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Julie Henkener - Integrating Toward a Wholly Life

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Spirituality

Constant Movement of Life

Constant Movement of Life

Jan 21, 2025

Constant Movement of life, Breath of ever-changing being, Holy One, forming and transforming continually— This dancing world is Your Body, This evolving world is Your being flung forth; Let me trust the changing of my own life, For I have become a stranger in a strange land. In the disappearance of the familiar           Let me recognize the mystery of Your transforming dance; In the preponderance of the untried          Let me accept the challenge of your unfolding newness; In the absence of old friends          Let me discover the presence of the human circle;                In the landscape of the strange           Let...

Advent Waiting

Advent Waiting

Dec 10, 2024

O Holy One, You are from the beginning Who Heaven sent to be born of Mary Into a cold, dark world. We await your coming once again this Advent Season To be Heaven’s gift to a lonely people In need of a Savior who will re-unite with God. Husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters, And people of all nations in unity seeking and worshipping. One Holy God, One Blessed Savior Jesus Christ Our Lord. Holy One, are you waiting too this Advent Season? Do you wait for us to offer you our hearts That you may love...

When News is Bad

When News is Bad

Nov 8, 2024

Take seriously your grief.It is love, stripped bare.Let it flow through you. Trust that you are held.We all are held by the Beloved,the Broken-Hearted One,the One who Suffers most Deeply. Know you are not alone.Millions bear your sorrow.Ancestors and even unborn generationswalk with you gratefully. Seek others who are tenderhearted.Receive all the grace you can.In the flesh is best, but even in spirit,know we are here. Trust the Goodness.God has not given up on us.Through every disaster grace remains.Refuse to despair. Choose courage over selfishness,trust over fear, love over anger.You do not know the end of grace. There is much...

Prayer for the Universe

Prayer for the Universe

Oct 4, 2024

All-powerful God, we thank you, as we are finding ourselves alive in this gorgeous universe and blessed by Your presence today.  We know that You extend Your presence both to the smallest of creatures and to the vastness of our ever-unfolding Universe Story.  When we look deeply at the spiraling celestial stars at night, we could almost get lost or feel dizzy as we gaze into the boundlessness of our immense universe.  Creator God, we praise You for the beauty of the expanding cosmos – the spinning knots of stars and blue shadow moons and circling planets and spiraling galaxies....

Praise – A Lectio Poem

Praise – A Lectio Poem

Aug 28, 2024

The hills and groves were God’s first temples  Filled with the glory of God  Stone sermons  Set us off on a great adventure  Filled with the glory of God  Every hidden cell throbbing with music and life  A great adventure of mind and heart  Every tree swirling in glorious enthusiasm  Every cell throbbing   We are all kin in the evolving community of life  Every tree tossing their branches, enthusiasm like worship  Our vision must be one of flourishing for all   Our evolving community of life is now under siege  Stone sermons  Give us visions of an evolutionary future that will still surprise us  No wonder the hills and...

Prayer for a Wholly Life

Prayer for a Wholly Life

Aug 22, 2024

God of healing and miracles, we bring our weakness, brokenness and hunger for wholeness to You. We do not always know exactly what to pray for, but we bring our hands and hearts, our minds and souls to you completely.  Healing Spirit, You make everything holy and whole.  Come and heal the shattered places within us and around us – those shards painfully scattered in our innermost selves and across the globe. And bring us closer to You in completeness, knitting us together in spirit, soul, and body, surrounded by Your peace that surpasses all understanding. Jesus, heal us of...

Prayer Against Envy and Jealousy

Prayer Against Envy and Jealousy

May 24, 2024

Most Holy One, we thank you for all the blessings you have bestowed on us in our lives.  When we look at the ways others have been gifted by you and seek to compare them to ourselves, grant that we may reach first for gratitude as an antidote.  Keep us from fixating on their achievements and attributes, instead of focusing on who we ourselves are and what we are uniquely called to do.  Merciful God, forgive us for our feelings of envy and jealousy that are so detrimental to our health and well-being.  Open the inner eyes of our hearts...

Lectio Divina – A Ladder to the Sky

Lectio Divina – A Ladder to the Sky

May 9, 2024

Last updated: September 14, 2024 Lectio divina (Latin for “divine reading”) is an ancient monastic spiritual practice – a contemplative way to connect with the aliveness and wisdom of sacred texts.  Traditionally, the texts are scripture readings, but texts could include other spiritual writings, nature, art images, music, poetry, or even the text of our own lives.  There is a long history of practicing lectio divina, and the roots of this prayer method date back to the early church. Desert monastics from the 4th and 5th centuries CE memorized scriptures and meditated on them extensively, since handwritten manuscripts were very...

Amma Syncletica

Amma Syncletica

Mar 28, 2024

Last updated: January 24, 2025 Amma Syncletica was part of a monastic tradition that was established primarily in the desert areas around Jerusalem and Alexandria.  Desert Mothers were women, known as ammas or “spiritual mothers,” who lived as Christian ascetics in the fourth and fifth centuries CE. Ammas were women who had achieved a spiritual maturity and wisdom, actively developed during their withdrawal from mainstream society.  These women gathered together in monastic communities, but there were also some who lived as hermits.  For these early Christian women, one appeal of living in the desert was the freedom they could experience...

