a beautiful feastday today! Such a deep one. Tea at Trianon had this wonderful reflection:

On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII in the bull Munificentissimus Deus defined the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The teaching that the Immaculate Mother of God was taken body and soul into heaven at the close of her earthly existence has been the constant belief of the universal Church, as ancient liturgical manuscripts bear witness. "Everything tends to indicate that the privilege of the Assumption was explicitly revealed to the Apostles...and that it was transmitted subsequently by the oral tradition of the Liturgy," wrote Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange in The Mother of the Saviour and Interior Life.

It was not until the middle of the twentieth century, a century so traumatized by genocide, mass murders, world wars, the breakdown of modesty, morality, and family life; the spread of false ideologies such as communism, socialism, and feminism, which promise to liberate but in reality only enslave and destroy, that the pope was moved to declare the dogma. "The political, social, and religious atmosphere in the middle of the twentieth century influenced greatly the decision of the Pope" so that "mindful of the human misery caused by war, of the ever present threat of materialism and the decline of moral life, and of the internal problems that disturbed the Church, [he] turned to Mary, confident of her intercession." Pope Pius XII "believed...that calling attention to the bodily Assumption of Mary would remind all men and women that the human body is sacred, that the whole person is holy and destined to live forever." (Fr. Kilian Healy, O.Carm. The Assumption of Mary)

For those who struggle to offer to God hearts free from all stain of actual sin, who strive to experience even in this life the joys of union with God through contemplation, the mystery of the Assumption is one which characterizes a way of life.

I really love that...the mystery of the Assumption is one which characterizes a way of life. Talk about "not a desert but an ocean" : )

I was thinking on this passage as i was doing the dishes earlier. Its been a challenging day here, really really hot and expected to be heavy and wind-less tonight and mega hot again tomarrow. Coupled with financial issues and health issues that are really up right now, ive been pretty stressed. But as i was standing there doing the dishes, it was weird, but i "caught" myself being happy. Hard to describe. It was like i was watching my own heart and thinking, "hey, i shouldnt be happy", like i had caught myself doing something wrong. It only lasted a second. But i saw just how insane that was.... happiness bubbles up...and i squish it, like its some sort of sacriledge to be happy when stressful things are happening.

And it got me thinking about this "assumption as a way of life" idea. Maybe choosing joy is how we can turn there really, "looking up" in the deepest sense. It seems like such an act of rebellion and defiance almost, allowing joy when there is so much stress, and so much evil, around us. But maybe thats the whole point....this not losing hope. Mary never lost hope, and she had every reason to when her Son was crucified. Really, she had every reason to even as a young girl just seeing the horrific state of the world around her. But she truly truly hoped. And just look what happened.

Hope doesnt mean you ignore problems...when one is hopeful one hopes for solutions, or reaches out in their own way. Hope is trust after all, and trust opens the heart. But even admitting problems are there and longing for their healing, this longing can still be lived with joy. Joy that comes from hope and trust....or rather faith hope and trust as Peter Pan would say, smile. That story actually really comes to mind....it wasnt until they had that "faith hope and trust" that they could fly. Maybe a hopeful joy really is behind assumption as a way of life. I don't know, something about that just won't let go today. Really, don't even the images of Our Blessed Mother below (will be inserted later, blogger wont let me now) look an awful lot like the ultimate in "faith hope and trust"? To say the least : )

I know we can never be Mary, or hope for her Sacred Assumption of course....but we can still long to be like her, like a daughter longs to be like her Mother : ) An "assumption way of life" just sounds so amazing.

Well, Blessed Feastday Everyone...and a Blessed Shabbat and Sabbath too : )

(Images from here, here and here)

A Pilgrim's Table: Hope as Anchor

Anyone see the meteor shower tonight? Sooooo beautiful. And looking up like that, it makes me feel so small again...lovingly guided, cared for...hopeful.

Hope, it truly is an anchor i think, a precious one. Came across a prayer in this vein that just cant help but share here. Its by Saint Claude de la Columbiere, and is based on Psalm 4. The prayer has been called "Act of Hope", and some excerpts (taken from here and here) are combined below:

"In peace I will sleep and I will rest for Thou hast wonderfully established me in hope.”

My God, I’m so persuaded that You watch over all who hope in You and nothing can be lacking to those who await from You all things, that I have determined to live from now on without any concern, letting go and giving You all of my anxieties. I will sleep and rest in peace because You, O Lord, and only You, have secured my hope.

Men can deprive me of possessions and reputation; illnesses can take away my strength and means to serve You; I myself can lose Your grace because of sin; but I will not lose my hope; I will conserve it until the last instant of my life and all the efforts from demons trying to take it away from me will be useless. I will sleep and rest in peace.

Others may look for happiness from their riches or their talents; they may rely upon the innocence of their lives, the rigour of their penance, the number of their good works, or the fervour of their prayers; but for me, O Lord, my confidence shall be my confidence itself. For Thou hast wonderfully established me in hope.

And boy does he go to the heart of simplicity too, through this Sacred Heart devotion:

It is a great illusion to want all you hear about and all you see in books, as well as to burden yourself with so many devotional practices. Read very few books and make a great study of Jesus Christ crucified.

And sure can't skip this qoute of his on silence:

During His Passion, Jesus found Himself in every circumstance in which it is most difficult to remain silent . . . He had every reason in the world to speak: He had His Father's glory to win, His doctrine to uphold, scandal to be avoided; He was going to lose all the fruit of His labors. The priests commanded Him, Pilate questioned Him: Jesus remained silent. He would not have sinned, He would have given very edifying replies, but His silence is worth a thousand times more .

Silence. Simplicity. Sacred Hearts. Hope. They just feel so deeply connected somehow....

(Image from Kay of He Gently Calls Us)

A Shabbas Table: Is Silence... Self-less?

