covenant relationship

Dear friend, beautiful strong woman,sister in paint and Christ, Jen Elam, called me last night to wish me a happy birthday. Wonderful conversation and sharing followed, as if we saw each other each day tho time and space has separated us these past years.Thank you God for true friendship and community that is not a person or place.
We spoke of the challenges of living alone and longing for true relationship- what I am calling covenant relationship;the desire to be in right triune relationship with all beings, God(Spirit, Goddess,etc.)myself and other in Universal Love and Compassion as we are called to be by all Beings of Light(Jesus, Buddha, Allah,etc.)
This vow and only this to Love ourselves and each other and God as we are Loved and to share this love with all beings, at all times, everywhere.

We spoke of how communities we've been "members" of that used the words, "family" and "community" felt more like one night stands than marriage. A sense of deep intimacy was created and then after the allotted time was up---nothing---.

Dear Friend Mickey Edgerton says God's will for us is our deepest heart's desire.
I believe God's will for me to be a living example of Love, at all times, in everyday life and to create community that supports living in Love.

And when I mess up, my dear friends will clean up the mess and help me, with Love.

Living alone gives the gift of opportunity to love many rather than just one. I understand this gift and am grateful for it.

My selfish birthday wish is for partners in this journey to covenant community.
Leave a comment.

The prayer is for loving kindness for all beings, seen and unseen, known and unknown, born and unborn, those living near and far away.

May all beings be happy
May all beings be peaceful
May all beings be well, in body , mind and spirit
May all beings be safe and free from harm
May all beings everywhere, be free.

The gift of silence

---some of this content is paraphrased from a hand out given to me by Sally Palmer at Pendle Hill. Please post of you know the author---

Keeping silence is a privilege and opportunity to be nurtured and cherished.

It stands apart from the experience of being silenced by family, society, institutions, oppressive regimes---souls who long to be heard into speech.

Chosen silence is neither empty or impotent.
Chosen solitude is not lonely.

The paradox of silence gathers and focuses us, and provides space for our hearts and minds to be free.

Waiting is part of silence. Being hushed before the Holy One, the Great Mother, is pure prayer.

Communal silence unites us in action and stillness.

Receiving is part of silence. The quiet mind and spirit is the vessel waiting to contain God's will, the Goddess way.

Is there enough silence for the word to be heard?

stilness in action/action in stillness

Since my first post just 24 hours ago I have received multiple emails and links directing me to retreats, workshops, blogs and websites with activities, workshops, and other things i can do to renew and deepen my life in the Spirit.
This is exactly what still waters is about.
Letting go of attachment to the conditioned mindset that there is something we need to do or learn to be in the prophetic stream and in communion with the living Spirit.
Come join with me on this journey into breath, silence and being.
Fully awake and aware of what is going on in our own minds and to the working of the Spirit within us and without us.

And have them make me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them. Exodus 25:8

english as a third language

English is a difficult language to transmit the inner to the outer.There is so much room for misinterpretation.
My first language is silence.
The second art.
The third english.

Keeping Quiet

Now we will count to twelve

and we will all keep still.

This one time upon the earth,

let's not speak any language,

let's stop for one second,

and not move our arms so much.

It would be a delicious moment,

without hurry, without locomotives,

all of us would be together

in a sudden uneasiness.

The fishermen in the cold sea

would do no harm to the whales

and the peasant gathering salt

would look at his torn hands.

Those who prepare green wars,

wars of gas, wars of fire,

victories without survivors,

would put on clean clothing

and would walk alongside their brothers

in the shade, without doing a thing.

What I want shouldn't be confused

with final inactivity:

life alone is what matters,

I want nothing to do with death.

If we weren't unanimous

about keeping our lives so much in motion,

if we could do nothing for once,

perhaps a great silence would

interrupt this sadness,

this never understanding ourselves

and threatening ourselves with death,

perhaps the earth is teaching us

when everything seems to be dead

and then everything is alive.

Now I will count to twelve

and you keep quiet and I'll go.

Pablo Neruda

intro and the prayer

Three friends this last week have said, "you should write about this".
So here goes.
The short story-
Fed by years of Quaker worship, Buddhist retreats, transcendental meditation, hours in the woods,hours in the studio, I sought immersion (submersion) into silence.
I found myself at The Forest Refuge in Barre, MA for a month of living in silence in the Buddhist tradition.
I left with a call to create a place of refuge for all seekers, in a univeralist
spirit.
My prayer-
Still Waters is a covenant community nurturing ourselves, each other and the earth through all that is divine, holy, wholly One, and living witness to univeral compassionate love.
I now find myself in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina and holding this prayer as a community of one.
Please join me in prayer, print or place.
Leave a comment.
Blessings,
Robyn