The Rose in the World, Issue 36

The Rose
in the World
Inviting Wisdom into our lives and sacred spaces
Issue
Issue 36
36
Dreams of Spring
Dreams of Spring
2022-2023
2022-2023

A Prayer Inspired by My Dream
Spirit of Life,
Lover of Souls,
Giver of Dreams,
The light of day is not yet here, but a dream awakens me. I’m taken by surprise! I see a familiar friend
from many years ago who tells me, “The dream is bringing ‘a ray of darkness’ for our guidance as we
struggle to keep up with what’s happening in our world. Although there is no promise of certainty, life
continues and we must live forward, live expectantly, carried by the energy of hope.”
Giver of Dreams, may I discover what is truth for me, have courage to do things I wouldn’t usually
dare, and trust my dreams even when I do not understand.*
Amen.
A Prayer for Hope by Annette Thies New York, NY Annette is passionate about dreamwork and dreamplay, trained in
dreamwork leadership by Dr. Montague Ullman. She is a spiritual director who founded and leads St. Bart’s church dream
group, and has kept a dream journal since 1984. For more information, please visit her website www.dreamministry.us
* This prayer is rooted in the 17th century Welsh poet Henry Vaughan’s words: “There is in God (some say), a deep but dazzling darkness.”
Quoted by Rowan Williams, Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet in his book A Ray of Darkness: Sermons and Reflections, 1995.
Image used for frame Spring Flowers Blåsippor 1 by Perla Aurora, see her bio on pg. 7 and the full image on pg. 13
The Rose’s Dream For the World
It seems fitting that The Rose in the World should begin with a dream. A dream for The Rose in the World and a dream
for the world. In each issue, this section includes a dream submitted by a reader and published anonymously, (if that is the
contributor’s preference). This dream serves as the guiding path of Wisdom for the issue. If this is your dream what does
it mean to you? How does this dream and the subsequent articles, art, poetry, and prose fit into your waking life? What is
Wisdom offering each of us through this narrative and these images? The dream published below offers itself to you, please
hold it lightly as you read. To submit your own dream for the next issue please visit www.roseintheworld.org/join-the-rose
and scroll to the bottom of the page OR mail your dream, with no return address (if anonymous), to
The Rose in the World at 235 W. Rutherford St. Athens, GA 30605.
IN MY DREAM...
“And What Will You Study Tonight?”
...I feel I have nowhere to sleep and no where to go, an awful feeling. Then the thought occurs to me that I will
“go to school” and pick-up where I left off taking an English class. I believe I am fully enrolled in the class, but I
just stopped attending it a while ago. I say aloud, “I think I’ll go to school tonight!”, which solves my problem of
having nowhere to go or nothing to do. Suddenly, I hear a voice cry out, “Oooo-going to school!Where?What will
you do at school?” I get super excited because the voice is that of my sister-in-law, who has Alzheimer’s Disease. She
hasn’t spoken a coherent word for years. I think she’s started to talk again! It’s so exciting! I shout out, “When did
she start talking again?” But someone answers, “It’s not her. It’s the baby.” I go into the next room and see a baby
crawling on the floor. Not just crawling, but circling in a high energy motion on the floor. Then she morphs into a
young adolescent girl, and stands in front of me. She asks me what I’ll study at school tonight. I say, “English.” She
asks “What else will you study?” I answer math, science, literature, and one more subject (which I’ve forgotten).
She then asks me “Do they teach you how to live?” It gives me pause. Slowly, I answer, “No, but you can ask us
how to live.” I reach out to give her a hug.
2 The Rose Issue 36
 Our cover art is a photograph of spring wildflowers in bloom in Sweden titled Spring BloomWildflowers 
Blåsippor (Anemone Hepatice) by Perla Aurora Oxelösund, Sweden (see her bio on pg. 7).

The Rose in the World
Inviting Wisdom into our lives and sacred spaces
Dreams of Spring; 2022-2023, Issue 36
Editor-in-Chief
Sarah Dungan Norton, PhD
The Rose would not be here without the editors that gave
us roots. The late Wanda Krewer was our founder in
2002, and editor of issue #1. The Rose continued to grow
in the Natural Spirituality community thanks to Joyce
Rockwood Hudson who was editor of The Rose issues
#2-15 and was contributing editor for issues #16-23.
Peggy Thrasher Law served as associate editor for issues
#14 and 15 and then nurtured The Rose as editor-in-
chief for issues #16-23. The legacy of The Rose continues
to flourish. May it bloom for many years to come.
Graphic Design
Sarah Dungan Norton, PhD
Become a sustaining donor:
The Rose in the World, as of 2020, is all digital. In our
ever-changing world we need your support now more
than ever. We now offer recurring donations so that you
can become a sustaining donor for The Rose! Please visit
www.roseintheworld.org to donate today or for more
information. Once there, you can select the amount you
would like to donate annually. Just set it up once, and each
year, on that date, an automatic donation will be made to
help keep The Rose blooming in this digital world.
Donate to The Rose
Now that we have a digital format, we can offer The Rose
to anyone who wants one, however, this mission can only
continue thanks to our readers’ generous donations. All
contributions to this mission, large and small, are needed
and appreciated. There is a link on the website to make
a one-time donation of any amount or, if you’d rather,
checks can be accepted through:
235 W. Rutherford Street
Athens, GA 30605
Please share the word!
Please follow us on Facebook @roseintheworld and
Instagram @theroseintheworld and share!
Archived Issues of The Rose
Please feel free to visit our website to view and
print back issues of The Rose #1-24
www.roseintheworld.org
theroseintheworld@gmail.com
Submissions Policy
Articles should be no more than 4,000 words, but can be
as small as you like, and should be submitted as a final
draft and as a word doc. Artwork and photographs should
be submitted as a JPEG or TIFF file and as high quality
as possible. The Rose in this digital form is in color but
when printed, submission may be converted. Digital
submissions are preferred. Material should be appropriate
to the mission of The Rose. For more information visit:
https://roseintheworld.org/submissions.html
All submissions should be sent to:
editor.theroseintheworld@gmail.com
© Copyright
To publish anything appearing in this issue, you must
obtain permission from the author or artist by writing to
The Rose in the World. Reasonable copying of material for
educational purposes is permitted.
Table of Contents
COLUMNS
2 THE ROSE’S DREAM FOR THE WORLD
5 GREETINGS FROM YOUR EDITOR
ARTICLES
12 TENDING THE GARDEN OF MY SOUL Helen Skormisley
19 I’M BREAKING UP WITH ABUNDANCE Hillary Buckwalter-Wild
30 WALKING A SACRED PATH WITH THE ALPHABET Shawna Yeung
35 DYING TO SPEAK, THE CALL OF THE ANCESTORS David Chitara
POETRY AND PROSE
2 A PRAYER INSPIRED BY MY DREAM Annette Thies
6 ALWAYS FALL FORWARD KB Ballentine
7 SPRING REVEALS WINTER’S RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS Perla Aurora
8 BALLAD OF A HONEYBEE Paula Weld-Cary
9 CORONA: APRIL, 2020 Anne Bucey
10 LIFE DROPS BY AND STAYS Linda Ann Suddarth
11 TEND TO YOUR GARDEN Patricia Groves
15 TEA AT CHEZ PAUL’S Hedy Habra
16 SHELL THE BUTTER BEANS Linda Ann Suddarth
17 TRANSFORMATION Janet Abel
18 SUNRISE Kathy Mansfield
21 THE FLOWER Kathy Mansfield
22 ROSE-BLESSINGS Gottfried Maria Heuer
28 HOW TO EXPRESS INTERIOR STILLNESS Joan Penn
29 WEDGE OF GEESE R.L. Boyer
32 I CAME TO BE KNOWN AS THE DAMASCENE ROSE Hedy Habra
33 MOONLIT PATH Shannon Adams
34 BEDFELLOWS Kathryn Etters Lovatt
36 UNVEILED Darby Christopher
37 ANIMA MUNDI R.L. Boyer
38 MY BIG SPRING DREAM Margaret Bishop
39 HOPE FOR THE NEW YEAR Shannon Adams
40 WAR AND PEACE Gottfried Maria Heuer
PHOTOGRAPHY
1 SPRING BLOOM WILDFLOWERS BLÅSIPPOR Perla Aurora
7 LOST GLOVES, LOST MITTENS Perla Aurora
10 SPRING CROCUS, DAFFODILS,AND WILD ASTER John Spiesman
13 SPRING FLOWERS BLÅSIPPOR 1 Perla Aurora
14 SPRING BLOOM WILDFLOWERS Perla Aurora
18 SUNRISE Kathy Mansfield
19 THE HAND OF GOD ... Gottfried Maria Heuer
20 THE FLOWER Kathy Mansfield
22 GANESHA SUBMERGED Gottfried Maria Heuer
32 ROSE John Spiesman
36 EARLY SPRING SUNRISE John Spiesman
39 PEACH BLOSSOMS Lisa Rigge
40 FEATHER ON WATER Gottfried Maria Heuer
ARTWORK
6 IRIS AND MOON Nancy Carter
8 AND THEN THERE WERE FLOWERS LisaRigge
9 CALIFORNIA OAKS 2 Nancy Carter
11 SUNFLOWERS RobertaCharbonneau
16 THE HEAVENS #1 Roberta Charbonneau
17 BABY RobertaCharobonneau
29 WILD GEESE MANDALA DeniseWaldreap
31 LABYRINTH #4 Roberta Charbonneau
34 THE HEAVENS #2
Roberta Charbonneau
37 GODDESS
NancyCarter
38 BLOSSOMING
LisaRigge
Dreams of Spring 🌱2022-2023 3