Something happened earlier in the week that i just cant seem to forget. Was reading this qoute by Issa of Ninive (Isaac of Nineveh), "In the beginning we have to force ourselves to be silent. But then from our very silence is born something that draws us into deeper silence." And yet when i first saw it, "mis-read" it as this:

In the beginning we have to forget ourselves to be silent. But then from our very silence is born something that draws us into deeper silence. -Issac of Ninive.

We have to forget ourselves to be silent. Just cant seem to get that out of my head. The thing is, i've made a promise regarding silence. It happened about a year ago when was praying for help for a quieter life, more silence. Was surprised at the prayer response, at hearing "why dont you meet Me halfway?" Ever since then, i've just felt this thing about silence wasnt only a draw but a promise too, that i truly need to meet Him halfway there somehow. Meaning, i guess, doing all i can towards silence on my own, my "half". And seems i find myself focusing on the externals, trying to calm the the outer noise. And yet the inner noise is the hardest of all really....really hard, that inner buzzing, inner voice. And the most important to heal too.

So...forget ourselves to be silent. Just keep coming back to that.

I do think the external silence matters too. A lot. I cringe when i hear about the popular "urban monk" trend for example, where folks claim to be able to have a "quiet and solitary" (ha!) life in a busy city, often keeping a busy job and techno-laden life as well. Not saying it doesnt work for them, but personally i just couldnt go there, really do need the outer silence.

And the outer and inner silence can be connected. One thing that really stayed with me from Elizabeth Goudge's Green Dolphin Street (such a good book!) was the idea of ones home country, which shows this intertwining so well. The idea was that when one was in their "home country" (that is, the conditions of their environment being suited to their true nature) it is then that one is most able to let go of self. My "home country" is a quiet one, and i truly need that outer quiet. And yet, the more subtle inner silence is drawing more and more deeply. Was drawn to this passage from Catherine Doherty, from Poustinia:

But how, really, can one achieve such solitude? By standing still. Stand still, and allow the deadly restlessness of our tragic age to fall away like the worn-out, dusty cloak that it is.

That restlessness was once considered the magic carpet to tomorrow, but now we see it for what it really is: a running away from oneself, a turning from the journey inward that all men must undertake to meet God dwelling within the depths of their souls.

Stand still, and look deep into the motivations of life. Are they such that true foundations of sanctity can be built on them?

For truly man has been born to become a saint—a lover of Love who died for us. There is but one tragedy: not to be a saint. If these motivations of life are not such that they can be true foundations for sanctity, then each person must start all over again and find other motivations.

It can be done. It must be done. It is never too late to begin again.

Stand still, and lifting your heart and hands to God, pray that the mighty wind of his Holy Spirit may clear all the cobwebs of fears, selfishness, greed, and narrow–heartedness away from your soul. Pray that his tongues of flame may descend to give you courage to begin again.

All this standing still can be done in the midst of the outward noise of daily living and the duties of state in life. For it will bring order into the soul, God’s order, and God’s order will bring tranquility, his own tranquility. And it will bring silence.

It will bring the silence of a lover, listening with all his being to the heartbeats of his beloved. The silence of a bride, who in utter joy listens to her heart re-echoing every word of the beloved.

The silence of a mother, so deep and inward that in it she listens with her whole being to the voice of her children playing in a nearby yard, cognizant without effort of the slightest change in each voice. Hers is a listening silence, which takes place while she competently, efficiently, and lovingly attends to her daily duties.

This silence will come and take possession of lover, mother, worker, nurse, apostle, priest, nun—if only the face of their soul, in the midst of their daily occupations, is turned to God.

At first such silences will be few and far between. But if nourished with a life of liturgical prayer, mental prayer, and the sacramental life of the Church, slowly, like the seedling of a mighty tree, silence will grow.

It will come to dwell in a soul more and more often until one day it will come to stay.

Slowly, imperceptibly, the world roundabout them will change. For the silence within them will become part of God’s loving, mighty, creative, fruitful silence. His voice will be heard through them. His face will be seen in theirs. And the light of it will become a light to their neighbor’s feet.

Wow, how amazing is that? So drawn...

Well, a wonderful Shabbas all, and Blessed Sabbath : )

(Image from here)

A Feastday Table: Candle in the Darkness

Today is the feastday of the Transfiguration. Blessed Feastday : )

From here:

A foretaste of the Kingdom: the Transfiguration

From the day Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Master "began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things. . . and be killed, and on the third day be raised." Peter scorns this prediction, nor do the others understand it any better than he. In this context the mysterious episode of Jesus' Transfiguration takes place on a high mountain, before three witnesses chosen by himself: Peter, James and John. Jesus' face and clothes become dazzling with light, and Moses and Elijah appear, speaking "of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem". A cloud covers him and a voice from heaven says: "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"

For a moment Jesus discloses his divine glory, confirming Peter's confession. He also reveals that he will have to go by the way of the cross at Jerusalem in order to "enter into his glory". Moses and Elijah had seen God's glory on the Mountain; the Law and the Prophets had announced the Messiah's sufferings. Christ's Passion is the will of the Father: the Son acts as God's servant; the cloud indicates the presence of the Holy Spirit. "The whole Trinity appeared: the Father in the voice; the Son in the man; the Spirit in the shining cloud."

You were transfigured on the mountain, and your disciples, as much as they were capable of it, beheld your glory, O Christ our God, so that when they should see you crucified they would understand that your Passion was voluntary, and proclaim to the world that you truly are the splendor of the Father.

