Author Archives: Rossi Stefani

Dancing Near the Edges of Apostasy?

In one of my recent Google searches I came across an object relevant to my research on ritualized habitual consumption. My first reaction was gratitude, and maybe a giggle or two. But then I noticed with disappointment the site on which I found the object: The Museum of Idolatry, Artifacts of Apostasy.

Now, I must give props where props are due;

Tidy: Friend or Foe?

I like order.

Or, more precisely, I like order to the extent that it promotes effective use of time.

You may relate: when I have to spend seven minutes rummaging in studio classrooms on a mission of scissor reconnaissance, I’m convinced that’s seven minutes of unnecessary distraction.

Storydwelling

Vibrant.  Deeply Rooted.  Profound. Bold.  Incredibly approachable. These are the descriptors that crossed my mind when I first encountered Heatherlyn in the midst of the spiritual community I know as home in Denver.  She joined us on the morning of Father’s Day to add her gifts and perspective to our liturgy.

Anticipation

an·tic·i·pa·tion [an-tis-uh-pey-shuhn]
1. the act of anticipating or the state of being anticipated.
2. realization in advance; foretaste.
3. expectation or hope.
4. previous notion; slight previous impression.
5. intuition, foreknowledge, or prescience.

Silence

On a recent visit to NYC I encountered the following words: “The study of art that does not result in making the strong less willing to oppress the weak means little.”

They were spoken in 1896 by Booker T. Washington during his address to the Institute of Arts and Sciences in Brooklyn, NY. At the time, he was anticipating the ramifications of various divisions within the nation—between north and south, between dominant culture and those whom that culture would force into the margins.