Dear Miriam’s Well community,
In looking back over our programs so far this year I feel I’m going through a “Spiritual PHD” program. I’ve participated in over 14 weekends to date with more coming in the near future. We entitled this year “Where Do we go from Here?: Evolving toward Unity and the Healing of America”. That was a lot of title to take on. I still believe we are somewhere in the middle of that story, immersed in the myth that can show us where we are standing at this point in time and how we are to proceed toward conscious spiritual evolution.

I believe more than ever in the healing of America. It is an ongoing process that may take a long time, and there seem to be many twists and turns, lovers and demons, bright lights and darkness as life reveals itself to us more and more. The questions in my mind are how to stay present with our fears, doubts, growing cynicism and anger, and grief and not run away, retreating into our own defenses and the historical safety chambers we have constructed for ourselves. How do we engage with the beautiful essential qualities found in all the earth’s religions and spiritual practices – the ones that automatically and instantly open our hearts to our commonalities and give us the courage to tolerate and appreciate our differences? Is it always necessary to resort to violence? Has our fear brought us to the realization that the only possibility is getting rid of anything that is “other”? As I matriculate through the Miriam’s Well programs and answers reveal themselves, they are usually accompanied by many more questions. And that feels appropriate just now.

As I sit with Andrew Harvey, a powerful mystic of our times, or ride along with Jeremy Taylor into the imaginative realms of dreams or immerse myself in the shaministic/practical teachings of Angeles Arrien and Glenna Gerard, I experience the paradox of fullness and emptiness and all the emotions that come with them. I am re-educated by such wonderful teachers as Margaret Starbird who opened a doorway into a different possibility of the Magdalene mysteries. Satish Kumar who, with his very presence, looked deep into my eyes, puts his hands together in prayer, bowed and greeted me with “Namaste” as he reminded me we share the earth with many other species and that we have a huge responsibility to become skilled and experienced caretakers. With these people as my guides and co-travelers, I take a few more steps closer to my real home. I have been in the presence of greatness -- spent time with Huston Smith as he embodies his Eldership, and with two great poets of our time Robert Bly and David Whyte as they reverberate the message that Reality becomes more accessible when we engage beauty and fierceness as forces of Creation. And I am blessed, as I have been for twenty years to experience the wisdom and courage of my oldest teacher Brugh Joy who holds me and everyone he meets in the radiance of love as he helps us uncover our soul’s journey.

So where do we go from here? As we here at Miriam’s Well begin conversation about 2005, we are talking about the theme: Peaceful Coexistence in the Time of Goliath. I am interested in exploring these stories of giants -- metaphors for so many of our fears. How do vulnerability and strength coexist? Can we find real power in our powerlessness? And how do we rise to spiritual maturity as we make our decisions? Miriam’s Well has emerged again on the earth at this particular time. As I continue to deepen in and be held by her nurturing waters, I invite you to join me in these explorations and discoveries.

Blessings,

Susan Rosen
September, 2004

Our Name...

The name, "Miriam's Well", was divinely inspired. Susan looked across the land one day, contemplating a name for the center. The wind and the water whispered, "Miriam's Well." For Susan this name created a particularly powerful image, reminding her of a story she had read about the Prophetess Miriam. As the story goes, on the second day of creation God implanted a jewel in the Earth. From it sprang the restorative, healing waters called Miriam's Well. The story later reveals that Miriam, Moses' sister, cared for Moses in his early years and later counseled him regarding his destiny to free the Jewish people from slavery.

The dual images of the spirited and strong Miriam and the sacred healing waters of the well are aptly suited to the energy of the place and to the people who gather at the center at Miriam’s Well.