05.19.2025. (en-courage, courage within)
Hello dear Friends,
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
— Maya Angelou
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Oh, maybe you know this place too: the heartbreak and agony of the frozen voice, the quiet defeat of a held-back heart, the fear that cuts off access to your own inner Light. The relentless mind spins – of worry, loss, shame, and pain—that lock away your magnificent story, throws away the key! Yet, in the temple of my very bones, I know each of us holds a holy untold story—a heart poised to ignite like a struck match, ready to illuminate the beauty and light within, ready to offer it out into our complex and sacred world.
Here, with the loss of use of my right hand, my writing hand, I felt like a fish out of water, gasping, swallowing, gaping at air, slipping into despair. My one-fingered typing of newsletters, to-do lists, messages, and emails was leaving me threadbare. So, what do we do when we need care? We reach out to sacred others—not those who collude with our patterns, but those who say, "I remember you," and who desire your awakening as much as their own. A sacred other walks with you through the darkest night and gently says, "Sweet dear, let's look at what is here together."
From my writing teacher, a practice for voice and roadblocks: I hope it offers you care.
“....a voice that is always there, curled up tender inside you. all it needs is oxygen, and someone's breath to encourage (en-courage, courage within) you let it speak..... “
– Barbara Mahany
Each morning, or before writing, close your eyes and reflect on the past 24 hours. What moment stands out? Which feels most charged, yearning to be explored? What moment sparked awe? Whispered of love? Moved you to tears?
"Follow your tears"; trust them.
Tears mark holy ground; truth and the Divine are near.
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Heart Open, Mind Quiet. Join Us for Metta & Calm-Abiding Meditation practice this afternoon. No experience needed.
2:00 - 3:00 PM Drop-In Meditation
3:00 - 4:00 PM Conversation About Practice
Where: 1765 Glenview Road (Patio Shops)
Cost: Free (Donations & poems appreciated)
I look forward to practicing with you.
A deep bow,
Wini
🌸 This newsletter is full of inspiration, resources and links to play in. Made with ♥️.
💌 Know someone who could use a little goodness for their heart? Send them a copy! If a friend forwarded this to you and you'd like your very own newsletter subscribe here
🌸 Two Poems to Share
Breath | Yahia Lababidi
Beneath the intricate network of noise
there's a still more persistent tapestry
woven of whispers, murmurs and chants
It's the heaving breath of the very earth
carrying along the prayer of all things:
trees, ants, stones, creeks and mountains alike
All giving silent thanks and remembrance
each moment, as a tug on a rosary bead
while we hurry past, heedless of the mysteries
And, yet, every secret wants to be told
every shy creature to approach and trust us
if we patiently listen, with all our senses.
THE MAPLES | Marie Howe
I asked the stand of maples behind the house,
How should I live my life?
They said, shhh shhh shhh…
How should I live, I asked, and the leaves seemed to ripple and gleam.
A bird called from a branch in its own tongue,
And from a branch, across the yard, another bird answered.
A squirrel scrambled up a trunk
then along the length of a branch.
Stand still, I thought,
See how long you can bear that.
Try to stand still, if only for a few moments,
drinking light breathing
🌿 Tumbling through one of my do-not-miss newsletters to read, Maria Popova, The Marginalian shared The Maples stunning; the whole article a stunning read.
Give a listen 🎧 here to ‘"The Maples" by Marie Howe (read by Rose Hanzlik)
The last line gutted me–how much beauty, breath, light–presence can I tolerate? allow?
🌸 Three Quotes | St. Augustine. Parker Palmer. Bayo Akomolafe.
“God is always trying to give good things to us, but our hands are too full to receive them.”
“No punishment anyone might inflict on us could possibly be worse than the punishment we inflict on ourselves by conspiring in our own diminishment.”— Parker Palmer in I will Not Die an Unlived Life by Dawna Markova
“What would change if we took seriously the consideration that the world is alive, that we derive our being from a never-static, ever-changing field of entanglements, and that we are not the center of the universe?” — Bayo Akomolafe
🌿 Someone to know about, Dr. Bayo Akomolafe – a philosopher, psychologist, professor, speaker, poet and truth-teller. He is a teacher and public intellectual renowned for his unconventional views on global crises, activism, and social change. A powerful podcast from The Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC), Losing Your Way Generously with Bayo Akomolafe (58:43 min)
🌸 Something to Read 📚 | Attn: Parents, Grandparents, & Teachers. Spark Joy with Storytime! ✨
I'm so excited to share two gorgeous books by my dear friend and Dream Team Retreat leader, Courtney Riley! Her creations, "Tavi the Turtle" and "Breathe and Dream with Luna the Butterfly," are perfect books for little ones!
"Tavi the Turtle" explores friendship and finding your own voice, while "Breathe and Dream with Luna the Butterfly" offers a soothing path to bedtime.
These heart-centered stories are filled with imagination, gentle practices, and calming rhythms meant to support rest, creativity, and connection—for kids and their grownups
Know a parent, grandparent, or teacher who'd love these?
Share the magic! ✨
PS. Courtney also has exciting companion books and audio coming soon
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🌸 Two-Spots Open Sign Up ✍️ | The Conversation is Silence
“This is the first, the wildest and the wisest thing I know:
that the soul exists and is built entirely out of attentiveness.”
— Mary Oliver
Join us for Healing Vessel a sacred, immersive Energy Circle that invites you to rest in the tenderness of your heart, beyond division, and into a shared experience of healing harp music, meditation and collective healing.
Barbara Brennan Energy Medicine healers Julie Fedeli & Wini Nimrod will facilitate the flow of prana through gentle touch within the circle, amplifying the individual intentions held in each heart. The circle will be beautifully held by the harp music of Margaret Pasquesi using sound to heal.
Date: Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Time: 6:00 pm–8:30 pm
Come Sit is Sacred Space.
Rest in Silence.
Tend to Your Heart.
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🌸 Closing Song 🎶 | Long Time Sun & Flower
My default go-to music tends to lean towards devotional music, something like the sacred sound of Snatam Kaur (3:48 min). But thanks to my son Aidan's gentle musical nudges, my repertoire is expanding! ✨
Courtesy of Aidan, sent my way, the beautiful duet "Flowers" by the incredibly talented Nathaniel Rateliff and Gregory Alan Isakov. Apparently, they unveiled it on Jimmy Kimmel Live! back in February (3:57 min). Sharing in case anyone else wants to add this lovely track to their playlist! 🎶
Lyrics:
You can look at a rose, just any rose
Accept that it's perfect
Let it dry on the wall
But what is its purpose?
What is its purpose?
Just breathe, just be…
Listen on YouTube (4:00 min) or Spotify (4:00 min)
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“May the pure light within guide you home
illuminate your light, your beauty.
May you rest in the first dawn’ light
hear birdsong and the Beloved whispering
good morning, your holy name.
May you be undone by kindness.”
Have a blessed day,
Love, Wini 💖
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✨ may we bloom more Light together.
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🌎 may we stitch more heart-tenderness into the fabric of our planet.
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….Until next week. 💖 ✨
