February 2 falls right at forty days after the Nativity, bringing an end to the Christmas and Epiphany seasons. This is a short reflection I wrote last year at this time about a hidden in plain sight aspect of the presentation at the temple. The feast day is known both as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple and as the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin. And, in some places, it’s called Candlemas, the day when candles are blessed for use in the remainder of the year. The tradition of celebrating Candlemas evolved, because Simeon...
Over the years, I have collected quite a library of books associated with art and spirituality. I thought I would share my list with you, because there are just so many good books to choose from. Allen, Pat. Art is a Spiritual Path: Engaging the Sacred Through the Practice of Art and Writing. Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications, 2005. Allen, Pat B. Art is a Way of Knowing: A guide to self-knowledge and spiritual fulfillment through creativity. Boston, MA: Shambhala, 1995. Apostolos-Cappadona, Diane, ed. Art, Creativity, and the Sacred: An Anthology in Religion and Art. New York: Continuum Publishing, 1996. Azara,...
Teresa of Ávila was a sixteenth century Carmelite nun from Ávila, Spain, who wrote spiritual treatises, founded monasteries, and is one of only four women to be honored as a Doctor of the Catholic Church (the others are Catherine of Siena, Hildegard of Bingen, and Thérèse of Lisieux). Teresa was a mystic, religious reformer, author, and theologian of the contemplative life. I’ve posted about Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) before, and you can find my previous blog post that includes a summary of her biography here. She is truly a spiritual guide whose knowledge of contemplative practices and the spiritual life is...
Teresa of Ávila was a sixteenth century nun from Ávila, Spain, who wrote spiritual treatises, founded monasteries, and is one of only a few women to be honored as a Doctor of the Catholic Church. She was a mystic, religious reformer, author, and theologian of the contemplative life. This blog post provides a short biography of Teresa of Ávila, various images of Teresa, a few details from my visit to her convent in Ávila, and the famous bookmark quote from Teresa. Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) was born in either Ávila or Gotarrendura and was named Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y...
This blog post presents the O Antiphon for the apostle Thomas that was previously used on his feast day, December 21. It also describes three iconographies of Thomas related to the post-resurrection story of Thomas examining the wounds of Jesus and his subsequent admission of faith. I wrote a blog post about the O Antiphons in 2019, and I loved picking out the image to illustrate each one. If you aren’t familiar with the O Antiphons or need a refresher, please check out my 2019 blog post here. In the Roman tradition, there are seven standard O Antiphons that are...
I came across this photograph by Peter Ralston on Heather Cox Richardson’s Substack newsletter. This image of the weathered American flag touched me deeply. The title “Still There” is a reference to the lyrics of the Star Spangled Banner. Reference: “Still There,” Ralston, Peter, Ralston Gallery, https://ralstongallery.com.
I recently came across this quote from Toni Morrison on Instagram and immediately wanted to include it in my upcoming book, Women Give Voice to Wisdom. This is the final quote I have chosen for the book, and all of the permissions to use excerpts from the writings of other women are now solid and in place. Thank God – that took forever!! The story behind this quote is that Toni Morrison was complaining to a friend, after George W. Bush won the presidency in 2004, that she was having difficulty working on her writing. The feedback that she got...
Last updated August 13, 2024 In 2020, I wrote a blog post, Assumption of Hairy Mary, because I was interested in images of Mary Magdalene that I had come across, where she was shown clothed in nothing other than her long red hair. In some images, she is even depicted with a fur-like suit or hair that is growing directly out of her skin. I never suspected that I would revisit that blog post, but I became aware of this recently revealed woodcut image that appears to be a Hairy Mary Magdalene, shown at left, and I became intrigued. So,...
Last updated: December 26, 2025 I wrote a blog post about the O Antiphons in 2019, and I loved picking out the image to illustrate each one. So I have decided to post on the O Antiphons again, in order to highlight additional images and to explore the scriptural roots of the meaningful word images. If you aren’t familiar with the O Antiphons or need a refresher, please check out my 2019 blog post here. So yesterday was the end of the traditional seven days for praying the O Antiphons. And yet, here is the bonus eighth O Antiphon that...
Last updated: February 4, 2025 Happy Easter!! On Easter we celebrate the triumph of Christ over death! Ok, yes I know – Easter was a few weeks ago already, and yes, I am often late for these kinds of things. However, we are still technically in the Easter season until Pentecost (right around the corner now), so I figured I should hurry up and just finish this blog post off. This year, I would like to share some really great artistic depictions of the resurrection. The Bible does not contain a description of the exact moment when Jesus actually rose...
