North of Ordinary

Partnership as a chosen weaving of lives There is a particular kind of devotion that arises when two (or more) people choose to walk together—not out of obligation, not because a tradition demands it, but because their lives have begun to braid themselves into something shared. Partnership, in this sense, is a weaving: a deliberate interlacing of stories, strengths, vulnerabilities, and hopes. Handfasting is an ancient Celtic and Pagan tradition from Scotland and Ireland, ori

For most of human history, the shift from childhood into adolescence was marked with intention. Communities gathered. Elders spoke blessings. Young people were welcomed into a new chapter with clarity about what was ending and what was beginning. These rites didn’t just celebrate maturity—they offered orientation, belonging, and the reassurance of being witnessed at a time when identity is stretching and reshaping itself. Today, that crossing often happens quietly, almost acc

A rite of passage today is any moment—personal, communal, or planetary—where life asks us to cross from one way of being into another, to shed an old way of being, and step into a new one with intention.

For my Interspecies Practice, I decided to try my hand at creating a prayer garland. A prayer garland is a single, continuous strand of beads. This one is made of thirty‑one prayer beads.

Living in a fishing village has taught me to pay attention to the small, steadfast rhythms that shape a coastal life.

he land you live on is not generic. It is a small, intricate ecosystem with its own habits and moods. You can hear its voice in the earliest birdsong of spring — the chickadees testing the morning light, the crows calling across the tree line to share news only they understand. You can see it in the way native plants open themselves to the sun or fold inward when rain is near, responding to cues older than memory.

There are thresholds we cross without memory, yet they shape us forever. Birth is the first of them — the moment we tumble from one world into another, carried by breath, held by hands, witnessed by those who will become our first circle of belonging. This is the first threshold of being.

A gentle approach to spiritual direction, holding the light to help the seeker see the path ahead.

Animism invites us to see the land, animals, plants, stones, and waters as beings with their own wisdom and presence. This perspective challenges us to rethink how we relate to the living world and to find a right relationship that honors all life.

When you strike a match and touch it to the wick, something in the unseen world brightens in response. When the altar cloth flutters down and settles into place, creation seems to murmur, Yes. I see you. Let’s begin. Ritual doesn’t fix the world. It doesn’t erase uncertainty. It doesn’t silence the noise of a world in turmoil. It Changes Us, and That Changes Everything. Ritual gives our hands something to do when our heart is overwhelmed. It offers our body a way to spea

Grief is an unpredictable guest. Sometimes it crashes through the door, scattering the quiet you were trying to hold. Sometimes it sits beside you like an old companion who remembers what you’ve lost and refuses to let you carry it alone. However it arrives, it is here because something in your life mattered. Something in your life still matters. Simply let emotion be what it is: whether to rest or to rage - You are allowed.

Grief can arrive like coastal weather—unexpected and unyielding. Grief can arrive the way weather does on the coast—unannounced, insistent, and with its own ideas about how long it plans to stay.

the time has arrived to acknowledge how over time we have outgrown the old language of "Pet ownership" not because love is new, but because we finally have words spacious enough to hold what we have always known. The new words that define this relationship is animal companion.

gentle awakening of spring is not marked by sudden bursts of color or warmth but by subtle shifts in light, temperature, and mood. It is a season that teaches us to notice the small changes and to trust the slow unfolding of life. in Midcoast Maine, the land does not rush to match the clock’s generosity. Instead, spring arrives slowly and softly, inviting patience and reflection.

Community service often marks a meaningful step in personal growth and social responsibility. Crossing the threshold into service within the community can be a profound experience, especially when connected to rites of passage and spiritual guidance. This journey not only strengthens bonds with others but also deepens awareness of our environment and the living beings around us. Exploring how rites of passage, animal chaplaincy, spiritual direction, and land preservation.