A Sacred Journey

practicing pilgrimage at home and abroad

Spiritual Formation Archives

Spiritual formation is a lifelong journey of drawing closer to the True Self and the Divine, with spiritual practices offering both scaffolding and a firm foundation for the search. Find posts on spiritual formation below, explore specific spiritual practices on the resources page, and sign up here to receive updates on new posts directly in your inbox.

#GlimsesOfGratitude: Cultivating a Gratitude Practice by Noticing What Shimmers

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If there were a spiritual practice assigned to the month of November, it would undoubtedly be the practice of gratitude.

With the Feasts of All Saints’ and All Souls’ and Thanksgiving (at least here in the US) acting as bookends for the season, we begin the month of November by expressing gratitude for those who have gone before us through the practice of remembrance and end the month—and the liturgical year—surrounded by loved ones as we feast and give thanks for the blessings in our lives.

The practice of gratitude has especially grown in popularity over the past few years, even in seemingly-secular realms. A google search for “practicing gratitude” came back with over 5 million hits, including articles from popular periodicals and online news sources such as Psychology Today and The Huffington Post, many of which tout the benefits of the practice. Even Oprah keeps a gratitude journal these days, most likely inspiring millions of others to follow suit.

It seems that whether it’s Thanksgiving day or a Tuesday in April, gratitude is in the air, and that’s something to be grateful for, because these glimpses of gratitude—like any spiritual practice—call us to return and remember, serving as invitations to ponder what we, too, are grateful for and encouraging us to cultivate a gratitude practice of our own.

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10 Ways to Remember Those Who Have Gone Before You for All Saints’ and All Souls’

10 Ways to Remember Those Who Have Gone Before You for All Saints' and All Souls'

As we continue the pattern of moving inward during the season of autumn, it is natural that we call to mind those who have gone before us, whether in faith, in life, or in our own personal journey.

The beginning of November calls us to do just that, with the Feast of All Saints falling on the first of November and the Feast of All Souls following on the second. Both feast days invite us to remember the “great cloud of witnesses” mentioned in the twelfth chapter of Hebrews—both for the Church as a whole as well as for us individually—honoring their memory and reflecting on their impact on our spiritual journeys.

Traditionally, the period around All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day (as well as their predecessor, All Hallow’s Eve) is a liminal one—a time when the veil between heaven and earth is thin. When we apply this intention to this season of turning inward, calling forth the memory of the great cloud of witnesses that surrounds us, those who have gone before us can seem especially close.

As we turn our attention to those who have passed, including the saints of the Church who live on in practice and or our own ancestors who live on in memory, I find it important to also remember those who might be still with us and have contributed to our own personal journey, helping to shape who we are today.

Here are 10 ways to remember those who have gone before you on All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day, and throughout the month of November and the season of remembrance:

REMEMBERING THE SAINTS

REMEMBERING YOUR ANCESTORS

  • Go through a photo album containing images of family members who have passed, sparking memories of times gone by
  • Discover unknown ancestors by doing ancestry research through ancestry.com
  • Reflect on traits, values, and patterns that have been passed down to you through generations—both blessings and challenges—celebrating the gifts and setting an intention to pursue healing where needed

REMEMBERING YOUR MENTORS + GUIDES

  • Reflect on who you feel has contributed significantly to your journey, whether teachers, authors, ministers, or friends
  • Reach out to those with whom you are in contact and tell them how much their presence in your life has shaped you
  • Revisit the works of favorite authors or activists who have influenced your journey along the way

GO FURTHER…

As you practice remembering the saints, remembering your ancestors, and remembering your mentors and guides, create an altar of remembrance somewhere in your home that you pass regularly, placing on it images and artifacts that will call you to remember those who have gone before you each day.

How Yin Yoga is Becoming My Best Teacher This Fall

image source: pexels.com

So far this fall has been filled to the brim for me, or at least it seems that way.

