May 14, 2023

The labyrinth started to breathe. As those gathered for a sunset walk made their way into the center, into circles expanding and contracting, it became the very image of a pulsing heart. The crunching of measured footfalls, step after slowed step, sounded the beats. Walkers fell into rhythm, on a journey alone but as part of a living, breathing organism. A chrysalis. The Outdoor Chaplain, Rev. Cairn Neely, was our labyrinth walk guide. A frequent presenter at Alignment: Interfaith Contemplative... Read more

May 4, 2023

Knees humbled to the ground and forehead kissing the earth. Chin dropped to the chest and fingers entwined. Legs in lotus and eyes gently focused downward. What is your posture for prayer? Skylight has released the findings of the nationwide survey on prayer from a project called American Prayer Wrap.  American Prayer Wrap uncovers the methods, motivations and myriad colors of our connection with the divine.  The findings indicate that the most common places in which people pray are not... Read more

May 1, 2023

In worship services from many different traditions, prayer is structured. Types of prayer are labeled. Times for prayer are scheduled. Words of prayer are composed. Places for prayer are set aside. But prayer that takes us beyond these boundaries expands our connection to the divine. And perhaps from there deepens our understanding of the limitless presence of spirit in our lives. Today I prayed for peace, strength, and clarity. Leading a Presbyterian congregation in a traditional worship service, I prompted... Read more

April 8, 2023

A lump of clay thrown on the potter’s wheel became a vessel. Lester Morris, tech consultant by day, recognizes his time at the wheel as his spiritual practice. He invited Alignment into his basement studio virtually for a session of contemplative practice. The pots and bowls that Lester shaped during our time together became vessels for far more than anyone anticipated. One of the main intentions of Alignment: Interfaith Contemplative Practices is the recognition of the sacred in the ordinary.... Read more

March 18, 2023

Contemplative practices open us to hearing, seeing, and knowing the presence of the divine within us, beyond us, and in the connections we have with one another, so that grounded and growing, we might have the strength to work for justice in the world around us. Renowned spiritual teacher and writer, Barbara A. Holmes, led the most recent session of Alignment: Interfaith Contemplative Practices. Her work is focused on African American spirituality and mysticism. Her pivotal work Crisis Contemplation: Healing... Read more

March 4, 2023

Can we find a deeper connection to our lives of prayer by aligning ourselves with the basic elements: water, earth, air, and fire? Alignment has explored drinking water as a contemplative practice, taking ourselves to ground level, and exchanging our exhale as ways in which prayer enters our lives in unexpected ways. Might fire be the element that allows us to find and claim the spiritual practices that are uniquely ours? Understanding that there are many different avenues to connecting... Read more

February 18, 2023

Breathe in the positive. Let go of what no longer serves. Whether we are on the yoga mat or being coached through a moment of anxiety, the call to expand our lungs with an inhalation of positive energy feels basic to centering practices. It makes sense. We fill ourselves with life-giving air. We pause. We let go of the oxygen-depleted breath and along with it, we release tension and negative thoughts. Attention to our breath lives hand-in-hand with spiritual practice.... Read more

January 31, 2023

Today marks the time of winter when our hearts and minds turn to that deep longing for spring. Standing halfway between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox, those Celts who were so attuned to the turning of the seasons knew the importance of this midpoint. The need to hasten the call to warmth and light, to the sprouting of life from hardened ground. Life was lying in wait “within the womb”, imbolc. So to the goddess of fire and... Read more

January 28, 2023

“I can’t remember the last time I touched grass,” announced a student in my classroom this week. I was giving my weekly reminder to look at me instead of their computer. During pandemic school days, I tried every digital tool I could find to make language learning more engaging online. We practiced verb forms with GimKit. We worked through translations using Pear Decks. We made connections using Padlets and Jamboards – and I felt like a wizard transforming my decades... Read more

January 21, 2023

We are vessels of water. The make-up of our bodies, our brains, our beings is water. Studies from the NIH find that our intake of water goes far beyond supporting the functioning of our physical systems. Adequate hydration lowers our risk of developing chronic diseases. Beyond alleviating headaches, water intake mitigates depression and anxiety. All in balance, of course. Too much water and we mess with our sodium levels and can just as easily end up in the hospital for... Read more


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