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Oh! What wonder
that I should be graced to witness a small flock of singing starlings suddenly fall silent, and as if one body lift from the branches. A singularity floating, swooping, soaring to music I cannot hear, but see. An orchestra with wings. A drab grey canvas brought to life with poetic movement. A performance of the ages, with an accidental audience of one star-struck human awed by the glory of it all. Bless you, Starlings, for the exquisite wonder and delight you bring to the world. Bless you for honouring your calling and praising with your bodies. Bless you for showing us the beauty of community and being part of something bigger than ourselves. - Wendy Janzen
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 Blessed be the sun's warming power
energizing all that exists. Blessed be the joyous flowers raising their beautiful faces to the sun. Blessed be the the nesting birds singing in each morning. Blessed be the vernal ponds nurseries of new life. Blessed be my place within this beloved community, giving and receiving the gifts of life. - Wendy Janzen God, our constant companion and guide,
here in this place of stark beauty, make your sacred presence felt among us. Open our senses and our full awareness to your mystery, and help us to listen to the seeds buried in the earth, to the interplay between water and ice, to the cold wind in the bare branches, to the stillness of the trees, to the brilliance of the sky, to prayers without words. Amen. May God bless the season of winter around us and within us. May we go, knowing God's presence in the midst of life’s challenges, God's love in the stillness, and God's hope in the promise of new life waiting for spring. Amen. - Wendy Janzen May November be a time
to lay to rest that which no longer brings life. May the cool days invite you out to wander and pay attention. May you embrace the mysteries of life and find the blessings of God everywhere. May the laments of the Earth touch your heart and transform your living. May your soul recognize kinship with all that exists. May your prayers for the Earth be heard. - Wendy Janzen Blessed are you, autumn,
season of unavoidable endings. You show us how letting go can be a glorious, joyful practice with your spectacular colours. You model how to hold paradoxes with grace - the balance of living and dying, relinquishing and receiving, gathering and sharing. You know that death is not and ending, but a passage, a transformation into new life. May we learn these lessons well: to celebrated with abandon to practice reverence to surrender completely to embrace tenderly to love without regret. - Wendy Janzen Trees are amazing neighbours! They provide us with oxygen, sequester carbon, have a moderating affect on the temperature, reduce erosion, prevent water runoff, provide shade, are habitat for many other species, and some even provide us with fruit and nuts.
Trees, just like all of creation, can offer healing and can be a window into the nature of God. Trees are so critical to life on earth; they are also a potential place for divine encounter Here are some reflection questions you can use to spend contemplative time with a tree. Go for a walk and find a particular tree or forested area that feels inviting to you. Consider how this tree or this part of the forest might be a sacred text where the Holy One can be revealed to you today... Or, reflect on what gives you a sense of grounding or rootedness... Or, perhaps you feel you need to make a confession for humanity’s destruction of ancient trees and forests, and seek forgiveness... Or, simply breathe and reflect on a sense of sacred reciprocity - giving and receiving so that all might flourish and thrive... Blessing May you live a life rooted and grounded in God’s presence. May you stand tall and strong, Bending with grace and trust in life’s storms. May you give and receive freely, Holding on to nothing for long, So that all life might flourish. May you hold space for those Around you, bearing witness to The joy and pain of life. Amen. - Wendy Janzen God of Spring,
of roots and growth, of vibrancy and veriditas: Bless this time of planting. As we dig our fingers into rich soil, wiggling and delighting in the damp warm, earth, we remember that we are earthlings. Bless our connection with the the land, with the water that supports all life, with these seeds we bury beneath the surface trusting that they will germinate and grow and nourish our bodies. Bless the fertility of the earth, the micronutrients, the compost, the earthworms, and the pollinators. Bless our intentions to be good gardeners: may we give and receive, work and wait, with humility. And bless these seeds: help us to hold them with reverence and to see in them the promise of sustenance and life. Amen. - Wendy Janzen Blessed be red tailed hawk
