In Pope Francis’ letter, Laudato Sí: On Care for Our Common Home, in Chapter 6 on Ecological Education and Spirituality he states: “I would like to offer…a few suggestions for an ecological spirituality…I am interested in how such a spirituality can motivate us to a more compassionate concern for the protection of our world.” (#216)

June 2023: The Circle of Life

For a wonderful resource in deepening our relationship with the Earth’s rhythms and the spiritual lessons to be learned from our Sister Mother Earth – look no further than the book The Circle of Life: The Heart’s Journey Through the Seasons by Joyce Rupp and Macrina Wiedekehr.

In the Preface they write:

“We have discovered each season to be a stepping stone in the great circle of life. Round and round they go, no season ever exactly the same as the year before, each one teaching us something more about who we are and about how life is to be lived. We have come to know this circle of life as an ongoing spiral of growth, bringing ever fuller and deeper wisdom into our lived experiences.

It is our hope that The Circle of Life will renew your awareness of our planet’s seasonal diversity, that it will bring you home to your deepest self where seasonal changes also occur with patterned frequency and graced opportunity. May both the external and internal seasons in the circle of life continue to bless and invite you to greater growth and wholeness.”

The book is full of poems, prayers, reflections, rituals, questions, guided meditations – all inviting an entry into deepening one’s relationship with self, others, creation and God.

You can find more information and buy it on Joyce’s website: https://joycerupp.com/the-circle-of-life/