The inner desertarises primarily from grief:the universal desert of lossthat grinds the soul to dustand bears within itthe threat of despairas well as hopefor transformationand compassion. – Fr. David Denny Fr. David Denny is a lifelong seeker whose commitment to the unfolding mystery of life has brought him to explore the deserts of place and soul. In 1975 Fr Dave entered the Spiritual Life Institute, a contemplative monastic community rooted in the Carmelite tradition. And in 2005, he left that community to co-found the Desert Foundation with Tessa Bielecki. A writer, a poet, retreat master and teacher, Fr. Dave now …
Author: Swanson
The River You Touch with Chris Dombrowski
“You won’t soon read a more beautiful book, nor one so earthy, wise, delicious, and alive. This is not a book about fish or rivers or Montana or parenting. This is a book, to paraphrase another poet, plain and simple, to break open the frozen sea within.” —Rick Bass I have been waiting years to have this conversation with author, poet, and fly-fishing guide Chris Dombrowski. There is a kinship I feel with Chris’s lens on life. He is a top-shelf writer to boot. The River You Touch: Making a Life on Moving Water comes out October 11th, 2022. I …
Inarticulate as Watercolors, Brazen as Graffiti
I’ve been musing to myself this week about what happens in my daily sit. Like a collection of pocket lint, these musings have been telling me something about what I carry with me each day. I practice every day not to get good at meditation or wear the costume of a contemplative. I come to practice to practice. To practice showing up vulnerably before the ever abiding God, as I am, even when I can’t imagine the fullness of who that is. I begin by stapling my attention to an intention to apprentice itself to the eternal silence presencing itself …