Oprah Winfrey uses the word, “marvelism” and Phil Cousineau writes in The Art of Pilgrimage, “How will you remember to remember when you return home?” It’s been almost 3 months since I returned home from 3 weeks in Paris. Usually, my pen is quick to the page, eager to share the bounty from my travels….
Tag: pilgrimage
Open your heart to the World
#open is our prompt of the day at 31 Days of SoulStrolling. I have a propensity toward opening my heart to inanimate objects, to see what they might have to say. Much like an artist paints still life, so I engage in conversation. When I open my heart to the world, even in the midst…
Laughing Ladies
Today’s prompt at 31 Days of SoulStrolling is laughter. My friend, co-conspirator and author Kayce S. Hughlett uncovered this quote by Anne Lamott, “Laughter is carbonated holiness.” Oh how I love this. It makes my heart sing. It reminded me of one of my experiences with laughter and art. My husband and I were strolling the grounds in the…
Thresholds and Portals – A Collection of Poems
This book of poems began in Vienna, Austria, April 2013. It was birthed from writing prompts, silence in cemeteries, paintings that spoke to me and pastries that called my name. More poems came to life during November 2014 as I participated in National Novel Writing Month – NAWRIMO. 50,000 words gushed forth onto my laptop…
‘Did ecstasy roll at my feet?’ Hiking Adam’s Peak, Sri Lanka
“…learn to be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.” Franz Kafka Here’s the thing, hiking Adam’s Peak in Sri Lanka was not how I’d imagined. I’d envisioned a dark, somewhat solitary, quiet hike through…
When you unlatch your sole/soul, who knows where it may lead?
My Mom loves recounting the story of how as a young toddler of 3, I wandered off a mile from home to watch the Koi in the pond outside our local Fire Station. Needless to say, she was quite shocked upon receiving a phone call from a concerned neighbor thinking they had just seen little…
Instructions for Soul Strolling
First, say ‘yes’ to soul strolling. Carry your soul tenderly. When necessary, and often, ask for hugs. Breathe deeply, relishing the pause. Slow down and listen in the stillness. Embrace the night as a dear friend. Walk with intention, holding loosely your expectations. Savor the ordinary. Laugh often. Eat well. Kick up your heels and…
Land of Eire
Passing through portals I am met by six legged creatures and my father’s voice whispers on the wind, ‘No wonder you’ve always loved mystery.’ Ancient ancestors from the Heaney clan call my name as their…
Thresholds and portals and wild edges, oh my!
Passing through portals I am met by six legged creatures, and my father’s voice whispers to me through the wind, ‘No wonder you’ve always loved mystery.’ Ancient ancestors call my name and their songs are heard through the rushing wind, pelting rain, flowing river and pulsing air. ‘Welcome home,’ they cry. I’ve returned from my…
‘ The universe knows, be like water’ – going with the flow in Paris
What is water? Element, sustenance, changing, flowing, moving, stagnant, still, stormy… That’s what today has been like for me in Paris. Granted, in the big scheme of things, I’m in Paris! I’m here on my own for a few days before my husband joins me on route home from India. My intention has been to…
Urban Paris Pilgrimage: Where sole greets soul….
I’ve been absent from writing for a few months. Yet, here I am, showing up to the page, letting you lovely readers know that there is one spot remaining for our Urban Paris Pilgrimage: where sole greets soul, May 2 – 9, 2015. Why I’ve been absent from the page is a long list of…
What shape is my life?
Conversation with a scallop shell You’ve been calling to me from your marine mollusk home for quite some time – Whispering to me via gifts from friends Pendants on necklaces Surprising me in a box wrapped with string Words inscribed “Unless you leave room for serendipity, how can the divine enter in? The beginning of…
Sharon Richards 