Background image of Grace
Cathedral by Sarah D. Norton
*NEWLY ADDED/
UPDATED DREAM
GROUP*
ALABAMA
Auburn, Auburn Unitarian-Universalist
Dothan, Episcopal Church of the Nativity
Montgomery, St. John’s Episcopal Church
Troy, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
ALASKA
Anchorage, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church
ARIZONA
Tucson, Grace-St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
ARKANSAS
Conway, First United Methodist Church
Conway, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Conway, contact melinda_adams_teai@yahoo.com
Eureka Springs, St. James’ Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, St. Martin’s Univ. Ctr. (Episcopal)
Fayetteville, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Fort Smith, St. John’s Episcopal Church
Harrison, St. John’s Episcopal Church
Hot Springs Village, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
Jonesboro, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Little Rock, Christ Church (Episcopal)
Little Rock, Coffeehouse Grp. (nondenom.) [ph. 501-758-3823]
Little Rock, Pulaski Hgts. United Methodist Church
Little Rock, St. James’ United Methodist Church
Little Rock, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church
Little Rock, St. Michael’s Episcopal Church
Little Rock, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Russellville, All Saints’ Episcopal Church
CONNECTICUT
Darien, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
FLORIDA
Apalachicola, Trinity Episcopal Church
Gainesville, contact bluefiresd@gmail.com
New Smyrna, St. Peter the Fisherman Episcopal
Pensacola, Cokesbury Methodist Church
Pensacola, Water’s Edge Group
St. Augustine, contact Isobel McGrath, LMHC, CAP at 904-436-5576
or at https://mindful-options.com
Tallahassee, Faith Presbyterian Church
GEORGIA
Albany, Epis. Church of St. John and St. Mark
Athens, Emmanuel Episcopal Church
Athens, St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church,
Atlanta, All Saints’ Episcopal Church
Atlanta, The Cathedral of St. Philip (Episcopal)
Atlanta, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
Atlanta, First Presbyterian Church
Atlanta, Amerson House Spirituality Center
Dahlonega, St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church
Dunwoody, St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church
Milledgeville, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
Morrow, St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church
Rome, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Sandy Springs, Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Ctr
Tifton, St. Anne’s Episcopal Church
IDAHO
Idaho Falls, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
ILLINOIS
River Forest, Grace Episcopal Church
Chicago, St. Michael in Old Town
INDIANA
Hammond Dream Group
^[new ph. 219-743-3514], bethanyrh@sbcglobal.net
KENTUCKY
Frankfort Dream Group (interfaith) [ph. 502-227-2297]
Frankfort Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal), Lexington
LOUISIANA
Northminster Church, Monroe
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Mandeville
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Bogalusa
MARYLAND
First Unitarian Church, Baltimore
St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Kensington
MICHIGAN
The Retreat, racheller.o@gmail.com, Grand Haven
Grace Episcopal Church, Traverse City
MINNESOTA
St. Nicholas Episcopal Church, Richfield
MISSISSIPPI
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral, Jackson
St. James’ Episcopal Church, Jackson
MISSOURI
St. Cronan Catholic Church, St. Louis
NEBRASKA
Countryside Community Church (U.C.C.), Omaha
NEW YORK
St. Bartholomew’s Church, New York City
^contact stbarts.org [ph. 212-378-0222]
NORTH CAROLINA
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Boone
Unitarian Universalist of Transylvania Co., Brevard
Davidson United Methodist Church, Davidson
First Baptist Church, Elkin
First United Methodist Church, Elkin
St. James’ Episcopal Church, Hendersonville
First Congregational Church, Hendersonville
All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Southern Shores
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Wilkesboro
OHIO
Holy Trinity Episcopal, Oxford
First Unitarian Universalist Church, Youngstown
OREGON
Congregational United Church of Christ, Medford
SOUTH CAROLINA
Liberty Hill Presbyterian, Camden
St. Martins in the Field, Columbia
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Columbia
St. James’ Episcopal Church, Greenville
Lutheran Church By The Lake(LCBTL), McCormick
TENNESSEE
Church of the Ascension (Epis.), Knoxville
Church of the Good Shepherd (Epis.), Lookout Mtn
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Memphis
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Murfreesboro
Second Presbyterian Church, Nashville
St. Mary’s, contact mcarnahan5@gmail.com, Franklin
TEXAS
St. Marks United Methodist Church, Houston
^meets 3rd Wed. 10a-12p, velmarice@gmail.com
BayHarbourUnitedMethodistChurch,LeagueCity
^[ph.832-385-4726],ConnieBoviercjbovier@earthlink.net
Nondenom. [ph. 210-348-6226], San Antonio
Christ Episcopal Church, Tyler
VIRGINIA
Calvary Episcopal Church, Front Royal
WEST VIRGINIA
Unity of Kanawha, Charleston
FRANCE
American Cathedral (Epis.), Paris
ONLINE
Contact Dianne Rhodes (703)593-1034
Monthly Zoom meeting
on the 2nd Sunday, 3-5p ET^ visit:
dreamyourinnerhorizons.com
for more information.
Natural Spirituality Programs
Listed here for networking
purposes are the natural
spirituality programs (dream
groups based in churches or
communities of faith), that
are known to us. Each group
is unique and organized in
its own way. Groups that
would like to be added to
the list (or if you are on this
list and would like to update
your information or remove
it) are invited to contact
The Rose in the World at
theroseintheworld@gmail.
com. If there is no group in
your area, please consider
starting one.

Welcome Rose readers old and new,
This issue is a long time coming
and I want to thank you all for your
continued support and patience. I
have written this page 3 or 4 times
over the past year, each time hoping
the new issue and website would be
ready to go out to all of you. Unfor-
tunately, after technical issues,
personal and financial setbacks, a
full overhaul of the website (which
is hopefully mostly unnoticeable
and still in progress), and a re-ad-
justment of the programs usually
used for creating The Rose, I almost
gave up on a “2022 issue.”
However, the beautiful submis-
sions we received, as well as some
surprise donations and notes of
encouragement made this last push
into the new year feel very worth-
while and needed. I hope you will
all be as happy with this issue as if
it was released earlier.
The theme of Spring was always
front of mind. Though originally
that was the intended release,
now in the midst of winter in the
Northern hemisphere and the
height of summer in the Southern,
it feels even more poignant—
“Dreams of Spring.” This emergent
theme touched the promises and
memories that came forward in
each of these pieces. Also, the
untethering of The Rose from a
particular season will hopefully
make these issues more accessible
to a wider audience. As such,
the acknowledgment of Spring,
outside of the temporal season, in
any part of the world, seems to fit
that mission.
Our artists and writers
submitted pieces that will spark
a memory and a wish for all that
Spring offers us. With the year of
the water rabbit upon us that the
recent Lunar New Year brings,
this theme seems reinforced again.
Rabbits and spring remind us of the
fertile and regenerative possibilities
of life, of rebirth, and of hope.
So many of the pieces in this issue
bring us back to a grounded sense
of ourselves. Grounding us in the
world around us, in nature (as we are
each a part of the natural world), in
ourselves. In Spring and in many of
the images in the following pages, the
ground is featured. Seeds sprouting
from the ground, the soil that holds
a gentle blooming sprout, fields and
gardens that hold bright blossoms
and hearty stems.
This is the dark depths, the place
of dreams, of the unconscious, where
the images of our imagination and
dreams spring to life. These springing
dreams and dreams of spring carry us
through the cold and the heat respec-
tively. They are a promise that we can
find equilibrium even in the height
of what may feel like unbearable
extremes.
One of my favorite mythological
figures is Jack Frost. In the original
tales of this playful figure, he is the
guiding being for a number of fairies,
pixies, sprites, and the like. Not only
does he bring snow and wind (his
most universally recognized duty),
he also leads the charge on a few
others which are less recognized.
In the fall, Jack and his compan-
ions are tasked with painting all
the fall leaves in preparation for the
winter. This is said to be done as a
promise that Spring will return.
The bright colors in the leaves are
made to mimic spring blossoms and
reiterate this sense of joy for all that
view them.
Then, to further this promise into
the depths of winter, Jack creates the
frost on surfaces, in windows, on
leaves, throughout the frozen world.
Again, these intricate, tessellated
patterns are a gift and a promise
of spring blossoms. If you’ve ever
watched frost form, it is almost like
a creeping vine, blossoming before
your eyes. The lacy appearance,
though colorless, still hints at spring
blooms, and brings joyful decor to
the dark cold winter.
This promise and dream of spring
is one that Jack Frost shepherds
throughout the months of the year
when spring is farthest from our
conscious view. He creates an image
and impression, gifts us glimpses of
what will inevitably return as the
seasons pass. This is what I hope this
issue will do for you as well. As we
move forward in this new year, we
can reflect and imagine what has
passed and what is on the horizon.
The last page of this issue holds a
wish for each of you and our world.
A wish for peace and comfort, a
dream of Spring, and a promise of
an unfolding future that holds just
enough for each one of us.
Many thanks for our readers
continued support and to our
contributors, your work is what
makes this publication so special.
Your creativity and vision make
The Rose a unique and beautiful
addition to our dream and spiritual
communities.
With a vision and hope for the future,
(Images are our cover photo by Perla
Aurora (bio, pg. 7) and a publicdomain.
net photo of “frost on window” by Larisa
Koshinka. Flowers and Frost compared.
~Sarah D. Norton, PhD
Greetings from Your Editor

Always Fall Forward
And one day the trees grew green again,
shadows shaved by a brighter sun.
Breath bottled by winter’s chill burst into song,
and eyes half-closed overflowed
with crickets and crows calling in the hedgerows.
A red-bellied woodpecker drums his love
on a poplar, iris quivering at attention,
waiting for the other feather to fall.
Always Fall Forward by KB Ballentine Signal Mnt, TN. KB Ballentine’s seventh collection, Edge of the Echo was published in
202 and her 6th, The Light Tears Loose with Blue Light Press in 2019. Published in Crab Orchard Review and Haight-Ashbury Literary
Journal, among others. Her work also appears in anthologies including In Plein Air (2017) and Carrying the Branch: Poets in Search of
Peace (2017). Learn more at www.kbballentine.com
Artwork Iris and Moon by Nancy Carter, Athens, GA Nancy is an artist and educator. she has been led by dreams since she
discovered dreamwork through a Centerpoint group and Journey into Wholeness in the 70’s and 80’s.
Oh, how snowfall convinced us,
fooled us with clean blankets,
nothing to show. But when ice melted
to water warmed to dew, quiet violets
ignited the memory of you
and me. And when light scribbled the horizon,
we measured the distance –
found how close (how very close) we’d come.

Spring reveals winter´s random acts of kindness.
Quiet considerate acts by strangers
can manifest in many ways. Spring
in Sweden shows up examples of this
in a specific way: A range of items
are found hanging on branches and
fences, put there by everyday men
and women who felt compassion for
those who´d lost their gloves and
scarves on their way through the cold
and dark days of the Scandinavian
winter. People passing by pick up
whatever has fallen out of pockets
and bags or thrown out of prams,
and hang them on a tree branches
etc. to prevent loved belongings from
disappearing and getting covered
up by falling snow, in the hope that
they will be seen and reunited with
their owners - perhaps already the
next day but maybe not until spring,
when the snow has melted and the
light returns - again.
Prose and photographs Lost Glove, Lost Mitten by Perla Aurora, Oxelösund, Sweden. Perla Aurora is currently living in Sweden, but is also
a citizen of Aotearoa New Zealand. She has university degrees in Economics and Psychology and has work experience from many sectors,
including government agencies and NGOs in a variety of roles. Her current focus is on writing and photography and has had works exhibited
and published. She volunteers as a creator of community projects aimed at bringing people together through shared experiences and interests.
Examples of her work can be seen at her websites vivavivere.org & perlaaurora.com.

