06.23.2025 Tumble and Trial
Hello dear Friends,
"…a figure reborn through trial, through fire—
and in this raw, barren, beautiful place, everything just aligned…"
— David Popa, Born of Fire
a short video, a powerful creation of earth in prayer (1:19 min)
🌿
Who doesn't know this place of raw barrenness, born from fire? This place of tumble and trial, where we need to sometimes curl into earth, take refuge in the lap of the Great Mother. There, we roll into a slow quiet, return to the heart of silence, to the heart of our tears. This allows us to hear the whispers of the Beloved, tending to us, holding us dear. There, we return to the heart of God and offer our prayers, rose-petal-soft.
In the charred fire, in the forgiving, soft ash, we are reborn. By inexplicable magic, a divine force-energy moves through us, within us, and all around. I'm learning this is grace—something that perhaps truly has no words—a channel that heals our broken hearts. It tends the blackened, loose crumbs of darkness with the soft flesh of time, smoothing the edges of our scarred skin—the million tiny paper cuts of a heart that never believed healing possible. Here, the heart is stitched whole by the compost of grief, by unfolding grace.
Join me Today– Mindfulness of Breath & Metta Meditation Practice
All are welcome, no prior experience needed—just bring an open heart.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Drop-in Meditation Practice
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM: Conversations on the Practice of Meditation
Location: 1765 Glenview Road, Glenview (in the Patio Shops)
Donations are gratefully accepted.
A bow of gratitude we are here together,
Wini
Scroll Below–2 poems, 3 quotes, 1 closing song, and goodness between. Made with ♥️.
💌 Know someone who needs a little goodness for their heart? Please share! If this was forwarded to you, subscribe for your own copy
🌸 Two Poems to Share
How To Be Dead | Lisa Owens Viani
Do not feel
the sun cascading
on your shoulders
like a warm waterfall
as you walk
Do not watch
the violet green swallows
skimming overhead
so close that a strand
of your hair lifts and falls
in their wake,
Do not notice
the pale green
just emerging leaves
of the persimmon tree
the oak trees,
the frothy blossoms of the apple
tree and the cherry.
Do not pet every dog
you see on your walk
from the friendliest
pitbull “Petey” to the joyful
ball-obsessed cocker spaniel.
Do not listen to exquisite
music in one ear, birdsong
in the other.
Refuse to feel
the sweetness of it all.
Release | Danna Faulds
I lay myself down
on the welcoming
ground, the earth's
spine becoming mine.
Peace seeps into
heavy limbs and
slows my heartbeat
to the pace of
nature. I take refuge
in the quiet, and let
my burdens go,
one by one, until
the earth and I
both float in the
same vast and
holy silence.
🌸 Three Quotes | Augustine Ichiro Okumura. Etty Hillesum. Melinda Gates.
“Prayer is that divine seed whose roots draw food from earthly existence. Like the lotus flower that does not bloom in arable ground but in marshes, prayer thrusts its roots into human misery as if into mud. But the lotus flower does not show any trace of the muddy water from which it drew life; turned toward the sky, it blooms.” — Augustine Ichiro Okumura, AWAKENING TO PRAYER
“Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it toward others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will also be in our troubled world.” —Etty Hillesum
🌿 My first introduction to Etty Hillesum came through Carol Lee Flinders's book Enduring Lives: Living Portraits of Women and Faith in Action. I was completely drawn in by Flinders's profiles of four contemporary women of faith: Sister Helen Prejean, Jane Goodall, Etty Hillesum, and Tenzin Palmo. (4 women to know about!) Flinders links these modern figures to historical female mystics, suggesting an unbroken "mother line" of spiritual action and courage.
“The world is full of what seem like intractable problems. Often we let that paralyze us. Instead, let it spur you to action. There are some people in the world that we can't help, but there are so many more that we can. So when you see a mother and her children suffering in another part of the world, don't look away. Look right at them. Let them break your heart, then let your empathy and your talents help you make a difference in the lives of others. Whether you volunteer every week or just a few times a year, your time and unique skills are invaluable.” — Melinda Gates
🌿 My meditation would have her students look at hard things, look at suffering, watch movies and read news difficult to swallow, all to help us take a wide view, to let our well-contained hearts crack open. This quote struck me the same way, exposing the part of me that doesn't want to see—the part that looks away, ignores the roadkill on the side of the road, turns away from the family begging on the corner, does not make eye contact with unhoused people on the streets, or truly see a mother and her children suffering.
🌿
A song that speaks to the heart of looking Madonna On The Curb
“There sits a little lady with brave but troubled eyes
And in her arms a baby that cries and cries and cries
Remember my beautiful lady, Madonna on the curb”
🌸 Put Your Name on Our Priority List! ✍️ | Upcoming Retreat with Wini
“The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind”
― Caroline Myss
A Sacred Pause for Women
Come join me for an intimate, soul-nourishing weekend, drop deeply into the very ground of your being— a weekend where time softens and holiness gently settles deep within your bones.
It's an opportunity to truly reconnect with your inner wisdom-teacher and experience the deep beauty residing within your own heart. A highlight of our Saturday morning will be an Equine Gestalt experience, allowing us to explore our inner truths and deepen into the ground of being through the innate wisdom of women and horses.
September 11-14, 2025
This exclusive gathering for a small circle of just 10-12 women will unfold at Soulful Prairie in Woodstock, IL (just 70 minutes north of Chicago).
Space is very limited. For early access to registration and to be among the first to receive all the details and pricing, sign up for the priority list here.
🌿
🌸 Closing Songs 🎶 | Ayla Schafer "Guiding and Protecting" Lyric Video (9:53 min)
Lyrics
“Here we enter, I feel you gather
Feathers in your hair and in your hands
Holding this circle, timelessly woven
Keepers of the invisible kingdom
Then I hear you say to me
We are the ancestors
We are the spirit beings of this land
Lean into us, for we are holding you”
🌿
In Mystical traditions, it is a great practice to offer chants and prayers of blessing and protection.
“May you feel the breath of life guiding and protecting you.
May you be blessed with a kindness,
that heals the harsh heart within and without.
May you love this world as it is —
complicated, troubled, full of beauty and fear
blooming from forgiving soft ash.
May all beings be safe and protected.”
Have a blessed day,
Love, Wini 💖
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Thank you for being part of this community. 💌 If Metta brings light to your inbox, please share it with a friend who needs a dose of tender kindness and care.
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Your small donation helps me illuminate our precious world with more light.
✨ may we bloom more Light together.
💞 may we grow more Goodness for the healing of all
🌎 may we stitch more heart-tenderness into the fabric of our planet.
*Venmo : https://venmo.com/u/Winifred-Nimrod
Zelle: wininim@gmail.com or 847.312.9313
….Until next week. 💖 ✨
Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.
- Mary Oliver
