The Enchanter Abides

A Visual Display of Synchronicity and Resonance

2011-05-22T14:27:00.001-06:00

Maggie Doyne on Living a Larger Story

2010-10-21T10:51:00.003-06:00

How to Be Alone

2010-08-29T16:40:00.002-06:00

Take Some Time each Day to Stop and Reflect

2010-03-26T10:07:00.000-06:00

Giant Snail not required, but highly encouraged.

"You Don't Need a Career, You Need a Calling"

2010-03-26T09:56:00.003-06:00

Excellent Video of Steven Tomlinson at TedxAustin.

Photo of the Day: Blue Couch

2010-03-12T22:14:00.001-07:00

- Taken with my Tricorder while on morning walkabout (3.12.10) - Click to Enlarge

Glasses

2010-02-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

An excellent, short, little film by Danny Gregory

One of his books is on my "Ten Books That Enchant Me" List. I get it out regularly when I feel the need for a little inspiration, or for when I want something to peruse while I brew and sip my tea.

Photo of the Day - Angels Climbing...

2010-01-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

...Jacob's Ladder.

Sculpture is @ ACU in Abilene, Texas. Taken with my Tricorder.

Two simple questions that can change your life

2010-01-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

Two questions that can change your life from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.

Happy Three Kings Day!

2010-01-05T19:49:00.002-07:00

Happy Three Kings Day! In Latin America - where I spent the majority of my childhood - tomorrow (January 6th) is Three Kings Day (or Epiphany Day as it is called in other places) and it is a day that is celebrated with just as much importance as Christmas Day, if not moreso.

From Wiki: In Spain and some Latin American countries Epiphany day is called El Día de los Reyes (The Day of the Kings), i.e., the day when a group of Kings or Magi arrived to worship and bring three gifts to the baby Jesus after following a star in the heavens. This day is sometimes known as the Día de los Tres Reyes Magos (The day of the Three Royal Magi). In Spanish tradition, on the day of January 6, three of the Kings: Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar, representing Europe, Arabia, and Africa, arrived on horse, camel and elephant, bringing respectively gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus. Children (and many adults) polish and leave their shoes ready for the Kings' presents before they go to bed on the eve of January 6. Sweet wine, nibbles, fruit and milk are left for the Kings and their camels. In Mexico, it is traditional for children to leave their shoes, along with a letter with toy requests for the Three Kings, by the family nativity scene or by their beds. In some parts of northern Mexico the shoes and letters are left under the Christmas tree. The shoes may be filled with hay for the camels so that the Kings will be generous with their gifts.

The part of Three Kings Day that I have always liked the most is the slicing and the eating of the "Rosca" cake. The Rosca de Reyes cake ("Kings Ring" Cake) is eaten after dinner on Three Kings Day. Everyone present at the meal gets a slice of the cake and inside one of the slices is a miniature doll that represents Baby Jesus. It is considered a tremendous blessing to be the one who finds the baby Jesus figure in their slice of cake. My family will be slicing and eating our Rosca cake this evening. May it be a blessed day for you and yours, as well.

Sacred Spaces #4 - Hospital Chapel

2010-01-02T23:48:00.005-07:00

This is a Stained Glass window (a very large window) in the Chapel at the hospital where I work a couple of days a week as a Chaplain. The window is meant to convey "streams of living water." I regularly use this space to pray for the patients I visit and to center myself after a long and difficult day. It is truly a sacred space for me and for many others. On occasion I will encounter another person in the chapel sitting and staring at the image in the stained glass, being soothed and comforted in the stillness and the silence. Art...beauty...stillness...can we ever really get enough of these essential elements in our life, especially as life seems to become more virtual and less personal?

This poem, by David Whyte, often comes to me in the midst of the rounds I do visiting the sick and their families at the hospital. No amount of information or technology will ever have the power and impact of the full presence of another human being, eye to eye, hand to hand, heart to heart.

Loaves and Fishes

This is not
the age of information.
This is not
the age of information.
Forget the news,
and the radio,
and the blurred screen.
This is the time
of loaves
and fishes.
People are hungry
and one good word is bread
for a thousand.
-- David Whyte
from The House of Belonging
©1996 Many Rivers Press

What is a sacred space in your life that regularly helps you to unplug and to connect with God and with your own heart? Share your thoughts in the comments, below.

