Tag Archives: poetry

MUSING with Mabeth

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Big news!  I’ve launched a new website to integrate my writing, work, and news about upcoming programs and events. Visit me over there at mabethhudson.com. It’s evolving and growing just like you and me!

You are getting a sneak peek at my inaugural newsletter: “MUSING with Mabeth.” To muse is to meditate, ponder, reflect, or contemplate. Each month, I will invite you to muse along with me on a topic that aims to nurture our souls and spirits and support our spiritual well-being.  

Since April is National Poetry Month, let’s explore poetry as a way to care for our souls.  

APRIL 2025: POETRY FOR THE SOUL  

I’m a newly hatched poet, slowly opening my eyes to the intriguing power of poetry.  

Perhaps you, like me, have an ambivalent relationship with poetry. For much of my life, I found poetry to be impractical, inaccessible, intimidating, and slightly baffling.  My logical brain was dismissive of poetry, believing it was only for others more literary.  

But as I’ve grown, I’ve discovered poems, both ancient and contemporary, that have touched me deeply, providing vital nourishment for my soul. Poetry can shift me from my head to heart, awakening me to my connection to others, creation, God, and myself. It slows my rapid mind and anchors me in the present moment. Poems can provide a nest in which I pause to reconnect with Love that is always here.  

My interest was sparked by the poems of Mary Oliver (1935-2019). Her relationship with the natural world nudged me to pay attention to life around me in a new way. Poems such as “The Journey,” “Praying,” and “We Shake with Joy” have illuminated the spiritual path, providing just the light I needed at given points in my life. Her simple words, extracted from the poem “Sometimes,” inspire me daily:  

Instructions for life: 

Pay Attention. 

Be astonished. 

Tell about it. 

Poetry has the potential to uplift, encourage, connect, and heal us. As Phyllis Cole-Dai and Ruby Wilson wrote in Poetry of Presence II, poems “soothe our anxieties and self-doubt, restore our balance, boost our energy and strength, help us cope with stress” and “crack open the tough stuff and spill out the light.”  We realize we are not alone.  

Whether it be through reading and reflecting on poems or creating them, poetry can be a balm to the soul.  

In a group setting such as a meeting, workshop, or gathering, poems can center and connect us, uniting us into the present moment. When I lead workshops or small groups, I often begin by asking people to take a few deep breaths, and then I slowly read a poem that touches on the theme for the gathering. The images and words generally lead people to become more relaxed and receptive. A carefully chosen poem creates an environment of warmth and connection. 

I’m amazed at how many friends write poetry as part of their spiritual journey. One told me his poems tend to be questions or observations that stir his soul, in the way the wind stirs a pile of fall leaves, and he’s led into a conversation with God. Another shared that poetry transports her to a place she can’t get to by herself. Some write poems as a gift for their loved ones as a tribute or as a way of distilling memories to pass along to future generations. 

Award-winning poet and friend Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer has been writing a poem a day for almost twenty years, a writing practice that she says has changed the way she moves through her day. She’s more attentive, mindful, and able to hold life’s paradoxes of light and darkness. Then, she’s generous enough to share them with the world through her website! 

Rosemerry is so devoted to poetry as a spiritual practice that she guides and encourages many newly budding poets, including me. In her classes she often asks us to introduce ourselves by sharing one small thing that we noticed that day—something that caught our attention or a moment that stood out. That noticing often opens the door to my writing. One day I wrote a short, funny poem about the bruised bananas sitting on the kitchen counter! 

Another practice for the soul is to read poems as if it they were a gift from the Divine. In February, I often lead a program titled “Love Poems from God,” inspired by Daniel Ladinsky’s book by the same name. We reflect upon poems from across time and traditions that open our hearts to the Source of Love (a name for God) that is always here. It is a time of unexpected, precious revelations of loving and being loved.   

Friends, here’s an invitation to muse. Select a poem from a favorite source or from the resources provided below and try this:  

  • Read your poem slowly three times, paying attention to the words or images that resonate or tug at you. Let those words or images wash over you and linger in your soul.  
  • What aspects of love are you being invited to notice or to experience? How does your poem speak to what is happening in your life today?   
  • What is your response to your poem?  Have a silent conversation with God, your Higher Power, or your beloved self. You may wish to respond in a journal with words or images. 

Whatever your relationship with poetry may be, I hope that it can be a companion for you. Consider going deeper with the resources I’ve provided below. May you discover poetry that nurtures your soul and spirit! 

With love, 

Mabeth 

UPCOMING PROGRAMS AND EVENTS 

Conscious & Contemplative Aging: Sat. Apr. 26 (9:30 am – 4:00 pm) in person at Well for the Journey in Lutherville, MD. Shift from your consciousness about aging from self-limitation, isolation, anxiety, and fear towards expansiveness, wholeness, connection, and compassion. We’ll begin our time with a poem called “The Layers” by Stanley Kunitz who lived to be over 100 years old.  Learn more & Register at Well for the Journey. Click here.  

