Samhain

The Sabbath Box

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Late Autumn 2019 | Reflections on the Practice of Sabbath The Sabbath Box In last week's sermon we talked about two Sanskrit words: samyoga (joining with) and viyoga (separating from). This week, as we turn our attention toward the practice of Sabbath, I think these words are useful. If we understand Sabbath as a spiritual practice, then it's not simply about rest. It's about nourishment and deep connection. Sabbath is a time to set aside the demands of daily life. It's a time to direct our attention inward, toward the heart of ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-12-07T12:09:40-08:00December 8th, 2019|Sabbath, Samhain, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|0 Comments

Late Autumn Part 4: Turn, Turn, Turn

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Late Autumn 2019 | Exploring Darkness My dear friend has a little sticky note on her bathroom mirror. It reads: "What you pay attention to grows." I can't remember if there's an author's name or not... But I always remember the quote. It's such a simple sentiment. And a deeply powerful truth. What you pay attention to grows. Life is a series of small moments. And if we allow our attention to get lost on the wrong things we run the risk of creating an identity that isn't connected to the truth ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-12-13T11:58:34-08:00December 1st, 2019|Samhain, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|2 Comments

Late Autumn Part 3: The Kind of Person I Am

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Late Autumn 2019 | Exploring Darkness You've heard me say it before... The Yoga Church has two goals. It's my hope that together we can: Connect with Divine Mystery (however we understand it), And through this connection, learn to love better. These are beautiful goals. But I'm not interested in simply saying pretty things. I'm serious. My inner yearning for the Mystery of God is a yearning for compassion and justice and love. So I ask, how do we learn to love better? How do we actually practice loving ourselves, our communities, and ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-12-13T11:55:06-08:00November 24th, 2019|Samhain, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|1 Comment

Late Autumn Part 2: Prayerfully Awake

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Late Autumn 2019 | Exploring Darkness What do you want? I'm not talking about Christmas list desires here. I'm talking about the call of your heart. What do you want deep in your bones? This question takes discernment. It takes deep listening. Luckily, as British author Jilly Shipway says: "In the same way that the darkness of the night gives us rest and dream time, so too the dark half of the year gives us an opportunity to pause, rest, and rejuvenate." In other words, this is a great time of year to ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-12-13T11:50:01-08:00November 17th, 2019|Samhain, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|3 Comments

Late Autumn Part 1: Unraveling Truth & Fear

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Late Autumn 2019 | Exploring Darkness Let's start with a confession. Writing is hard. OK, I know that's not a very dramatic confession and I hope you're not too disappointed. ;-) But seriously, I almost quit writing this month. As in, no more sermons... I write a lot. It's a major part of my work. And usually I love it. But over the past month writing beat the crap out of me. I've never hit a block quite like this and I seriously almost threw in the towel a couple times. But I ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-12-13T11:46:33-08:00November 10th, 2019|Samhain, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|9 Comments

Spiritual Practices for Samhain

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Spiritual Practices for Samhain As October turns into November we reach the peak of autumn. In the Celtic Wheel of the Year we celebrate the cross quarter festival of Samhain (pronounced sow {like a female pig} en (like the beginning of end). Samhain is understood as the end and beginning of the year. It's a moment of transition where autumn gives way to winter. The harvest is complete. The beautiful autumn leaves are now composting into the earth. The days are becoming darker. The frosts have started to come. And much of the ... (Continue Reading)

By |2023-11-03T13:47:29-07:00November 3rd, 2019|Nature, Practice, Samhain, Spirituality, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|0 Comments
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