Ballad of a Honey Bee
I will sing to you on the long way home
to my humming walls of wax and comb,
sing of sun and sky, food and rain,
of pistil blooms and pollen grains.
To the blossoming flowers, my soul belongs.
To our honeyed store, our newly born,
to our drones that dream of warm June rain
and food dependent on a pollen grain.
I know a sepal’s scent, a stamen’s sway,
have memorized the world that way.
My sisters’ dance—I’ve transformed, displayed
as I sing to you on my way back home today.
Ballad of a Honey Bee by Paula Weld-Cary, Rochester, NY. Paula has a Bachelor’s in English Literature. Her poetry has
appeared in journals in the United States and abroad, including Atlanta Review, Nimrod International, and Midwest Quarterly.
Her new book of poetry A Survivor’s Poems for the Earth and Its People: A Memoir in Verse was published in June 2022 and her
memoir My Origami Mother: Reclaiming My Life After an Abusive Childhood was published in December 2022. Paula lives in
Rochester, NY where she enjoys birding, hiking, and gardening for pollinators.
Artwork And Then There Were Flowers by Lisa Rigge, Pleasanton, CA has been involved in the arts for several decades. She’s
an avid photographer, collage artist, and dream worker. She received her Dream Leader Certificate from the Haden Institute in
2010, and currently facilitates three dream groups in CA. She loves to hike and travel and keeps journals of all her travels.

Corona: April, 2020
The bees, oblivious, swarm at the shrubs
like moths to light – each thick bulb of leaves,
wild, electric with a thousand moving worshipers –
a corona of energy, swirling to the scent
of pale green flowers. Not like what breeds
a slight tightening in the lungs – a fear,
which tells that other bulb, the brain, to get the hands
busy, clean the handle of the faucet, keep your
towel to yourself and don’t move. Shelter
under the covering of alone. Corona
in the air, pollinating the globe.
CORONA by Anne Bucey, Atlanta, GA. Anne is a writer and spiritual companion to people in hospice care. She lives full
time in Atlanta, Georgia and part time near Fontana Lake in Western North Carolina.
Artwork, California Oaks 2 by Nancy Carter, see her bio on pg. 6

Waiting for the coffee to brew
waiting for the muffins to toast,
the orange cat waits for
drops of butter left on the plate,
the gray cat waits by the door
so she can go and wait
for a bird to lose its footing,
and then she waits
by the door to come in
as the sky grows dark
and rain waits to fall.
I wait to consider whether
she gets bells around her neck,
though it seems much of life
drops by without my action:
the yellow daffodils
the purple azalea and
the ivy all over everything
have come to me,
I never planted them.
The gray cat came to me
with suitcase in hand
meowing in the rain
under my bedroom window.
The orange cat came hidden
in a child’s backpack
so many years ago,
and it wasn’t even my child,
(so many children showed up).
This quilt, that dresser,
that ancient hope chest,
and all the people who
have changed my life:
those I was born with,
met through others,
or who walked through the door,
I never sought them out initially,
then nothing was ever the same,
I have to count them every night
on my fingers and toes.
There is so much and yet
nothing to show incarnation-ally.
The beauty and anxiety
of never knowing what
is going to happen next.
The responsibility of keeping
so many stories
leaves me speechless.
All the stories stack up
over time, so much time.
It’s not that I am aging
but that there is so much
so many inter-weavings
that have dropped by.
Now I am rather a bore
as I prefer to let it all
filter through my mind’s
eye in quietness, sorting
an extraordinary inventory
unable to ever express
the enormity of just living.
Life Drops By and Stays by Linda Ann Suddarth, see her bio on pg.
Photographs Spring Crocus (top), Daffodils (center), Wild Aster
(bottom) by John Spiesman, see his bio on pg. 32
Life Drops By and Stays

TEND TO YOUR GARDEN
Sow frugality, reap liberty,
so sayeth the Greek king, Agesilaus.
But both a compulsion to save
or a compulsion to spend:
sow noxious weeds that
grow willy-nilly and wild
in untended fields,
satisfying no hunger.
Meager are the yields.
Frugality that excludes joy,
Extravagance sans contentment,
No reaping of harvests here,
No golden fields there.
Poverty is not ennobling.
Neither does money for its own sake
buy happiness.
Tend to your inner garden.
Harvest the freedom
and the satisfaction
of deliberate choices.
Choose consciously.
Choose carefully.
Consider consequences.
(But be aware of
unresolved emotions.)
Reap the rewards of
an intentional life well-lived.
Meanwhile,
do sow a few wild flowers.
Not all hunger is physical.
TEND TO YOUR GARDEN by Patricia Groves Charlotte, NC. Patricia, 75, lives happily with her husband in an active retirement
community. She is the mother of two daughters, has one grandson and four step-grandchildren. She is retired from the candy industry and
still loves her daily portion of dark chocolate. In traveling the world, she seeks to learn of other cultures through dance whenever possible,
opening up her world of self and soul. She has been a subscriber to The Rose since its inception, and has participated in various dream
groups over the years.
Drawing Sunflowers by Roberta Charbonneau, Adairsville, GA. A long-time resident of northwest Georgia, Roberta has been drawing
and painting since she was twelve years old. Charbonneau volunteers her art skills to coach youth victims of assault in creative ways to
release stress as well as self-expression. “Art is a meditation and form of prayer for me,” she states.

Tending the Garden of My Soul
by
Helen Skormisley
Over the last month or so, I’ve been reflecting on
the many glimmers of new life I see in the emergence
of spring flowers, those amazing images of transforma-
tion bursting out of the winter darkness all around us.
Do we not feel our hearts lift and our senses rush as we
are greeted by the lovely fragrances and fresh beautiful
colors of the lenten rose, crocus, daffodil, forsythia,
tulips, hyacinth, bluebells, snowdrops and so many
others?
Every year this phenomenon of rebirth promises
that our lives can also be renewed. Just like the cyclic
blooming of flowers and trees—all is made new! In the
twinkling of an eye, “just like that,” we can wake up one
day and find our hearts are mysteriously open to hope,
love, or some other life-giving image. Like the signs of
rebirth from the natural world that reveal themselves
quietly, almost in a whisper, or by surprise, coming
quite dramatically out of nowhere. This summons us
to a different life perspective or undertaking which can
come at any time, in any form as a “wake-up call,” an
“upheaval,” or as almost imperceptive, as an abiding
disquietude. No matter how this experience appears,
we know that everything looks and feels changed,
unusual, out of the ordinary. I think of Alice’s response
in Wonderland to the caterpillar who asks her “Who
are you?” To which, she replies “I – I hardly know…..
At least I know who I was when I got up this morning,
but I think I must’ve changed several times since then”
(Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, 1865).
When this perplexing kind of experience happens, one
may feel a sense of confusion, or even fear, and question
how to respond to these mystifying movements and in-
spirations. And yet, Rainer Maria Rilke, the noted poet
wrote in “A Sabbath Poem”: “You must give birth to
your images. They are the future waiting to be born.
Fear not the strangeness you feel. The future must enter
you long before it happens. Just wait for the birth, for
the hour of new clarity”(Letters to a Young Poet, Trans.
S. Mitchell, 1986).
Julian of Norwich, using the image of gardening,
enlightens and guides us. She tells us we must enter
into the “deepness” or perhaps as Rilke says, the
“strangeness” we feel, to find “treasure,” creative
life-giving images, the nourishment for our souls we
desire. She wrote:
“There is a treasure in the earth that is a food tasty
and pleasing to the Lord…..Be a Gardener. Dig a ditch.
Toil and sweat. And turn the earth upside down. And
seek the deepness. And water plants in time. Continue
this labor. And make sweet floods to run, and noble and
abundant fruits to spring. Take this food and drink,
and carry it to God as your true worship” (Revelations
of Divine Love, Chapter 51, 1395).
Because I have been a gardener for many years, I
appreciate Julian’s use of this rich image to explore this
hidden “deepness” she so wonderfully describes. Like
everyday gardening that requires exertion to dig and
plant, delving into the unseen world that exists beneath
the surface of life also calls for effort and dedication.
Committing time for what I call “radical gardening”
is essential and requires devotion to a life-long process
of becoming conscious through exploration of the soul
where the mysterious Self waits to be awakened, more
fully known, and brought into the light. This, I think,
is the ultimate “treasure” Julian describes, found in
“marvelous deepness”—the hidden treasure, the pearl
of great price, the Self we each are destined to become
for our world. And yet, I wonder? Am I willing to “toil
and sweat” and turn myself upside down for the sake
of searching for these “treasures,” the images that may
possibly bring transformation and new life to me?
Today, more than ever, I feel an urgency to
ponder these words of Julian more deeply than before
and commit myself to this “radical gardening.” This
journey of inner exploration is not only for myself, but
also for our suffering world. I hear the voices of the
inhabitants of Earth, and indeed, Earth Herself, crying
out for compassion, justice, and relationships of loving
unity. I feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility to
respond, personally and communally, to global chaos,
violence, poverty, injustice and a myriad of other social
ills.
As I consider my answer to these outcries, I reflect
on the thoughts of Anne Baring and Constance
Fitzgerald. Baring, like many visionaries and thinkers of
today, believes we are experiencing ecological, political,
moral, and spiritual crises and that guidance to thrive
in this chaotic ambiguity can only come from a deeper,
more cosmic, unitive consciousness. She writes in her
book about the search for the precious treasure she calls
an “ancient image of the soul…..long-lost...the cosmic
web of life…not something that belongs to us [but] as
something to which we belong, in whose unbounded
life we live” (Baring, 2015, in her preface to The Dream
of the Cosmos: A Quest for the Soul). Convinced that
the entrenched belief systems and limited conscious-
ness of today’s world will not provide the greater vision
necessary to search for the long-lost image of the soul.
That this long lost image will reveal the mystery of a
greater cosmic consciousness, she challenges us to
commit ourselves to the “immense effort of conscious-
ness we need to make… to understand and serve its
mystery” (ibid).
Fitzgerald, a Carmelite visionary, believes we are
called to a “contemplative transformation of conscious-
ness.” She has written so powerfully and eloquently for
several years about individual and societal impasse.
Including life situations resembling entrapment from
which there is no escape and where there is a breakdown
of communication and powerlessness to do anything
about it (Impasse and Dark Night, 1984; Transformation
InWisdom: the Subversive Character and Educative Power

