Ask Me Anything

A few weeks ago, Annie at Blissful-Bohemian offered a challenge. I accepted. She agreed to craft five questions, personalized just for me, that I'd be willing to answer on this blog. So here they are, a bit tardy, but completed. 

If you scroll down to the bottom of the post, there is an invitation for you, too, if you'd like to join in.

1.    1. Where did you start your spiritual quest?


Even as a young child, I recall feeling a deep connection with the Divine, especially while in nature. When out-of-doors, I felt the most “me,” as well as connected with something greater. I also felt “Presence” when I was in sacred structures: churches, temples, synagogues. “God,” as I called it then, felt very large to me in an out-of-the box sort of way, both intimate and transcendent. In college, I began a formal study of “Religion” and received a degree in the Academic Study of Religion with an emphasis on Secondary Education. I became a teacher of World Religions.

In 1994, I would say my spiritual journey started in earnest when I lost my health due to stress and a sense of living in constant overwhelm. I took one year off to reclaim my well-being. During that year, I “found” my spiritual connection. I learned to meditate, walked the beach for hours, discovered journaling, did yoga, read everything I could get my hands on, communed with the Divine through nature, and so much more. Most importantly, I learned to engage in sacred rest and to deeply listen—to myself and the Beloved.

2. What is your favorite book and why?


I’ve had favorite books at various times of my life, depending on what leg of the spiritual journey I was on. One of the books that opened me to the Sacred in a broad way in the 1970s was Black Elk Speaks by John G. Neihardt. Another, which launched me fully into women’s spirituality was Circle of Stones by Judith Durek. My Eastern leanings were affirmed and validated through Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh. Today, my passion for Buddhist study is nurtured by No Time to Lose: A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva by Pema Chodron.

3. What was it like to meet the Dalai Lama? 


When I posted on my blog that “I sat at the feet of the Dalai Lama,” I hope I did not imply that I’d met him personally. I have not. Last summer, I went to Madison, WI. to receive a 5-day teaching from him on compassion and meditation. This was an oral transmission, a very sacred process in the Buddhist tradition for passing on knowledge (wisdom) from teacher to student. I was one of a couple of thousand people there.

Something quite amazing happens when you are in the presence of His Holiness. You have no sense that you are one of many. There is an intimacy that happens through the conveyance of his words, intention, and energy. You feel as if he is speaking to you personally and that he is navigating the portals of your heart. Opening them up for you as only an enlightened one can do.

I have spoken very little about this experience and written even less because it was, and is, very special to me. I am still processing much of what happened to me there. It seems that putting words to it may weaken or diminish my experience. Particularly because on the fourth day, if we chose to, we could participate in a Long Life Initiation Process (“Tsewang”), a “private” ritual (no cameras or recording allowed) where Bodhisattva vows are considered. On the fifth day, we celebrated His Holiness’ life through a Long Life Offering Ceremony (“Tenshug”) with Tibetan high ritual, which was stunning, breathtaking, and timeless. Words fail …

(If you' like to see some stunning photos from the Tenshug ritual, click on the link above. )

4. Do you have other creative passions besides writing?


I love reading and studying, the perpetual student. I love art and all forms of creative expression—music, dance, theater, movies, visual arts—but have no specific talent other than appreciation. If I were a woman of great wealth, I would be a patron of the arts. I do what I can now on a small scale for indigenous artists, especially Native American artists. I love collecting their work and only buy “artist direct.” I have spent a good amount of time on various reservations, connecting with the artists themselves.

I used to be quite “crafty” in my twenties and thirties, but those hobbies pretty much fell by the wayside when parenting took over. Right now, I am finding a wonderful creative outlet in learning to garden.

I am also passionate about travel and consider it to be a creative pursuit, depending on the mindset you hold. Though I prefer to stay in one place for a while and become a “citizen.” I’m not a tour bus type. I have dreams of living a completely creative life in Tuscany someday.

5. Who is your favorite painter and why?

I have so many! One of my favorites is John William Waterhouse, a pre-Raphaelite painter. He combines mythology and literature with archetypal images of women. His portrayals of women in this way capture the mystery and majesty of their inner journeys. He seems to know how women think and feel. I am drawn to the sense of longing that is often portrayed, as well as images of women communing with the Sacred

I have some large prints of his work —“A Mermaid”  & “The Woman of Shallot” [on boat])—and would like more if I had more wall space.  Other works of his I especially like are “The Shrine,” “Circe Invidiosa,” “Ophelia Lying in the Meadow,” and “Pandora.” These images were very important to me on my early journey into feminine spirituality

Thanks so much, Annie, for posing these questions. They were fun to answer!

Do you have a question of your own for me?

If so, I'm willing to answer.  

~~~~~

Image courtesy of www.wikipedia.org. The painting is by Waterhouse: "Ophelia." You can see many more of Waterhouse's paintings there. 

Make a post here sometime in May and be entered into the current Book Giveaway contest. I'm gifting a copy of the spiritual classic, Crossing to Avalon, by Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D.