“It’s not happiness that makes us grateful but gratefulness that makes us happy.” – Br. David Steindl Rast
“We should all be grateful for the beauty of this world, but more, we should take the trouble to get off the bus of life and put the soles of our feet to the soul of the world and see those sacred sites with our own eyes.” – an old Irish poet on the Aran…
We can suffer and sing at the same time. In fact, we must. -Dr. Jaiya John Happy Equinox, friends. As I write this from our front porch, I am in a symphony of morning birdsong – gold finch, house finch, sparrow, chickadee. The smell of a stick of Tibetan incense, morning sun coming up over…
“Oh, to love what is lovely, and will not last! What a task to ask of anything, or anyone, yet it is ours, and not by the century or the year, but by the hours.” – Mary Oliver A note from Erin, Dear beautiful human, Warm welcome to our new subscribers…
A note from Carl “At one time, in every instance of devastating oppression and genocide, liberation seemed impossible. Oppressive systems seem invincible, right up until they don’t. They are their most violent and blustering just before they are ended. This freedom work is a work of faith. You must believe, and imagine, a people free,…
A Note from Erin: Hello, beautiful human, I’m reaching a warm hand through the chaos of the times toward yours, so we can feel each other’s realness, warmth, and tenderness and remember that we are not alone, and that so much is possible, especially when we turn toward each other. Hi over there. Praise the…
A Note from Erin: Hello, beautiful human, I’m sending warm greetings to you from my living room on this sunny and cold winter’s day. We’ve got goldfinches, house finches, and fluffy sparrows taking turns at the feeder, and there’s a cute little squirrel who likes to hide in the flower pot below the feeder to…
A note from Carl: Greetings friends, Let us begin this newsletter with a blessing from Jaiya John: “Let us see how deeply we can hold each other today. In all our suffering and joy and empathy. In the decidedness of action. In the bread of servitude. In the chapel of our tears and sanctuary of…
A note from Erin Dear beautiful human, Thanks for being a part of our global community of courageous, kindhearted humans. It feels good to know you’re out there being you in the midst of everything else. Over the weekend, Carl and I hosted a lovely online gathering about Refugia, our upcoming 13-month training. It was…
Growing our capacity to grieve well is an essential skill for personal and communal well-being. Grieving well is vital for keeping our hearts open and tender in this very hard, very beautiful world. Grieving well is essential for staying permeable to beauty and resilient to despair. –Erin Geesaman Rabke Image item A note from Erin:…
“These lives of ours, they are not ultimately for us. They are for the Great Weaving. We are becoming ancestors even now. And the lands will remember our behavior. How we were within, and with all living things. You who share this earth with me, we are moving through a moment of revelation. We birth…
“Today you get to be a flower. Your fragrance decides us. Choose well what pollen and nectar you send out into the tender breeze of our hopefulness. We need beauty now. ” – Jaiya John A note from Erin: Dear Beautiful Human, I’m sending warm solstice greetings your way. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re…
Adrift Everything is beautiful and I am so sad. This is how the heart makes a duet of wonder and grief. The light spraying through the lace of the fern is as delicate as the fibers of memory forming their web around the knot in my throat. The breeze makes the birds move from branch…
A note from Erin 12/4/25 Dear beautiful human, I’m sending warm Full Moon greetings your way. My heart still marvels at the wonderful fact that wherever in the world you are reading this, we are under the same, luminous Full Moon. How magical. In the beautiful poem from Mary Oliver, When Death Comes, she writes:…
A note from Erin 11/25/25 Dear beautiful human, I’m sending warm greetings. I’m grateful to reach out to you today. Warm welcome to our new subscribers, and warm greetings to those of you who’ve been here for a while. We’re so grateful to be connected. Back in 2019, I heard from a colleague who lived…
A note from Erin 11/18/25 Dear beautiful human, I’m sending warm greetings from where I’m sitting on the couch with a hot coffee and a few candles by my side, in this dark, quiet morning air. I’m grateful to reach out to you today. In the fall of 2011, I had a powerful dream. It…