of Sophia in Contemplation, 2000). This experience
produces profound suffering signified by hopelessness,
despair, and loss of meaning. Fitzgerald believes our
pathway of contemplative transformation is found in
totally accepting impasse and immersing ourselves in
the darkness and unbearable paradox it brings. She
asks us to embrace a “deeper level of night,” and a more
profound and radical transformation of individual and
communal consciousness in Wisdom/Sophia.
Fitzgerald’s vision is cosmic transformation in the
compassion and love of Wisdom/Sophia who awakens
and comes to life within our hearts, gifts us with
new sight, and teaches us how to embrace a radical
conversion of knowledge, desire, and imagination in
our lives and our evolving universe. She asks: “What
kind of spirituality will address our experience of the
tremendous emergence of the feminine in culture?
… is this the time, the age for Sophia…a God image
capable of moving with humanity into the next evolu-
tionary era when the universe will be experienced…as
an intimate, interconnected, and diverse communion
of subjects?” (Transformation In Wisdom, 2000, pp.
283-4).
We hear Sophia calling in Scripture: “Come, eat my
bread and drink the wine I have mixed…live and walk
in the ways of insight….Desire therefore my words;
long for them and you will be instructed” (Proverbs
9:5-6; Wisdom 6:11). Her compelling presence
empowers those who seek and love her to speak on
behalf of others who have no voice. She instructs
those who listen, how to live in a world of unresolv-
able paradox and ambiguity by remaining conscious,
calm, open-minded, open-hearted, loving, and always
in search of a balanced unification of Masculine and
Feminine energies within our individual selves and
in our world. Indeed, St. John of the Cross believes
this path of transformation will break open within
us “a nearly incomprehensible desire to enter all the
afflictions and sorrows of the world” (from Spiritual
Canticle in The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross,
2017, p. 556). Fitzgerald invites us to embrace this
consciousness articulated by John of the Cross that
summons the unitive energies of the cosmos that can,
hopefully, move society beyond hierarchical dualism to
rediscovery of the Cosmic web of life where all is one.
Julian of Norwich inspires us in this work of “radical
gardening” to cultivate deeper unity and cosmic trans-
formation in Wisdom. Her words encourage us to
gently turn the “soil” of the soul (Revelations of Divine
Love, 2015, p. 111), unearth treasures and healing
images (dreams, poems, people, etc), sort through fears,
emotions and hidden shadows, prune discretely, plant
fresh seeds of hope and meaning, faithfully water and
feed new shoots, and, then, rest in the beauty of the
transformed Self that blossoms. Finally finding deeper
meaning in life and becoming more at one with all of
creation.
For those who do dream work, is this not why they
faithfullygathertogetherandenterthemysteriousworld
of dreams? They are “gardeners of the soul” devoted to
Photograph, Spring Flowers Blasippor 1 by Perla Aurora, this issue’s cover artist, please see her bio on pg. 7.

the search of unearthing and knowing more fully who
they really are. After all, are not our dreams vessels and
carriers of transformation and growth? Jeremy Taylor,
who I term “the guru of dreamwork,” time and again
described dreams as “workshops of evolution.” We
participate in the dreamwork process to be enlightened
and taught about what is really happening in our lives,
not just what we see on the surface. Each dream group
focuses on the dreamer who is becoming and, who,
in that very moment of sharing the dream, is brave
enough to offer the precious gift that has come from
the soul. Illuminating the paradoxical path of trans-
formation with all its joys, sorrows, and ambiguities.
And so, all who gather to hear the story of the
dreamer, come with hope and compassion. Hope
because they believe this act of deep sharing will be the
catalyst for greater love of the Self and others. And the
catalyst for compassion, because listening to the dream
of another and entering that world with all its joy,
ambiguity, and confusion, generates compassion for
the dreamer, the other group members, and ultimately
for the rest of the world.
Today, when our world swirls in confusion and
apparent unresolvable paradoxes, it is more important
than ever to do dream work to demonstrate that it is
possible to live in paradox in a compassionate, mindful
manner. I think those who faithfully do dreamwork
are witnessing this to others and whether they are
consciously aware of it or not, they are like midwives,
doing their part to bring a hopeful future to birth.
Dreamwork, then, is the training ground to prepare us
for the future that waits to be born (as was mentioned
in Rilke’s poem that started this piece). Faithful dream-
workers have honed their skill for accepting paradox and
the feelings of “strangeness” within themselves. They
have strengthened their ability to wait for “birth and
the hour of new clarity.” These, indeed, are wonderful
gifts we can give each other and the world, blossoms we
tend in the garden of our souls.
Helen Skormisley, CSJ (member of the Congregation of
St. Joseph), Wheeling, WV. Helen is an LICSW, Trauma/
Grief Therapist, Spiritual Director, and Adult Nurse Prac-
titioner. She is a graduate of the Dream Leadership and
Spiritual Direction Programs at the Haden Institute. She
has been committed to her own dreamwork for over thirty
years and integrates dream processing into her counseling
and spiritual direction practices with clients. She facilitates
grief support and dream groups and offers private directed
retreats and programs on spirituality, the mystics, grief, and
dreams at the St Joseph Retreat Center, Wheeling, WV.
Links to resources:
https://www.baltimorecarmel.org/wp-content/writings/CF_Im-
passe_and_Dark_Night.pdf
https://www.baltimorecarmel.org/wp-content/writings/CF_
Transformation_in_Wisdom_-_the_Subversive_Character_and_
Educative_Power_of_Sophia_in_Contemplation.pdf
https://www.baltimorecarmel.org/meet-our-community/
our-writings/
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-dream-of-the-cosmos-a-
quest-for-the-soul
Photograph above and around article title, Spring Bloom Wildflowers by Perla Aurora, see her bio on pg. 7.

Teaat Chez Paul’s by Hedy Habra, Portage, MI. Hedy is a poet, artist and essayist. She has authored three poetry collections, most recently,
The Taste of the Earth (Press 53 2019, where this poem is included), Winner of the Silver Nautilus Book Award, and Honorable Mention for
the Eric Hoffer Book Award. Tea in Heliopolis won the Best Book Award and Under Brushstrokes was finalist for the International Book Award.
Her story collection, Flying Carpets, won the Arab American Book Award’s Honorable Mention and was finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award. A
seventeen-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the net, and recipient of the Nazim Hikmet Award, her multilingual work appears
in numerous publications. Find more about Hedy and her work at: https://www.hedyhabra.com/ (This poem was originally published by
Fifth Wednesday Journal.) (Photo of Anemone coronaria flowers from Wiki Creative commons by David King.)
We ate Schtengels at Chez Paul’s,
twisted breads sprinkled with coarse salt
clinging to our lips.
We could see the sea enfolding us
through the tall bay windows
of the semi-circular Swiss teahouse.
You described a Phoenician Tale
just for me,
how the mountain slopes
reddened each spring
with Adonis’ blood,
how this delicate flower,
truly and duly Lebanese
has come to be called a red poppy, an anemone,
with all its melodious variations,
alkhushkhash,
un amapola,
un coquelicot,
ed anche un papavero…
We walked through a field scattered
with red poppies bright as when Ishtar
sprinkled nectar
on her beloved’s blood.
Time seemed elastic then,
space infinite.
I wished to bring home a handful of scarlet light,
to keep the softness of its wrinkled petals
alive a while longer.
The moment I cut Adonis’ flower,
hanging likea broken limb, its corolla fell over my hand,
head too heavy with dreams.
No wonder blossoms tremble
on their fragile stem.
Sometimes love is only real when not uprooted.
Isn’t there a geography of every emotion?
not a precious, intricate Carte du Tendre,
but a trail of forgotten footsteps mapping
every heartbeat, every motion?
A stairwell, a car, a booth, a parking lot,
a streetlight, a gateway,
an old-fashioned réverbère,
a Bus Stop or maybe a tree, a tree stump,
a moss-covered path, a pond,
a small creek, a flat stone,
a hill, a porch or even a wooden bench?
Take the poppy, for instance. It will only breathe
and give joy at its birthplace.
I can still feel the small flower melting
into liquid silk in my palm.
I held the red petals to my cheek
likea morning kisswhileyou kepttelling how Ishtar
orassome maysayAstarte, often mistaken forIsis,
was truly herPhoenician incarnation,
beforeshewasevercalled AphroditeorVenus.
I remember how you talked and talked
until we both stepped into Ishtar’s temple.
Tea at Chez Paul’s

Artwork, The Heavens #1 by Roberta Charbonneau, see her bio on pg. 11.
Shell the Butter Beans
Make waiting.
Prepare time.
I stand
beside the point.
How does
knitting a blanket,
painting a mural,
prepare for the baby?
Something is coming.
Who is gestating?
Prepare around the event
to create process
when you don’t know
who is arriving.
Something to do:
make time,
shell the butter beans,
materialize somehow,
from nothing to something.
Shell the Butter Beans by Linda Ann Suddarth, Dallas, TX. Linda has published poems in Parabola, both in print and web, and in
many literary journals. She has a micro-chapbook published on the web through Origami Poems, and it is called, Wandering Barefoot:
https://www.origamipoems.com/poets/334-linda-ann-suddarth. Her first chapbook, The Hidden Wilderness, was released in 2019, through
Finishing Line Press: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/the-hidden-wilderness-by-linda-ann-suddarth/ Linda is currently
training at Haden Institute to be a Spiritual Director. She lives in Dallas, Texas, and teaches Art Appreciation, Humanities, and English at
the College Level. Linda’s website is LindaAnnSuddarth.wordpress.com and her email is lindaannsuddarth@gmail.com

Transformation
I get to watch a baby being born.
He tells me I am holding too tightly.
The birth of the new is the old transformed.
The baby flops out, the egg sack is torn.
Babies are meant to be held, but lightly.
Hold them, and love them, and pass they well formed.
Mother cats purr as their kittens are born.
Paring the joy with the pain sublimely.
They comfort themselves as the change is borne.
What new thing in me is coming to form?
To hold, to love, and pass along brightly?
Can I comfort myself as I transform?
It all dissolves and arises newborn.
Just as night turns to day divinely,
Cycles in nature show change is the norm.
Something new in me is coming to form.
This thing is meant to be held, but lightly.
Can I comfort myself as the change is borne?
The birth of the new is the old transformed.
Transformation by Janet Abel, Chesterfield, VA. Janet has over 5,000 hours of experience as a yoga teacher. Her primary focus is
relaxation, and she can be easily recognized by her calm, soothing voice. She has studied yoga, Ayurveda, and Dream Work at length,
and recognizes how intricately related these three studies are for the human condition. She has recently begun producing yoga videos via
YouTube, and currently teaches Yoga Wellness Classes via Zoom. She has shared wisdom, insight, and thoughts through published articles
which can be found at JanetAbel.com
Artwork, Baby by Roberta Charbonneau, see her bio on pg. 11.

