Winter’s Wisdom

Every time I go outside since the frost came, I get a whiff of wood smoke in my nostrils. That hasn’t always happened. Much of my life was spent on an asphalt-covered sandbar, where cookie-cutter homes are heated by the oil that isn’t powering the SUVs parked alongside every curb. If we smiled fire in

Feeding the Hungry: Paying it Forward

“The only thing I ask in return as that you do the same for someone else when you are in the position to do so.” That’s what my first spiritual teacher told me, circa 1990, when she offered to feed me. I was a college student, living off campus and without a meal plan. Getting

Finding Tom

I always enjoy the workshops and rituals availed to me at Laurelin Retreat, but sometimes it’s the unscheduled times that are the most educational. On a personal note, my family is having a housewarming party coming up, and because the owners of Laurelin would not be able to attend, I asked if they could give

Fool’s Errand

I took a Fool’s Errand this weekend while I was attending Beltaine at Laurelin Retreat. A Fool’s Errand often has a specific task, but the way one goes about accomplishing the task is anything but linear. I took along a companion for this Fool’s Errand, a youth whom I shall call Noodleman. Noodleman has a