On the threshold of the public life: the baptism; on the threshold of the Passover: the Transfiguration. Jesus' baptism proclaimed "the mystery of the first regeneration", namely, our Baptism; the Transfiguration "is the sacrament of the second regeneration": our own Resurrection. From now on we share in the Lord's Resurrection through the Spirit who acts in the sacraments of the Body of Christ. The Transfiguration gives us a foretaste of Christ's glorious coming, when he "will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body." But it also recalls that "it is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God"

Elena of Tea at Trianon shared this lovely qoute today:

Let us run with confidence and joy to enter into the cloud like Moses and Elijah, or like James and John. Let us be caught up like Peter to behold the divine vision and to be transfigured by that glorious transfiguration. Let us retire from the world, stand aloof from the earth, rise above the body, detach ourselves from creatures and turn to the Creator, to whom Peter in ecstasy exclaimed: Lord, it is good for us to be here.--Anastasius of Sinai, from The Liturgy of the Hours according to The Roman Rite, 1975

And what jumped out so much personally today was how the Transfiguration is talked about in 2 Peter 1, with this conclusion:

.......attend, as to a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts

Wow. A foretaste of heaven. Attending....

Reminds me too of this traditional Jewish qoute from the Talmud:

Three things give insight into the (pleasures of the) world to come: Shabbat, the sun, and bodily functions. --Talmud, Shabbat 10b

Well all three of those things meet in that proverbial flickering flame. In fact this was part of today's Mass:

Your lightnings enlightened the whole world---from the introit of the day's Mass, Ps. 76. 19

To me this is the core stuff really, this simply attending to His light. At-tending. Tending. Like keeping the flame, like keeping the home. It's keeping, at-tending. Advent-al Living.

And just love this qoute shared by Kay of He Gently Calls Us today, whose beautiful image is above as well:

All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.---Saint Francis of Assisi

WOW.

A Very Blessed Feastday Everyone : )

(Image from Kay of He Gently Calls Us)

A Sabbath Table: Feastdays of St Peter and Lammas

Though sadly ignored the past fourtysome years, today is the day of St Peter in chains, as well as Lammas. Its when we celebrate that St Peter was so often freed from his chains by God in the literal sense (not to mention the spiritual sense), and also when the grain harvest is traditionally celebrated and given thanks for. Both such fine traditons, and so deeply connected. We give thanks for our providence and for our protection.

One neat tradition here is something called a "need-fire". On Lammas (as well as in times of deep need) traditionally a special fire was lit. All other flame fires within a certain radius had ro be put out first, as well as, in more modern times, the electricity had to be shut off in a certain radius as well...in other words, no fire. Then when the need-fire was lit in this space of quiet and longing, it was considered deeply healing. The occult view would be this was "spellwork", which is nonsense. The true magic here i believe can be explained for example by a simple children's tale, a favorite of mine. Its a traditional Russian tale called "No Room" (Rose Dobbs has a nice retelling) , and i happened to come across it on a blog today of all days. From Lentils and Rice:

"I read a story once, a children's book, but I can't remember the name, about a man not happy with his life. His family was too noisy, the house was too small. He asked a wise man what to do, and the wise man told him to bring the dog and cat into the house, the next day he told him to bring another animal into the house. Each day, the man would go back, tell the wise man it wasn't working, and the wise man would tell him to bring something else into his house: the cow, the donkey, the chickens, the pigs, the in-laws, and so on. Soon, his house was full of chaos, noise, and mess, and was even more crowded than before.

The man went back one last time, and pleaded with the wise man for a solution, telling him his suggestions only made life more stressful and noisy. The wise man told him, at last, to remove all the animals and extra people from the house, and the man did so. He was so happy with his quiet, calm house, even though a few days before he was complaining about the very same situation.

It's very easy to not appreciate what you have, until you lose it, or until something changes.

The past few weeks have been filled with invitations, annual doctor and dentist appointments, and floods of new opportunities, and that made our normally simple life stressful. I never realized how happy I was with our quiet life, until we were suddenly flooded with activities.

I am content with our quiet, simple life, and Oh, what a happy feeling that is. :-)"

This to me is the spirit of the need-fire..... learning to see the true treasure we have. Picture if you will a Shabbat kept like this. As Shabbat approaches, no fires are left lit, and the infernal humm of the electricity is off too. "The whole texture of industrial life — to which we gave birth — is against that of the Christian life " i've heared said, and i believe it. Flipping that switch off is a powerful return....and an opening up to what is really important instead.

So then it happens, the Shabbas candles are kindled. And we can feel it...the true light is the light of God, and it is precious beyond words. How easy it is to forget that in the midst of the industrial and electrical humming. How healing to, to say the least, to remember. Even chain freeing one might say : )

Oddly enough, this all has me thinking more on this "no products" thing today too. I know it may sound weird, but its a longing that just wont go away, it just gets stronger each year. Definitely something thats been laid on the heart. And i've been thinking how its the supposed "need" for products that has kept us so industrialzed (translation: physically polluted, emotionally detached, and living based on greed rather than need). Industry, i can say personally, is not my friend really. Yes, it has some real benefits....and it sure better have some benefits to compensate, with all the harm it gives. But im still not at all sure the good outweighs the harm. Physically, i get very ill from it. And even emotionally the harm of it comes up. The "archetype" i am most drawn to is the "angel in the home". And this ancient archetype of Biblical femininity (in the deepest sense based on Proverbs 8 i believe) resurged later in Victorian form as a reaction the harm of the Industrial Revolution. No coincidence. More like a co-in-see-dance (God dancing with us). And i cant help but think of these things today.

And in my day to day life here this stuff is coming to a head really. I am living in the most polluted place i have ever lived in my life, despite it being such a small town with such amazing nature. I am situated right on (and i mean right on) the busy highway that runs through the little town, and am also near a spot where trucks tend to rest and layover with their diesal engines runnning. Not to mention some rather noisy and toxic neighbors that have moved in recently. All day long i am constantly having to open and close windows....open them becuase it gets so hot and stuffy with them closed, and then soon having to close them again becuase fumes come in, and opening them again when the stuffiness gets unbearable. And the noise and fumes out there, they just never seem to stop, even when i sleep. My body is most always on guard and overstimulated, never seems to really rest, even my dreams have been affected. And i just long so much for the "humm" (industrial and otherwise) around us to cease, with the greed behind it....and to return to the true treasure, to the treasure of a quiet life lit by God's Own Light.

