11.25.2024. Holy Waters. Tears, Tea & Tissues
“Moments where the Divine crossed the human”
– Marion Woodman
Life is full of paradox, the quiet sacred moments where we find ourselves standing on surprise, where Mystery resides. These are the unexpected and shockingly paradoxically tender moments where our bodies (not our minds) open into a pause, a tulip unfolding her petals, backbending in agony and joy. A mother’s water breaks, a child is born in the moan-roar of ahhh. The take-your-breath-away first snow (it just happened here in Chicago), white delight welcoming the season of the dark-long cold. The sharing of holy water found in tears and tea, in tissues being passed back and forth between friends when the whole of life seems wholly lost. Right there, the world offers each of us her Mystery, when all the noise is muffled, stilled by the soundless sound of love.
These holy holy edges of time are the still points between the tension of opposites – between the gravity and joys of life–where we find what is ‘true’ in our bones. Where we ask the bold sobering question, what is at stake? What is it to be alive? To live into the heart of paradox as a holy task with tender equanimity anchors us in the dark humus of Soul where we grow. Here is where prayer forms, where the sound of steady gratitude and kindness are born.
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Under the pots and pans, teaspoons buried beneath recipe books and pie tins, may your Thanksgiving (a day rich with holy messes) be filled with small tender moments of gratitude, for at the end what else is there?
Love, Wini
🌸 Below, lovely offerings for your Heart: 2 Poems. 3 Quotes. 1 TV Series. 1 Movie. 1 Closing Album of Females in Song for a Good Cause.
PS. Monday December 9 no In-Person Metta. Instead please come join me, an Embodiment Retreat: Awaken Your Yes. A magical day of blooming our holy together. There are four spots open. Sign up here. ✨
🌸 Two Poems to Share.
"i thank You God for this amazing" | e.e. cummings
i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday;this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any—lifted from the no
of all nothing—human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)
Awakening | Harriet Kofalk
Awakening in a moment of peace
I give thanks
to the source of all peace
as I set forth
into the day
the birds sing
with new voices
And I listen
with new ears
and give thanks
nearby
the flower called Angel's Trumpet
blows
in the breeze
and I give thanks
my feet touch the grass
still wet with dew
and I give thanks
both to my mother earth
for sustaining my steps
and to the seas
cycling once again
to bring forth new life
sun-fire
the dewdrops
become jeweled
with the morning
sun's fire
and I give thanks
you can see forever
when the vision is clear
in this moment
each moment
I give thanks
🌸 Three Quotes | John O’Donohue. Albert Schweitzerb. Marion Woodman.
“Love is the light in which we see each thing again in its true origin, nature, and destiny. If we could look at the world in a loving way, then the world would rise up before us full of invitation, possibility and depth.” — John O’Donohue
“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." — Albert Schweitzer
“But if you travel far enough, one day you will recognize yourself coming down to meet yourself. And you will say – yes.” — Marion Woodman
🌿 If you want a treat-beyond, a not-to-miss listen. The brilliant teacher Marion Woodman “Sitting by the Well: Bringing the Feminine to Consciousness Through Language, Dreams, and Metaphor”.
Rare Lectures Collected, six archival recordings―Marion Woodman offers a wealth of wisdom, unraveling Carl Jung's core teachings about archetypes and the unconscious, and analyzes how dreams and metaphors provide powerful healing tools for the psyche.
This was gifted to me in CD form long ago from one of my dearest friends–and they blew my heart and understanding open, wide. I find I return again to listen. You can find it on amazon too. A treasure buy.
🌸 Somethings to Watch | One TV Series. One Movie. Both Sweet Offerings for Your Heart. Opens gratitude for this precious life + love.
With the Thanksgiving Holiday week here, if you find you have extra down time. Here are two gems to watch– grab some blankets, popcorn and those you love near, gather on the couch like a pack of labradors.
Somebody, Somewhere. This HBO series is truly a delight. Filled with heartwarming, poignant honesty, vulnerability and just goodness. Three Seasons. Give a watch but beware, you may find yourself binge watching. Has a 100% on the Tomatometer, Rotten Tomatoes, and Bridget Everett can belt out a tune!
“The series, woven together by the small moments of everyday normal life, has a heart more expansive and beautiful than the fields of Kansas and a storyline more compelling than any show on television.”
—Lyz Lenz, Rolling Stone
My Old Ass. Fun. Touching. You see what is at stakes here when a psychedelic mushroom trip brings free-spirited 18-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella) face-to-face with her wisecracking 39-year-old ass self (Aubrey Plaza). Watch trailer on Amazon Prime.
“My Old Ass,” it feels fresh, perhaps because it’s wrapped in the trappings of a coming-of-age story. This is not really a movie for teenagers or, at least, not only for teens. At many points along life’s path, we make decisions that we might later wish we could change. But life’s not a movie, and time moves in one direction. The trick to contentment is learning to live with our whole hearts anyway.”
– Alissa Wilkinson, CRITIC’S PICK The New York Times
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🌸 FOUR SPOTS OPEN | ✨ Embodiment Retreat with Courtney, Megan & Wini ✨
We are hosting a magical day of self-discovery and connection to your authentic “Yes"
A glorious way to welcome the holidays and call upon the blessing season of Advent
a time of increasing Light on the planet for the benefit of all.
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Come step into the tender heart of self-discovery and open to your authentic ‘Yes’ that resides within you. Unfolding your full-embodied ‘Yes’ through Breath, Movement, Meditation, Yoga Nidra, Reflective Dialogue, Ritual, and Contemplative Writing.
Here is what you need to know:
Monday December 9th.
9:30am - 3:30pm.
A nutritious seasonal lunch is included.
Women's Club of Wilmette
930 Greenleaf Avenue in Wilmette
Space is Limited
🌿 Scholarships are available.
Reach out to Courtney, all requests honored and held sacred.
🌸 Closing Song | Only Love Can Break Your Heart
For those Neil Young fans, here is a gorgeous album to listen to, all songs sung by female artists. Cinnamon Girl - Women Artists Cover Neil Young for Charity.
All proceeds from this benefit record are donated to Casting For Recovery, whose mission is to enhance the quality of life of women with breast cancer through a unique retreat program that combines breast cancer education and peer support with the therapeutic sport of fly fishing.
Listen to Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Amilia K. Spicer (3:22 min)
And Helpless by Elk City (4:55 min)
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🌸 So Grateful You Are Part of This Community. 🌿 Thank you for being here!
If you enjoyed this newsletter, please feel free to share it with someone who might need dollops of goodness for their heart.
This Metta Newsletter is a Love-offering
✨ an offering to bloom more Light
💞 more Goodness
🌎 more gorgeous-tenderness on our planet.
Please consider making a small donation to help me and Metta Mondays newsletter to continue to ripple out into the world for the benefit of all.
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Until next week. 💖 ✨
