Journal of Sacred Work

Days 183-184 "In The Family of Things"

 

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
Are heading home gain.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
The world offers itself to your imagination,
Calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-
Over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

~ Excerpt from Mary Oliver’s poem “Wild Geese”

It is a familiar story but one I do not tire of and like to revisit from time to time whenever I need to be reminded that I am part of the “family of things.” 

Lessons from Geese

As each goose flaps its wings it creates an UPLIFT for the birds that follow. By flying in a 'V' formation the whole flock adds 71 percent extra to the flying range.

    Lesson 1 People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back to take advantage of the lifting power of the birds in front.

    Lesson 2 If we had as much sense as geese we would stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others.

When a goose tires of flying up front it drops back into formation and another goose flies to the point position. 

    Lesson 3 It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each other’s skills, capabilities and unique arrangements of gifts, talents or resources.

When a goose gets sick, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to the ground to help and protect it. 

    Lesson 4 If we have as much sense as geese we will stand by each other in difficult times, as well as when we are strong.

Geese flying in formation 'HONK' to encourage those up front to keep up with their speed.

    Lesson 5 We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. The power of encouragement (to stand by one’s heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek. 

 

The original version of Lessons from Geese was written by Dr. Robert McNeish in 1972

Offered by Liz Sorensen Wessel
Watercolor by ~liz

Days 176-177 A Special Kind of Artist

"An artist is not a special kind of person; rather each person is a special kind of artist."- Ananda Coomaraswamy

A friend, mentor, artist and spiritual sage, Sr. Madeleva opened her "Art and Contemplation" class with the above quote. Her down to earth approach to life and warm hospitality created a safe space for childlike exploration. She invited participants to close our eyes, take a few deep relaxing breaths and settle in, as she led us through a guided meditation. Next she read a passage from the book "Care of the Soul" by Thomas Moore.

Thus began our time together with splashes paint onto the desktop followed by swirling our paper to soak up color. Magical shapes formed as colors blended into one another. Interesting patterns emerged to spur the imagination and delight our souls as Sr. Madaleva bubbled over with joyful enthusiasm.

Madaleva shares her wisdom through the lens of art. She cautioned us to never discard something that we were working on because we had made a mistake. I recall her saying that art is a lot like life. It's messy; often things run together and turn brown and mucky like mud. However, she encouraged,  just work with it and don't get give up. If you make a mistake allow it to transform into something of a deeper more beautiful quality. I absolutely love her analogy and find it to be a great spiritual truth that I carry with me. 

Most people have this mistaken belief that being creative or artistic is beyond their reach. I dabble in paint because of the satisfaction that accompanies self expression. I've also learned that it is a journey and with practice and experimentation one's skill gradually improves.  Whatever your passion, be curious, get acquainted and let it teach you something new about yourself. We all have differing gifts that we can intentionally cultivate. 

I have found that writing these little essays for the JSW or offering a comment is a great way to discover more about myself. I often feel as if each one was written especially for me (and I hope this is true for each of you). I reflect on the connections in my own experiences and aspire to integrate the pearls of wisdom into my life. I am grateful to Erie Chapman for creating a forum for meaningful conversation as well as for the friendships and encouragement that has blossomed in this community.

Nurturing something you are passionate about is also a spiritual discipline. What do you do when you are not feeling inspired, when the blank page intimidates rather that excites? As with life, we persevere, we put one foot in front of the other, while honoring our experience, until energy shifts and space opens again for the Spirit to flow through us in an expansive way. 

Liz Sorensen Wessel
Watercolor by Liz

Days 171-175 - "Eternity's Sunrise" or Will This Poem Change Your Life?

   Renown poet & artist William Blake (1757-1827) named his poem "Eternity." Author Daisy Goodwin claimed in her 2003 book that it is one of the poems that "could change your life."

   After reading it, famed singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen wrote, "Everybody, in a certain way, approaches things with a dissecting scalpel. It’s a good idea to leave that on the shelf for a while if you can."

    Sages are always instructing us to, "Enjoy the now!" Turns out that this is hardly a new idea. Yet, how do you do it?

   Even those who dislike & disdain poetry cannot complain this one is too long.  

He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy
He who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity’s sunrise

   Do these four lines change your life?

   What about his artwork? Blake was recently described as ""far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced." When you gaze upon his magical work, "Nativity," do you feel any of the tectonic plates in your life shifting?

   Is any art or any poetry powerful enough to change how you view the world? We often do not know these important things unless we seek to answer such questions. 

-Erie Chapman

 

 

Days 169-170 The Nature of Fathering

Note: special thanks to Terry Chapman for this insightful Father's Day Reflection.

If I close my eyes and envision my father from childhood, we are climbing up a steep hill carrying two pairs of black wooden skis; his are normal length and mine much shorter. It is a cold and sunny winter day in suburban Maryland, but sparsely settled, and we are alone as we proceed up to the summit of the hill and laughingly ski back down side by side. I am warm and secure, cared for and excited--I am loved!

 There are no words spoken in this vision. What matters is the love and shared physical adventure: robust, challenging, and fun.  This vision has sustained me while traveling uphill and downhill pathways ever since 1950 when I was ten years young. And at 77, I still have and share my adventurous, physically rewarding lifestyle with everyone I meet. Who knows what new experiences will be possible tomorrow?  