And i just have to believe we can all do this in little ways, that return. That He will lead us to little openings, little ways of healing, Even here, even now...just little things. Becuase llittle things usually end up not being so little after all.

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;

Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;

Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.

And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

Jeremiah 29:4-7

Openings for peacefulness He leaves for us... even in exile. Need-fires, chain breaking....

Blessed Feastday of St Peter and Lammas all, and a Very Blessed Shabbat and Sabbath : )

(Image from here; the chains in the background are those believed to have been worn by St Peter)

A Musing Table: More than One Way to "Bear"

Hope everyone had a wonderful Shabbat and Sabbath. Been discerning my own....I really like keeping both Shabbat and the Sabbath, but the sad result has been that i kind of "halfways" keep both...and that has to change. So this weekend, at least the Sabbath was kept more in full. Praying that the rhythms will fall in place here however they should, becuase i sure still want to keep Shabbat-ness in this. Shabbat is just so precious, and Our Blessed Mother herself lit those Shabbat candles. Yet lately i've had to admit that when i try and "sabbath the whole weekend" in a sense by keeping both Shabbat and Sabbath, it just never seems to happen, both days get kind of "half kept". Anyway, discerning. And discerning some other things...

Krina linked to an article of artist Keri Smith's recently, one that kind of stirred something. It was an article about being a mother, and somehow reading it i was struck by some of the deep similarities there are between becoming a parent and obtaining a serious chronic illness/injury. Both turn your outer life upside down, as well as your inner life/perspective. With both, your mundane practical moment to moment life each and every day, well its never the same again. Ever. Its almost like you have become a different person suddenly. Sometimes your life before looks like somebody else's life really, its just so very unlike yours now. And both bearing and caring for a child, and bearing and caring for a chronic condition, involve both pain... and fruit. Both can be viewed as either a burden or a gift. Both are something you must care for, carry, tend to, watch over, respond to, love. Both are given by Our Creator. Both can be part of a spiritual path (that may sound strange, but just look at all the Saints who lived with serious chronic conditions, it was quite common). Most of all, both can wake one up to what is truly important in life.

This is a piece from Keri's mothering article. Definite parellel to those living with serious chronic pain/illness:

"...I thought I would feel more like I know what I am doing as a parent. it's like every other creative endeavor I've ever done...I'm just winging it most days, in a "let try this and see what happens". I always thought you would know exactly what to do.

...I have lost all sense of being (or attempting to be) graceful in this role. I never feel entirely put together physically. I've given up on getting somewhere on time.

...on some days my creative life has become a series of "doing whatever possible in the time allotted to get the job done". you know that game where the gophers pop their little fuzzy heads up out of a hole and you have to hit them as fast as you can with a large mallet before they pop back down again? It's like that.

...but then on other days there are moments of calm where a kind of routine sets in, and on those days i often feel like, "this is a piece of cake". my life and work feel seamless and doable, (and this happens fairly often if I am to be truthful). I want to have five more children and live in a big wonky house full of happy children with dogs and a pond and chickens, and maybe even a horse or two. And I will invite all of my friends who have children to come and swim in the pond and we will cook and laugh and drink wine together and I will be a kind of supermom. a mom powerhouse who can change 10 diapers at once, and calm a crying baby in seconds, a kind of amazing "baby whisperer" and people in the neighborhood will talk about me like I am some kind of baby god. and then usually the baby wakes up. and sometimes if he is screaming for a while I have found myself thinking, "How does anyone ever manage two of them?"

...i get into the most trouble when I am clinging to "needing" to get something done in the time frame that I want it to be done. It is a difficult shift to realize that you no longer call the shots. If I attempt to control how and when, I end up very frustrated. Even knowing this fact I still fight it constantly. It is strange to not be able to take a nap when I need one like I used to. You have no choice but to push through that fatigue. Most days i am lucky to get in two hours for my work, (and I am lucky to have a husband that works at home right now).

...something in my body feels more complete than I ever have before. complete in the sense that I feel a part of a family, there is a huge comfort in that for me. I feel connected to something very important. My life has a focal point now. I don't know how to explain it any better than that."

And that focal point, that wake up, can come from a child, but it can also come from living with a life changing sort of pain....when it deepens your spiritual life. And it sure can. Maybe becuase it wakes up your dependency so much that it practically "forces" you to turn to God. When you live with serious pain and limits, there is no longer the illusion of strength or independence, we must turn to Him. Longing merging with need, its a powerful thing.

Co-in-see-dance-ally, have been reading a 1940's novel that ended up going into this stuff in a way, its one i quoted a bit back too, called 'My Heart Shall Not Fear" by Josephine Lawrence. Turned out to be an amazing book, i'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. It begins by centering on a woman named Patience, who has just had her first child. It's turned her whole world upside down....in a good way, but also her fears about the future really zoom up. So family and friends come visting her in the hospital each sharing their wisdom on mothering, and life in general. One person is notably absent though, her sister-in-law Heather, who had a hospital stay recently too, though noone has been told why yet (it was for cancer). As Patience is learning to embrace her life as a parent, Heather on the other hand is going through a spiritual change of her own. In this qoute below, she is pondering the fact that she has never been blessed with a child (she was unable to bear a child, which used to mourn her deeply), and now even adoption looks hopeless becuase of her illness. And things unfold from there...

"An invalid couldn't hope to be allowed to adopt a child. Heather, hospitalized a few weeks before Patience expected to be confined (for her pregnancy), recognized the justice of that in the long night hours when she could not sleep. To her surprise she discovered that lassitude and indifference replaced her eagerness and the hunger in her dulled. Illness, she dimly realized, narrowed her world, and at the same time she understood the absorption that had subtly altered Patience in the months of her pregnancy. You cared less, somehow, and in caring less you also cared more. There were days in which no one existed for Heather or had claim on her love, except Ross (her husband).

