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The Labyrinth: Doorway into the Interior Life

This week you are in for a treat!  My friend and Walking with Divine Feminine partner, Nancy Herlin, has written a beautiful personal piece about what the practice of labyrinth walking is and and what it means to her.  Please enjoy, and join us April 9.

 

When people find out that I have a labyrinth and walk it regularly as one of my spiritual practices, I find most don’t know what to say. Many confuse it with a maze, but unlike a maze, a labyrinth has only one path in and out, and isn’t designed to get you lost. Some excitedly recount their own stories of time spent in a labyrinth. Others are curious about how a walking meditation tool can help them access their own inner knowing and enhance their relationship with God.

What is a labyrinth? It is an ancient symbol and usually outdoor space used as a metaphor for our own spiritual journey. There are many uses for a labyrinth. Some use a labyrinth as a walking meditation tool to pause and slow...

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Your Place of Safety

 
 I am back from Spring Break in Costa Rica, and it was a wonderful trip with plenty of relaxation, adventure, and family fun. I was weirdly happy to see a sloth in his natural habitat, and I found a new fascination with leaf cutter ants.  These creatures amaze me!  I'm sure there's more to discuss on that, but for now suffice it to say, the vacation was a success. 

One thing I delighted in was reading on the beach every morning.  What a luxury! In preparation for Walking With Divine Feminine, Teresa of Ávila, I read The Interior Castle, written by Teresa (1515-1582) and translated by Mirabai Starr in 2003. This book sang to me!  It's a long explanatory metaphor comparing our inner landscape to a castle:

 

"It came to me that the soul is like a castle made exclusively of diamond or some other very clear crystal. In this castle are a multitude of dwellings, just as in heaven there are many mansions." ...

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The Rest of the Story

Why, you may ask, do I want to do yoga about Mary Magdalene? 

Because to me, she is the rest of the story.

Growing up in the Christian church meant inheriting a spirituality and faith that was very yang, or masculine.  I saw at the pulpit men telling us what mostly men said and did many years ago and how and why it matters now.  This was enough for me...until I saw another way.

My yoga teachers were women. Wise women. They related all matter of heart-based concepts to our bodies.  We didn't just learn stories and study the way to live.  We placed it on our breath.  We drew from our open hearts in meditation.  We strengthened our courage as we strengthened our core.  We stretched our chest and shoulders along with our capacity for compassion.  For me, it was an embodied faith.  

Mary Magdalene is the embodiment of faith.  She was there the whole time--during Jesus' teaching, throughout his crucifixion, and she...

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Presence and Delight

Bask in the sweetness of life.

Delight in life’s simple pleasures.

Take time to enjoy the good stuff.  

 

How do you respond to these statements?  Do you think, “Who’s got the time for that?” Or perhaps, “The guilt would kill me.”  “That stuff is for other people.” Or “The last time I basked I hurt my back.”   Maybe you’re even asking, “WHAT good stuff?” 

 

We’re going to get into this.  So right now, go get something sweet.  Maybe some leftover Valentine's chocolate or a Girl Scout Cookie. Or maybe something savory, like a tasty olive.  Whatever is in your kitchen (or hidden in your hideaway place) that is a delicious treat for you.  Then I’ll meet you back here…

 

Got something?  Good.  Let’s meditate:

  • Close your eyes and take some deep breaths.  Anchor your mind on your breath and body in the...
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Walking with Divine Feminine

 

"To walk with me is to walk as me.” 

 

These are the words author, speaker, and Harvard-trained scholar of the divine feminine, Meggan Watterson, heard in her meditation when she was contemplating the life and teachings of Mary Magdalene. She describes this in her book, Mary Magdalene Revealed: The First Apostle, Her Feminist Gospel & the Christianity We Haven't Tried Yet. 

 

This was the inspiration I needed to bring you something very special.

 

A few years ago I became interested in understanding the Divine Feminine.  I have always felt a deep connection to God, but that image is steeped in masculinity.  I love the men in my life and the masculine side of myself, but I knew I was only getting half the picture.  There’s a yin energy to Source as well.  There’s a feminine side I wanted to know.  So I asked, I learned, I met her, and now I, along with my dear friend Nancy Herlin, want to share...

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