When Bliss and Burden intermingle

A blessing for the weary (and some updates from The Cloister)

Morning light at the lake.

Dear fellow pilgrim,

Summer greetings to you from a rainy Midwest. In the last days, rivers in our area were flooding, and we have watched the river in our little college town rise to the highest it has ever been. Our daughter asked if we need to start building an Ark, and frankly we are not too sure what to say. We hope all of you, dear readers, are well and well cared for despite too much heat, or too much water, too much humidity, or too much political angst, or all of the above.

Thus, I am sending you a picture I took at sunrise some days ago at a Minnesota lake (sunrise is very early in Minnesota in summer). May it offer you a moment of calm as it has done for me.

Whenever I wonder how this journey into author-hood into which I have thrown myself last December at this new substack venue will turn out, a new subscriber decides to go paid (thank you, dear Darlene!) and I breathe a sigh of relief.

So here is a thank you to all of you who read and share my work, who comment and who give me encouragement to go on with kind words or with a paid subscription.

I am looking forward to introducing new projects to you soon and to sharing the many ideas I am mulling over.

Thus, before going into our midweek blessing for today, here is a brief update on what we are working currently on and what to expect here at The Cloister over the summer months and beyond.

Some exciting summer updates

Over the summer, I plan to give our (Mid)weekly Blessing a vacation for a bit, so new uplifting words can have some time to take hold in me again.

In turn, I am thinking about a Thursday Thread, sending out themed weekly prompts giving you all a chance to share your own summer reads, impressions of your inner and outer pilgrimage or creative projects and to create a sense of shared journey through time together.

I am very much looking forward to journey with you through the summer months and I hope you will, too.

We will also publish occasionally summer reads on weekends – longer style essays, e.g. from our On Being Human section, some from the archive, and some current work from our desks.

What I am working on

I am currently trying to meet a deadline for an article on Hildegard of Bingen about her integral ecology and I hope soon to have enough brain left to share this article with you, likely in a series of summer reads.

I am also writing an essay with the unfortunate title:

“I was verbally assaulted by a preacher man with police standing by. Welcome to America!”

Which well, is not my favorite writing project right now but, I feel called to write this experience down and to share it with the world. So check your email this weekend if you would like to know more and be part of a discourse on toxic religion.

What Chuck is working on

Chuck is working on launching our most recent book, Taking Moral Action. I hope we will soon have a virtual book launch here, too. I also hope it will turn into a book club Chuck will lead come Fall. We will keep you updated here.

Like to hear more from us?

I am super conscious of your inbox and thus I try to keep my emails to max 2 per week. If you would like to hear more from us you can also follow me on “Notes” where I share more regularly updates, photos and links to what I am reading.

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And now the blessing :-)

Time’s violence rends the soul; by the rent eternity enters.

Simone Weil

I took this photo at the border river between Germany and Poland, the rural countryside I grew up in. It was the last day of our home visit this Spring before heading back to the US.

I was sad, irritated, with a profound feeling of “homelessness,” an ambivalent feeling of burden and bliss known probably only to the traveler between worlds.

While pondering our global home, the clouds opened to pour the last sun rays of the day upon us and the water before us.

Moments when transcendence breaks in are rather simple and still the reward is profound.

So here is my blessing for you today:

This blessing goes out to you

the traveler

between worlds or homes

or projects or events.

It offers a hand to the weary pilgrim

who enjoys learning new things

yet still struggles with weariness inside.

This blessing is for you,

who rush through life and from assignment to assignment

too anxious to stand still for a while.

This blessing embraces the soul of the one

who longs for a moment of peace.

Look at the rays coming from the sun

let them light your heart

and lighten your burden

let time stand still

so eternity can enter

and fill you anew

with new life

and light

and grace

and joy

and finally, love.

May it be so,

Amen.

AF

Peace and blessings to you, Almut with Chuck and little one

PS: If you can, leave a heart, a word or a line which resonated with you in the comments, so we know you have been here :-)

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