and clear blue sky. Blessed be the glowing yellow branches of weeping willow. Blessed be brilliant white snow and deep shadows. Blessed be wind and sun, flowing river, and frozen soil. Blessed be the tilt of the globe, the orbit of earth, and the expansive cosmos. Blessed be the life cycle, seeds, decay, birth, death, and all the moments in between. Blessed be God, Mother of all, Lover of all. Blessed be our love for life and all that is alive, for our world, our watershed, our particular place, and all those with whom we share it. - Wendy Janzen Self-Guided Summer Solstice Prayer Walk
June 2020 Find a place to walk in nature, preferably in the evening when you can enjoy the long evening on this longest day of the year. Read through the full document before you go, so you have an idea of the flow. (You may want to bring a water bottle with you.) Begin by grounding yourself: take a few deep breaths, release any tension, shake out your body, draw yourself into awareness of your surroundings; feel the earth beneath your feet, and the Divine Presence all around and within you. Before you start to walk, read this opening invitation. Opening Invitation Listen to Earth leaning closer to the sun. to the heat breathing through gardens, Calling plants to fruition, Whispering fulfillment to the flowers. Listen to the growing circle of life. Listen to the green sanctuary of the trees, To young birds testing out their wings. To bare feet and laughter, To Mother Earth bringing food to the table, Listen to songs of leisure and renewal. Listen to the summer of your soul, To the dance of life within you, To creativity that yearns for expression, To the fire that burns in your spirit. Listen to the passion of summer. Listen to the poetry of summer, to the wisdom of the earth, to the presence of God As you walk and pray. (adapted from a blessing by Macrina Wiederkehr) Head out on your walk, prayerfully sauntering at a relaxed pace, aware of what you see, hear, smell, and feel. If you come upon a place that expresses brokenness in any way, stop for a prayer of confession. Pray your own confession, or use the prayer provided. Prayer of Confession Source of all Being, we give you thanks for our watershed, for the Grand River (or Nith River, or whichever watershed you are in), and for all of life that calls this place home-- We think of Heron and Cardinal, Beaver and Raccoon, Smallmouth Bass and Pike, Bullfrog and Turtle. We are grateful for diversity and abundance, and pray that we might be good neighbours among our community of creation. God, we confess that we take our natural surroundings for granted, and that for too long we have been neglectful in our disregard for our ecosystem, not thinking about the costs and consequences of our actions. Move us beyond complacency to a place of compassion and action for our environment and all who live in our watershed. Amen. As you continue our walk, hold in prayer whatever concerns you are carrying with you, be they personal or environmental; prayers for people or for species, or for the earth itself. If you are walking by a body of water, take a moment when you are ready to participate in a symbolic action. If you are not near water, simply choose a place to pour some water from your water bottle onto a plant or the roots of a tree. Symbolic Action At the water’s edge, kneel by the water, cup some water, and pour it back into the river/lake/pond, offering your prayers of concern into the body of water, knowing that God holds our prayers, and holds us, and that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. Continue your walk with a sense of gratitude, and when you finish your walk, offer this closing blessing. Blessing Blessed are you, Creator of all, Blessed are you summer, season of long days, bare feet, beauty, and fruitfulness. Blessed are you, people who walk in the light, Blessed are you, Earth who sustains us, Blessed are you, God of the seasons. Amen. - Wendy Janzen Vernal Blessing - in a time of pandemic
As winter gives over to spring On this vernal equinox day May we all find balance between Light and dark, Rest and activity, Body and spirit. In this time of great unknowing May we trust the earth’s Wisdom. In this time of scarcity May we experience Abundance. In this time of distancing May we trust in God’s Presence. May we awaken, Like bulbs and buds, To this new reality And rise to the occasion. May each green Shoot pushing out Through the brown leaves Be a beacon of hope For such a time as this. - Wendy Janzen |
AuthorReflections, poetry, prayers, photos, and resources written by Wendy Janzen unless otherwise noted. Archives
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