Do not live too far in the past or the future. Live now. In each moment expect a miracle: ten kinds of birds at the feeder, and the tracks of a fox in the snow. Pick up a magnifying glass and scrutinize that crocus. See the pollen at the center of the daffodil, life's dust, death-defying life. Be...

Blackmail, blacklist, black mark. Black Monday, black mood, black-hearted. Black plague, black mass, black market. Good guys wear white, bad guys wear black. We fear black cats, and the Dark Continent. But it's okay to tell a white lie, lily-white hands are coveted, it's great to be pure as the...

I wasn't flattered when one of my daughters confided that she had thought of me as "The Big There-There" when she was three years old. If I remember correctly, I was in the middle of a phase where I was hoping to reassure myself that I still had a fertile mind as well as a welcoming bosom. Now,...

May means Mother’s Day. I’m going to trust Hallmark and daddies and six year-olds and grown-up kids who are mommies themselves to honor the mothers among us as they deserve to be honored—with brass bands, flags flying, breakfast in bed (and kitchens cleaned up afterwards). I wish for those...

(Tea lights are set up in groups of 50 on either side of the chancel in this ritual borrowed from Soulful Sundown.) The long Summer has faded, now, and these first days of November mark the beginning of the coming of Winter....

We are people of all ages who enter this space bringing our joys and our concerns. We come together in hope. We greet each other warmly with our voices and our smiles. We come together in peace. We light the chalice to symbolize our interdependence and our unity. We come together in harmony. We...

Left: Some of us are struggling with sorrow or grief, but are afraid to reach out for help. Right: Some of us are sick of ourselves and others, but don't know what to do about it. Some of us just want to be ourselves, but it seems that other people won't let us....

Blessed are the heavens, for they declare the power of creation. Blessed is the earth, our beloved home, for she is a planet of plenitude. Blessed are the waters thereon, for they gave rise to living things. Blessed is the land, for it is the source of life abundant....

All too often, we pace the geometries of our walled gardens, Believing we are traversing the whole of creation. With spirits of discovery, let us uncover the mysteries nested in our routines, With the eagerness of children, let us seek out the secrets unfolding in our peripheral vision. Let us...

We create a web of life. This is finally the time to let go of that crazy notion that we can live separate and aloof from one another We create a web of life. This is the time at last that we can come home to each other, to our mutual belonging. We create a web of life....

Praise the sun, the moon, the stars,...

We covenant with one another and do bind ourselves together in the presence of this religious community To express our deepest and most cherished convictions, as they are borne by each person to find a common vision for a better world; To seek the life of the spirit, as it is known by each person...

(From the East:) Brothers and sisters in creation, we covenant this day with you and with All creation yet to be; With every living creature and All that contains and sustains you; With All that is on the earth and with the earth itself; With All that lives in the waters and with the waters...

We come into one another's presence seeking some part of ourselves, knowing that we do not live alone, knowing that we cannot live fully if we are for ourselves alone. We come as ordinary people, each with strengths and each with weaknesses, aware of our shortcomings. Our lives set before us many...

We are here because we are people of faith. Within each of us lives the conviction of a saving faith that could restore our broken planet and illuminate the lives of our sisters and brothers. Ancient wisdom teaches that we who would save the world must first save ourselves....

We are bogged down by the details of life. We are smothered by detail. Our bodies fill up with knots of anxiety. Our throats are dry. We would weep, but our eyes have no tears. We could cry out, but we have no passion. Who has done this to us? We confess the pain we cause ourselves....

To be human is to be aware of our separation. We want to love and to be loved by our friends, our parents, our children; but often we feel alone, not knowing the right things to do or the right words to say....

Thou who are the heart of being, we come together but often feel alone. We come for fellowship but we hold back. We are certain -- in our uncertainty. We are sure of ourselves -- in our utter doubt. We are full of answers, but not to our real questions....

O Spirit of life, let us resolve to move on with our lives in spite of whatever troubles may befall us. We know that we're imperfect, prone to mistakes, often so concerned about ourselves we're blind to others. We are prone to sin and, in our best moments, we know it. Let this knowing not fill us...

Let us pause now to look inward, exploring, if we dare, the secret places where motives are made and intentions live. Beneath appearances, what kind of persons are we? Is the inner self congruent with the one that rejoices with friends, assists the infirm, comforts the crying child? No....