"I would rather rest a little more, before i see people", she said when he brought her home from the hospital again and installed Mrs Warren as combination nurse and dragon (my insert: can't help but think of the very nurse-like St Martha in her role of dragonslayer).

But the strange indifference to the friends who had thronged the apartment in the three years of her marriage did not change. They wrote to her and sent her flowers--until they learned that she could not bear to have them in her room---and they called. Mrs. Warren met them, told them something kindly and firmly (Heather thought it did not matter what she said), and turned them away.

Tonight the knowledge that Ross had gone to St. Luke's to see Patience and the baby had directed the flow of Heather's thoughts towards her sister-in-law. Patience, she mused, had everything. A husband, a baby, youth and health--

"But i have more." Heather opened her eyes at the sound of her whisper. In the subdued light the narrow, orderly room seemed to recieve her as a traveler reteurned from a journey. How long had she been away?... She lay motionless, wrapped in a new, abiding peace. Patience had so much, but she, Heather, had gone farther and had learned what every woman would like to know and is afraid to discover: whether love is to fail her in her greatest need.

She knew now, beyond the shadow of any doubt, with the beautiful bright certainty of a fixed star, that nothing was ever to tarnish love for her or for Ross. Women could never be sure until some powerful test, merciliess and cruel and imposed without their consent, furnished the incontrovertible proof. The fortunate ones, like Heather Garrison, were ever after anointed and secure.

Rich and warm and sweet, the heavenly feeling that she had come out upon the mountaintop posessed Heather. ....

All women were afriad of the loss of love, Heather thought again. Men seldom understood, becuase they considered women possessive, when they were, in reality posessed. All the time and money and effort that women spent in training themselves to find substitutes for love were dust in the mouth and and ashes in the heart. Only, of course, young women growing up in a scientific age with their biological functions explained and their emotions decried, would make the discovery too late.

Perhaps, Heather reflected, God in his mercy devised pain as a crucible to help women select the true values for themsleves. No matter what learned professors thought about women's minds, their bodies could not be altered, although if you listened to the scientists you would not hear them admit this. Women, learning the limitations of their flesh, found for themselves the things that could not be destroyed.

Patience had begun to learn, and she, Heather, held the true answer in the hollow of her hand. The most fortunate women in the world were those who had come through great tribulation and could still believe in love"

Of course though, this is not only about the love of an earthly husband but also our Heavenly one as well : ) I just really love that qoute.

Well, Peaceful week all : ) ....

(Images from here and here)

A Shabbas Table: On Art and Trust

I had a dream last night where scenes of the dream later became this very sacred feeling art...it looked kind of like an Inuit version of an Orthodox icon, that's the only way i can think to describe it. And then later, in my inbox was some very cool dragonfly art from sweet Melissa of Those Northern Skies. Art has just really been on my mind as i've gone about the day here.

Take the art pictured above. One artist takes a picture of nature and it just feels kind of flat somehow. Another artist takes a picture of nature, like this one above by Melissa, and suddenly you can really see the tenderness and magic of life there, the "fairy-ness" as i tend to call it. How does that happen? I wonder if it has to do with trust....when what is being seen can trust the artist, maybe it shows its heart more? And its the same when photographing a person too perhaps, like in the photo below. Trust is such a truly sacred thing.

Anyway, it has me looking today at other art i have been drawn to, especially in children's books, where things can often get more down to simplicity, heart, and essence it seems. The images below are from such special sounding books (for more on the first two books see here, for more on the bottom book see here )...



Such are the draws this Shabbat, such as they are. Well...

Good Shabbas all,
And a Blessed Sabbath : )

(Images from here, unknown , here, here )

A Musing Table: Simplicity and Silence

This week has been a full one. For the past several nights now i've been watching Into Great Silence, watching a bit further each night, just havent had the chance to watch it all at one go. In one scene the other night there was the sound of owls there that made me smile...and then i realized the owls were outside my window really, not part of the movie at all but part of my life. Later as i was watching i heard these loud obnoxius screeching trucks in the background....and these too were not part of the movie but outside my window. It made me laugh, i guess it was the huge contrast there...."into great silence" meets "noisy blaring highway"...both meeting in the same room.

Life is like that here...so contrasting. Amazing beautiful nature (deers, owls, coyotes, hawks...) right alongside pollution from the ickky crop spraying of the farms. Very small-townness i love yet the fumes and noise of a major highway that runs through it. Such deep peace and quiet and wilderness when i so much as walk a mere 5 minutes up the hill...yet here at home i'm so close to the highway fumes ive been getting migraines and have one now. A place i will need to move from (from this particular spot anyway) becuase the pollution is really causing health issues (i have EI). Yet a place i will always treasure becuase of the amazing creatures i have been with here, especially the deers and owls. Yesterday i even saw them together...an owl on one side of the path while walking, a deer on the other... and both quite up close too. How could i not dearly treasure that?

Such a contrast of things here.

Then there are more contrasts that this Into Great Silence movie has been slowly bringing home. Ever since i was a little girl i have had monastic leanings. Yet at the same time, ever since i was a little girl i have had deep longings for marriage. And here i am now, thinking of what the future will hold with my fiance and so glad our future will be together. Yet at the same time the monastic longings keep getting stronger and stronger as well, and i wonder what form things will take. Deeper domestic monastery-ness maybe? For i really do belive the domestic can be the monastic if truly appraoched that way. Well, will see He has is store.

Contrasts. Discerning. Needing...silence.

I keep thinking of what silence means....an emptying. An emptying for a far greater richness. Peace not from naming and claiming but rather from being more prayerful and open and ocean like. This qoute stuck with me yesterday, from Sr Mary Catharine Perry, author of Amtaa means Beloved:

Many people think the cloistered life is a waste...(Yet) when research scientists and artists separate themselves from the world, it's because they need to get more intense. Nobody thinks a scientist is escaping when he just needs to be removed from everything.