Bloom Into Summer: Reset + Renew Your Body, Mind and Spirit Retreat Day: Sat. June 14, 10 am – 3 pm on Delight Farm in Sparks, MD. Reconnect with joy, wonder, and play and set intentions for the summer. Learn & Register at Well for the Journey. Learn more and register  at Well for the Journey. Click here.  

GOING DEEPER WITH POETRY 

Poetry preferences can be quite personal, but if you are looking for resources to nurture your soul and spirit, I’ve listed some of my favorites below.  Most of them are collections of poems from various writers, offering numerous opportunities to find some that resonate with you.  

All the Honey, by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer- includes meeting the light and darkness following her son’s heartbreaking death.   

Devotions: Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver- contains many of her most popular poems from decades of writing, including the poems I referenced in this newsletter.  

Love Poems from God, collection translated by Daniel Ladinsky. 

Poetry of Presence II: More Mindfulness Poems, collection edited by Phyllis Cole-Dai and Ruby R Wilson.  

The Essential Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks. 

The Path to Kindness: Poems of Connection and Joy, collection edited by James Crews. 

Photo by Elina Sazonova on Pexels.com

Good Company to Birth the New

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Are you a spiritual seeker, yearning for greater connection and meaning?  

Do you feel like your religious traditions no longer fit?  

You are not alone. We are together in this.  

Earlier this month, on a chilly morning, I arose before the winter sun, looking forward to cracking open a new book recommended by a soul friend: The Great Search: Turning to Earth and Soul in the Quest for Healing and Home by John Philip Newell. A renowned spiritual teacher, speaker, and author steeped in Celtic tradition, Newell urges us to reawaken to the sacredness of Earth and every human being. His previous books nourished and enriched my soul.  

With a candle lit and my journal and pen nearby, I nestled in with his latest writing. He opens with this observation: “We are living through a time of immense transition as old systems of authority and belief are questioned. A new vision of reality is trying to be born.”  

Yes! I wholeheartedly agree.  

Then, this passage glistened, leaping off the page: 

“We are living through an age that is characterized by exile and spiritual search. Something new is trying to be born within us and around us.” 

My heart burned.  

I jotted the sentences down in my journal, slowly pondering them.  

How can two simple sentences explain so succinctly the work that I am called to?  

I am one of many who feel exiled from religious traditions that no longer fit. The way forward, as I can see it, is to make time and space to pay attention to this stirring, sometimes alone, sometimes with others who might be feeling the same sense of confusion and disillusionment. I am grateful to have companions and colleagues at Well for the Journey who wander this path with me, along with other small circles of companions who are exploring. Also, I am grateful for YOU, because as you read this now, our hearts are meeting. It is my deep hope that we are already birthing a newness yearning to be born, though we cannot yet see or comprehend it.  

The good news is that we can find refuge and belonging in our exile through a practice that I call “soul-nesting.” Let me explain.  

I am working on a collection of reflections that invites people into the vital work of soul-nesting. A bird’s nest is a powerful spiritual metaphor for these times.  Our souls need a space to nurture, protect, and incubate what wants to be born. Like a bird gathering materials to build a nest, we need only look around and begin. Soul-nesting practices include small activities such as pausing, breathing, journaling, resting, gathering with others in sacred conversation, walking outside, and listening. Building a nest for our souls where we are—in the middle of our everyday lives—allows us to remember our deep, innate connection with God and incubate the new life longing to emerge. We can give birth to more love, over and over again.  

I look forward to unpacking this concept further in the year ahead with an enhanced website and, with God’s help, a book to be published. (Gulp-I have put my dream out there!) 

Turning back to John Philip Newell’s book, I appreciate that he focuses on people throughout history who left traditional religion to find a deeper connection with Earth and all of humanity. Some of my favorite formative teachers are highlighted: Etty Hillesum, Carl Jung, and Julaluddin Rumi, for instance. Each of them has touched my soul through their lives and writings. Though we’ve never met, I think of them as friends in spirit. 

Hillesum (1914-1943) was a courageous and compassionate Jewish woman who experienced a spiritual awakening while suffering and facing death during the Holocaust. Her diaries reveal a remarkable strength, depth of soul, and love amid the most horrific circumstances. Jung (1875-1961), who founded analytical psychology, posited that we find healing and wholeness only as we become more conscious of our inner life. I’ve drawn on his wisdom personally and professionally, applying it most recently to the Conscious Aging classes I lead. Rumi (1207-1273) lived in the Middle East and wrote an incredible breadth of poetry, some of which I’ve selected for a “Love Poems from God” program that I’ve led over the years. Rumi calls us to remember that love is the true religion. 

