Creator Mundi features blog posts with inspirational ideas and religious information.
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Jordan Peterson on taking responsibility for your life – YouTuBE
Canadian Professor Jordan Peterson became a blockbuster intellectual almost overnight, with his latest book …
St. Joseph’s Hospital in Denver dedicated its new baptismal font on Friday.
About a year ago, they contacted Creator Mundi’s founder and owner, Hildegard Letbetter, to help them with finding a replacement for their old baptismal font. Hildegard viewed the hospital’s chapel and immediately knew that Sondra Johnson of Cambridge, Nebraska, would be a great artist for this project.
See what Sondra created!
https://www.facebook.com/SLJonsonStudios/videos/1801661006556452/
Ab. Fisichella: ‘Death penalty against human dignity’
| Date | Event | Who/Where | Website |
| until 8-15-2018 | Summer Concert Series | Botanic Gardens | https://concerts.botanicgardens.org/ |
| until 8-19-2018 | Aspen Music Festival and School | Aspen, CO | http://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/events/calendar/list |
| until 9-3-2018 | Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit | Denver Museum of Nature and Science | http://www.dmns.org/dead-sea-scrolls/ |
| August | |||
| 8-25-2018 | An Evening Under the Stars | Colorado Ballet at the Arvada Center | https://www.coloradoballet.org/performances/an-evening-under-the-stars |
| 8-31 to 9-2-2018 | Conspire 2018 Conference | Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque | https://cac.org/conspire2018/ |
| September | |||
| 9-12-2018 for 6 weeks | Living a Spiritual Life in a Modern World (Teachings of Ken Wilber & Teilhard de Chardin) | Spiritual Direction Colorado in cooperation with Spirituality Across Horizons; Iliff School of Theology | https://www.spiritualityacrosshorizons.org/program-details/ |
| 9-15-2018 | The Way with God Presentation | One Simple Voice, Regis University, St. John Francis Regis Chapel | https://www.onesimplevoice.org/retreats |
| 9-15-2018 | Women in the Arts Tea | Molly Brown House Museum | https://historicdenver.z2systems.com/np/clients/historicdenver/eventRegistration.jsp?event=3204& |
| 9-16-2018 to 1-6-2019 | Rembrandt: Painter as Print Maker | Denver Art Museum | https://denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/rembrandt-painter-printmaker |
| 9-19-2018 to 3-3-2019 | Dior: From Paris to the World | Denver Art Museum | https://denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/dior |
| 9-21 to 9-23-2018 | Spirit Fest | Ridgway Spirit Fest in Ridgway, CO | https://www.ridgwayspiritfest.com/schedule/ |
| October | |||
| 10-6-2018 | Tuning Into the Mundane, Laurie Cassidy | Center for Contemplative Living | more info to come |
| 10-7-2018 to 1-6-2019 | Claes Oldenburg with Coosje Van Bruggen | Denver Art Museum | https://denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/claes-oldenburg-coosje-van-bruggen-drawings |
| 10-11 to 10-13-2018 | Fall Pilgrimage, San Luis, CO | Spiritual Direction Colorado | http://www.spiritualdirectioncolorado.org/event-2986263 |
| 10-11 to 11-15-2018 | Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Divine Milieu | Center for Contemplative Living, 6 weeks, Thursdays, 6:30 – 9 pm | more info to come |
| 10-13-2018 | Fall Mini-Retreat | Center for Contemplative Living | http://www.contemplativeoutreach-co.org/retreats/fall-mini-retreat |
| 10-21-2018 | Celtic Prayer and Contemplation | Colorado School of Celtic Consciousness & The Center for Contemplative Living, 3650 Yates St., Denver 80210, 7-9 pm | |
| 10-26-2018 to 1-20-2019 | Cuba | Museum of Science and Nature | http://www.dmns.org/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/%C2%A1cuba/ |
| November | |||
| 11-23-2018 to 1-1-2019 | Blossoms of Lights | Denver Botanic Gardens | https://www.botanicgardens.org/events/special-events/blossoms-light |
| December | |||
| 12-1 to 12-16-2018 | Yuletide Teas | Molly Brown House Museum | https://mollybrown.org/visit-us/events/#events |
| January 2019 | |||
| 1-20-2019 | Celtic Prayer and Contemplation | Colorado School of Celtic Consciousness & The Center for Contemplative Living, 3650 Yates St., Denver 80210, 7-9 pm | |
| 1-21 to 1-28-2019 | World Youth Day, Krakow, Poland | Pilgrimage through the Archdiocese of Denver with Faith Journeys | https://archden.org/event/world-youth-day-panama-city-panama/#.Wt4h2ojwaM8 |
| February | |||
| 2-1 to 2-3-2019 | Annual Conference with Barbara Holmes | Spiritual Direction Colorado, Arvada Center | More info to come |
| May | |||
| 5-10 to 5-12- 2019 | John Philip Newell, School of Celtic Consciousness, ” Sacred: A Celtic Vision of Earth and Soul” | St. John’s Episcopal Church, Boulder, CO | More info to come |
| 5-14- to 5-16-2019 | John Philip Newell, School of Celtic Consciousness | Shambala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, CO | More info to come |
| 5-17 to 5-19-2019 | John Philip Newell, School of Celtic Consciousness | First United Methodist Church, Colorado Springs | More info to come |
An amazing simplification comes
when we “center down,”
when life is lived with singleness of eye,
from a holy Center
where the breath and stillness of Eternity are heavy upon us
and we are yielded to God.