Tommy Kane Draws Korea

2009-12-30T10:03:00.001-07:00

I love the drawings of Tommy Kane. I also love the short videos of his travels. Art within art.

Dive!

2009-12-28T13:45:00.001-07:00

96 Billion Pounds of Food thrown out. That's 96 Billion.

Dive! The Film.

Gone Goodbye

2009-12-24T12:08:00.003-07:00

A Beautifully shot short film. Amazing Cinematography.
The opening, long first shot is amazing.
Bet you can't guess how they shot that opening scene.
Take a guess and then go here and scroll down through the comments to see how they did it.

Gone Goodbye from Session 7 Media on Vimeo.

A Peaceful Colorado Moment

2009-12-23T14:56:00.002-07:00

Click on the Image to play the Video.

Merry Christmas from The Enchanter.

Culinary Enchantment

2009-12-19T21:53:00.003-07:00

A Korean friend of mine agreed to teach me how to make Kimchi recently. Kimchi is the ubiquitous side dish that Koreans eat at almost every meal. It is made with Napa Cabbage - which is similar to Bok Choy - and a ton of garlic, red peppers and other spices. As a lover of spicy ethnic foods, I am a huge fan of Kimchi and have started to eat it almost daily. Health magazine named kimchi in its list of top five "World's Healthiest Foods" for being rich in vitamins, aiding digestion, and even possibly reducing cancer growth. So I have that going for me, which is nice. Hooray for Kimchi - 건배(乾杯!!!
What are some of your favorite ethnic foods - share them in the comments below.

A Religious Journey, Illustrated

2009-12-18T14:44:00.001-07:00

("Jesus Ministered to by Angels," James Tissot - 1886-94 - Brooklyn Museum)

"His presentation of 270 watercolors from “The Life of Christ” in the Paris Salon of 1894 caused a sensation. Men reverently doffed their hats; women wept and knelt before the pictures, and some even crawled like penitents through the show."

Read the Article here.
Watch the slideshow here.

(HT: PS)

The Transformational Nature and Power of Unconditional Love

2009-12-16T22:24:00.002-07:00

Last Minutes with ODEN from phos pictures on Vimeo.

This brief video packs a wallop by focusing on the transformational nature and power of Unconditional Love. Share your thoughts in the Comments below.

COLD!

2009-12-16T22:20:00.002-07:00

Photo of the Day - 12.16.09 - Taken on Morning Walkabout

While we're busy Tweeting and Blogging...

2009-12-09T10:43:00.002-07:00

...Reuben Margolin is making some enchanting art out of stuff he finds in his neighborhood.
Inspiring. What is the "art" that you must "make" today?

A Study in Contrasts

2009-12-08T12:51:00.003-07:00

This is a photo of the same pond I showed in the "Duck Pond" photo from two posts ago (click to enlarge). Just two weeks later and the pond is now completely iced over. By the way, this is not a B/W photo. It is a straight, no filter photo taken at around 9 a.m. while light snow was falling. We don't always acknowledge this fact, but all of life is seasonal. What season of life are you in?

"...Beneath the Sinking Moon"

2009-12-05T23:46:00.001-07:00

"The cold earth slept below;

Above the cold sky shone;

And all around,

With a chilling sound,

From caves of ice and fields of snow

The breath of night like death did flow

Beneath the sinking moon."

from Lines by Percy Bysshe Shelley

(12.4.09 - Photo of the Day - Taken at 6 a.m. while on Morning Walkabout - 3 degrees outside - Click on Photo to Enlarge).

Sacred Spaces #3 - The Duck Pond at Washington Park (Denver)

2009-11-30T20:01:00.002-07:00

The Duck Pond at "Wash Park" in Denver (click on image to enlarge it). Through the years this park has become a sort of sacred space for me; a place to reflect, a place to think, a place to sit and be still. It also doesn't hurt that my wedding pictures were taken here. How about you? What places in your 'hood are sacred third places for you? Share them in the comments, below.