If you are searching for inspiration as you live through these times, you will find good company in John Philip Newell’s The Great Search: Turning to Earth and Soul in the Quest for Healing and Home.  

And quite possibly—just maybe—my book that is being born will be a companion for you in the years to come.  

With a heart of gratitude, I offer you blessings and love for the new year, friends.  

Mabeth 

Sparkling Souls

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This is the season for sparkle—around us and in our souls.   

In the Northern Hemisphere, as we experience the fewest hours of daylight, many are busy hanging Christmas lights that twinkle in the darkness. At sunset, our Jewish sisters and brothers light candles on their menorahs to celebrate Hannukah. The stars seem to shine brighter in the darkest time of the year.  

Outside in the daylight, the earth also sparkles. The other day I was walking along our farm lane and the way the sunlight reflected off the dirt created a glistening pathway. It looked like fairy dust had been scattered everywhere. Science might tell us that the effect is created by the minerals within the shist, but I believe it is also a reminder from God that all of creation sparkles with Divine presence. Including you.  

Within each of us is a spark of the Divine. Each of us was born with an eternal light inside of us. Each one of us has a unique sparkle.  As Trappist monk and writer Thomas Merton (1915-1968) wrote: “It is like a pure diamond, blazing with the invisible light of heaven. It is in everybody, and if we could see it, we would see these billions of points of light coming together in the face and blaze of a sun that would make all the darkness and cruelty of life vanish completely.”  (Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander)

This essay is a gentle reminder that no matter where you are or what you are going through, you have an inner radiance that guides you, accompanies you, and loves you deeply. You are created in the image of God. Your soul sparkles. And the Source of Love invites, nudges, and encourages you, me, and all of us to sparkle brightly with Divine Love. It is a profound calling to bring light to the struggles and suffering of our world. 

According to various dictionaries, to sparkle means to shine brightly with flashes of light (Oxford)…to give off or reflect bright moving points of light (Merriam-Webster). Another definition says that to sparkle is to shine brightly with a lot of small pieces of light (Cambridge). Also, to shine or glisten with little gleams of light(dictionary.com). Think of the sun on the water, or jewels that reflect the light.  

A personal story highlights the notion of sparkle. Last winter, my husband and I were enjoying a date night out in Annapolis, Maryland, when a group of glittery women swept into the restaurant, bringing a wave of energy and laughter. I was on crutches recovering from ankle surgery, feeling vulnerable, weak, and clunky. These women lifted my spirits.  

Each woman wore a different colored sparkly piece of clothing. They lit up the place: one wore a sapphire-blue shimmery dress, another had on a firehouse-red sequined jacket, one woman donned a gold glittery tank top, and another looked like a mermaid in her form-fitting, shiny emerald skirt.  The assorted, sparkly colors were enchanting!  

I hobbled over to inquire about the cause for the celebration and learned that it was a fiftieth birthday party.  

“Oh my gosh, I love all your glittery clothes!” I exclaimed.  

A woman in a shiny silver blouse responded with a beaming smile, “Who knew there were so many ways to sparkle?!”  

Indeed…Who knew that there were so many ways to sparkle?  

Her words, along with the images of the sparkling women and the angel dust on the farm lane have lingered with me. We do have so many ways to glisten and shine, especially with a unique spark of the eternal within us. Furthermore, our sparkle illuminates and energizes life around us. Sadly, our sparkle often gets dulled or hidden, whether by neglect, forgetfulness, cynicism, lack of self-care, or some experience that leaves us doubting the goodness that lies within us.  

What helps us to revive our sparkle?  In an earlier draft of this essay, I created a list of ideas that involve “doing”—everyday practices that I have listed below. But in this busy season of to-do lists and emotional turbulence (for those who are ill, grieving, or suffering), I think that the best thing we can do is relax, remember your divine inner radiance, and seek to release stuff that blocks your spark such as harsh judgments of others and yourself, unrealistic expectations, and cynicism.  

Friends, as you see all the glittering lights around you, remember the one inside you. Our souls are connected like Christmas lights twinkling with the light of Love.  

I send you love and blessings for the season. 

Mabeth 

Practical Ideas to Enhance your Sparkle 

  • Make intentional time to nourish your soul, such as gathering with others who seek soul nourishment, creating quiet moments in the presence of the Source of Light, or taking a contemplative walk in nature. 
  • Light a candle as a tiny ritual to remember and kindle your inner light. 
  • Radiate kindness by simple daily acts such as smiling at a stranger, being a calm presence, giving generously, or bringing hope where it is needed. 
  • Take a few deep breaths of calm. (Could it be that breathing provides oxygen for your inner spark?)  
  • Wear a piece of chic sparkly clothing as a light-hearted way to manifest your intention to sparkle. 
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