The Blog – Page 2 – Julie Henkener – Integrating Toward a Wholly Life

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 […]

05 May

A Moving Balance

balance, psychology, Spirituality 6 Comments

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 […]

21 Apr

Cahokia Indian Mounds

History, Indigenous People 2 Comments

I recently learned that there once was an urban complex of Native Americans in the United States that dates back to the 9th century. I had heard of the Mayans, was somewhat familiar with the Aztec civilization that built pyramids in Mexico, and had even visited Teotihuacan when I was in high school. Over the years, I have visited Anasazi ruins and other Native American sites in the southwest U.S. And of course I learned about the decimation of the native tribes across the continent, due to diseases like smallpox, brought by the explorers and settlers. I am aware of […]

05 Dec

Liminal Threshold Process

Acrylic Monoprints, Book Reviews, Spirituality 13 Comments

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 […]

25 Jul

Sylvia Earle – Her Deepness

Climate Change, Current Events, feminism, Women 2 Comments

Sylvia Earle is an oceanographer and marine botanist who writes and lectures about our oceans and is sometimes called “Her Deepness.” She has led more than 100 diving expeditions and clocked more than 7,000 hours underwater. She was the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and has been a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence since 1998. She belongs to Ocean Elders, a group of scientists that is dedicated to protecting the ocean and and the marine life that live in the oceans. She is also President and Co-Chair of Mission Blue, which is a nonprofit […]

20 May

Sea Turtles on South Padre Island

Climate Change, Current Events 2 Comments

Hey. I’ve been thinking alot about climate change recently, the strange weather patterns we have been seeing, and I really think there is no way to overestimate the magnitude of the problems we face. I am especially concerned about how wildlife have become entangled with these unprecedented, human-initiated changes. Hurricanes now come more frequently, and you may have heard about the big winter freeze in Texas in February. Most of the news coverage of the freeze related to homes losing power and heat, and in some cases water. I have relatives in Austin and San Antonio, and I live in […]

06 Mar

The Thread Project

Art, Current Events, Spirituality, Women 4 Comments

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 […]

14 Feb

Saint Valentine’s Day

History, Holidays, Saints 6 Comments

Last updated: February 7, 2024 I’m always fascinated about how certain holidays come into being and what their roots are, before they end up being commercialized and trivialized into oblivion, a shadow of what was intended originally. So what’s up with Valentine’s Day? You might have an idea that it is associated with a Saint Valentine, and you would be right. The feast days of saints are often holy-days that are celebrated annually on the anniversaries of their deaths. So here’s how Saint Valentine’s life and martyrdom led us to associate it with romantic love and how it morphed so […]

05 Feb

Central Park

Art, History, New York, Travel, Women No Comments

:: 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 […]

22 Jan

Votes for Women – Part 4/4

feminism, History, Women 2 Comments

Last updated: March 15, 2024 August 26, 2020 was Women’s Equality Day, a celebration of the centennial anniversary of the 1920 ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution that guarantees that, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” This is part four of a four-part series, describing the many years of exhaustive effort channelled by American women into the suffrage movement that ultimately secured voting rights for women nationally. In November 1917, there was a referendum held to […]

27 Dec

Votes for Women – Part 3/4

feminism, History, Women No Comments

Last updated: March 15, 2024 August 26, 2020 was Women’s Equality Day, a celebration of the centennial anniversary of the 1920 ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution that guarantees that, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” This is part 3 of a four-part series, describing the many years of exhaustive effort channelled by American women into the suffrage movement that ultimately secured voting rights for women nationally. The beginnings of the National Woman’s Party (NWP) can […]

13 Dec

Votes for Women – Part 2/4

feminism, History, Women No Comments

Last updated: March 15, 2024 August 26, 2020 was Women’s Equality Day, a celebration of the centennial anniversary of the 1920 ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution that guarantees that, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” This is part two of a four-part series, describing the many years of exhaustive effort channelled by American women into the suffrage movement that ultimately secured voting rights for women nationally. Going into the turn of the twentieth century, American […]

29 Oct

Vote!!! It’s urgent!

Current Events No Comments

I know alot of you, like me, have already voted. However, if you haven’t voted yet, please make time for going to the polls. Be sure to exercise your Nineteenth Amendment rights. We all need to be participating in our democracy.

17 Oct

Votes for Women – Part 1/4

feminism, History, Women No Comments

Last updated: March 15, 2024 August 26, 2020 was Women’s Equality Day, a celebration of the centennial anniversary of the 1920 ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution that guarantees that, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” This is part one of a four-part series, describing the many years of exhaustive effort channelled by American women into the suffrage movement that ultimately secured voting rights for women nationally. It is widely agreed that the milestone that best […]

26 Sep

Karankawa Indians in Texas

History, Indigenous People 1 Comment

Last updated: August 15, 2023 In September 2020, I enrolled in a virtual class – a series of Zoom meetings to discuss the possibilities for gesturing towards de-colonial futures, and when I wrote this, I had just attended the first 2-hour segment. There were 5 additional meetings over the course of the next year – one every two months – in conjunction with a group called Sisters of Earth Emerging. My first “assignment” was to discover more about the indigenous people who once lived where I currently reside. As a kid, I lived in Ohio, California, and finally Texas. Because […]

21 Aug

The Courage to Be Seen

Abstract Art, Acrylic Monoprints, Art, Book Reviews, feminism, Quotes, Spirituality, Women No Comments

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. […]