Then there was this one, from Elizabeth Barrett Browing:

Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God:
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes

Then this, from a book study (on Gifts From the Sea) from The Bower struck me tonight...

I am challenged by the....idea of succumbing to the ancient rhythms of the sea...of relaxing, opening, emptying....Must we get there before we can receive "what perfectly rounded stone...what rare shell from the ocean floor. Perhaps a channelled whelk, a moon shell, or even an argonaut.

Relaxing, opening, emptying. Silence. Not like a desert is silent but like an ocean is silent. Silence that has warmth, life, wombness, a heartbeat. That recieves those stones and "rare shells". That takes off its shoes becuase it realizes it truly is on holy ground. The sacred in the mundane. The silence in the beat of heart and swell of wave.

Not sure where this is going, only that its such a deep longing. Its tied in with the Holy Poverty (see here and here too) draw as well, both are about an opening and simplifying and letting go, for a deeper richness really. This stood out, from here:

Franciscans call their poverty "disappropriation."....Appropriation is claiming.... It is like the sin of Adam and Eve....trying to be like God. That was a lie. They already were like God. They didn't have to do anything but receive (that likeness) and say yeah. Similarly, Poor Clares recognize they have everything - "the sun in the morning and the moon at night," in the words of an old song - and they don't have to go out grasping and corralling it

St Clare has really been on my mind lately. There is just something so archetypal about the Franciscans that feels to hold something key. I love how St Francis took the heroic knightly path of active male "out in the world"-ness in his faith, and St Claire lived as a beautifully contemplative cloistered and very feminine soul. Together, such a deep complement. Very fairy tale. And since fairy tales come from the archetypal, i tend to think that which feels "fairy tale" tends to hold great truth.

Just love this famous qoute of St Clare's, from her second letter to Blessed Agnes of Prague :

..always remember your resolution
and be conscious of how you began.
What you hold, may you always hold,
What you do, may you always do and never abandon.
But with swift pace, light step, unswerving feet,
so that even your steps stir up no dust,
may you go forward
securely, joyfully, and swiftly,
on the path of prudent happiness

I ask myself now...so what was my beginning, my resolution? It was dual from the beginning i think, domestic and monastic. Have heared it said though that truth tends to lie at the heart of what seems like a contradiction.

One thing did happen that has really stayed with me this week, a co-in-see-dance. When i was watching the Into Great Silence movie, wanted to change the background color of the desktop so it would be less bright and easier to watch the movie on. So i went in to change it and rather than the color just changing, an old desktop image accidentally came up, the one right below. If you press it, you will find a really wonderful passage on silence from a favorite author Catherine Doherty. And its really stirred something lately.

Anyway, this mix of thoughts is where things are right now, and seemed a good time to journal. Depending on the migraine, may or may not post tomarrow. So wishing you all an early....

Good Shabbas, and Blessed Sabbath : )

(Images from Melissa Howard of Those Northern Skies, and from Catherine Doherty via here)

A Sabbath Table: The Magic of Ordinary Days

Was kind of an intense day today, going around mega insulating against scary little critters (see last post). Ticks, deer flies, fleas, very determined wasps, critters are in abundance and everywhere....seriously i've never seen so many insects before. And that doesnt even count the zillions of spiders i see everywhere, or the skeeters.....or the rattle snakes that are in this area (luckily have not seen one yet, thank you Lord). The locals tell me this is just an especially bad year here for insects, since the winter was so mild that it didnt check their populations like winter is supposed to. Hello global warming. I'm not longing for the city again, not by a longshot. In fact i still long for deeper yet wilderness. But ive had a very hard time with this insect party zone thing.

So today my Prince was outside insulating the place. And i was doing stuff in here, had been going at it since i got up. Early afternnoon he calls in the door..."So what's for lunch?".

Lunch? I hadnt even eaten breakfast, had just been grazing while standing up doing stuff because things felt so pressing. And had given him snacks for out there too, assuming he'd just do the same. I thought...."Lunch? We have so much to do here to get this place more bug proof, needing to have done it like yesterday....who cares about something like lunch?" But that wasnt said out loud, instead to make him happy i just started to make something. And was surprised at how happy it made me too...not sure why i'm always surprised when this happens. But when i am stressed and rushing and its the worst time in the world to stop and make something...somehow doing it anyway is what calms me down so much. The simple act of making a little cassarole, the making of it in itself, the mixing things, even doing the dishes...let alone the having a decent lunch, somehow made a rather stressful day so much calmer. I'm still not sure why i'm always surprised when this happens...my head knows it will. But my body, so caught up in the stress and trying to get something done i'm focused on...my body gets surprised every time.

The phrase "the magic of ordinary days" is what comes to mind. The ordinary mundane stuff...it still keeps amazing me how it's what seems to hold the healing perhaps most of all, for everyone in the house really. Am reminded of a favorite post, The Healing Hand of Home, from Lynn of All Things Bright and Beautiful:

"I got the call we all dread "I've had a bump in the car". I could hear the traffic racing by as my son stood chatting to me on the hard shoulder (emergency lane on the motorway). "No-one's hurt." I sighed a huge sigh of relief...

I made supper as usual, I tidied the kitchen as usual, I put laundry away as usual, I set the fire as usual. Then with my jobs finished I sat before the fire in a dark room & took stock ...I pondered on how, throughout the trials of the day, I had continued to be the keeper of my home & that had got me through. After the bad stuff, my family had come home. And yes, corny/cheesy or not we had all experienced the healing hand of home.

The rhythm of creating order at home had given me peace & calm which could later be enjoyed by the other members of the family. I use the word rhythm in preference to "routine" which for many sums up boredom & chores but to me routine is restorative.

Another of life's lessons learnt?
No matter what is happening outside this house, no matter how crazy the world becomes; what happens within the four walls of my home will set standards, traditions & peace that can be taken forward in our lives....