Sunrise poem and photograph by Kathy Mansfield, Charlotte, NC. Kathy was born in Colorado where she developed her love of nature
and began photographing the natural world. When Covid brought the world to a halt in 2020, she decided to share her work with others
in daily devotionals, pairing her photography with quotes, scripture, and poetry. She is inspired by the extraordinary beauty of the natural
world, and she hopes to share the sense of peace and serenity she feels through her photography. Kathy is also an Advanced Certified Labyrinth
Facilitator and recently completed her certification in Spiritual Direction at the Haden Institute.
Sunrise
How does one find words for
the colors of the early morning?
Peeking above the horizon,
the sun paints the sky in pinks, violets, and blues.
The horizon, changing moment by moment,
offers subtle gifts that can only be seen
by watching deeply.
Embrace these sacred moments.
The dawning of a new day heralds
the arrival of a new beginning.
While the sky is ever changing,
the ocean remains constant;
endlessly ebbing and flowing,
mysterious, seductive, secretive,
hiding the treasure of its depths;
protecting its deepest secrets
from the world.
The sky and the sea offer a
contradiction in one single glance.
Could this paradox also be us?
Do we paint a perfect picture for all to see?
Do we hide our own mysteries,
the truth of who we are,
deep within the deep waters of our soul?
The true journey of this life
is coming to know yourself.
It is fearlessly sharing your Self
with the world.
Be bold, be brave.
The world is ready to meet the real you!

I’ve been ruminating on and holding the concept
of “What is enough?” lately. In spiritual circles we talk so
much about abundance--we are supposed to ask for it,
think about it, will it, pray for it, manifest it. But is it all
it’s cracked up to be? What if it’s just the other side of the
pendulum, the opposite of its sister, scarcity?
It’s interesting, I was raised in poverty and
scarcity--not enough time, food, love, attention, money,
etc., and it had a significant impact on who I became
as an adult. This past year, on my own as a single mom,
I’ve bumped into it several times and I’ve been watching
myself spin old narratives like cobwebs. Fear over finances.
Fear over long term “security.” Fear over so many things
all stemming from a place of lack.
So I ran headlong into ABUNDANCE. Surely,
it would be the antidote! I worked TWO jobs, started
yet another new business endeavor, signed up for a
training (to assist both my personal life and the multiple
business endeavors), and loaded my calendar with
fun appointments. All of this while single momming,
being in a relationship, and writing a dissertation. I
had everything--love, financial security, all the good
food, professional satisfaction, creative ideas, and yet, I
eventually hit a wall. I realized I was likely not doing any
of them super well. There wasn’t enough life energy to go
into all of these abundant endeavors and places. It turns
out MORE didn’t feel like I thought it would. Not in my
heart, or in my body. What a lesson!
In my experience, too much of anything can be
overwhelming and take up too much space, dull our
senses, bloat our bellies, fill our closets, crowd our minds,
divert us from our values, clutter our calendars, and leave
us feeling burnt out. And yet, I’d never considered that
abundance could be overdone or unhelpful!
So, now I’m sitting with the idea of what’s “enough.”
What is enough work? What is enough training? What is
enough money? What does having enough time look like?
And honestly, I’ve discovered that it all circles around my
values. I value space, relaxation, clarity, love, pleasure,
learning, growth, and free time to just be.
For me, enough actually looks like less—which,
ironically, opens the door to more peace, joy, and
contentment. I’ve given up one of the jobs. One of the
business ventures has been tabled. I’m freeing up space
on my calendar. All in service of “enough.” I no longer
want abundance. It turns out that “enough” actually is
just that...enough.
What do you think about abundance?
What might “enough” look like for you?
How does “enough” feel in your body?
Hilary Buckwalter-Wilde, MA, ERYT500 Duluth, MN.
Hilary is the founder of Indwelling. Through Indwelling Hilary
offers one on one Sacred Counsel, embodied inner work, trauma
conscious guidance, and workshops and retreats. At present Hilary
is focused on offering Sacred Counsel as a path of reclamation
for individuals and couples that are seeking holistic and creative
pathways for healing. Indwelling is a path of wellbeing that centers
around bodymind integration, imaginal ways of knowing, trauma
informed care, and engagement with nature and the ancestors.
Hilary is a PhD candidate in depth psychology at Pacifica Graduate
Institute. www.indwellingduluth.com
Stone Balance and Photograph “The Hand of God: ‘Let Us know,
Beloved, that here is Truly Light’” (Hafiz), Niendorf, Germany by
Gottfried Maria Heuer, see his bio on pg. 22.

The Flower
I am the tiny flower
Gracing the forest floor
Silently
Standing alone
Hidden in the shade
Of the majestic trees
Lost beneath the beauty
Of the wild orchids
No one notices me
The one, small flower
Bowing my head in prayer
As they walk by
For they are looking outward
Towards grander things
If they would take just a moment
To pause, to breathe,
To look closely
Fully taking in
The beauty and enormity of the forest
And all its inhabitants
Perhaps then
Their soul would awaken
Giving them the gift
To see with new eyes to behold
The beauty of all of God’s creation
And in realizing their own
Smallness and insignificance
In this universe
Perhaps then
They would notice
Me
The tiny flower
Gracing the forest floor
Contented in just “being”
And they would whisper
“Now I understand”
The Flower (Poem and Photograph) by
Kathy Mansfield, see her bio on pg. 18.

Rose-Blessings and photograph “Ganesha Submerged” by Dr. Gottfried M. Heuer, London, UK. Jungian Training-psychoanalyst,
Neo-Reichian body-psychotherapist; independent scholar with some 70 papers published in 7 languages. His books include 10 Otto Gross
Congress–proceedings (LiteraturWissenschaft.de); Sacral Revolution (Routledge 2010); Sexual Revolutions (Routledge 2011; Russian edition
2017); and Freud’s ‘Outstanding’ Colleague/Jung’s ‘Twin Brother’: The Suppressed Psychoanalytic and Political Significance of Otto Gross (Routledge
2017); and he is also a published graphic artist, photographer, sculptor and poet. Interviews @ https://vimeo.com/196609212 and https://
youtu.be/zxEkj9SsAKw On beauty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK5HSUgngQE&t=165s Artwork: https://youtu.be/fha4jiiN2MI
Rose-Blessings
It had been a shock,
the sudden, unexpected ending,
of a close relationship
with someone whom I cared for.
I couldn’t help
to doubt myself:
Should I have seen this coming?
Could I have?
Been different,
said something else?
I went to sleep that night
in such dark cloud . . .
And then I had a dream –
that
I am sending out
all over –
ev’rywhere
rose-seedlings
that I had grown
and raised myself . . .
Wherever they arrive
they are not just received,
accepted –
they are being praised!
Rising in the morning
from my dream,
I come across this invocation,
‘May I see myself
as God sees me.’* –
And I feel myself melting,
I can almost hear
those self-doubts crumbling.
How blessed am I!
Peace
enfolds me,
holds me –
embraces both of us:
We are redeemed
as, silently,
roses, healing,
soft as snowflakes
start gently
raining down
on us.

The same Rose you love, but in an all-
digital, technicolor world!
Every time The Rose arrived it was like
receiving a bouquet of sacred flowers.
Beautiful Blooms filled with wisdom from
the unconscious.” ~Chelsea Wakefield, PhD
“THE ROSE, has been an essential resource, and voice for
the development of a psycho/spiritual world view and
integration of Jungian theory and Christianity.”
~ J. Pittman McGehee, D.D.
“The Rose In The World pulls together the two worlds of
Jungian thought and deep Spirituality, which is so needed
in ourworld today. And it pulls the Jungian/Spiritual world
togetherwith people who write articles from their heart and
from their deep experience. Reading The Rose In The World
is like going on retreat, being refreshed and deepened as a
person. So, let us all be helpful in seeing that
The Rose does get out into The World.”
~Bob Haden, Founder of The Haden Institute
The Rose is funded fully by the donations of our wonderful
readers. Now that we have moved to a digital format The
Rose can once again move freely through the world like
grace, like a gift. Because The Rose is free, it is easy to pass
along to friends and colleagues.
If you are a current donor, thank you so much! We
appreciate it more than we can say. You will receive the
link to the new issue as soon as it is posted. If you have not
donated to The Rose we hope you will consider making a
donation to keep the Rose blooming.
Finally, what we need more than anything is to spread the
word of The Rose in the World. If you have a dream group,
a congregation, a natural spirituality group, a social media
presence, a website, or an email list please share our website
and the new issue with them! When you share it please
encourage them to sign up for our mailing list and/or to
make a donation.You can also follow and share on Facebook
@roseintheworld, Instagram @theroseintheworld.
Thank you so much. You are The Rose.
needs your submissions!
The Rose cannot continue
without the creative, beautiful,
wise submissions from readers
like you.
YOU are The Rose!
Please submit your original work:
photographs, essays, artwork, pieces
of fiction, poetry, prose, inspired
academic writing, or any other creation
you believe fits our “Rosey” mission to
spread Wisdom to our readers lives and
sacred spaces. No matter your religious
or spiritual background, your personal
experience of the numinous can touch
the lives of others in any form.
For 2023 we are trying a new format
with 2 abiding images/themes to guide
your submissions. Those are “Living
the Earth’s Dream: Listening to the
Other in Nature and Self” in honor
of the upcoming NSRG conference
AND “Synchronicity and Spirit.”
These taglines are meant to provoke a
conversation with your imagination.
Anything that comes out of these and
rises from the unconscious with a desire
to speak itself into this issue is welcome!
Submissions do not have to conform to
these themes, but if these strike a chord
in you, please let them inspire you.
Submission Deadline: May 14, 2023
For more information on what kinds of
submissions we accept, and for our full
submission guidelines. Please visit:
roseintheworld.org/submissions.html
Please send your submissions today to:
editor.theroseintheworld@gmail.com
Thank you! We can’t wait to see your
creative contributions!
“
”