Every corner of my daily life seems to be overflowing with projects and tasks, from my work here at A Sacred Journey to my dining room that I hope to have painted by Thanksgiving. The influx of these projects and tasks are good signs, no doubt—I’m cleaning our Airbnb apartment multiple times a week because we’ve been nearly fully booked since we listed our space in July; I’ve shifted to devoting two of my work days to design work as inquiries and requests continue to flow in; I’m finally able to focus money and efforts on making my part of the house (rather than the basement below us) a home now that our basement renovation is complete.

When I pause and reflect on the reasons my days seem so much more full than they used to be, I’m grateful, no doubt. Yet in the midst of it all, it’s easy for projects that once were exciting to become mundane tasks, forever adding to my to-do list. At the end of the day I often feel uprooted, desperate for someplace to land.

This was especially true recently during a two week stint of traveling. (It always seems like a good idea when it’s months away, doesn’t it?) I had a few days at home in between two trips and had plenty of things I could devote my time to, including events and appointments scheduled each night. I was also aware that if I tried to do too much, I’d end up just as depleted by the end of the week as when it began, while still being unsatisfied with the work that was done (I struggle with being a bit too ambitious for the allotted time).

Knowing this (or better yet, knowing my inner groaning for slowness, space, and rest), I began my few days at home with a yin yoga practice on the theme of “fall,” and it changed everything.

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Ready to Create Your Perfect Morning Ritual? My Gift to You…

31 Days to a Meaningful Morning Sample Course

Can you believe it’s been an entire year since we began our journey toward more meaningful mornings?

Each day last October we focused on cultivating a meaningful Morning Ritual, and in January, the series turned into my first online course—31 Days to a Meaningful Morning.

31 Days to a Meaningful Morning is a self-directed online course that is delivered to your inbox each day and comes straight from my heart, because over the years my own Morning Ritual has become my most meaningful spiritual practice, serving as a foundation for my day and setting the tone for the day ahead.

I’ve learned from my own experience that a hurried, chaotic morning can leave you frazzled and depleted. Starting the day with a meaningful Morning Ritual, however, will leave you confident, comforted, and ready for the day that awaits.

The 31 Days to a Meaningful Morning online course combines soul-work and careful planning to help you cultivate a Morning Ritual catered specifically to your desires and needs that is sure to leave you feeling closer to your True Self and the Divine.

In celebration of a year of journeying together toward more meaningful mornings, I’m offering a free 7-day sample course throughout the month of October to give you taste of how cultivating a Morning Ritual can impact your daily life and spiritual journey. As a bonus, at the end of the sample course you’ll get an exclusive discount for the full 31 Days to a Meaningful Morning online course so you can continue your journey to a more meaningful morning.

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The Spiritual Practice of Gardening

The Spiritual Practice of Gardening » https://asacredjourney.net

Since purchasing our first house last summer, I’ve taken up a new hobby: gardening.

My mother, too, is an avid gardener, and her mother before her. Growing up I remember spending what seemed like endless hours wandering greenhouses and nurseries, and while I was allowed to pick my favorite flowers to add to the mix (for some reason I always reached for Marigolds), surprisingly, I was never that interested in gardening itself.

I say “surprisingly” because now that we have our own home, gardening has become one of my treasured hobbies. It has also become one of my most natural and cherished spiritual practices. In fact, the deepening of my spiritual journey and my growing interest in gardening seem to be parallel, and I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Gardening requires the same traits as many of the most formative spiritual practices—patience, attentiveness, diligence, self-control—and in turn cultivates in us many of the postures that draw us closer to the Divine, including mindfulness, creativity, and curiosity.

That’s why, when it came time to plant my own garden, I wanted the guidance of someone who felt the same way about the hobby-turned-spiritual practice. Luckily, I knew of a woman at my church who did garden consultation—Gretchen Champoux of Sacred Spaces Design. Together, we were able to create a garden that has quickly become one of my favorite places, and I look forward to continuing to cultivate it as both a garden and a Sacred space as the years go on. (Because we’re always cultivating—in gardens and in life.)

As summer slowly fades into fall into the Northern Hemisphere, I wanted to share some of Gretchen’s reflections on gardening as a spiritual practice as well as tips on how to use nature to create a Sacred space—no matter the season. Read my interview with Gretchen below.

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