Advent Wreath as Spiritual Practice

Advent Wreath as Spiritual Practice

Nov 21, 2023

Last updated: September 29, 2024 The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “arrival” and is also related to the words ad venire, that translate as “to come.”  Since Advent has a number of moving parts, it is good for us, as pilgrims, to ask each year, “How do we Advent?”  One answer of “how” relates to our journey in this season of waiting, where paradoxically we move and grow, but at the same time are called to sit waiting in stillness. Every year, we re-read the ancient prophesies, celebrate the joy of now, and look forward...

O Virgo Virginum – December 24

O Virgo Virginum – December 24

Nov 20, 2023

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 we can approach to complete...

James Webb Space Telescope

James Webb Space Telescope

Oct 1, 2023

Last updated:  August 25, 2024 Having this website allows me to respond to events and to share information I get when I research things that really interest and excite me.  I was so excited to find out that the Sisters of Earth conference just coincidentally happened on the exact same week back in July 2022, when NASA released the first stunning images from the James Webb Space Telescope  – really a kind of synchronicity to be honest.  The Universe is astoundingly beautiful! It’s been over a year since the conference, so I thought I would just finish up this blog...

Resurrection Art Iconography

Resurrection Art Iconography

May 18, 2023

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...

Stations of the Cross

Stations of the Cross

Apr 6, 2023

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...

The Figure 8 – Ebb & Flow

The Figure 8 – Ebb & Flow

Mar 2, 2023

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...

O Emmanuel – December 23

O Emmanuel – December 23

Dec 23, 2022

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...

O Rex Gentium – December 22

O Rex Gentium – December 22

Dec 22, 2022

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...

O Oriens – December 21

O Oriens – December 21

Dec 21, 2022

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...

O Clavis David – December 20

O Clavis David – December 20

Dec 20, 2022

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...

O Radix Jesse – December 19

O Radix Jesse – December 19

Dec 19, 2022

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...

O Adonai – December 18

O Adonai – December 18

Dec 18, 2022

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...

O Sapientia – December 17

O Sapientia – December 17

Dec 17, 2022

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...

A Moving Balance

A Moving Balance

May 5, 2022

When I was in my late twenties or early thirties (hard to keep track now….) in Houston, I was thinking a lot about how to achieve balance in my life.  I have always been a well rounded person, interested in multiple areas of study and life experiences.  So I was trying to figure out how to align all of my activities and interests into some kind of schedule or routine that would balance and satisfy all of the physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and creative components of my life. One day, I rode my red Diamond Back mountain bike over to...

Liminal Threshold Process

Liminal Threshold Process

Dec 5, 2021

Sometimes change is our choice and sometimes it isn’t, but either way, change always comes.  You can call it change or transition or a crossing or adjustment or a turning point or relocating or course correction or passage or a shift or movement, and if it’s really big, you can call it conversion or progress or metamorphosis or transformation. However, I am calling what I’m experiencing now a “liminal threshold process.”  I suppose “liminal” and “threshold” are somewhat redundant, and “process” might be obvious, but nevertheless, that’s what I am calling it. An interesting and thorough explanation of the etymology...

The Thread Project

The Thread Project

Mar 6, 2021

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...

The Courage to Be Seen

The Courage to Be Seen

Aug 21, 2020

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. ...

Black Madonnas Matter

Black Madonnas Matter

Jul 27, 2020

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...

Life in Quarantine

Life in Quarantine

Apr 3, 2020

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...

O Antiphons 2019

O Antiphons 2019

Dec 17, 2019

Last updated: September 2, 2023 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...

Flames of the Spirit – Pentecost 2019

Flames of the Spirit – Pentecost 2019

Jun 9, 2019

Last updated: May 13, 2024 Today is Pentecost Sunday, which is the day that we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit.  It coincides with the Jewish celebration of Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks) that was originally a harvest festival, but also commemorates the gift of the ten commandments to Moses at Mount Sinai. The word Pentecost is derived from the Greek word πεντηκοστή, romanized as pentēkostē, that translates into English as “fiftieth day.”  The Feast of Weeks lines up as 50 days after the Passover for Jews, and Pentecost is 50 days after Easter Sunday for Christians.  Some Catholics pray...

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Most Popular Posts

Here are the most popular posts from the last 30 days.

  • The Apocalypse is Here 567 views

  • Resurrection Art Iconography 517 views

  • Prayer Against Envy and Jealousy 496 views

  • Assumption of Hairy Mary 134 views

  • Stations of the Cross 71 views

  • Prayer for the Universe 56 views

  • Mary of Egypt 35 views

  • Acrylic monoprint, copyright © Julie Henkener, made to go with quote by Amma Theodora (fourth century.) Amma Theodora 33 views

  • The Figure 8 – Ebb & Flow 31 views

  • Karankawa Indians in Texas 24 views

  • Mary Magdalene and the Blue Tunic Relic 18 views

  • Mary Magdalene Rises Again 17 views

  • Black Madonnas Matter 14 views

  • Saint Josephine Bakhita 14 views

  • James Webb Space Telescope 13 views

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  All text and original artwork copyright © Julie Henkener 2025.