Like a birth announcement, there are stories to tell of how “Forgiveness: Freed to Love,” Chris Hall’s new Pendle Hill Pamphlet, came to be.

Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries…
—From ‘Aurora Leigh’ Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
Like a birth announcement, there are stories to tell of how “Forgiveness: Freed to Love,” Chris Hall’s new Pendle Hill Pamphlet, came to be.
How might the Enneagram help us come home to self and Spirit?
Quaker spirituality brings process and integration to the Enneagram.
Quaker spirituality brings helpful baggage to Enneagram exploration.
My approach to the Enneagram avoids tests. What am I suggesting then? Why does it matter?
Life-giving intentions serve as a kind of bridge between our lived reality and our values or ideals. Like a bridge, we’re on one side of a crossing; we can see the far side. Intentions offer solid support for steps forward.
Part 1 of 2 reflections on intentions for a committed spiritual life: A life centered in the Divine is like a planet in secure orbit, always oriented around the Spirit. Core intentions toward a life-centered in God will redirect us toward inner attentiveness, openness, trust, and letting go.
Pondering solitude, I’ve remembered that “alone” isn’t the same as “lonely.” Solitude can be lonely, and through the pandemic we’ve learned far too much about suffering through loneliness. But this week, I’m engaging solitude more as intentional seclusion, a retreat, a withdrawal for re-collection.
Guttural, loud, gravelly deep in my throat, resonating in my chest and abdomen, emptying out a big belly breath to the dregs, sometimes a word or two but mostly beyond words—that’s a whole body groan. … I’ve been learning how to integrate groaning with prayer.
OVERNIGHT, AN EYE-CATCHING CURLY WILLOW TREE in my front yard crashed to the ground. I’m thankful nothing else was damaged. My family had marveled at its corkscrew branches, but harsh cold, rain, and then wind in the Pacific Northwest finally toppled it. We’ve since learned that Curly Willows have a really shallow root system.