The Soulistry Blog
“CLOSING MY HEART”
A Facebook friend posted this comment: "Today I will stop giving so generously and freely ... I close my heart." I was sad. Guard her heart? Of course. Do self-care? Of course. But close her heart? No. Please, no. There will always be people who will do what they can...
“SOUL-FATIGUE”
Soul-fatigue. It's true. We can't 'pour from an empty cup.' But it's not easy to step back.So many are hungry or cold or thirsty for clean water or scared or homeless or racist or uneducated or abused or hurting or unwell or in pain or grieving or unemployed or...
“LIFTED OUT OF FEAR – Miss Pudgy Angel”
"Miss Pudgy Angel - it's time for you to come and lift us out of the fear many are feeling these days."I wrote this blog four years ago. Tonight, a friend's Facebook post began: "I was feeling a little ... just a little bit paralyzed by fear today." Her words echoed...
“DEEP WITHIN THE WINTER SNOW”
The snow is beginning to leave (hurray!).And this afternoon, these flowers began to surface in my back yard.The promise of new lifeemergingin spite of the weatherin spite of the pandemicin spite of political upheavalsin spite of it being the Season of Lentin spite of...
“ASH WEDNESDAY. In a PANDEMIC?”
ASH WEDNESDAY in a Pandemic - what is Ash Wednesday all about? It was a Wednesday morning. Nothing unusual was happening in the classroom where I was teaching a class of high school students. Nothing unusual, except they were more attentive than...
“A CALMING THOUGHT: ALL SHALL BE WELL”
"All shall be well.All shall be well.And all manner of thing shall be well"There are no promises in lifebut the words by Dame Julian of Norwich (c. 1342) can be of assistance when dealing with difficult momentsdifficult people difficult situations.Used as ... a prayer...
“BREATHE – JUST BREATHE”
It seems that my heart has been skipping a lot of beats lately. I've been gasping. And yes, while the air quality has been a major issue for my lungs, the 'gasping' is more than that.The gasping has been about the incredulity of words spoken by men in powerful...
“FROM BEYOND … TO BEYOND: ADDRESS CHANGE”
A friend wrote "I know I am fading.I need help with fading. I will be staying at home for this part of the journey." A woman of gentle strength, courage, humility, wisdom, and hope, her post reminded me of this photo which for me, became symbolic of birth and...
“Soul-Connection COMMUNITY”
I first heard the words from Sarah in a small northern Alaskan village. The tiny, elderly, native woman spoke them slowly and carefully, all the while looking directly in my eyes. “How deeply you are connected to my soul, June.” Deeply humbled by her words, I was...
“STILLNESS”
a prayer for today and each day for this worldtorn apart by pandemic, injustice, anger, abuse, ignorance stillness of water ... peace stillness of mind ... peace stillness of body ... peace stillness of soul ... peace © June...
Soul-Question: RADIATING INTRINSIC GOODNESS
Quote"We can work together for a better world with men and women of goodwill, those who radiate the intrinsic goodness of humankind."AuthorWangari Maathai (1940 - ) is an environmental and political activist. Born in Kenya, she received the Nobel Peace prize for her...
“DEATH, GRIEF AND HEALING”
Death. Many don’t want to talk about it. And yet, in these days of COVID19, death is in the news. Daily. Whether death happens at (or close to) a birthday, at Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Valentines' Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter - at any time - the...
Soul-Questions “BE KIND, BE CALM AND BE SAFE”
Quote"Be kind, be calm and be safe"Author: Bonnie HenryDr. Bonnie Henry is a Canadian physician; the Provincial Health Officer for the Province of British Columbia, Canada; has worked internationally including with the WHO/UNICEF polio eradication program in Pakistan...
“DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE”
I cannot - and will not - allow my mind or soul to go down the rabbit hole - even after the President of the United States's threat. If I do, it will only lead me to a state of hopelessness and I refuse to do that to myself. Instead, I will pray and speak up and speak...
Soul-Questions “WHAT WE SEE”
Quote"When you look at your neighbour's work, you see it for what it is.When you look at your own work, you see it for what it isn't." Author: Peter ThorntonA full-time professional calligrapher and artist for over forty years, Peter Thornton is a Fellow of the...
Soul-Questions “HOPE”
Quote"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tunes without the words and never stops at all."AuthorA prolific American poet, Emily Dickinson (1830 – 1886) was considered to be an eccentric by local neighbours, living much of her...
“IT’S ABOUT LOVE”
A Facebook friend wrote, echoing the unspoken words of so many: "I just don’t know what to think. I am so confused. I see people standing by our fence, drinking, laughing, celebrating. No masks. No distancing. I see graduates being visited by friends inside their...
Soul-Questions “WHAT DOES LOVE LOOK LIKE?”
Quote "What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the signs and sorrows. That is what love looks like."Author: Augustine (354-430 CE) was a...
“IT TAKES COURAGE”
"My courage does not roar. It whispers to my heart. It makes me dig deep and find it in my soul to fight on." <Kim Fitzsimmons> It takes courage to go to work these days as an 'essential services' provider.You valiantly and selflessly serve long hours at...
“DAME JULIAN OF NORWICH”
The initial shock of COVID19 has hit. Grief is emerging as people deal with the loss COVID19 is bringing: ... issues of death and dying because of a diagnosis of COVID19 ... loss of income because their place of employment has been shut down ... loss of freedom...