What story is driving your life today on this scholar’s journey? As humans, we are wired to make meaning and understand the world through narratives that connect the events, people, beliefs, and places in our lives. Neurobiology and neuropsychology confirm the physical reality of what we have known to be true. We are always living in and creating stories, whether we are aware of them or not. To know who we are as individuals and communities, we must know what story we are part of. Whether you are a graduate … [Read more...] about What’s Your Story?
Joining the Journey
How are you each doing on this scholar’s journey? How are your hearts, minds, souls, and bodies? How are your communities? Where are you heading? While walking parts of this journey over the years myself and alongside others, I know how lonely and overwhelming it can be when it doesn’t seem as if your department or committee is truly hearing you, and your family and friends don’t understand why you’re even on this path. I also know the joy of breakthroughs as new ideas form and come to life through reading, … [Read more...] about Joining the Journey
Pilgrimage Practices (#6): Coming Home
Many people assume that arriving at the destination of a pilgrimage such as the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral at the end of the Camino in Spain is the highlight for most pilgrims. After all, that was the reason for going - to reach the storied place that draws someone to step out. However, I've heard most people say that when they look back, these sacred sites are not necessarily the most significant parts of their journey. Instead, the community, the prayer practices, the walking, and even the interruptions … [Read more...] about Pilgrimage Practices (#6): Coming Home
Pilgrimage Practices (#5): Community
The community you interact with on pilgrimage - both those people traveling with you and those you meet- is a vital part of the experience. Because of a shared focus on arriving at the sacred site and perhaps engaging in ritual practices along the way, people who would never encounter one another outside of this journey find themselves relating deeply. Moreover, as we listen to and interact with these different people and their stories, God slowly reshapes our own story. I've heard from so many people who have … [Read more...] about Pilgrimage Practices (#5): Community
Pilgrimage Practices (#4): Praying
Let your prayers rise like smoke to the Great Spirit, for he will see and answer you. Every step is a prayer, and as you dance upon the earth for the things you seek, the way will open before you. In the same way, as you search for the true ancient pathways, you will find them. Answers will come to the ones who ask, good things will be found by the ones who search for them, and the way will open before the ones who keep dancing their prayers. I love the imagery in the First Nations Version … [Read more...] about Pilgrimage Practices (#4): Praying