Register
Donate
About
What is Spiritual Direction? Find a Spiritual Director Meet Our Team Testimonials History Communication Policy Planting Trees
School of Spiritual Direction
Certificate in Spiritual Formation (Year One) Certificate in Spiritual Direction (Year Two) The Wisdom of Listening (7-Week Training) Application for Year One Reference Form for Year One Application for Financial Assistance
Experiences
Classes, Groups, Retreats Recorded Classes
Blog Contact

Blog

Spiritual Direction is a “Ring around the Rosie” chuck wester hope spiritual direction wisdom wisdom tree wednesday Dec 31, 2025

“Ring around the rosie. Pocket full of posey. Ashes, ashes, all fall down.”

For reasons I can’t quite explain, this curious rhyme recently intruded upon my thoughts. It carried me back to childhood, to evenings when my mother would recite it at bedtime. I had no idea what the words meant then, and ...

Continue Reading...

Categories

All Categories abby buter oakhart ableism amy lyles wilson amy steele angels ann kline annika gordon around the world celebrations ash wednesday awe beth bernard blessing body awareness body image book suggestion breaking bread burden candles centering prayer chaos charlie mackesy children's books christianity today christine valters paintner chuck wester cindy lee circle collective communion community competition confession conflict connection contemplative practice creation creation care creative writing creativity dark dark night of the soul darrell arnett december desert fathers digital responsibility discernment divine indwelling dreams dreamwork elizabeth barret browning emily askew examen exploration faith feast day forgiveness geocashing giving goodness gratitude grief healing holiday season holy adventure holy hospitality holy mystery holy waiting holy week hope hurricane helene hymns images of god inner beauty inner life intercessory prayer internal family systems jill wright job opening jonathan mayberry journey julian of norwich justice kali kasey hitt katie rea kindness lament laura huff hileman learning management systems legacy lent light liturgical year loneliness love meditation melody diehl mirrors mountains mourning mystics nancy rogers online community online education original goodness original sin outer beauty partswork peace people-first language perfectionism pickleball pilgrimage poetry powerlessness prayer psalms rabbi rami reflection remembering resilience rest retreat retreats rituals robbie pinter ryan given cleave sacred invitation sacred space safe space saint lucia day sdi self-discovery self-recovery simplicity simplify sin spaciousness spiritual coercion spiritual direction spiritual direction training spiritual formation spiritual growth spiritual journeys spiritual practice spiritual seekers spiritual writing spirituality st. lucia stillness strength swaady martin teamwork tech support teresa blythe thanksgiving thomas merton transformation trauma-informed spiritual direction ubuntu vocation walk for peace weakness wendell berry wintersolstice wisdom wisdom tree wednesday wonder wrestling writing wtc wtc graduate wtc instructors