(Now) today I am home alone in a quiet house. Hopefully the day will be totally uneventful and I will do what I normally do as usual. But in the quiet solitude I am very aware of the healing hand of my home."

The magic of ordinary days. Big time. By the way the movie by that title (such a good movie!) is here. Well worth watching : )

And it's funny... i always think of the Sabbath as such a precious gift we are given...even if i'm still far below the mark in keeping the Sabbath as it should be (slowly working on this). But our "ordinary time", the preciousness of that too, the joy there, the GIFT....well the gift there seems to hit most of all as the Sabbath approaches and we are about to leave ordinary time behind for a bit. Or ideally leave it behind anyway...in my life entering Sabbath fully needs some deepening for sure.

Well, Good Shabbas All,
And a Very Blessed Sabbath...
And Happy 4th of July too : )

Inserted later: So far no wasps inside, happy happy dance : ) The nest building may have been halted by the seal off....but deeper still by His protection. Thank you thank you God for protecting here! : )

(Bottom image from here, top image unknown)

A Simple Table: Peacefulness through Releasing Clutter

Having fun with simplicity lists lately, so here's another. I really think there are practical little things we can do to cut down on inner and outer clutter, and though thats not the only thing helping with peacefulness, it's still an important layer there i feel. Don't know if it will be of use to anyone or not, but its been fun to gather...

1. Sacred vs Profane

Doubt and worry are exhausting, and scatter us so much inside. And one of the surest ways to declutter the heart (among other things!) is to open to trust and to deepen one's faith. I know, kind of a no brainer there : )

2. Time vs Noise and Clutter

Having a bunch of appliances and machines is not only clutter for the eyes but bombardment for the ears as well. It takes more of one's time to use less machines, but the reward in peacefulness is rich. A favorite article on this is here.

3. Embellishing vs Decorating

For our more ancient ancestors, seems beautifying wasnt about decorating so much as about embellishing....and i think they were really onto something there. Decorating is about frilly "extra" stuff that doesnt stand alone or serve any other purpose...knick knacks, a bunch of pictures on the wall, decorative pillows etc. To me this brings clutter and chaos, not peacefulness. Embellishing is far different. It is about taking the items you actually use each day, and making them more beautiful in themselves. Such as putting nice but subtle embroidary (or whatever is liked) on your tablecloth or dishtowel or bedspread and the like, having nice looking/feeling cooking utensils and dishes and furniture, etc. Or getting creative in beautifying other things used each day, like the covers or insides of favorite books and the like. Embellishment like this, on the essential things we actually use, i think it brings richness in a very nice sense of the world, instead of extra stuff as clutter.

4. Cherishing vs Displaying

Special momentos are so important... our memories, our ideals. And those momentos that are in the form of things we use each day (just love those!) its wonderful to have out of course. But for the rest, they dont need to be used as stand alone "decorations" to clutter a home. There is instead the classic idea of using a hope chest for example, or the modern equivalent of drawyers ear-marked for the purpose. And for pictures etc there are scrapbooks of course. But also, what i really enjoy is lining the inside of closet doors and cupboards with special pictures. It makes me smile when i open up the doors in the course of the day and then see them....and yet at the same time the home stays peaceful and uncluttered.

The last thought there, that of incorporating momentos into things you use each day instead of using them as seperate cluttering decorations....i'm sure there are just a million other ways to do this. One could put special momentos inside favorite book covers, on the lids of one's pantry jars, or...i'm sure there are many more ideas. The point is just to naturally incorporate things into the things you use, rather than clutter the home with "decorating". If folks have any ideas there i'd so love to hear them! And any peaceful simplifying ideas really : )

5. Polished vs Collected

Personally, i think only two things belong in a home....what we truly need, and what we truly love. And i mean truly need or love. I'd much rather care for a few things so they are loved and made to "shine", rather than collect a bunch of things to gather dust and add chaos. A home that is simple enough to shine, it really does helps bring peace i feel.

6. Small vs Large

In one sense, its a myth that smaller homes are easy to care for. Sure, there is less space to clean, but everything is closer together and more visible all at once.... so things have to be cleaned much more often and immediately, its a constant thing. In a small space for example, one little item left out will stick out like a sore thumb, and so will a little spot or a bit of dust. And you sure can't spread out a project and leave it there and just close the door on the room for example either....instead, there it is, right in front of you, and if its not cleaned up its instant clutter. So keeping things clean is constant, far more constant than it has to be in a larger home.

Yet, in spite of that, it IS easier to care for a small space surprisingly. Much easier. And that is because of less mind clutter. Though the work is more constant in a smaller space, yet it blends in with natural motions of your day, by cleaning as you go. It is natural and automatic (rather than mind cluttering) becuase you are ~in~ your whole home when you are there... not just in parts of it at different times of the day. This does something to a person i think, draws your energy into one place rather than being spread about so much, centers a person. And this too i feel is a large part of decluttering.

7. Wash vs Waste

I know this may sound counter intuitive, but using cloth for things vs paper products (ie instead of kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels, kotex, dish sponges etc) can make things simpler and less cluttered. And as a friend of mine was mentioning in an email recently, there is something very freeing about knowing one doesnt have to run to the store when one runs out of TP and the like. For an introvert, the freedom to not have to go run out into the people filled and the senses bombarding environment of a store so often, well the relief there is huge. And using cloth vs paper helps bring some peace of mind and less brain clutter becuase it is one less thing to have to worry about constantly getting more of. And its less physical clutter too because there is less to store.

8. Thinking "Realness"

When something is more basic and "real", it feels more natural and less like clutter. Using real tangible ingredients vs abstract feeling products helps there (see #10).