Sacred Spaces #2 - Saint Drago: Patron Saint of Coffee Houses

2009-11-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

This is the 2nd photo in my Sacred Spaces series. This photo is of Saint Drago, or Drogo. He is considered the Patron Saint of Coffee Houses and Coffee House Owners. Basically, if it involves coffee, then Saint Drago is your man. Like the previous photo in this series, this photo is of a giant mural on the outside alley wall of Kaladi Coffee located a few blocks from my house. They roast their own coffee at Kaladi and sometimes, if the wind is just right, one can smell the roasting coffee blocks and blocks away. It's like the smell of a giant coffee bonfire wafting on the breeze.

What kinds of spaces are sacred to you? Share them in the comments below...

Sacred Spaces #1 - Saint Francis and Saint Teresa

2009-11-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

I am going to start a series of photos (mixed in with other posts) on Sacred Spaces. These are spaces that have some element of sacredness connected to them. In this case, these paintings of Saint Francis and Saint Teresa are painted on the alley wall of a Coffee Shop near my house (did you notice the snow?). Coffee shops have become a sort of sacred Third Place in our culture, a place where community, connection and solitude can take place. What sacred spaces and places do you regularly visit? Share them in the comments below.

Two things I love...

2009-11-10T16:13:00.000-07:00

...visiting other cultures (& eating their food) and checking out the sketchbooks and journals of others. Street artist Tommy Kane immerses himself in the Lebanese culture and makes some great drawings in the process. Check him out on YouTube to see some of the other places he has visited and more of his excellent drawings.
HT: drawn!

The Power of Story

2009-11-09T12:47:00.001-07:00

I have always been enchanted by the power of stories.
Chimamanda Adichie gives a powerful talk on stories and specifically, the danger of a single story. Via ted.com
HT: PS

Photo of the Day - 11.7.09

2009-11-07T13:16:00.001-07:00

Merry-Go-Rounds have always enchanted me. Especially when little girls are pushing them around and giggling non-stop.

I have heard that this is the last merry-go-round left in the City of Denver. Apparently, as the merry-go-rounds at parks have finally given in to rust and wear they have not been replaced because it costs the city a lot more to cover a park with liability insurance if there is a merry-go-round present. More injuries occur on merry-go-rounds than on jungle gyms and monkey bars, allegedly. So, this may be the only merry-go-round my children ever see and get to play on. Sad. Drive-In movie theaters are now essentially extinct and merry-go-rounds could be next. We need an organization - like those organizations that focus on preserving endangered wildlife - to focus on preserving some of the most enchanting aspects of life in the U.S. that are disappearing. What enchanting aspects of life would you like to preserve? Merry-go-rounds, Drive-In Movie Theaters and drugstores with soda fountains are at the top of my list.

After all these many years....

2009-11-05T23:24:00.004-07:00

...I'm still Enchanted by this story.

How about you, which stories from your childhood still enchant you?

Photo of the Day - 11.4.09

2009-11-04T20:16:00.002-07:00

Reminds me of that Deep Purple song: "Smoke on the water, and Fire in the Sky."
(Taken on evening Walkabout with my "Tricorder").

An Enchanting Video - Set Your Burdens Free

2009-11-04T09:18:00.001-07:00

The Chiang Mai Yi Peng Festival is a Buddhist Lantern Festival held in Northern Thailand. Thousands of lit Khom Fai (sky lanterns) are set off into the air, and with them are said to go the troubles of the person who launched each lantern.

Photo of the Day - 11.3.09

2009-11-03T19:09:00.003-07:00

Today’s Photo of the Day taken while on my Morning Walkabout. The Walkabout Ritual is good for the Take One Photo Each Day of Something that Interests Me ritual. I am pronouncing this like the word “Rage,” as opposed to something that sounds like the last half of Me-Yage, as in Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid. “Yage” is a word that you blurt when something wonderful but unexpected happens. You are walking in a parking lot and look down and see a $100 bill and all of a sudden you blurt “Yage!” Kind of like that. I imagine some young punk from the neighborhood finally got up the nerve to call her and ask her out and she said “Yes,” and in his youthful exuberance and wish to shout it to the world, he tagged the side of this garage with the one, strange word that sprung forth in that moment after he hung up the phone. Yage, indeed young man, Yage indeed. I could be wrong, but that is the story I have imagined and I’m sticking to it.