During the coronavirus crisis, Rachel's regularly-scheduled classes are held virtually over Zoom. The logins for all classes are on this password-protected page -- email Rachel for the password.
Dolores Whelan, teacher of Celtic spiritual and wisdom traditions guides explorations of how ancient wisdom can form and shape values in which a new society can be formed. Joanna Macy, eco-Buddhist and source teacher for the Great Turning applies this as well to her work. Joanna is one of my teachers and these teachings, across Cosmologies resonate […]
Jesus wept. This is the shortest verse in the Bible. John 11, verse 35. This is the story where Jesus is grieving due to the death of his friend Lazarus, already laid in the tomb having been prepared and wrapped for burial. Jesus wept. Jesus had bodily functions such as blood, sweat and tears. […]
In this time of folx saying whatever they want, does truth matter? is truth a matter of perspective? Is there such a thing as broader, universal truths? What is the relationship between truth and integrity, truth and courage? How do we speak truth to injustice without screaming into the void and creating more chaos? How […]
In my dreams last night, a golden eagle flew overhead swooping down around me and eventually landed on my arm, its large talons wrapped securely around my forearm. In waking life, I likely would have shrieked and attempted to ward off a large bird with razor sharp talons diving from the sky towards me, […]
Here we are at the threshold of holiday season. Earlier this week, on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day acknowledging the violence against and murder of Transgender individuals, a mass shooting took place in Colorado Springs at Q Club, a gay bar. On the threshold of the holiday season, we have yet […]
“What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? The world would split open.” ― Muriel Rukeyser The International Women’s Day (March 8) celebrates the achievements of women in social, economic, cultural, and political fields. As well as marking the day, Women’s Equality Action Day calls for accelerating the advancement […]
A friend posted this a few days back and it captured perfectly my sense of myself and the current state of affairs in January 2022 two years fully into the pandemic with no clear end in sight. ************************* January in Southwest Pa. the nights are dark and long, the days cold and gray. The […]
WHEN THE HOLY THAWS A woman’s body, like the earth, has seasons; when the mountain stream flows, when the holy thaws,when I am most fragile and in need, it was then, it seemed, God came closest. God, like a medic on a field, is tending our souls. Our horns get locked with desires, but […]
Summer Summer. The Joys/dreams/memories and longings of summer. It seems the pace of life slows down, perhaps this allows us to savor both sunrise and sunset. At sunrise, the morning birdsong and at sunset, the hum of insects serenade us in a Symphony of the Species that occasionally, depending on location, can include bullfrogs, […]
Nationally, regionally and locally, we are not anywhere near herd immunity with Covid, but we are gradually opening up and releasing restrictions in the early summer months of 2021. I have become quite accustomed to some practices and have some inquiries around this bridge time. Here are my questions: Are we all still hiking? […]