Last updated: January 25, 2025 The Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of the Cross or the Via Dolorosa, originated from the design of pilgrimages that were wildly popular in the Middle Ages. Many pilgrims to Jerusalem wanted to literally follow the footsteps of Jesus as he walked to his crucifixion. During the 13th century, the Franciscan order became caretakers of the Christian holy sites, and the earliest use of the word “stations” to describe this Way of the Cross occured in the narrative of an English pilgrim, William Wey, who visited the Holy Land in the...
Last updated: November 9, 2024 One symbol/model that has been important to me in my personal spiritual development is the Figure 8. When you open your eyes, you can start to see Figure 8 symbols in a few different, critical places. For example, if you have ever been on a sailboat or tried mountain climbing, you may be familiar with the Figure 8 knot. This knot, shown at right, is commonly used as a stopper knot on ships and boats, serving as a temporary knot to tie them off. In addition, the Figure 8 knot is frequently used to attach...
I wrote a blog post about the O Antiphons in 2019, and I loved picking out the image to illustrate each one. So I have decided to post on the O Antiphons again, in order to highlight additional images and to explore the scriptural roots of the meaningful word images. If you aren’t familiar with the O Antiphons or need a refresher, please check out my 2019 blog post here. Today is the final seventh O Antiphon out of the last seven days before Christmas, in this very late day of Advent intensification. Hopefully by now you are somewhat more...
I wrote a blog post about the O Antiphons in 2019, and I loved picking out the image to illustrate each one. So I have decided to post on the O Antiphons again, in order to highlight additional images and to explore the scriptural roots of the meaningful word images. If you aren’t familiar with the O Antiphons or need a refresher, please check out my 2019 blog post here. Today we pray the sixth O Antiphon out of the last seven days before Christmas, in these late days of Advent intensification. We are now just two days away from...
I wrote a blog post about the O Antiphons in 2019, and I loved picking out the image to illustrate each one. So I have decided to post on the O Antiphons again, in order to highlight additional images and to explore the scriptural roots of the meaningful word images. If you aren’t familiar with the O Antiphons or need a refresher, please check out my 2019 blog post here. Today is the fifth O Antiphon out of the seven days before Christmas, in these late days of Advent intensification. With only three days before Christmas Eve, we continue to...
I wrote a blog post about the O Antiphons in 2019, and I loved picking out the image to illustrate each one. So I have decided to post on the O Antiphons again, in order to highlight additional images and to explore the scriptural roots of the meaningful word images. If you aren’t familiar with the O Antiphons or need a refresher, please check out my 2019 blog post here. So today is the fourth O Antiphon out of the seven days before Christmas, in these late days of Advent intensification – just over half way through the week. Are...
I wrote a blog post about the O Antiphons in 2019, and I loved picking out the image to illustrate each one. So I have decided to post on the O Antiphons again, in order to highlight additional images and to explore the scriptural roots of these meaningful word images. If you aren’t familiar with the O Antiphons or need a refresher, please check out my 2019 blog post here. Today is the third O Antiphon out of the seven days before Christmas, in these late days of Advent intensification. As Christmas comes yet closer, it’s a good idea to...
I wrote a blog post about the O Antiphons in 2019, and I loved picking out the image to illustrate each one. So I have decided to post on the O Antiphons again, in order to highlight additional images and to explore the scriptural roots of the meaningful word images. If you aren’t familiar with the O Antiphons or need a refresher, please check out my 2019 blog post here. So today is the second O Antiphon out of the seven days before Christmas, in these late days of Advent intensification. Are you finding ways to get into the rhythm...
I wrote a blog post about the O Antiphons in 2019, and I loved picking out the image to illustrate each one. So I have decided to post on the O Antiphons again, in order to highlight additional images and to explore the scriptural roots of the meaningful word images. If you aren’t familiar with the O Antiphons or need a refresher, please check out my 2019 blog post here. So now, beginning today with O Sapientia, I will be posting on each O Antiphon for the next seven days before Christmas, in these late days of Advent intensification. Even...
Last updated: December 5, 2024 I am always so fascinated with learning about the origins of the customs we observe and holidays we celebrate and how they evolved and became secularized, especially as they were romanticized on a large scale in the US, during the 19th-century. You can find my blog post about Saint Valentine’s Day here. And a blog post with a bit of food history related to Halloween here. And another on the origins of the New Year’s Eve tune Auld Lang Syne. But today is the feast day of Saint Nicholas, and I am digging into the...
