The fields, rain, sun, sky, mud, clay, wind, and fire are all masters of sacred wisdom, and worthy subjects of contemplation. –Kathleen Deignan Deignan makes the above statement in the introduction to When the Trees Say Nothing, a collection of Thomas Merton’s writing on nature that she edited. Merton’s desire for greater solitude led his Abbott to make him “forester,” which entailed restoration of the woods near the monastery. This work, in turn, led Merton to become a competent naturalist and transformed his experience of solitude from that of “privacy for intellectual pursuits” into “an opportunity for embodied engagement with…

Mystery is not the absence of meaning, but the presence of more meaning than we can comprehend. –Dennis Covington

Like gratitude, like forgiveness, like so many of our finest human moments, rejoicing is a choice we make. Yes, sometimes it feels totally like an automatic response to something that makes us happy, that gladdens our hearts. Other times, we must look about us, seeking to discern what–in our challenging world of pandemic, political division, economic hardship–is cause for rejoicing. And if we look intently, open to all possibility, we will find it. And then we can pass it on…

Walk to the well. Turn as the earth and the moon turn, circling what they love. Whatever circles comes from the center. –Rumi

May the Sun bring you new energy by day May the Moon softly restore you by night May the Rain wash away your worries May the Breeze blow new strength into your being May you Walk gently through the world and Know its Beauty all the days of your life. –Apache Blessing