FRIDAY KEYNOTE:
Stephen Aizenstat, PhD
Founder and Author of
Dream Tending
Rev. Dr. Sushmita
Mukherjee
Moderator
Robert Pullen, PhD
Sarah D. Norton,
PhD
Living the Earth's Dream:
Listening to the Other in Nature and Self
SATURDAY EVENING
VIRTUAL DREAM THEATER
REGISTRATION AND INFO:
Darby Christopher
WORKSHOPS:
THE DREAMERS JOURNEY
PART 1: A PERSONAL AND SOUL'S
JOURNEY AND PART 2:
DREAMWORK
February 10-12, 2023
LIVE on Zoom
NATURAL
NATURAL
SPIRITUALITY
SPIRITUALITY
CONFERENCE
CONFERENCE
SATURDAY KEYNOTE
PANEL:
Kevin Copeland,
MFA
NSRGathering.org
with Bob Hoss
with Sushmita Mukherjee
with Robert Pullen
with Darby Christopher
with Diana McKendree
DREAM DIVINA: CONTEMPLATING
DREAM IMAGES AS SACRED
ICONS with Sheri Kling
Diana McKendree
with
@NSRGathering
SOUL GEOGRAPHY: HOW PLACE
SHAPES THE INNER JOURNEY
KALI: DREAMING INTO
DARKNESS AND REDEEMING
OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH
MOTHER EARTH
MUSICAL MAKING WITH DREAMS
DREAM CHARACTER
EMBODIMENT
And, save the date for Natural Spirituality’s next
annual gathering, online February 9-11, 2024:
Dreaming and the Imaginal Realm:
Portals to Healing, Relationship, and Connection

Develop the skills you need to
feel deeply connected with
yourself, others, and Earth through
beautiful and interactive online
learning modules and resources.
We are members of families, humanity, and Earth.
Why is our learning so focused on productivity or grades?
Discover more at
HealingEdu.org Are you interested in having a conversation
about how you can further engage with us
and make an impact on your
communities, workplace,
schools, etc.?
If so, please reach
out to Ally Fisher at
ally@familyandcommunityhealing.org

To register and for info: www.HadenInstitute.com
We are honored to spend time in
person at Kanuga with Joy Harjo
who served three terms as the
23rd Poet Laureate of the United
States 2019-2022.
The path to wholeness involves waking
up to the deep knowledge of our sacred
relationship to the Earth. This path is affirmed
in many traditions: Jung’s psycho-spiritual
approach, Celtic Christianity, and the Perennial
Wisdom tradition found in many mystical and
Indigenous spiritualities. Strengthening our
relationship with the Earth is the path forward.
Poets and Dreamers know the power of image to
inspire, inform and transform. Joy is an internationally
renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee
(Creek) Nation. She served three terms as the 23rd
Poet Laureate of the United States from 2019-2022.
The author of nine books of poetry, Joy Harjo, the first
Native American to serve as US poet laureate, invites
us to travel along the heartaches, losses, and humble
realizations of her "poet-warrior" road. A musical,
kaleidoscopic, and wise follow-up to Crazy Brave,
Poet Warrior reveals how Harjo came to write poetry
of compassion and healing, poetry with the power to
unearth the truth and demand justice.
T H E H A D E N I N S T I T U T E
Every participant will have access to Keynote & Workshop recordings
as educational resources for 6 months after the conference!
ALSO KEYNOTING:
Catherine Meeks, John Phillip Newell, Kathleen Wiley, Larry Maze, Sheri Kling & Jerry Wright
Sacred Earth: Sacred Soul.
ONLINE OR IN-PERSON (HYBRID)
MAY 28 - JUNE 2, 2023
Featuring Performer, Author &
23rd Poet Laureate of the United States
Joy Harjo
WORKSHOPS • DREAM GROUPS • CREATIVE SPACE • WORSHIP & MEDITATIONS • YOGA & MUSIC

Two Year Certification Courses
I N - P E R S O N O R A LWAY S O N - L I N E
The Haden Institute is a haven for seekers. We teach Spiritual Direction and Dream
Work, and we offer our participants a place and space for developing a robust
relationship with their unconscious. Lectures, small group work, creative embodiment
practices all lead to accessing the rich wisdom within each individual.
T H E H A D E N I N S T I T U T E
To register and for info: www.HadenInstitute.com
IN-PERSON: Small Group Cohort with Mentor, Six 4-Day Weekend Intensives over two years, Distance Learn
Entry dates: Fall and Spring annually, at Kanuga Conference Center
ALWAYS ONLINE: Small Group Cohort meets every other week, 22 weeks a year for two years,
Faculty Discussions of Video Content, Mentors. Entry dates: Fall annually
Sharing the stories our nightly dreams tell is an
age-old practice for increasing self-awareness
and discerning meaning and purpose in life.
Dream work is a valuable tool for spiritual
directors, therapists, clergy, and individuals
who wish to enhance their practice and
deepen their work with others through creative
embodiment, integration of dream messages
and tenets of Jungian psychology.
Our Dream Work Training Course teaches how
working with dreams opens a communication
channel between the conscious and unconscious
worlds, allowing us to translate the metaphor and
symbol of dream language into a language that
is helpful for problem solving in our waking life.
The Spiritual Direction Training Course
integrates spirituality and Jungian teachings.
Psycho-spiritual education in the Jungian,
mystical, and Christian traditions is the program
foundation. Participants develop knowledge
and understanding of the art and practice of
spiritual direction in contemporary spiritual life
by learning mystical, creative embodiment and
contemplative practices of Christianity and other
ancient religious and spiritual traditions.
Tools for self-discovery and transformation such
as Myers–Briggs Type Indicator, the Enneagram,
and dream work are introduced to deepen the
experience of spiritual companionship.
Spiritual Direction
TRAINING COURSE
Dream Work
TRAINING COURSE

How to Express Interior Stillness by Joan Penn, New York, NY. Joan has a professional background in theater
and photography, and has attended poetry workshops with Jeanne Marie Beaumont, Scott Hightower, and Jessica
Greenbaum. She is currently participating in a virtual workshop with Paris-based Gracie Bialecki, and is a member
of The Yorkville Writing Circle. Recent publication credits include poems in Griffel, High Shelf Press, MacQueen’s
Quinterly, and in two anthologies published by Moonstone Arts Press. One of her poems was included in “Super-
heroes & Other Men,” a theatrical presentation, and another was included in Issue 35 of The Rose in the World.
How to Express Interior Stillness?
Leave the page blank?
A blank page in a private diary?
A blank page that conceals the writer’s secrets?
A blank page that leaves the reader speechless?
How to express interior stillness?
Record random words on paper?
Close your eyes and reorder them?
Open your eyes and try to make sense of them?
Attempt to translate the unconscious into conscious?
Enliven the stillness with cartoons and doodles?
View the drawings as a Rorschach test?
Interpret what lurks beneath the surface?
Leave the stillness unstated?
Invite the stillness to speak for itself?
How to express what cannot be expressed?

WEDGE OF GEESE
After months of pouring rain—
sunlight, everywhere greening and
fresh. Slowly drifting fingers of
mist retreat from the valley floor
dissolving softly along the great
ridge. In the late morning heat, the
first Spring flowers are in bloom.
Vineyards pruned and waiting in
the clear rainswept air against a
pale blue Napa Valley sky.
High overhead, a wedge of
honking geese flies north.
Wedge of Geese by R.L. Boyer, Santa Rosa, CA. An award-winning poet, fiction author, and screenwriter, Ron’s poems
have been featured in Depth Insights, Mythic Circle, Poetry Zone, ReVision, and other publications. Boyer is a two-time award
recipient of the Jefferson Scholarship and a two-time award winner in Literature from the John E. Profant Foundation for the
Arts, including the McGuire Family Award for 1st place in Literature. He is a depth psychologist and current doctoral student in
Art and Religion at the Graduate Theological Union and UC Berkeley.
Digital Artwork, Wild Geese Mandala by Denise Waldrep, Greenwood, SC. Denise is an artist, writer and educator who enjoys
following dreams. A graduate of UGA, she has worked as a scientific illustrator, teacher and fine artist. You can see a sampling
of her artwork atwww.denisewaldrep.com. She illustrated the children’s book “Batrocks and Greenie,” based on a true story of a
young boy struggling with the monsters in his nightmares. This mandala of the wild goose symbolizes the Holy Ghost in Celtic
Christianity. It was inspired by Celtic designs, Iona motifs in particular.

