An Arm and a Leg
I’d give an arm and a leg. In the offbeat film, Don Juan DeMarco, Johnny Depp’s character, Don Juan, asked four questions. “What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for, and what is worth … Read More
Upside Down
What if we walked through the pages of sacred text, allowing the stories to mirror our journeys? I imagine that considering our lives, in the words, would turn our world upside down. We would surely travel through our childish dysfunctions … Read More
To Be Whole
I had an insatiable desire for the Holy. I remember, as a teenager, reading Christian scripture and declaring with James and John; Yes, Jesus, I am ready to drink from your cup. Later, I was not nearly as eager to be … Read More
Leaving
Because pioneering draws me, I have experience in leaving. Over the years, I have found remembering this one thing helpful. When I make a change, all people connected to my change also have to make changes, changes they did not … Read More
Getting Hooked
Lightning flashed and thunder cracked. Shortly after, sirens blared, calling us inside, away from the debris sailing over our once safe playground. Now we would face danger of another kind, getting hooked into each other’s dramas. When we missed recess … Read More
Bullying
Authenticity is the thread that weaves through the entirety of my life’s work. Being authentic can mean doing the hard, persevering work. It may require confrontation or making significant changes, like leaving destructive situations. Bullying blocks our freedom to be appropriately … Read More
Burden Basket
One of the Native American teachings I’ve come to appreciate most is the Burden Basket. When we reach down inside to find the inner strength necessary to carry our own burdens, we are freer to live interdependently. Besides being a … Read More
Drumming Beat
I put one hand on my heart, the other, on top of the mesa. Lying on Mother Earth, I wondered if I could sync my heartbeat with hers. Ultimately, I wanted to sense a drumming beat of the collective whole. … Read More
Dreamtime
I breathed a prayer over our land, “How can I best be here, in the desert, with people more native than I?” My prayer took me into Dreamtime. It was as if generations were waiting for me to ask. A … Read More
Shape-Shifting
Shape-shifting Raven lifted me up and showed me how to clear a way through. If I would draw from lessons learned and borrow inspiration from dreams to come, the path would open. Apparently I was in the right place at the … Read More
Safe Spaces
When I think of safe spaces, I begin by thinking back to adolescence, the year that our guest preacher was asked to leave camp. Early in the week he told our youth group that we were quenching the Holy Spirit. … Read More
Gander
Gander sat high on a rock belting out his counsel. Periodically, I wondered about his relentless message. Finally I gave up, thinking that one day the experience would hold more relevance. A small group resurrected the memory. We had gathered … Read More