Tranquil Tuesday: God's Affirming Love

All Will Be Well

On the feast of Saint Valentine I would like to give you all a gift and introduce you to Julian of Norwich. I reached out to a dear friend and Bible study leader and told her that I was feeling a need to be fed, loved and affirmed by God. She suggested anything written by Julian of Norwich who was a saint living in the 1300s. She was a monastic. She had visions and she writes about our Lord as an intimate friend, father, mother who is knit to us closer than our own spirits. I've been learning how to knit so this visual is beyond beautiful and with every knit and pearl I keep repeating Psalm 139, You were knit together in your mother's womb. 

I can't tell you how much this book has changed my core. It give me chills just thinking about it. I purchased it on my Kindle and may need to buy the hard copy to touch the pages. I have so many bookmarks that I can't choose one to share with you. But if you are feeling a bit blue in the deep, cold, darkness of the winter and need a lift from the true source of joy, I highly recommend this book.

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Each day is marked by a reflection in "My Day Begins", then "All Through the Day" you repeat a mantra of sorts inspired by Julian's words such as "Nothing less than God can satisfy us". Then when you get home from work, or as the day is ending "May Day Is Ending" has another reflection on what happened in your day. Did you imagine God's concern for you? And asks you questions that deal with the earlier reflection of the day. You can journal or just talk it out with yourself or a friend. Finally, the "Night Prayer" closes your day before bed. It is remarkable and I've truly felt affirmed in God's love. I hope you will too. Happy Valentine's Day!

Tranquil Tuesday: Hiking

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It's been way too long since I've taken a solitary pilgrimage. I'm in need of one. They are a tiny bit stressful for me. You'd think I'd be okay all by myself. I spend a lot of time alone. But I usually take up the space in front of the computer connecting to friends in cyberspace or I cook or read to kill time. When I go on pilgrimage I strip down the stuff that fills up space and try to just spend time alone. Hiking alone is one of my favorite things to do. It used to freak me out, and believe me I'm very, very cautious and do not put myself in harms way, but there are times when you need to just get out and be free with your thoughts and walk. 

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When I lived in Glendalough this was a spot I would go often and walk the labyrinth quietly to clear my mind. I can't believe I found these wonderful photos on the web. Thank you Mary Kuhn, whoever you are, for taking such gorgeous photos of Ireland and sharing them. It made my heart jump a beat to see this special place again in photos.

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If you look up the hill to the far right, you'll see little trees on the top of my "mountain". This was the very first hill I hiked all by myself. I was seriously so scared I didn't know what to do. Ireland is a very safe place to hike and Glendalough even more so. When you are all by yourself and haven't seen another human being for two hours, it can freak a girl out. But the mountain was calling to me. I had a witch hazel staff that I had just purchased in Scotland. It had an antler handle and I knew I could take someone out with it if need be. Girl power. I had a sense I needed this deep sense of solitude and where better to be quiet with God then on top of a mountain. It was awesome. Before moving to Ireland I purchased this book called The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred. In it, I read this poem the night before I set off to bag my first mountain.

Staff by Milwaukee poet Antler

I have worn smooth with the grip of my hand

branches found by the trail,

Caught by my eye and lifted,

Thrown in the air and caught by my hand and tested--

if it's not too long,

if it's not too short,

if it feels just right,

I say to myself--"This is my staff!"

and thump the ground with its end.

Carry me far! Take me where I must go!

Miles away from miles away from every road,

every road, every human voice

or voice of machine,

Through woods I love,

Past lakes where no one is,

Beyond where the footpath ends,

up where the mountains glow

and the sky has never been breathed!...

My walking stick urges me on,

takes my hand like a friend,

Comforts me, steadies me

over rough terrain,

Beyond where it's ever been mapped,

Where no human ever set foot,

Following the voice of the stream

up where the mountains glow

and the sky has never been breathed!

My staff sits at our front door reminding me that the wild un-breathed air is still out there for me. E loves to go for long walks in the woods too, which is nice. 

Tranquil Tuesday-Crossing the Sands

Lindisfarne is a very special place. It is on a tidal island.  You can cross the sands for approximately eight hours a day. And then you are literally stuck on the island until the waters receed. It is called Holy Island because of all the miracles that happened with regards to St. Cuthbert.

I've had the great privledge of crossing the sands twice. The first time I was a youth leader volunteer with my first group of youth in 1998. It was so exciting because none of us knew what to expect. I think we were all a tiny bit scared we would fall into the water, or that the water would suddenly rush up and we'd be stuck in the crows nests for hours.

The second time I was leading adults in 2004 as part of Ceile De. I was the youngest member of the pilgrimage by 25 years. I have a vivid memory of pulling up the rear of our 15 person line, hiking across the sands. I could not wait to get back to Holy Island. Literally, I was so impatient. During the first 100 steps in the sand I was thinking to myself, "Please, can you move it along people?" I started chanting in my head, "Speed up, speed up...everybody, everywhere" to the tune of the "Clean Up, Clean Up" song I picked up somewhere in the church daycare. It was hilarious. I was so frustrated. But then something shifted. I began to realize my ridiculous need to hurry and took a deep breath and stopped. I looked around. I looked down at the sand that had about and inch of water covering it. I noticed these little drip-castle-like formations in the sand that seemed to have little blow holes coming from the deep and wormy-like sand formations were spewing out from the sands. I started to walk again, this time at least 30 steps away from the person in front of me and I enjoyed the space, the quiet, the sound of the seals in the distance. I was fully present. I then began to chant to myself, "Slow down, slow down." 

I encourage you to slow down. Slow down. Stop. Listen.

Tranquil Tuesday-Celtic Exquinox

Aran Islands 2003

When travelling in the Aran Islands in 2004 I recall a tale about the equinox. The Celts remember worshiped the sun. When Christianity was spread throughout Ireland the calendar years had to be arranged so that the Kings who were Christian weren't fasting when their Celtic wives were feasting.

There was a custom for the Fall Equinox when the townspeople would leave their homes wide open. The neighbors would all sneak into each others homes and were allowed to roam. Maybe this is where the term Open House came from, I honestly don't know. Everyone would wear masks so no one knew who was looking. Maybe this was the first Halloween costume. Nothing was ever stolen, it was just a matter of curiosity. Isn't that why people go to Open Houses still? I tried to look up the festival on-line but couldn't find any more details. Oral tradition at its best.

The equinox is when the sun and moon have equal playing time on the earth. Equal day and night. There will be a full moon on September 23. 

For this Tranquil Tuesday take a look at the Celtic history of the equinox and how they tied the Celtic traditions into Christianity. I was able to visit Knowth and we had access to the center of the tomb. It was a spooky place. 6,000 years of ghosts. 

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Be thankful for the day and night. Wake up early tomorrow and greet the sun. Stay up late and bask in the harvest moon. It is so bright that they used the term because they could harvest during the light of this bright moon.

Read this beautiful book to yourself at night. It's one of my favorites.