Rob Field, CSW Director
After asking about winter in his home state, a resident of North Dakota once told me, “We like to say there’s no bad weather, just poor clothing choices.” He may be right, but that doesn’t mean I suddenly became a winter outdoor enthusiast. I believe God gave us colder weather to invite us into a slower, more inward-looking season — indoors whenever possible!
Now, after the hustle and bustle of the winter holidays, we have a chance to embrace reflection, introspection, and a reconsideration of what’s really important. The recent holidays may have given us some hints. Family, friends, healing work, and (hopefully) detaching ourselves from things like work, woes, and worry—all are skillful pursuits.
If you’re hoping for a reset in your focus of attention this year, I’d like to offer some words of wisdom from two different voices. The first quote is Hildegard of Bingen, the 12th Century mystic who will be profiled in the Center’s upcoming free webinar “Mystics of the Rhineland” in February. Hildegard writes:
“Spirit, you are the mighty way in which everything that is in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth is penetrated with connectedness, is penetrated with possibility, so that all may be sustained by you” (from her essay O Ignis Spiritus Paracliti).
It’s no wonder Hildegard was named a “Doctor of the Church” — a highly-regarded teacher of the church — in 2012, making her one of only four women to be given this distinction.
The second quote for the season comes from John O’Donahue, a beloved writer, poet, and teacher. In contrast to Hildegard, who encourages us to think of our connection to everyone and everything else in the world, O’Donahue suggests there are times in the spiritual journey when we must look within ourselves to find what we’re seeking:
“In each person, there is a point of absolute nonconnection with everything else and with everyone, …which means we cannot continue to seek outside ourselves for things we need from within. The blessings for which we hunger are not to be found in other places or people. These gifts can only be given to you by yourself. They are at home at the hearth of your soul” (from O’Donahue’s Anam Cara).
In this New Year, I hope you will seek and find a rightful balance between remembering your deep connection to the universe while also looking to your own soul for the wisdom that only comes from within.
photo by Domen Mirtič Dolenec via Pexels