Tag: valentines-day

Gaia Love

I have recently read Amy Tan’s new book The Backyard Bird Chronicles. She wrote and illustrated this personal account of her obsession with bird-watching during the Covid years. I am especially fascinated by her descriptions of parent birds teaching their babies to fly. There was a time in my life when I was a fledgling on the mystical journey. I was constantly encouraged to leave the nest of my comfortable container of faith and although I was often resistant, the ecstasy of flight was always worth it.

One of the first times I was kicked out of the nest happened way back in the early eighties at a liturgy called “Missa Gaia” (Mass of the Earth). Paul Winter, a celebrated jazz musician, composed the music, utilizing the howls of wolves, the songs of whales, and the call of loons for the main motif and then imitating them on his magnificent soprano saxophone. Mesmerized beyond all words during the mass, I felt the transcendentals–One, Beauty, Truth, and Goodness– permeate my body, mind, and spirit. All wobbling doubt turned into a fiery faith during that hour of holy, extraordinary transmutation.

I immediately purchased the cassette tape and played it so many times that it broke in several places and could not be repaired. I deeply mourned the loss. Before the Internet, there was no way of finding another copy easily even though I tried valiantly for years. A sweet consolation at a particularly needy time, I surrendered the experience, as all on the mystical path must do. Yet, the music of Missa Gaia echoed through many moments of joy in the natural world.

Much to my astonishment, the music of Paul Winter returned to me this Christmas, quite by accident. A friend gifted me with John Phillip Newell’s new book, The Great Search: Turning to Earth and Soul in the Quest for Healing and Home. There, on page 14, was a reference to Missa Gaia by Paul Winter. I flew to my iPhone, opened the Apple Music app, and my heart pounded when the album quickly appeared. The divine sensations came flooding back as I listened once again in rapt ecstasy. No longer a fledgling on the journey, my seasoned spirit flew high, while simultaneously grounding me back into the primordial dust from which we emerged.

Since then, I have listened to Missa Gaia every day. My love for the Creator of our Earth has increased with every listening. Lifted out of the many cares of the world, I rest in the arms of the Beloved, my face often streaming with joyful tears, what I often refer to as “the holy water of the Spirit. “

“Rejoice, rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.” Heavenly moments right now. Here is the link on You Tube that will take you on this mystical mass journey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYW3tgB10Wg

Celebrate Love (another name for God) on this coming Valentine’s Day!

Valentines and Ashes

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

When life’s demands become too much, I take a walk on the beach. The waves ebb and flow, I breathe in the salty air, feel the warmth of the sun, and soon become mesmerized by the colorful palette of stones, pebbles, and boulders beneath my feet. Inevitably, I spot heart-shaped rocks hidden in plain sight. Big and small, some marked with stripes, some rough amalgamations, some resembling real flesh and blood, I call these “God’s Valentines.” I gather them up and lay them out on the sand like a boutique shopkeeper beckoning customers. Maybe oblivious beachcombers will stumble upon them in their meanderings and be uplifted! Stone hearts placed by a heart of flesh, in this case, from a stranger who cared.

Every year, right in the middle of February, we are invited to celebrate Valentine’s Day, unfortunately much hyped and commercial, focused on impossibly romantic declarations of love. Even so, I welcome the day as an invitation to express little acts kindness, especially to those who have long abandoned any possibility of romance. We all have such people in our lives–the elderly in nursing homes and hospitals; lonely shut-ins, the friends and relatives we rarely see; the list goes on.

Curiously this year, the Season of Lent begins on Valentine’s Day, much to the chagrin of those who plan to give up chocolate and alcohol. This may seem an incongruous juxtaposition of events to most, but in my mind, both days are all about love, which makes them more compatible than one might think. If we wean ourselves away from childish practices of austerity (like giving up candy) and graft ourselves onto the the tree of life (the cross), we may come to embrace a deeper understanding. Consider. for example, the historical roots of the season.

Lent was first observed as a forty-day retreat for catechumens (those who were preparing to be received into the Church on Easter). For sure, it was a time of scrutiny, a final purification of old destructive ways of living, but was also a time of excitement and joyful anticipation of personal redemption. Love of God, other people, of life, heightened and soared during Lent. If you have ever been on a life-altering retreat, multiply that bliss by a hundred! Having guided multitudes of seekers during Lent for over thirty years, I continually participated in and can personally witness to that unspeakable sea of joy. I always wished I could bottle and send it to everyone.

The Lenten season offers us a time for personal reflection and this year especially, I am alarmed that stony hearts seem to be the norm rather than the exception. The vilification on social media of anyone who steps out of line, says the wrong thing, or innocently makes an error of judgment has ramped up to an all time high. Even asking a question for clarification on the touchy subjects of politics and religion, for example, sets off a tirade of hateful comments across the cyber waves. Seems like true dialog, the art of civilized conversation, are dead in the water. Our stony hearts are getting stonier; we drastically need a new spirit to bring us compassionate hearts open to gentile listening again.

Since valentines and Lenten rituals entwine like grapevines in 2024, we are offered a unique opportunity to do something different, to make the six weeks of Lent a time to enlarge our hearts, to cultivate the art of living passionately and joyfully. Think about appreciating the smell of bonfires on the beach, the simplicity of solitary contemplative walks, finding surprises right underfoot; spending leisurely hours listening to music, having quality time with loved ones, becoming keenly aware of the river of atmospheric love flowing generously through the air we breathe.

Rather than giving up something for Lent, think about giving away something held dear, like the precious time it takes to hand write a letter, send a card, listen to a friend, make a delicious dinner, waste a whole day playing with children; or taking personal time for creative activities like journal writing, crafting, or exploring an art museum. Perhaps in doing so with intention, the Spirit and the Season of Lent can transform our stony hearts and make personal resurrection a real possibility when Easter rolls around. Valentines and ashes pave the way!