When I was a child, I learned from Miss Lunn, my fifth-grade teacher, that Leonardo da Vinci wrote many of his notations in his notebooks…backward. For others to decipher the meaning, a mirror carefully placed to reflect the text, was required to reveal what had been scribed by Da Vinci’s exacting hand.  As a ten-year-old, […]

September. The changing seasons, God’s marking of time as transformative cycles of creation. A divine plan for continuity and metamorphosis are inextricably woven together. At this time of year, here in North American, shifting late afternoon sun scatters new patterns of shadows on the kitchen floor. The days grow shorter. Dawn arrives more slowly, urging […]

August is a month of in-between. Summer is waning and autumn has not yet arrived. This month, the invitation is to take pause to contemplate the myriad forms of Devotion, one of four alchemical chambers of Belle Coeur spirituality. Devotion can be expressed reflectively, creatively, and sacredly.

Garden accoutrements seem to be displayed everywhere this time of year. Statues including pink flamingos, smiling gnomes, somersaulting children, flop-eared bunnies, and plump frogs are tucked into shrubs and carefully arranged on lawns. Fountains gurgle and bubble and sacred representations of St. Francis, Mary, and iron crosses create an outdoor sanctuary. Art for the garden […]

The house smelled of earth and smoke and a subtle ether of womanly visions.    ~Ink and Honey While I was writing the story of Ink and Honey, I frequently made little sketches of the physical place that was Belle Coeur…the house and sanctuary for the sisterhood. My imagination and senses reveled at the earthy colors, the […]

The world turns and the hours of daylight increase. Spring approaches and Lent begins. Last weekend I was blessed to spend a retreat day with my dear friend, visionary, and artist, Karen Blessen. Twenty-three years ago Karen and I co-created the book, [asa2 value=”Title”]0671896946[/asa2].  Ours is a life-long “soul sister” friendship. Our conversations and Karen’s wisdom […]

“I am Goscelin, the scribe. On these pages I will record the stories of our community, the sisters of Belle Coeur, and my observations of the formidable events that befell us. I begin my arduous task tonight as the first cold winds of autumn rattle the shutters, lending a shimmer to the candle flames and […]

It’s early morning the Monday after Thanksgiving here in the U.S, and I find myself hiding in my office. Hiding from my email and the seemingly endless onslaught of “Cyber Monday” deals, sales and promotions. They seem to repeat the same offers that “couldn’t be missed” three days ago on Black Friday. Each email feels […]

The longer days and warmer weather of Summer cause our daily routines to slow down and shift. Last summer, during a vacation in the Finger Lakes region of New York, I had the opportunity to reflect on how my sacred practices change during downtime. This post first appeared on my personal blog, but I recently […]

This post is the second in our series about Journal Prayer by guest blogger Bridget Mary Meehan. The first post “Exploring ‘Journal Prayer’ as a Devotional Practice” explored how journaling and prayer are naturally complimentary activities. In this post, Bridget Mary provides specific guidelines for Journal Prayer and offers exercises and prompts to initiate your […]