As June of 2019 approached, I was preparing for
retirement from a career in education. I loved the
classroom, and the joy of watching wonder spur learning.
But it was time to cross this threshold that would allow
for time to focus on areas of my life that had for many
years been overshadowed by obligations of career and
family. Exploring my faith and spirituality with more
intention was one such area. But as new opportunities
presented themselves almost daily, I knew I needed
discernment.
Some of that discernment I found in Pat Schneider’s
book How the Light Gets In (Oxford University Press,
2013). In it, she shares the tale of a rabbi who hears
about a simple peasant who is rumoured to pray with
more wisdom than he. When the rabbi finds this
peasant, he learns that this man only knows ten letters of
the alphabet; the man states simply, “I said to God, ‘All I
have are these ten letters; take them and combine them
however you want so that they smell good to you’”(pg.9).
When all of a sudden so many possibilities were calling
to me, it was comforting to hear these words. What our
experiences have taught us, what skills we have acquired
over the years, as limited or plentiful as they may seem,
these are what we can offer. Simply presenting them,
trusting that they might be combined into something
that is pleasing when offered to the Divine, provided
clarity for the way forward.
There are, of course, many building blocks or
“alphabets” that we can extend. We might immediately
think of gifts of dance, writing, art, or music, but gifts
of hospitality, accounting, companionship and listening
are also “alphabets.” The possibilities really are as varied
as we are individuals.
Living in the second half of life, I also embrace
the idea that the “alphabet” can serve as a metaphor
for wholeness. The expression “From A to Z” implies
entirety, and in the Christian tradition, eternity is
expressed in the words found in Revelation 22:13: “I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the
beginning and the end” (N.I.V.). The novel The End of
the Alphabet by CS Richardson (Anchor Canada, 2008)
is structured around its protagonist, Ambrose Zephyr,
aiming to fully live each of his days after receiving a
terminal health diagnosis. He and his wife Zipper set
out to travel to 26 places whose names begin with each
of the letters of the alphabet in succession. The novel
is beautiful in language, feel, and message, a good tale
to remind us to consider how we use our days. As the
young Ambrose imagines the possibilities of drawing
each letter of the alphabet and treasures the weight
of individual letters from old type sets he cradles in
his hand, we sense how precious each letter is, and by
extension, how precious each of the days they represent.
Of course, as A through Z represents all of the letters of
the English/Latin alphabet, a completion of travels from
A to Z would feel complete, a life lived to its fullest, as
we like to say.
Of course, this alphabet of 26 letters is only one of
many alphabets in the world. The Merriam-Webster
dictionary defines an alphabet as a “set of letters or other
characters with which one or more languages are written
especially if arranged in a customary order” (https://
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alphabet). Most
of us are taught our ABC’s prior to kindergarten. We
learn the customary order. How rich it might be to dip
our toe into other alphabets!
Richard Rohr tells the story of a desert father, Abba
Arsenius, who, although educated, seeks wisdom from
an unschooled peasant. When questioned about this, he
replies, “I have indeed been taught Latin and Greek, but
I do not know even the alphabet of this peasant” (Center
for Action and Contemplation Daily Meditations,
January 24, 2020; https://cac.org/the-peasants-alpha-
bet-2020-01-24/). He was willing to seek out this man,
and then both listen and learn from him. Spending time
with others who are different from ourselves and learning
their “alphabets” may seem like a simple task. But so
often, our natural inclination is to spend time with those
with whom we share our culture, including our values,
outlook on life, and spiritual practices. This feels safe.
We are not threatened, our values are reinforced and
our identity affirmed. But when do we grow? When we
spend time with others who are different from ourselves.
One of the greatest pleasures of teaching high school
in Toronto was forming relationships with people
from other walks of life. Witnessing the faithfulness of
Muslim students as they gathered for Friday prayers in
the classroom beside my own, hearing stories connected
with names from many cultures, learning the first
steps of reconciliation from those whose cultures and
lives have been victims of colonialism, even gathering
in grief with others at a Sikh funeral - these were gifts
of openness that others offered to me, from their
“alphabets,” allowing me to reflect on my own beliefs
and practices in deeper ways.
Walking a Sacred Path with the Alphabet
by
Shawna Yeung

2  2  2  2  2
Walking the labyrinth as a spiritual practice may be
new to some of you. There is only one path, making
it different from a maze. The path in, towards the
centre, is often described as a path of release. As we
move away from our busy lives and move towards a
place of centering, this allows us to move away from
the concerns and burdens of our day. We may choose
to walk with a question or word, person or situation,
seeking clarity or insight. The centre is a place to rest
and receive, a place for being still, with an open heart.
The return path returns us to the world, perhaps with
new insight or simply restoration from this time set
apart. If using a paper labyrinth, you might wish to use a
pen, pencil or marker along the path, or consider using
the same page for journaling, perhaps an apt response
when contemplating the alphabet. Welcome anything
that occurs—a phone ringing, a sudden rain shower,
the shadow of a bird in flight crossing the path—simply
embrace any metaphor with which you are gifted.
If you have a handheld labyrinth (available for
download/print in The Rose, Issue 34, pg. 41 or at
Veriditas.org), or prepare to walk a labyrinth on foot,
you might circle around the outside of the labyrinth in
a clockwise direction to quiet your mind and prepare
your heart. As you pause at the entrance, you may
wish to offer what, for you, are your gifts, your ten
letters, asking for them to be pleasing, to be used and
transformed into things greater than the offering itself.
Or perhaps you might reflect on what, for you, is the
Alpha and Omega? For each day, for each month or
year; what would, for you, represent a full and complete
lifetime, regardless of the number of years, or a full year,
regardless of the number of accomplishments, a full day,
regardless of the number of minutes? Perhaps consider
how we collectively are able to learn and share in the
“alphabets” of others.
You might think of the path towards the centre as
a path of releasing cares or burdens you are carrying. It
might also be a time for recognizing and collecting your
building blocks that are your materials along the path.
Imagine the small weight of type blocks fitting in the
palm of your hand, regardless of the number of letters.
When you reach the centre, be open to anything that
is there for you alone. Be receptive. Not only are we
blessed by the touch of angel wings, but also by soft
gentle breezes known as zephyrs. We don’t need to limit
our blessings. When you are ready to return back to the
world, simply follow the same path out, taking with you
anything you may have received on your walk, even if
it is simply a peaceful ambling. Return with your heart
open to possibility.
2  2  2  2  2
For many years, I encouraged students to be open to
wonder, as wonder never fails as a teacher. I close with a
poem that comes from my ongoing journey of learning
my own letters, with gratitude for the writings of Pat
Schneider which inspired these thoughts.
Getting from A to Z
Blessed by the insight
of one who brings beauty into our lives
with her words
I stand in the face of mystery
knowing my good sense
will keep me safe
Learning that to let go
of the safe places to which we cling
can bring us to places of wonder
Trusting that an open heart
is also a deep well
uncovered
I offer simply the gifts that are mine to offer.
May their aroma
be made sweet.
2  2  2  2  2
Article, “walk,” and poem by Shawna Yeung, Toronto,
Ontario, is a former High School Geography and
English teacher with the Toronto District School
Board. She is a trained Labyrinth Facilitator, sometimes
musician, photographer, and poet.
Art, Labyrinth #4 by Roberta Charbonneau, see her bio on p. 11.

I Came to be Known as the Damascene Rose by Hedy Habra, Portage, MI. See her bio on pg. 15.
Photograph, Rose by John Spiesman, Thompson, OH, is a Spiritual Companion and Dream worker in the Jungian Christian Mystical
Tradition from Northeast Ohio. He is interested in nature photography, capturing all aspects of creation and symbols in creation throughout
the seasons. John enjoys honoring dream images through photography and may be contacted through his website: www.spsj.care
I Came to be Known as the Damascene Rose
Our origin is shrouded with mystery: some say
we thrived in distant lands, but came to be known
as Rosa Damascena. The heady rich scent
of our rippled skirts once graced Syrian rooftops,
balconies, and roadsides, before the air reeked
with gunpowder. Dried up farmlands have swallowed
our shadows. We bear the heavy burden of fallen
bodies, young bodies wrapped hastily in white shrouds,
a sterile graveyard weighing over our own. An oasis
sung by poets, the Ghouta, is now barren, its trees
reduced to ashes. When mature fruits fell, their juices
sank in sacrifice into the soil’s deepest layers.
Leaves followed the movements of the air,
the flight of sunrays veiling and unveiling every bloom.
Lying under the scorched earth, like Sleeping Beauty,
we have stopped counting, mourning this unending winter
of strife and destruction. And bear in mind that we still
feel the sunlight through fissures and cracks, find moisture
within our own veins, sense every frisson of the earth,
every drop of dew soothing our pain; some of us have
risen and circled around ruins. We know we will all
blossom again under the warm breath of our caretakers.
Their callused fingers will once again gently prune
our stems, removing each spotted leaf one by one,
guide our canes and shoots around poles and trellises.

“MOONLIT PATH”
(This is a song from God!)
Walking the moonlit path
You can see a thing or two
You have to be free~
To REALLY see, with the eyes, behind your eyes.
See the things I want you to…
Go the way I want you to….
Walking the moonlit path
You can see a thing or two
Have to be open, my dear~
To REALLY hear, with the ears, behind your ears.
See with the eyes you look through
Hear with the ears, I’ve given you.
The path is illuminated for you…..
Walk with me, won’t you?
I’d like to show you a thing or two.
The path is illuminated, just for you…..
Walk with me, won’t you?
I want you to see and hear a thing or two!
“MOONLIT PATH” by Shannon Adams, see her bio on pg. 39.
Photograph, Clematis Reaching for the Moon by Sarah D. Norton

Bedfellows by Kathryn Etters Lovatt Camden, SC. Kathryn earned her M.A. in Creative Writing and English from Hollins University. A
resident of Camden SC, she was awarded an individual artist grant for creative writing by the SC Arts Commission and was named the 2021
Elizabeth Boatwright Coker Fellow in prose, an honor awarded by the SC Academy of Authors. Where Comparison Ends, her poetry chapbook,
was published in 2021 by Main Street Rag. This poem was included in the literary journal,“Kakalak.” (kathrynlovatt@hotmail.com)
Artwork, The Heavens #2 by Roberta Charbonneau, see her bio on pg. 11.
Bedfellows
Don’t hush us when we speak
in the mouse hours of night.
In gray moments, we pass through
a small, hidden door bearing
the seven-storey mountain,
the Bodhi tree, a goblin forest.
Starry nights swim in our waters,
Monet’s lilies float like moons.
Beneath buzz, clutter, a fiddling
of crickets, beneath logic,
flows music, magic,
the afterglow of ancestors.
We bring unfinished business,
bones to pick, cries and squawks
stuck in the craw. A tell-tale heart
thump-thumps by the bedpost,
the beat of your own quickens,
then settles in a room from childhood.
Anything you ever imagined
lives here—memories of all you knew,
everyone you loved and those
you never met. We safekeep secrets,
carry sorrows and solace, wake
babies and monsters, rattle the dog.
Under your eyelids, we stitch
the wee-hour world while waiting
for you to give-in to weariness.
Abandon the Jabberwock of daytime—
drift here, where nothing is tangible
and everything is possible.
Come, lie down by the fire that casts
light and shadow, warms or burns.
When morning breaks, gather
our embers, shape the cooling cinders
into well-made words. Liven us
in the moist pocket of your mouth.