Dad magically produced original adventures for my brother Ronnie and me, ranging from whistling sessions to tree climbing to bicycle riding, to camping in our backyard, to family vacations filled with life raft trips down the Shawsheen River, to building a swing set in the fragrant pine forest near our vacation home outside Boston. The swing seat hung 20 feet below a huge sweet-smelling pine tree and drew children like a magnet. My friends and I were very grateful that our father always found new ways to interest, involve, and challenge Ronnie, me and as the years past--many, many friends.

What is the nature of fathering? I believe it is a masculine essence wrapped in a loving, caring nature.  Good fathers should be full of fun, surprises, and adventurous activities. Nothing more, but certainly nothing less.  I have striven to be that fun filled father with my two sons who as mature adults, still continue our family legacy of adventure seeking, persistence, and a wondrous approach to life itself: the challenges, the successes, the heartache, and the thrill of it all!

Photo: Terry Chapman; skiing

Days 164-168 - Other Realities

    She awakes expecting a forest she knows & encounters one she knows not. The trees ripple. Colors vibrate. Someone has shattered the sky & punctured the moon. The old forest is fractured.

    Half of her knows this is false. The other half is sure that it is true.

    Half of her fears for her life. The other half struggles for love.

    She could be dreaming. She may have a mental illness. In this case the cause is a mind-altering drug.

    It happens to hospital patients every day. Drugs intended to help sometimes hurl us into wild levels of consciousness. Amid altered reality we may sense the absurdity of the one we live every day.

    Like many, I have made several visits to altered states. Unlike most, I try hard to remember & describe. Under nitrous oxide at the dentist I write thoughts. Under one of only three uses of marijuana I went through an LSD type experience & was flooded with terror.

   I work to remember my frequent dreams & make notes the next day for use in art (this picture) as well as in writings about caregiving. 

   In altered states I am usually sure that our current existence is shallow as a bird bath.

   We may briefly enter deeper waters during out lifetimes. Eternity's ocean awaits us after death.

   Meanwhile, we trust caregivers & heart friends to shepherd us & we need to do the same for them.

   In 2003, Physician Peter Walling, M.D. wrote, "Although our brains can imagine objects only in 3 spatial dimensions, some concept of higher dimensions is occasionally possible," he offered. "Recent studies of superstring theory relating to the smallest subatomic particles suggest the possibility of as many as 26 dimensions."*

    Most discard experiences of other dimensions as indescribable. But, artists (e.g. Van Gogh & Picasso) portray these lands & writers can take us there if we follow them.

    In a 1628 sermon John Donne said, "The beast does but know, but the man knows that he knows."

    Yes. We know. But, a yeoman's axe splits theories of suffering away from the experience of it. They are the difference between a course on pain & suffering rape. 

    What a challenge caregivers face when with disoriented patients. The temptation to dismiss, degrade & condescend to suffering not visible is great. Radical Loving Care engages respect, support & comfort.

   This is what we pray for when illness & terror distort our known world.

-Erie Chapman

Photo: "The Broken Forest" by Erie

*"Dimensions of consciousness" Peter T. Walling, MD, FRCA corresponding author1 and Kenneth N. Hicks, CETSR, CBET, GROL1 Baylor University Medical Center 'Proceedings' 2003  

 

Days 162-163 Vanishing

I thought the earth

 remembered me, she

 took me back so tenderly, arranging

 her dark skirts, her pockets

 full of lichens and seeds. I slept

 as never before, a stone

on the riverbed, nothing

between me and the white fire of the stars

 but my thoughts, and they floated

 light as moths among the branches

of the perfect trees. All night

I heard the small kingdoms breathing

 around me, the insects, and the birds

who do their work in the darkness. All night

I rose and fell, as if in water, grappling

 with a luminous doom. By morning

 I had vanished at least a dozen times

 into something better.

Poem, Sleeping in the Forest -By Mary Oliver

Shared by Liz Sorensen Wessel 
Watercolor by ~liz

Days 157-161 - What do we worship?

   Where attention goes, energy flows. 

   A corollary might be: We are what we worship.

   As soon as we worship anyone or anything it becomes sanctified in our minds. The subject takes on otherworldly powers. We feel differently in that subject's presence. 

   Watch devout Catholics as they kneel before a statue of the Virgin Mary. Consider how Muslims entering the Blue Mosque react to its calligraphy. Notice the eyes of Jews touching the Wailing Wall. 

   Some worship mortals. Teenagers scream in the presence of music stars. Others faint before Presidents & Popes.

   We worship the well-known so passionately that we want pictures with them - as if their stardust might might illuminate us.

   An awed silence inhabits crowds viewing the Mona Lisa. In fact, we fall silent in places "sanctified" by culture: courtrooms, churches, museums.  Hospices have joined this group. Because we see the dying as different, we adopt a "worshipful" presence before them.

   Somehow, art transcends its context. A Jew or Hindu who cares nothing about Christianity can appreciate Da Vinci's "Last Supper." A Christian can "worship" the beauty in a Shinto Shrine.

   We are what we worship. Worship kindness & experience its energy. Appreciate a sacred shine & feel peace. Seek to heal the wounded & feel healing. Worship cruelty & your spirit will suffer. 

   Most universal of all "worshiped" art? Flowers.

   On May 15, my sister placed flowers from my mother's funeral in a blue vase. Here they are: innocent, beautiful & worthy of a moment's worship.

-Erie Chapman

Photo: "When She Is Gentle," by erie 

 

Days 155-156 May Flowers

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"There lives the dearest freshness deep down things..." G.M. Hopkins

This one line from Hopkin's poem holds the the beauty of the universe. 

 

Shared by Liz Sorensen Wessel

May Flowers by ~liz