Traveling with the Turtle: A Small
Group Process in Women’s Spirituality and Peacemaking
By Cindy Preston-Pile and Irene Woodward
Oakland, CA: Pace e Bene Nonviolence Press, 2006
283 pages, US$25.00
Reviewed by
Catherine Grytting, EdD
As I reviewed Traveling with Turtle I
was inspired to write this story as an overview: There once was a small turtle
whose way of moving influenced her view of the world. In the ocean, where she
swam swiftly, she saw glistening water, vast algae colonies, and creatures who
respected each other. On land, where she plodded clumsily, she noticed littered
shorelines, barren sand dunes and predators who attacked her people. Everyday
she glided through the water but struggled when crossing the sand. Until one
day a seagull invited her onto his back for a fly. From the air, turtle
surveyed the craggy mountains, verdant grasslands and countless animals.
Suddenly she realized they mirrored the jagged reefs, abundant kelp beds and
varied creatures of the sea. Her insight transformed her way of being in both
worlds. Ever since that day, turtle understood that the world beneath the sky
and the world beneath the sea are the same.
Just as turtle needed the elevated perspective of seagull to bridge the gulf
between water and land, we need the deeper wisdom of the Divine to heal the
split between patriarchal structures and feminine perspectives so that our
world may be made whole. With turtle as guide, authors Cindy Preston-Pile and
Irene Woodward outline a sacred journey for small groups that find the Spirit
by searching the lives of each member. Their book, Traveling with the Turtle, is a manual that leads participants
through thirteen sessions that explore women’s spirituality and peacemaking.
Spiritual directors could use it as a tool for group spiritual direction.
The guidebook emerges
from a program on the power of nonviolence for personal and social change.
After facilitating workshops for
several years, the authors documented the process. Written for women dedicated
to nonviolence, the content focuses on images of the Divine, power, creativity,
community, and social action, all viewed through the lens of peacemaking. The
structure of each session consists of an opening ritual, reflections, the heart
of the session, a closing ritual and applications between meetings that include
readings, a life practice, and journal topics.
The book is methodical, easy to follow and provides “Facilitation Guidelines.”
The authors recognize the dangers of codifying a dynamic process, and they
advise facilitators to adjust the program to meet the unique needs of their
group. Even so, spiritual directors delve so deeply that they may feel
frustrated trying to complete the many facets in the suggested time of two
hours per session.
Traveling with the Turtle uses
material from more than fifty sources, many by well known authors such as Thich
Nhat Hanh, Joyce Rupp, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Joan Chittister, and Sue Monk
Kidd. When participants traverse minefields such as anger and violence,
Preston-Pile and Woodward list resources for individuals who may need
additional support and they remind their readers to take care of themselves.
Like seagull, the authors carry group members to a vantage point that expands
consciousness and generates another circle of women transforming our world.
Catherine Grytting, EdD, offers spiritual direction, and lives in Seattle,
Washington, USA. Additionally she provides instruction and treatment in energy
healing. She connects with the Divine through writing, painting and playing
music and can be reached at cgrytting@comcast.net.
|
