We’ve been through a lot these past three years – and now we enter a season of very cold and bleak months to deal with once again. That’s probably why we have so many celebrations at this time of year – to get us through!  But this is also the season when we’re meant to slow down and get quiet. To rest, recharge and re…

“Both light and shadow are the dance of Love.” ~ Rumi I’ve highlighted my logo photograph to illustrate the value of darkness. Aren’t the shadows lovely? They draw me in. I want to dwell in them! They dance with the shell. They seem to caress the curves and lines. They define the curves and lines. Imagine this shell wi…

What does it mean to be mindful, aware, “woke,” or enlightened? How does one come to know what they didn’t know before? Who is equipped to accompany others on their quest towards broadening their perspectives? How do we support one another in a contemplative and compassion-filled lifestyle? People in the Evanston commu…

Heartwood Sangha is pleased to announce that Lama Rod Owens will offer teachings and guidance the weekend of March 31 to April 2. An author, activist, and authorized Lama in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, Lama Rod calls himself a “Black Buddhist Southern Queen.” A leading voice in a new generation of Buddhist…

“I will soothe you and heal you, I will bring you roses. I too have been covered with thorns.” ~ Rumi …I understand your struggles because I have them too. I’m hoping you can sense empathy in my touch and in my words. And you, of course, are more than your thorns. We can heal when we accept our thorns and celebrate our…

May the winds of heaven blow softly in your ear and tell you how much you are loved. ~Adapted from an Irish blessing I feel Love in the trees and from the bees, in the wind and when birds sing. Robin Wall Kimmerer, in her book Braiding Sweetgrass, writes at length about this nurturing Nature love and ways we can recipr…

“Trauma is personal. It does not disappear if it is not validated. When it is ignored or invalidated the silent screams continue internally heard only by the one held captive. When someone enters the pain and hears the screams, healing can begin.” ~ from Emerging With Wings by Danielle Bernock     Photo by Getty Images…

The full Buck Moon is July 13, 2022 at 1:38 PM in Chicago. It’s a Super Moon. The velvety antlers of male deer which first begin to sprout in early spring finish growing as summer peaks. They form pointed tips and harden into their final glory. The sight of their magnificent racks against the summer sky led to the name…

Below is Sarah Westbrook’s “Heart Treatise,” given as part of her speech at Heartwood’s Spring Event: Planting Seeds of Health & Hope: Emerging Strong from Covid. The treatise is part vow to oneself, part Covid era Manifesto. The HEART has been described as a GARDEN by almost every spiritual tradition. Why? How is a ga…

Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. It doesn’t matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times. Come, yet again , come , come.” ~ Rumi Photograph by Genaro Servín, Pexels Wouldn’t it be nice to accept all parts of ourselves and feel welc…