Dying to Speak, the Call of the Ancestors
by
David Chitara
Roots of dis-ease can lie buried deep in the cold soil
of the family tree. I recently had the opportunity to at-
tend a Transgenerational healing workshop. Working
with ancestors as well as past lives are not new areas for
me, the nature of my work takes me into this territory
frequently. Sometimes, though, a truth or discovery can
only be found when the time is ripe. This workshop,
surprisingly, held some ripe fruit for me. I would like to
share one of my discoveries with you.
Diabetes is a ubiquitous disease in my family. Both
of my parents have had diabetes along with grandparents
on each side. For the past 5 years or so, I’ve been strug-
gling with my own blood sugar imbalance. During the
ancestral healing workshop, we were invited to choose an
issue to address. I landed on my blood sugar struggle.
Most of our “work” involved protocols utilizing
guided visualization. After some deep relaxation to enter
conscious trance, I was invited to choose an object to rep-
resent my issue and to throw it way up in the air allowing
it to land somewhere in the ancestral lineage. Keeping
things simple, I tossed a pancreas high into the air and
watched it land about 5 generations back on my father’s
side. It landed right between a couple which meant that
I would need to do some investigating with both the hus-
band and the wife.
Immediately, I noted intense stress and pain on the
face of the woman. She was clearly in distress, yet try-
ing desperately to hide it. There was a strong feeling of
needing to keep up an appearance. The man was flat and
blank, almost checked out. He had dealt with whatever
the stress was by shutting down. Something had hap-
pened to cause this couple to be living in a constant state
of vigilance and numbness.
I first felt called to approach the woman, curious to
see what she wanted to reveal. After conveying my inten-
tions and care, she collapsed to a near fetal position and
began sobbing. She felt so alone and she was exhausted
from bottling her grief and pain.
A story of a hidden crime began to unfold. This cou-
ple had two sons. Very little was revealed about their
lives, but I was shown that the older son killed his young-
er brother. The younger son had done something that
disgusted and repulsed the older son. In a fit of rage and
fury, the older son snuffed out his brother’s life. Torn and
grieving, this family now faced a huge dilemma.
The choice was made to cover up the murder. This
was not an easy choice to make, but the couple knew
they would lose their oldest son to prison. And the fate
of the family farm, their survival, was at stake.
I was not shown the intricate details of their scheme,
but I could feel the pain and guilt that weighed heavy
on each of them. The joy and warmth of family was
long gone. They simply existed, living out their days bur-
dened by this haunting secret and the shame they tried
desperately to hide.
With this secret now revealed, I noticed a new light-
ness and relief come over this couple. The man began
to relax and become a bit more animated, the woman
breathing deeper with a quaint smile appearing. I lat-
er connected with the sons and witnessed healing taking
place in them as well. Consciousness and awareness were
doing the work. I witnessed the unburdening of the fam-
ily tree through the generations.
In theory and practice, hidden crimes in family lin-
eage do not go unpunished. It is as if a vacuum is created
and something or someone has to fill it. Unexplained
guilt, experiences of violence, self-sacrificing behaviors,
and superstition (or feelings of being cursed) are a few
signs that a hidden crime may be operating in the an-
cestral past. Once the secret comes to light, healing and
resolution can begin.
It has only been a short while since this secret crime
was uncovered; so I don’t have much to report on its im-
pact on my own blood sugar. But it feels like a significant
missing piece and has brought a subtle sense of peace as
well. Within a few days of this workshop, I developed
what I feel was a healing crisis with fevers, cough, chills,
and fatigue, a further sign that deep work was taking
place.
Often there are clues that arise in following gener-
ations, echoes or signs that something is unresolved in
the family tree. Nature truly does abhor a vacuum. The
evening of my discovery, as I lay in bed contemplating
what I had just experienced, I suddenly realized a blatant
clue to this crime in my own birth family.
My parents, as most, put a lot of thought and prayer
into the naming of their children. My older brother was
named Stephen, after my father. Stephen was also the
first martyr in the book of Acts of the New Testament
Bible, a story we were often reminded of growing up.
Who was responsible for Stephen’s untimely and cruel
death? The persecutor of the early Christian church, Saul
— who later had an epiphany and changed his name to
Paul — had Stephen stoned to death. My parents named
me, the next child, Paul (I legally changed my name 17
years ago). I laid in my bed shocked as this came to light
and another piece of the puzzle fell into place. Right
there in our naming was a clue to the hidden murder
deep in the ancestral closet. I am grateful this part of the
family story has come to light. May my ancestors truly
rest in peace, unburdened of this heavy load. And may
the reverberations of this truth have a lasting, healing im-
pact on myself and all my relations.
David Chitara is a practicing Evolutionary Astrolo-
ger, Homeopath, and Flower Essence Practitioner. He
specializes in working with deep memory and untying
karmic knots that hinder current growth, healing, and
evolution. He enjoys music and singing, meditation,
and long walks in nature. You can find out more about
his work at www.EvolutionaryWaves.com.

Unveiled by Darby Christopher, Dunwoody, GA. Darby is an interfaith minister, dream worker, activist, and spiritual companion. She
is the author of From Anxiety to Connection: A Path to Authentic Relating, which contains a chapter on the power of group dream work. For
more information visit www.revdarbychristopher.com. Artwork, Early Spring Sunset by John Spiesman, see his bio on pg. 32.

ANIMA MUNDI (“The Blessing”)
–for Jade
One dark night not so long ago at my hearth an
easy vision came a firepit talking like a
hieroglyph in a dreamlike language numinous
with imprints of Eternity. It whispers
hisses and spits cackling like an old witch a
background chorus to the medicine dance of warm
shadowsandlightwherered-hotembersbreatheflamesin
healing waves that speak softly in a rhythm of
wild tongues all people understand. As hundreds of
frogs newly born take their first gentle choir lesson from
Eternity’s Conductor while godlike Spring is
reborn green and pregnant like a sleeping bear
under a corona-bright moon rising full and
radiant in the Southern sky. Is it enough
this round, bubblelike moment of being and
becoming secretly wed—conjunctio—blending
space and time in primitive harmonies as the
presence of the Old Ones stirs silently with our
breath? Buried here in the womblike temple of the
Mother of Night in the deep cave of the heart shaped
like a smooth black stone worms and serpents sleep like
dragons and grow magic wings while you and I just
sit here at the still point of the mystery at
the crossroads nearest the miracle like
enchanted footprints waking in the ruby-
perfect darkness of the World-Soul.
Anima Mundi (“The Blessing”) by R.L. Boyer, Santa Rosa, CA, see his bio on pg. 11.
Artwork, Goddess by Nancy Carter, Athens, GA, Nancy Carter is an artist and educator in Athens, GA. She has been led by
dreams since she discovered dreamwork through a Centerpoint group and Journey into Wholeness in the 70’s and 80’s.

It’s spring and I’m getting sprung!
Out of my cave and into the sun.
Bursting out, busting through clothes too tight
and dry crackly winter skin.
I’ve been gestated, incubated, and vaccinated.
Manured, fertilized and immunized.
And now these clothes are not my size!
It’s spring and I’m getting sprung!
Remove this muffler from my tongue
and take this heavy coat off of my chest.
I’m gonna step out in the dewy green grass,
puff out my red breast and sing. Who knows,
I may even sprout wings. It’s spring and
I’m bursting at the seams! This is my dream
and in it I’m every being and every thing.
I’ll twist and shout, tweet and sing
even if don’t know the words,
can’t feel the rhythm and I’m way out of tune --------- or on a limb.
I’m gonna run with the wolves
and bark at the moon,
roll naked in the mud
and make chocolate pies
with a silver serving spoon.
I’ll cut my hair and make a piggy-wig
wid it, wear a gold ring in the end of my nose
and silver bells on my muddy toes.
There’s more than one way
to become a rose – shit
makes for strong roots
even when it offends the nose.
Look closer and perhaps you’ll see –
underneath the pink blossoming cherry tree –
a black sprinkled silver crown
poking its way through
rain softened ground.
It’s spring! The daffodils are blooming
and so am I! It’s spring and I want to play!
Batter up! I’m swinging for home and going all the way.
The ump in my dream is me and so is the diamond
I found in my ruff ruff ruff. Safe!
comes the call from my retriever,
the golden one behind home plate.
I got the 100 count box of crayolas and the
biggest bestest paper that my money can buy.
Still, I got my hungry eyes and without a doubt soon my paws
on the table, floors, windows and walls. I know
what’s mine, I’ve heard the call and if
I stumble and fall, I’ll crawl – until I’m ready to walk, run and fly again.
At age 60 + 5 it’s a miracle and a gift just to be alive. I’m my own prize!
It’s spring! The daffodils are
My Big Spring Dream
My Big Spring Dream by Margaret Bishop continues on pg. 39.
Drawing, Blossoming by Lisa Rigge, see her bio on pg. 8.

blooming and so am I! Batter up
and butter up. I’m a little buttercup. See my chin,
a muddy peanut butter mess but save that napkin please.
I’m gonna wipe the goo with my fingers and lick them clean.
It’s ok. I bin vaccinated and now I’m getting celebrated!
My Big Spring Dream by Margaret Bishop, Burnsville, NC. Margaret retired over 10 years ago from a 30 year critical care nursing career in
Daytona Beach, FL. She spent years dog paddling on the surface of Jungian dreamwork before making the deep dive 4 years ago. She is a recent
Haden Institute Spiritual Direction graduate, a blossoming artist, a budding poet and spiritual companion, and an avid tennis player.
Hope for the New Year
23 will be….
Wonderful just wait and see
Spring is coming soon!
The flowers will bloom
Butterflies forever loom
Summer is nearing.
Soaking in the sun
We gather and have some fun
Fall will be here soon.

Leaves will change each day
Changes are coming our way
Winter is here now.
Hope for the New Year by Shannon Adams, New Smyrna Beach, FL. Shannon is a singer-songwriter, author and poet.
She found her passion six years ago when she began writing songs. She has been writing poetry since she was a little girl. She is
married to her loving husband of 36 years and is the mother of two adults and Oma to five grandchildren. (This piece was orig-
inally submitted for 2021, year in the first line was changed in editing to “23” to match this publication date.)
Photograph, Peach Blossoms by Lisa Rigge, see her bio on pg. 8.

War & Peace by Gottfried Maria Heuer, London, UK, “with Dreamcat stretching, purring on my lap.” (See his bio on pg. 22).
He states: ‘This poem is not just about the war out there which we all may be thinking of—and a hopeful peace—SOON!—we’re
praying for. This is also about our very own personal wars we may feel tempted to fight—with those we know and love, as well as the
wars inside. They are all interlinked—are, actually, one and the same . . .”
 Wishing you and yours all the best in 2023 
May our world know peace, comfort, and joy enough to bear the pain.
Best wishes for a life well lived, loved, and shared with others.
Photograph Feather on Water by Gottfried Maria Heuer, see his bio on pg. 22.
War & Peace
A pigeon taking off to fly
from the top of my neighbour’s home
carries in her beak across the sky
a branch to build her own.
For two, three beatings of her wings
she becomes the symbol so well known:
Peace on Earth – and Glory from up high!
People say, “A war begins” — or “ends” —
as if it were an entity all of its own:
Yet it is us who go to war,
and it is us upon whom peace depends.
So, let’s attend to that,
before all other things!

The Rose in the World, Issue 36

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to The Rose in the World, Issue 36

Similar to The Rose in the World, Issue 36 (8)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

The Rose in the World, Issue 36