“May this year bring you well-being, joy, and limitless opportunities to grow. Let’s be fierce in our commitment to value and utilize even the most challenging circumstances as a way to deepen our understanding and cultivate compassion for others (as well as ourselves.) Let’s continuously find creative and skillful ways to serve living beings and…
Along with the other animals, the stones, the trees, and the clouds, we ourselves are characters within a huge story that is visibly unfolding all around us, participants within the vast imagination, or dreaming, of the world. ― David Abram A note from Carl 11/2/25 Greetings, dear human, Tomorrow, I begin a new six-week online…
10/31/25 our biggest announcement yet, & You’re the first to hear about it!! Dear beautiful human, We are thrilled to invite you to join us for a transformative 13-month training program: Refugia. This apprenticeship has been years in the making and is a culmination and distillation of our decades of practice, study, teaching, and cultivation. We…
First, the fish needs to say, “Something ain’t with this camel ride, and I’m feeling so damn thirsty.” -Hafez A note from Carl Greetings friends, Thank you for opening this email. I am writing this missive from a picnic spot in one of our favorite local canyons in Salt Lake City, Millcreek Canyon. It is…
A note from Erin Oct. 2, 2025 In the midst of so much that is heartbreaking and exhausting, I want to share some beautiful opportunities and resources with you. Some are classes you can sign up for with me and Carl and with dear, wise friends of ours, and some are inspiring links you can…
A note from Erin: Hi, dear beautiful human, I’m sending so many blessings on this sacred day of Equinox! My Tibetan teachers say that on days like today (equinoxes, solstices, eclipses, etc.) our karma is multiplied ten thousand times. It’s a good day to set intentions, remember who you are and long to be, and…
A note from Erin: Hi, dear beautiful human, I am sending a little bird of kindness and warm greetings on a swift migration from my heart to yours. Thank goodness we don’t have to hold the heartbreak of these times alone. I’m so grateful we’re connected. It’s September, one of my favorite months, and it…
Just fyi, this was not written by AI, but by my own human intelligence (and lack thereof, haha) while sitting on our yellow armchair in our living room under the spinning ceiling fan, with a great fire of love kindled and glowing in my heart. That fire is keeping warm and cozy the grief and…
A note from Erin: Hi, dear beautiful human, Thanks so much for reading this newsletter. We’re sending a warm welcome to new subscribers and sprinkles of rose confetti to all, with our love and gratitude for our being connected. Not everyone is familiar with rose confetti. To explain: I save rose petals throughout the year,…
A note from Erin: Hi beautiful human, Thanks so much for taking the time to open this newsletter. Carl and I are heading into a potent 4-day grief ritual with our dear friends and cohosts Alexandre Jodun and Alyona Kobevka, who arrived a few days ago from Peru, and we’re looking forward to being with…
“Say these words when you lie down and when you rise up, when you go out and when you return. In times of mourning and in times of joy. Inscribe them on your doorposts, embroider them on your garments, tattoo them on your shoulders, teach them to your children, your neighbors, your enemies, recite them…
Hi friend, Thanks so much for taking the time to open this newsletter. We always aim to share inspiring, soulful, and useful content with you. For the next several weeks, I’ll be sharing writings and reflections as I lead up to the start of my once-a-year Women Embodied group. If you’d like to…
A note from Erin: Hello, beautiful human, This newsletter includes a personal update, a few gorgeous poems, quotes, and songs to bolster your heart, and invitations to two of our upcoming offerings. Thanks for reading! A few nights ago, we had the privilege of attending a 2+hour memorial for Joanna Macy with a global community of people…
A note from Erin: Hello, beautiful human, Belonging is tender territory, and for many of us, it’s tenuous. I hear this from so many people, and hear that it’s also what they’re deeply longing for. There’s a wounded approach to belonging that we’re all likely familiar with. It’s where we play chameleon, changing shape…
a note from Erin I have a practice of leaning on wise words – poems, old books, new articles, quality essays – all the time. One of the great pleasures of stepping away from social media is returning to long reading. But this feels especially important now. After morning meditation, when I’m sipping my coffee…