The Blog – Julie Henkener – Integrating Toward a Wholly Life

19 Nov

The Apocalypse is Here

Bible verses, Climate Change, Current Events, New Testament, Old Testament No Comments

When I volunteered to lead morning prayer last Sunday, I had no idea that the subject of the readings would be the apocalypse. The Old Testament reading was from Daniel, chapter 12: ”At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some […]

08 Nov

When News is Bad

Current Events, Prayer, Spirituality No Comments

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 […]

04 Oct

Prayer for the Universe

Prayer, Spirituality No Comments

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. […]

24 Sep

Elati Publishing – On Finding a Name

balance, Book Reviews, Indigenous People, psychology No Comments

As you may know, I have been on an almost ten year journey to publish a book. I went through the process of writing an incredibly detailed book proposal that I polished over and over again. I knew it was time to send it out into the world when I was barely changing a single word every time I read it. Still, it took me months before I finally got my courage and a long list of potential publishers together. I submitted my proposal to all of the publishers I thought might be interested, which turned out to be 10 […]

28 Aug

Praise – A Lectio Poem

Prayer, Spirituality No Comments

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 […]

22 Aug

Prayer for a Wholly Life

Prayer, Spirituality No Comments

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 […]

24 May

Prayer Against Envy and Jealousy

balance, Prayer, Spirituality No Comments

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 […]

09 May

Lectio Divina – A Ladder to the Sky

Prayer, Spirituality No Comments

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 […]

28 Mar

Amma Syncletica

Acrylic Monoprints, feminism, History, Quotes, Saints, Spirituality, Women No Comments

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 that was not available to […]

27 Feb

Mary Magdalene and the Blue Tunic Relic

Art, History, Mary Magdalene, Saints, Women No Comments

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, […]

21 Nov

Advent Wreath as Spiritual Practice

Bible verses, Holidays, New Testament, Old Testament, Prayer, Spirituality 2 Comments

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 […]

20 Nov

O Virgo Virginum – December 24

Art, balance, Music, Prayer, Spirituality No Comments

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 […]

01 Oct

James Webb Space Telescope

History, NASA, Spirituality No Comments

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 […]

18 May

Resurrection Art Iconography

Art, New Testament, Spirituality No Comments

Last updated: May 29, 2024 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 […]

06 Apr

Stations of the Cross

Art, New Testament, Spirituality No Comments

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 mid-15th century. Later in the […]

27 Mar

The Mercury 13 – Women Pilots Aiming for the Stars

Book Reviews, feminism, History, NASA, Women No Comments

Since March is Women’s History Month, I thought I would write this blog post about some courageous women pilots who have been largely forgotten by time and are not widely recognized today. I am referring to the history of the First Lady Astronaut Trainees, more commonly known as the Mercury 13. This group of women were secretly evaluated to see if they might be suitable astronaut candidates for America’s first human spaceflight program in the early 1960s. The thirteen women pilots, eager to participate in the space race against the Soviet Union, were subjected to the same rigorous tests that […]

02 Mar

The Figure 8 – Ebb & Flow

Abstract Art, Acrylic Monoprints, Art, balance, Bible verses, psychology, Quotes, Spirituality 2 Comments

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 […]

10 Jan

Hannah’s Vow and Subsequent Song

Abstract Art, Acrylic Monoprints, Bible verses, Old Testament, Quotes, Women 2 Comments

The story of Hannah in the Old Testament can be found in the the first book of Samuel. It is about the vow that she made to Yahweh and her subsequent song/prayer of thanksgiving. It is also about a larger narrative, where she becomes part of God’s greater plan of salvation. In this account of Hannah, we also see the classic biblical movement from barrenness to abundant life, from death to resurrection. At the beginning of the story, we are introduced to Hannah and her husband Elkanah. Similar to other Old Testament women like Sarah, Rachel, and Rebecca, Hannah was […]

06 Jan

Saint Josephine Bakhita

History, Saints, Women No Comments

Last updated: February 5, 2024 Josephine Bakhita (circa 1868-1947,) shown at left, was born into a relatively wealthy family in the village of Olgossa in the Darfur region, Sudan in central Africa. At around 7-9 years of age, she was kidnapped by Arab slave traders and was given the Arabic name bakhīta (بخيتة), which means “lucky” or “fortunate.” This was a fairly common name for slaves, and so Josephine Bakhita should not be confused with Sister Fortunata Quasce, the first Sudanese nun, also known as Bakhita Kwashe (1841-1899.) Apparently the image below and to the right is of Sister […]

23 Dec

O Emmanuel – December 23

Art, balance, Bible verses, Music, Prayer, Spirituality 1 Comment

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 […]

22 Dec

O Rex Gentium – December 22

Art, balance, Bible verses, Music, Prayer, Spirituality No Comments

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 […]

21 Dec

O Oriens – December 21

Art, balance, Bible verses, Music, NASA, Prayer, Spirituality No Comments

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 […]

20 Dec

O Clavis David – December 20

Art, balance, Bible verses, Music, Prayer, Spirituality No Comments

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 […]

19 Dec

O Radix Jesse – December 19

Art, balance, Bible verses, Music, Prayer, Spirituality No Comments

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 […]

18 Dec

O Adonai – December 18

Art, balance, Bible verses, Music, Prayer, Spirituality No Comments

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 […]

17 Dec

O Sapientia – December 17

Art, balance, Bible verses, Music, Prayer, Spirituality 2 Comments

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 […]

06 Dec

Saint Nicholas Feast Day – December 6

Art, History, Holidays, Saints No Comments

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 origin of our present day, […]

22 Oct

Mary Magdalene Rises Again

Mary Magdalene, New Testament, Saints, Women 2 Comments

I was alerted to the recent buzz about Mary Magdalene by my friend Laurie, who sent me this link to a sermon preached by Dr. Diana Butler Bass on the closing day of the Wild Goose Festival, July 17, 2022. In this sermon, Diana mentions research started in 2017 by Elizabeth (Libbie) Schrader, a PhD student at Duke University. Libbie, based on her examination of various early manuscripts, hypothesizes that the name Martha was added to the original story of the raising of Lazarus in John chapters 11 and 12. If this is correct, she is positing that Mary Magdalene […]

10 Sep

Six Month Threshold Update

Abstract Art, Acrylic Monoprints, Art No Comments

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 […]

31 Jul

Come Into the Factories – We Can Do It!

Art, feminism, History, Music, Travel, Women No Comments

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 […]