Some of you know this holy, recreating Center of peace and joy
and live in it day and night.
Some of you may see it over the margin
and wistfully long to slip into that amazing Center
where the soul is at home with God.
Be very faithful to that wistful longing.
It is the Eternal Goodness calling you to return Home.
It is the life beyond fevered strain.
We are called beyond strain,
to peace and power and joy and love
and thorough abandonment of self.
We are called to put our hands trustingly in God’s hand
and walk the holy way,
in no anxiety assuredly resting in God.
Thomas Kelly, A Testament of Devotion
(abridged and adjusted)
Howard Zinn on Hope in Bad Times
TO BE HOPEFUL in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.
And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.
Even
After
All this time
The Sun never says to the Earth,
“You owe me.”
Look
What happens
With a love like that,
It lights the whole sky.
~~Daniel Ladinsky, The Gift: Poems by Hafiz
Only Grain and Goats
by George Longenecker
In Knossos there was no way to write love,
for written language was only used by scribes,
to keep tabs on grain and goats,
no written words for doubt or fear,
for hate, war, devotion, charity or loyalty.
There were no poems, no plays,
no epic dramas — at least not in writing —
no threatening letters, no marriage proposals,
birthday cards or tweets —
as though today only accountants could write,
and had words only for buildings,
cars, cash, coal and oil.
There were no pronouns;
only in person could you say:
I love you
or
I want to kill you —
if you could write
and send a love letter:
Three goats, ten bushels of wheat,
five sheep,
ten pomegranates,
one house, two people.
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL (1,3)
Katherine Lee Bates
O beautiful for spacious skies
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
HAPPY 4TH!
Namaste!
(excerpt from an explanation on the Chopra Center website)
This Sanskrit word brings about the essence of oneness, and an understanding of the true nature of reality.
At the base level, namasté is a salutation of respect and reverence. A traditional Indian greeting, it literally translates to “I bow to you” (namah or namas, meaning bow, te meaning you).
One of the most common translations of namasté is “The divine light in me bows to the divine light within you.” However, a simple Internet search provides many beautiful meanings and translations of namasté, such as:
- I honor the place in you where the entire universe dwells.
- I bow to the place in you that is love, light, and joy.
- When you and I bow to our true nature, we are one.
- My soul recognizes your soul.
- We are the same, we are one.
- I honor the place in you that is the same as it is in me.
Namaste!
We bow to the place in you that is love, light and joy!
“In the torment of the insufficiency of everything attainable we come to understand that here, in this life, all symphonies remain unfinished.”
Karl Rahner wrote those words and not to understand them is to risk letting restlessness become a cancer in our lives.
~~ Ron Rolheiser’s reflection on Karl Rahner’s wise words. Here is the entire text:
http://ronrolheiser.com/the-insufficiency-of-everything-at…/
The imagination works through suggestion, not description.
Description is always direct and frequently closes off what it names.
Suggestion respects the mystery and richness of a thing.
All it offers are clues to its nature.
Suggestion keeps the mystery open and extends us the courtesy
of inviting us to see the thing for ourselves.
It offers us the hospitality and freedom
to trust the integrity of our own encounter with a thing.
This is how a work of art can allow itself to be seen
in so many different and often conflicting ways.
It does not foreclose on the adventure of revelation.
~~John O’Donohue, Beauty: The Invisible Embrace (HarperCollins: 2004)
How is your summer going?
