a spirited crone exploring spirituality one word at a time
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was hot news as I wandered into my favourite bookstore. Colleagues were offering opinions about President Putin’s actions, but other than thinking war is futile my understanding of the situation was limited. However, I was interested…
When Meghan and Harry headlined on Oprah about their struggles in the royal enclosure, it was like stepping into the Garden of Eden. The never-ending story of needing to grow into a new reality. Although the furore around the Duke…
Going the extra mile was mandatory when I was an over-helper. It made me feel good. No longer. Years in pastoral care have trained me to do less rather than more. To encourage people to be experts in their own…
Until I met Niki Harré I’d never heard of a secular priest. I was intrigued but also felt confused. The two terms, secular and priest, didn’t seem to fit. How could someone be a priest if there was no sacred…
Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland and lifelong Catholic, is religiously disruptive. She says that people are tired of ‘old men trying to beat the drum of obedience, being obedient to teaching that is long past its sell-by date and…
If I was producing a nativity play, I’d pick a young black American woman called Orpah to play Mary. You probably know her as Oprah Winfrey through her television talk shows, Oprah and Oprah Soul Sundays. Vanity Fair magazine said…
You might not immediately associate RM Williams’ boots with soul but for me they’re a potent symbol of the need to be grounded. To prioritise soulfulness over spiritual flights of fancy. Trading in my old pair was something of a…
What humans mean by Godde is always up for debate from an intellectual perspective. But that’s not all there is to it. Our own intuitive experience is essential in this process of meaning making. In that process, questions about the…
When my mum said not to rush into things, I suspect she didn’t mean leaving 58 years between one piano lesson and another. But life slips away. One minute I’m a timid eight year old petrified of my teacher and…
On resurrection morning, Kate glanced at the crumpled grave clothes and cautiously opened the door of her tomb. The sun shone; new life beckoned but did she have what it took? The descent to the tomb began on the Ides…