“There are two eyes in the human head–the eye of mystery, and the eye of harsh truth–the hidden and the open–the woods eye and the prairie eye.” – Bill Holm I have fondness for people who belong to a place; whether city or a landscape. They tend speak in a particular way or with a certain cadence. Knowledgeable about particulars that tourists overlook. There was a writer from the Minnesota prairies named Bill Holm. who translates this sense of belonging to a landscape into perspective, a metaphor for our vision of reality. Bill Holm writes*, Holm later admits that he …
Author: Swanson
Sitting on the Present Moment
“The gift of becoming aware of the simple, astonishing beauty of anything, even as we recognize that it, and we along with it, will one day be no more. This moment of awareness holds everything.” – Douglas Christie I want to muse about the line “this moment of awareness holds everything” and how it spun me round in relationship between my sitting practice and the fierce reality of the present moment. I think the present moment gets shortchanged by lazy quips and sophomoric slogans – YOLO and all the rest. And sitting practice can be misunderstood just as easily… it …
Engaged Contemplation in a Heartbreaking World with Fr. Adam Bucko
“I am deeply inspired by these words from Adam Bucko, a contemplative priest, mentor, and friend to the poor. He is a trustworthy guide to discovering a spiritual life for our century and living in service of compassion and justice.” — Richard Rohr Father Adam Bucko has been a committed voice in the movement for the renewal of Christian Contemplative Spirituality and the growing New Monastic movement. He has taught engaged contemplative spirituality in Europe and the United States and has authored Let Your Heartbreak be Your Guide: Lessons in Engaged Contemplation, and co-authored Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for …