But its can also go deeper than this. Take the above paper products vs cloth for instance as an example. Rolls of paper towels and such, thats not "real" solid stuff you will keep using over and over and be able to get familar with and bond with. Rather, its stuff you will quickly throw away and then replace and replace and replace...and that feels cluttery, inside and out. To explain, picture if you will being with someone you know well and are familar with and like. It becomes natural over time to be with that person, so it naturally blends in with your life rather than stressfully clutters it. But that doesnt happen when folks are flying quickly through your life and constantly being "replaced". Well, its the same with our "things" too i feel.

9. Getting Beyond Schedules

A typical daily chore list and schedule, personally i've found just does not work. There is something mechanical and mind cluttering about typical schedules we draw up, unreal feeling too, and so i find i resist them. But having a "palette" approach instead, now that actually seems to work for me. What that means is two things. First, arranging it so the daily things needing doing will just happen more automatically. If your home is small and sparse for example, you will automatically keep it clean simply as you go about your day (see #6 ). In terms of cooking, if your ingredients are simple and few and easily visible (see upcoming post on palette cooking), you will naturally plan your menus and think ahead of steps needed, again simply as you go about your day. And then there are natural rhythms to naturally follow as the day unfolds. They too are simply right there as you are going about your day, you don't need to worry and plan over them, they are just part of your life rather than cluttering it. Way better than any artificial schedule....see here for a great post on this.

Then for less obvious things, there is making a "palette" list....as in a palette ready to choose from. This is a list kept that occasionally (maybe once a week or so for me) can simply be scanned down and see if anything there "stands out" as needing doing now. And when just having a palette list to turn to now and again isnt enough anymore...well then i know my life has gotten too full and has to be pared down!

Something about having a nice orderly list like that to turn to, yet still being able to have a creative daily response to things rather than an artificial schedule... well it makes days more peaceful i feel.

PS, Added later: Came across this on "Intuitive Cleaning"...such good stuff:

"Intuitive Cleaning: There was a great blog post that I read a while back that I have searched for and can't seem to find. A woman was musing at why we obsess with cleaning schedules of what to clean which day of the week. She said that our grandmothers didn't use day timers or elaborate scheduling for their housework. They just cleaned as things got dirty. Why clean the blinds on Tuesday if they aren't dusty? Why mop the floors every Saturday if this week they may need it twice? Her premise was that we should stop complicating our housekeeping and just clean as the need arises. Wake up, see what needs to be done, and do it. Is that simple living or what? I began cleaning intuitively and boy, I began to really enjoy myself. I saw that the master bathroom needing some sprucing, so I did it. I saw that the front of my kitchen cabinets needing wiping, so I did it. I saw that just the little boys' room needed vacuuming, so I did it. I didn't go hunting for jobs, I just saw needs as I went about my day and took a moment to meet them. It has been very freeing and enjoyable. And actually the house seems cleaner than ever! I just am doing "here a little, there a little"...doing the next thing as it shows itself. Even as I sit here I am noticing the computer is dusty, so when I am done here, I will grab a cloth and give it a little care."

10. Ingredients vs Products

This stuff will be detailed in later posts, recipe and how to ideas. But for now just the general idea...

There is something so centering and soothing, and definitey de-cluttering, in more just having ingredients to create from. It makes such a difference from having to gather a bunch of "products" all the time. Food, medicine, cleansers, candles, journals, organizers, paper product replacers can all be homemade. Now i know there are situations where one cannot, but in other situations there are ways awaiting. And i really do understand that there are limits folks have, live with a serious chronic injury myself. Yet seeking out ergonomic tricks in order to do things a bit more direct and hands on like this, truly it has been so rewarding. Not to mention less expensive.

Will go into all this more in a later post, but for now here is a favorite qoute that helps explain why this focus on creativity vs product gathering is just so key to peaceful living. Its from 1955 and it applies tenfold today. From Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea :

Mechanically we have gained, in the last generation, but spiritually we have, I think, unwittingly lost. In other times, women had in their lives more forces which centered them whether or not they realized it; sources which nourished them whether or not they consciously went to these springs. Their very seclusion in the home gave them time alone. Many of their duties were conducive to a quiet contemplative drawing together of the self. They had more creative tasks to perform. Nothing feeds the center so much as creative work, even humble kinds like cooking and sewing.

Well, more at some point later : )

(First image is by Jesse Wilcox Smith via here, and second image is from Corey Amaro of Tongue in Cheek (from here))

A Feastday and Shabbas Table: Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Today is the feastday of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a grateful celebration of Mary's eternal motherly care for us. The icon that bears this name was orignally from Crete, and some say "the writer of the image (one "writes" an icon) used Saint Luke the Evangelist's portrait of Mary as inspiration." See here for more on this icon. What i found especially interseting was this point in its history:

"When Napoleon's army invaded Rome In 1812, many churches were destroyed, including San Matteo on the Via Merulana (where the icon was at the time). The icon mysteriously disappeared.

Fifty years later, a monk's mysterious dreams and the explorations of an inquisitive little boy lead to the discovery of the icon, hidden away in the attic of an Augustinian oratory at Santa Maria in Posterula.

Upon hearing of the rediscovery of the icon, Pope Pius IX, who remembered praying before the picture in San Matteo as a small boy, ordered that it should again be displayed on the Via Merulana pilgrims' route. This time, it was housed in the new Redemptorist church of San Alphonsus, built on the ruins of San Matteo. It can be seen there today."

I love that it is part of a pilgrim's' route still. And this is brought home even more since this icon shows Mary too as "'Stella Maris", Star of the Sea (notice the star on her forehead). And every sailor --aka pilgrim-- sure knows the deep draw to that peace and comfort of the stars upon the sea. A nice Stella Maris prayer, from here:

Hail, bright star of ocean,
God’s own Mother blest,
Ever sinless Virgin,
Gate of heavenly rest.

Taking that sweet Ave
Which from Gabriel came,
Peace confirm within us,
Changing Eva’s name.

Blessed Feastday Everyone,
And a Peaceful Shabbas and Joyful Sabbath

(Images from here, and here )