27 Jul

Black Madonnas Matter

Art, Current Events, Madonna, Mary, Spirituality, Travel 4 Comments

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 […]

07 May

Gift from the Sea

Abstract Art, Acrylic Monoprints, Art, balance, History, Quotes, Travel, Women No Comments

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 […]

01 May

Assumption of Hairy Mary

Art, Mary Magdalene, Saints, Women 4 Comments

Last updated: March 14, 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 […]

03 Apr

Life in Quarantine

Abstract Art, Art, Climate Change, Current Events, Music, Spirituality 10 Comments

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 […]

27 Dec

Auld Lang Syne

History, Holidays, Music 2 Comments

Last updated: August 10, 2023 Every year on New Year’s Eve, most Americans (at least those of us who don’t go to sleep early) sing Auld Lang Syne just after the champagne is popped and the clock strikes midnight. But – go ahead and fess up, do you actually know all the words? Like most everyone, I didn’t, so I decided to find out and let you know too, so that you can impress your sweetie on NYE…. I also checked up on the history of this tune – since the new year is almost upon us and mostly because […]

17 Dec

O Antiphons 2019

Art, balance, History, Music, Prayer, Spirituality 6 Comments

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 […]

12 Jul

Sally Ride – First American Woman in Low Earth Orbit

History, NASA, Women 2 Comments

Sally Ride (1951-2012) became the first American woman in space when she flew as a mission specialist on STS-7 in 1983. She flew a second mission on the Space Shuttle Challenger on STS-41G in 1984. Ride also participated on the boards of both the Challenger and Columbia investigations. Throughout her life, she was a shining beacon of accomplishment and possibility to little girls everywhere. Sally Ride grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from Stanford University in 1973 with bachelor’s degrees in both Physics and English. She continued her studies in Physics, and graduated from Stanford with a PhD in […]

Acrylic monoprint, copyright © Julie Henkener, made to go with "Pentecost 2019" blog post.

09 Jun

Flames of the Spirit – Pentecost 2019

Abstract Art, Acrylic Monoprints, Art, Spirituality 4 Comments

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 […]

"Fiat Lux," painting by Hans Hoffman, 1963, Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Used for Easter 2019 blog post by Julie Henkener.

27 May

Looking for Resurrection at the MFA – Easter 2019

Art, Spirituality No Comments

Happy Easter!! Ok, ok I know Easter was a number of weeks ago now, but life is busy and good, and it is sometimes hard to find the time to write. And by the way, it’s totally fine to still say “Happy Easter,” since the liturgical calendar has the Easter season lasting right up until the celebration of Pentecost, which is still 2 weeks away. After my Holy Saturday post on despair, I feel like I cannot go forward now to any other topic before I praise life and resurrection! Anything less would be unbalanced and I do believe there […]

Graph of CO2 emissions shows accelerating trend since 1950, posted on the NASA climate change website.

20 Apr

Rising to Weep

Climate Change, Current Events, NASA, Spirituality No Comments

As Earth Day approaches on Monday, I find myself battling again with despair about climate change and what feels like a large increase recently in the number of extreme weather events that it is causing. Today we are faced with an increasing number of cyclones, wild fires, hurricanes, extreme rainfall and flooding, tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, desertification and probably a few others that don’t come as readily to mind. According to weather.com, there were 39 weather disasters world-wide in 2018 that caused more than 1 billion dollars of damage each, which is crazy high. The idea that global warming is not […]

26 Jan

Do What You Have the Power to Do

Abstract Art, Acrylic Monoprints, Art, Book Reviews, Quotes, Spirituality, Women 3 Comments

It’s no secret that I actively search out books that explore the historical and biblical importance of women and particularly those stories that describe their active participation in building the Reign of God. In many cases, women in the Bible have been marginalized, located at a distance from the central actions described in biblical narratives so that you sometimes need to read between the lines. And in the New Testament, women are often hidden from view, relegated to servile, behind-the-scenes roles that supported Jesus and other leaders in early Christianity. On the other hand, we also have stories of significant […]

"Starlight" Acrylic monoprint, copyright © Julie Henkener, made to go with blog post on Epiphany 2019.

06 Jan

Happy Epiphany 2019

Abstract Art, Acrylic Monoprints, Art, Spirituality 2 Comments

Last updated: November 29, 2023 Happy Epiphany 2019! Epiphany is the January 6th feast day that is held on the twelfth day of Christmas and that marks the end of the Christmas liturgical season. This is the feast day where we celebrate the adoration of Jesus by the Magi, who are also called the Three Wise Men or the Three Kings. These sojourners traveled to Bethlehem from the Far East, following a star and bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, in order to give homage to the baby Jesus, the newborn “King of the Jews.” This is my epiphany […]

Photograph of Mathilda Beasley or step daugher-in-law Josephine Beasley. From the Georgia Historical Society Collection of Photographs.

03 Jan

Mother Mathilda Taylor Beasley

History, Women No Comments

Mathilda Taylor Beasley educated slaves prior to the Civil War, although it was not legal to do at the time. She also became a Franciscan nun who founded the first religious community for African-American women in Georgia and she opened an orphanage in Savannah in the late nineteenth century. She was named a Georgia Woman of Achievement in 2004 by Georgia Women of Achievement, a private, non-profit organization headquartered in Atlanta. In 2005, Mathilda Beasley was also named as a Georgia Heritage Celebration Honoree by the Georgia Historical Society. This photograph demonstrates some of the difficulties involved in doing […]