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The Autumnal Equinox don't get no respect ...

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At this very moment, at the Autumnal Equinox, we're getting our last equal dose of sunlight. for the year. night and day are in balance for the last time this year.Think of it: from now until nearly Christmas, the night hours will steadily overtake the daily round, until at the Winter Solstice it will seem that the darkness has won, leaving us a short, even miserly amount of daylight. So, how do we celebrate the Equinox? With a yawn, apparently. When I got up this morning, there was just a smidgen   of light to be seen, and my body, already thinking of hibernation, wanted to remain in bed. As to real celebration, forget it: I wanted to attend an Equinox observance, but have been unable to find one nearby. Why is this? The Autumnal Equinox comes and goes -- don't blink, or you'll miss it. Digging in for a new school year, kids are already thinking about Halloween (remember those pumpkins our kids made out of orange construction paper? I still have some of those somewhe

So an older woman walks into a seminary ....

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Nope, don't get hysterical, it's not the one at the left. That's the General Theological Seminary, which lots of my friends and acquaintances have attended. I am way, way, way past the age limit for GTS, and even if I weren't, going there would mean relocating to Manhattan and dragging my spouse with me. Some spouses are draggable. Not mine, and that's fine with me. Can you see me in Manhattan? The very thought makes me feel ... well ... shorter. And older! Anyway, I have a different focus in mind. Next weekend I will begin studying for my MTS (Master of Theological Studies) at the New Seminary for Interfaith Studies , at right. It's also in Manhattan (in fact it's loosely affiliated with the UN), but I get to stay in the provinces and study online most of the time. Intensives and retreats take place in the bucolic NY and MD countryside. And not only do I get to study all major faith traditions, I get to focus on Creation Spirituality. Anyone who knows m

Saints still matter: St. Edith Stein (1891-1942), 9 August

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St. Edith Stein is not included in the Episcopal calendar, but I wish she were. I got to know her on a retreat at a Redemptorist retreat center, where I had the run of the theological library (always a dangerous thing for me). Born in 1891, Edith Stein was a German Jewish philosopher. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Gottingen in 1918, and was a teaching assistant at the University of Freiburg. Drawn by the writing of St. Teresa of Avila, Stein converted to Roman Catholicism in 1922, and began teaching at a Catholic school. Forced to give up her teaching position in 1933, as the Nazis began peeling away the civil rights of people who lacked an "Aryan certificate," Stein entered the Carmelite monastery in Cologne, taking as her name in religion "St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross." While in Cologne she wrote a book on Christian metaphysics entitled  Finite and Eternal Being. As the Nazi threat loomed ever larger, Stein was sent to a Carmelite monaster

Wars and rumors of wars

A plane carrying 300 souls is shot out of the sky over Ukraine. There's a  massacre of Christians going on in Iraq. Israel and Gaza are throwing missiles at each another. And, potentially, we might enter a new Cold War with Russia, while North Korea's Dear Leader shoots off some missiles just because he can. Folks, things are not good. In case you missed it, the world is going to hell in a handbasket. Even profit-driven airlines are considering new, longer routes in order to avoid "conflict areas."  These areas comprise a great deal of Africa and the Middle East. Oh, I nearly forgot ebola. Anyone see that movie Contagion ? No? Well, this is not a good time. Give it a pass for now. It's hard, even for someone who's rather genetically cheerful, to see how any of these world events is going to have hopeful outcomes.  I don't believe in that "End Times" crap, but I can (almost) see why a person might . Another thing I've noticed,

An empty room, and a new chapter

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A new chapter of life has begun for J. and me. Our son, our older child, moved out over the weekend. The long hall in the picture leads to the room containing the few items he left behind. I thought I had great plans for this room. An enlargement of our library? A spot for yoga,  meditation, or even a good place to do group spiritual direction?  I intended to get right in there to pull up the nasty denim-blue rug which 16 years of life with our son has virtually destroyed. Those awful curtains he wanted? They're goners. I was going to blast through there like a small tornado. Instead, something blasted through me. I stood in the middle of my son's room, and felt as emptied out as the space. J. felt the same. Tears came off and on. We watched movies and ate comfort food. I ate ice cream three times yesterday. Today I feel better. Still empty, but with better balance. Grieving the change, but in proportion.What is parenthood but an emptying out, a kenosis ?  We do