The Journal of Elements and Seasons
A nature inspired newsletter for those longing to slow down and listen.
If you yearn to connect your spirituality with the land, need a dose of wonder and beauty in this hurting world, and long for ways to honor the full tapestry of being, this space is for you.
For regular poetry, reflections, prayers, and seasonal wisdom rooted in embodied spirituality and everyday life, join The Journal of Elements and Seasons. Each offering is crafted to meet you gently where you are and support in connecting your spirituality with the sacred rhythms of nature.
No spam. Just thoughtful words, sent with care – delivered directly to your inbox.
From the Blog Archive:
Writing from 2010-2021
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Three Pines
For Christmas my mother gave me a necklace of three pine trees etched onto a little gold circle, and a pinecone charm on a gold chain with a card that read “Vive Gamache!”. Armand Gamache is the main character in the Three Pines book series by Louise Penny. Three Pines is a fictional town on…
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New Year Blessings
Happy New Year to you. Even though 2017 brought tremendous difficulty in the world at large, overall it was a good year for me. I did some cool things, wrote a bunch, went to New Mexico. It was also challenging and frustrating and full of change. Many things I had hoped would come to my…
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Silence
Today Today I’m flying low and I’m not saying a word. I’m letting all the voodoos of ambition sleep. The world goes on as it must, the bees in the garden rumbling a little, the fish leaping, the gnats getting eaten. And so forth. But I’m taking the day off. Quiet as a feather. I…
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Getting to Yes
In the summer of 2011 I watched the Adam Sandler movie Grown Ups a dozen or more times. I craved it almost as much as I crave chocolate. Why? Because watching the family dynamics was helping me name a longing I didn’t understand. Throughout most of my twenties I was convinced I would never have…
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Patience, Young Padawan
“Patience you must have, my young Padawan,” says Yoda to Luke Skywalker. When I say this to Cole he doesn’t understand the Star Wars reference. Or patience for that matter. I’m not convinced I understand patience either. Patience is “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.” I do a decent…
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Chickens and Goats
In the November 30th episode of the Daily Show the host, Trevor Noah, commented on the CNN report by Nima Elbagir et al. on the slave trade in Libya saying, “. . . In 2017 you don’t expect the breaking news to be ‘Slave Auctions are Back.’” Sadly, the slave auction in Libya is breaking…
Melinda Emily Thomas 