The Vatican, in what is seen as a move to potentially "crack down" on orders of nuns who may have evolved in ways not pleasing to Rome, has begun what is called "an apostolic visitation" of US nuns. This would be done, says Rome, "in order to safeguard and promote consecrated life". Many here feel it may be to reverse the modernization of nuns in America.

The tea lights ring the room and ambient trip-hop spills from the speakers. There are seven of us around the table ranging in age from fifty to five. We've chatted a bit and filled our mugs. Now it's time for cardstock and magazines, glues sticks and scissors. It's the Full Moon. It's time to Dreamboard.

Apologies -- so neeedful, so misused. It seems people either apologize too much or too little. Yet a well placed apology can heal (or begin to heal) very deep wounds. An apology can say that the other person matters, and that their feelings are being heard in deep ways.

In this second of two articles about goddesses, you will meet Sedna, Inuit goddess of the oceans. As with many deities there are a variety of stories about her life. This is a version of Sedna's story, assembled from the many. Sedna was a beautiful young Inuit woman, who was considered a prime negotiating chip for her father. He wanted her to marry a wealthy man so that he would be well taken care of in his old age. Sedna would have none of it, and rejected suitor after suitor, tossing her gorgeous black hair with derision every time.

It is not quite 5am and the dark is slowly dimming to reveal pine trees like shadow puppets awaiting the stage. Beyond them the water is still as glass waiting for the faithful northwest kayakers who will slip out at the dawn, leaving a silent wake in their path.

Images of powerful women exist outside Western spiritual traditions. These goddesses offer unique female spiritual insight. One of the most beloved figures in Buddhism, for example, is Kwan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion. She is a Bodhisattva, which means that she is an enlightened being that has declined to go to "the heavenly worlds", but stays on earth to help others. She is called Quan'Am in Vietnam, Kannon in Japan, and Kanin in Bali). It is said that she hears the cries of all, and has unlimited and unconditional compassion and mercy to share.

It feels like the world has been morally burning these past few weeks. From the elation of Inauguration Day, we've all had to climb down from our hopes of some immediate transformation of the populace. We've instead found that those of us who felt joy are even more vulnerable to feeling the pain of recent acts of hatred.

Children are taught the expression "it's not fair" in the womb, shortly after they're told how to suck their thumbs and how to walk into the rearview mirror of every car in the parking lot. While they don't have speech until their second or third year, that crying you hear? They're saying, "Mommy, IT'S NOT FAIR!"

"I think my most important job is to make space for people to be who they are and tell their own stories...My role is to cultivate relationship, cultivate curiosity, [and] create a sense of sacred space."     -Kelly Bean,  Soultribe Cultivator

Summer is coming, and with it some time-honored Christian traditions - notably, VBS - Vacation Bible School. All over America, many Moms are either volunteering for one of these programs, or looking forward to sending their children. VBS is a mixture of Sunday-school-type material and crafts in a playful summer setting. For some it is a topical day-care. Some churches join together to jointly sponsor a large VBS, others do it separately. It usually has the feeling of a day-camp.

A Pakistani shopkeeper who came to America 20 years ago is about to be robbed by a man wielding a baseball bat. The shopkeeper takes out his gun. The robber collapses in tears, begs for mercy. The shopkeeper, Mohammed Sohhail later said: "He started crying that he was out of work and was trying to feed his hungry family...I felt bad for him. I mean, this wasn't some kid."

There is a lot of controversy surrounding alternative modalities of healing, and whether or not they are effective. My feelings on alternative medicine is that mainstream medicine should not be replaced by it, but rather complimented by it. It's not an all or nothing scenario. All alternative medicine is not good, but it's also not all bad.