Our Summer plaque is a beautiful gift and expresses in bronze the warmth and vibrancy of summer. Bathed in the warming rays of the sun’s radiance, this plaque brings to mind warm summer evenings and the buzzing, chirping, exultant song of creation. This is life! Seize it now! This solid bronze plaque—like the hum and heat of long, hot summer days—invites us to celebrate and savor moments of rest and relaxation.
“If we deny our happiness, resist our satisfaction,
we lessen the importance of their deprivation.
We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure,
but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have
the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless
furnace of this world.”
A quote from Jack Gilbert’s poem “A Brief for the Defense”
We remember and deeply appreciate the ultimate sacrifice of our fallen friends.
- “Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay, but we can honor their sacrifice.” –Barack Obama
The three months of Spring are the season for renewal. With everything flourishing, the world is full of life. To accord with the season, go to bed a little later, and get up a little earlier. Be patient and let things grow. Go for a stroll in the courtyard, loosen your hair, relax your body and freshen your mind. Enjoy the season and do not do anything harmful to your health. This is the way to cultivate the Qi of Life in Spring.
The Yellow Emperor’s Classic on Internal Medicine
Don’t miss the movie on Pope Francis! It opens on Thursday evening, May 17, at Chez Artiste, 2800 S. Colorado Blvd. in Denver.
Here is the trailer.
Below is a letter by German filmmaker Wim Wenders:
Pope Francis – A Man of His Word
by director Wim Wenders
March 13, 2013, was an exciting day. Not only that we had a new pope and that the Cardinal of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, became the 266th pontiff of the Catholic Church. But he was the first pope from the Americas, the first from the Southern hemisphere, the first Jesuit as bishop of Rome, and most of all, the first pope to have chosen the name of Francesco! Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) was one of the most revered Christian saints and reformers who had dedicated his life to poverty, and his deep love of nature and for all living beings on Earth is still exemplary. Many people on our planet, not just me, had the highest hopes for the pope who had chosen a name that in itself was a promise.
From the beginning, Pope Francis – A Man of His Word was supposed to be a personal journey with Pope Francis rather than a traditional biographical film about him. I wanted the pope’s ideas and his message to be the centre of this documentary, his work of reform and his answers to today’s global questions.
I imagined the visual and narrative concept to engage the audience face-to-face with the pope, creating a dialogue between him and, literally, the world. Taking questions from people from all walks of life, Pope Francis responds to farmers and workers, refugees, children and the elderly, prison inmates and those who live in shantytowns. All of these voices and faces are a cross-section of humanity joining in a conversation with Pope Francis.
The Vatican made it very clear to me that I’d have carte blanche and very privileged access to the archives, in addition to final cut. They let us shoot without interfering. We had four long interview sessions with Pope Francis, on four afternoons spread over two years. We shot three of them indoors in various places in the Vatican and one outside in a garden, but still inside the walls of the Vatican. You don’t just go out to a park somewhere to shoot with the pope.
We shot with several cameras, the main one with an “Interrotron” in front of it, a sort of “reversed teleprompter,” which allowed Pope Francis to see me on a screen and look me in the eyes while we spoke, but at the same time look straight into the lens and thereby into the eyes of everybody watching the film. In these four long talks, Pope Francis was utterly spontaneous, direct and open in all his answers.
In an era of deep distrust of politicians and people in power, when lies, corruption and fake news are the order of the day, our film shows us a man who lives what he preaches and who has gained the trust of people across the world, from all religious, cultural and social backgrounds. That’s why I think this is not just a film for Catholics or Christians. Pope Francis – A Man of His Word helps to do away with certain prejudices and misunderstandings. The pope, literally, has his arms wide open for everyone.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers of the world! We wish you love, health and happiness!
Be silent in your mind, silent in your senses,
and also silent in your body.
Then, when all these are silent, don’t do anything.
In that state truth will reveal itself to you.
It will appear in front of you and ask,
“What do you want?”
Kabir
We must be aware of the problems of the world.
Then, with mindfulness, we will know what to do and what not to do to be of help.
If we maintain awareness of our breathing and continue to practice smiling,
even in difficult situations,
many people, animals and plants will benefit from our way of doing things.
Are you massaging our Mother Earth every time your foot touches her?
Are you planting seeds of joy and peace?
I try to do exactly that with every step,
and I know that our Mother Earth is most appreciative.
Peace is every step.
Shall we continue the journey?
Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace in Every Step, 1991