Last updated: August 11, 2023 I posted about this threshold/transition of mine back in December, when everything was still pending and I was impatient to get moving. You can read about it here. One thing I wrote is, “This letting go of the life I have built in Houston for the past 32 years will surely be challenging, but I trust that it will make room for new friends and experiences.” And indeed, this is coming to pass, perhaps a little more slowly than I would like, but still. There are so many things to be grateful for here, and...
I intended to post this way back in March, in observance of Women’s History Month this year, but obviously that did not happen – in the midst of moving and other entanglements, I definitely did not reach that goal. However, here is what I wanted to share with you. In this blog post, I highlight the dedication of women who supported the World War II (WW2) war efforts of the Allied Forces. Manufacturing jobs in many countries became available to women, as industries transitioned to war production. In September 2021, Andy and I were finally able to use the credit...
Hi friends! Today I would like to share with you a model that outlines seven steps for taking a glimmer of an idea and developing it in a way that can be seen and make a difference at national and even international levels. I learned about this process at a workshop called The Thread Project: One World, One Cloth, that I attended during the WomenSpeak conference that was held in San Antonio in 2007. This conference to “gather the women” was coordinated and led by Paula D’arcy. Paula, the founder and director of the Red Bird Foundation, is a holy woman and...
:: Guest blog post by Andy Hong :: Central Park may be the most beautiful city park in the world and is most certainly worth anyone’s time to visit. We would recommend getting a walking guide and spend a couple of hours walking through it. The park was revolutionary for its time (a park set aside for the enjoyment of the average citizen) along with Frederick Law Olmstead’s additional efforts repeated in Prospect Park in Brooklyn and the city parks in Buffalo. With its wonderful history, there are many things to see in Central Park – from the USS Maine...
On a daily calendar I used four years ago now, on Thursday, March 24, 2016, the quote attributed to Brene Brown reads, “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” This quote arrived just two months before I launched this blog. It’s getting a little easier, but in some ways I am still finding that it does indeed take courage to allow myself to be seen. Creating this blog and including personal stories definitely keeps me on my toes. I operate so much in my secular life, that showing pieces of my spiritual self in public feels intimidating. ...
Last updated: September 9, 2023 We are certainly living in some difficult and, for some of us, dangerous times – facing weather disasters caused by climate change, racial violence, economic catastrophe, and a mismanaged viral pandemic. The recent protests, in support of Black Lives Matter, against structural racism and anti-African American violence have erupted across the pages of newspapers, television screens, and social media. I didn’t go to any of the protests, but I do stand with the nonviolent protesters who are demanding racial justice. It’s been a little over two months since the protests were sparked by the excruciating...
Last updated: August 10, 2023 American author and pioneering aviator, Anne Spencer Morrow Lindbergh (1906-2001) was born in Englewood, New Jersey. Her father, Dwight Morrow, served in public office as US Ambassador to Mexico and later as a US Senator. Anne’s mother, Elizabeth Reeve Cutter Morrow, was active in promoting education for women and served as acting president at Smith College (her alma mater) in 1939-1940. Anne also attended Smith College, graduating in 1928 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. During her college years, Anne met aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh, and they were married at her parents’ home on May...
Last updated: October 21, 2024 As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I have been collecting art images of Mary Magdalene for a long time. It all began years ago when I was looking on the internet for a few images to use in my Mary Magdalene feast day celebrations. It was interesting to see how she was almost always clothed in accordance with the upscale fashion of the times and the location of the artist. In the Middle Ages, it was common to simplify the art to appeal to and educate viewers, many of whom did not know...
Last updated: May 21, 2024 It’s remarkable how the coronavirus crisis that first appeared in January has quickly become a worldwide pandemic that has caused much of the world to go into varying amounts of – whatever you want to call it – a shutdown, a quarantine, a shelter-in-place, a lockdown, an isolation? I know that there are different nuances to these terms, but mostly it just means staying at home and going stir crazy. Still, I’m grateful that I have safe shelter, I’m not at risk for losing my job, and I have plenty to eat. For me, it’s...
Last updated: July 28, 2025 Advent is one of my favorite times of year, and it is the beginning of the church liturgical calendar. There is something about the idea of waiting in that sacred, pregnant pause of Advent that helps keep me in balance, during one of the busiest times of year. I love turning out all the lights except for those on my Christmas tree, lighting the advent wreath, and reading the O Antiphons every night before Christmas, beginning on December 17. If you are like me and have been running around like crazy trying to get everything...
