Catholic Natural Learning, Fleur-de-Lis Update

In past posts I used the symbol of the fleur-de-lis to illustrate my personal approach to home-centered learning.  This popular French motif has traditionally been used as a Christian symbol representing either the Holy Trinity, Jesus, or, due to the lily's association with purity, the Virgin Mary.  In my concept of Catholic Natural Learning, the base of the fleur-de-lis (that which ties the petals together) is Catholic Faith Formation. The lower parts of the flower represent the Holy Family--Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  Religion is the foundation upon which education is built, as was discussed in the previous article.

Initially I had designated the three upper petals of the flower to represent the philosophical methodologies of Charlotte Mason (CM), Maria Montessori, and unschooling.  I am still utilizing the first two.  I will give you a brief overview of how we implement both of these.

I rely heavily upon the use of living books as advocated by Charlotte Mason.  These include high quality fictional literature, as well as non-fiction works that are written in story form by a single author who is passionate about his topic.  There is little, if any, use of textbooks or workbooks.  Most subjects are narrated. That is, the child is read to or reads for himself and then gives either an oral or written composition of the material.  Narrations have always been an integral part of our lesson times, but at present my daughter doesn't find them enjoyable to give, so for now I'm not requiring them. She does, however, enjoy doing picture studies, which are another form of narration.  Copy work is regularly done from Catholic prayers, the Bible, or Emma Serl's Primary Language Lessons.  

As a former Montessori classroom teacher, I can tell you that to transfer the Montessori Method to a home setting would require a great deal of space, intensive teacher training, and a huge financial investment. However, none of this is necessary in order to use select Montessori resources which you believe would facilitate your child's learning. Many Montessori materials can be handmade, such as the popular sandpaper letters, and lesson plans are available online. Similar, less expensive materials can be found by companies such as Melissa and Doug. Currently we are using the Montessori moveable alphabet for phonics training and word making, in conjunction with a set of phonics cards and a dry erase board. We use a clock with moveable hands along with a Time and Money workbook, and real money as well.

Key tenets of Montessori philosophy, such as treating the child as a person and educating him for life, including the nurturing of his spirit, can be incorporated by anyone, and these are also core ideas of Charlotte Mason. As Montessori is a very tactile, "hands on" type of method, the use of tools such as math manipulatives; building activities such as Lincoln Logs and Legos; putting together puzzles; and practical life experiences such as dish washing, orange juice making, and folding clothes are things easily incorporated in the Montessori spirit.

Honing one's faculty of observation is also a primary Montessori element. In the home, you can prepare the environment to provide developmentally appropriate activities that the child is free to choose from. Establishing learning centers with materials for such things as creating artwork, making music, doing science experiments, and for use in dramatic play encourages self-directed projects. The parent/teacher has the opportunity to observe and "follow the child" in exploring her interests, finding her gifts, and supporting her in the more challenging areas.

So what of unschooling? I have determined that creating an atmosphere of learning all the time can be established using natural methods such as CM and Montessori, making the inclusion of unschooling unnecessary. All of the promise of a joyful way of family life can be had without the dogmatic baggage that comes with unschooling and the generally anti-teaching attitude of many unschoolers.  And the truth is that unschooling does not qualify as a method at all; rather, it is a philosophical mindset. I do not believe that children should shoulder the primary responsibility of deciding what, when, and how they will learn, especially in the extremes of radical unschooling. This idea goes against the Christian vocation of parents as the primary educators of their children. Since the unschooling Gestapo will insist that one can't partially unschool, it makes sense to avoid the issue altogether.

What I have chosen instead for the 3rd petal on the fleur-de-lis is relaxed homeschooling, a term coined by Mary Hood. Relaxed homeschooling is also a mindset rather than a method. Hood has described it as a middle path between the opposite ends of unschooling and the traditional school-at-home approach. Upcoming posts will illustrate how I apply a relaxed mindset with the particular methods of Maria Montessori and Charlotte Mason in the context of Catholic education.

Back to Basics--Revisiting the Concept of Organic Mothering

Organic Mothering is both a parenting style and a philosophy of natural family living. It encompasses the tenets of attachment parenting, eating organic and locally grown food and other practices of sustainability, and homeschooling or other, alternative education choices that offer trust and freedom for children.

OM is a spiritual practice focusing on mindfulness and awakening to the authentic self. It honors nature and flows with the rhythm of the seasons. It embraces the wabi sabi elements of simplicity, imperfect beauty, and paring down life to what is essential.

OM creates space for a woman--and her husband and children--to breathe, to be present in the moment. It brings a sense of purpose and meaning to the activities of each day, facilitating in the creation and appreciation of Beauty and the fulfillment of the poetry that is Life. 


If you go back to the very first post on this blog, these are the words you will find. I had a vision for Organic Mothering, and as far as I am aware, I coined the term. It is used by others now, but when I initially searched to make sure I wasn't stealing anyone else's blog title or idea, I didn't find it anywhere. I'm pleased that it's a concept that has caught on and inspired many.

It's hard to believe that this blog has been going since 2011! Much has changed in my life since then, most notably that I am now Catholic. The sentence, OM is a spiritual practice focusing on mindfulness and awakening to the authentic self, strikes me as a bit New Age today. That isn't surprising, though. It reflects all of the self help study I did in my 20s, and that's okay. I still need to grow in the area of mindfulness, of being keenly aware of my words and actions. But increasingly that awareness is centered on the tenets of the Catholic Faith and the Church that Jesus founded. How well, or how poorly, I see Christ in each person is the ultimate litmus test of mindfulness.

What about the "authentic self"? In Simple Abundance, Sarah Ban Breathnach wrote that the authentic Self is "the soul made visible". The question currently is, is it well with my soul? Is the Holy Spirit living visibly in the depths of my heart? I read once in Carol Houselander's The Reed of God that as we grow in becoming more like Christ, our rough spots may actually appear worse, as they are juxtaposed against the blinding light of the life of God within us.  That's my paraphrase of what she wrote.

Since I joined the Catholic Church, my "cradle Catholic" husband has reverted to the Faith, a great miracle if ever there was one. Now we are a Catholic household, each of us working out our salvation, individually and together. My vocation as a wife is to get my husband to heaven; his is to get me to heaven; and ours is to get our child to heaven. Any notion of "organic mothering" now pivots around being Catholic.

Home-centered learning is about being Catholic. When my home education efforts revolve around teaching and experiencing the Faith, all goes well. When they don't, it doesn't. I am currently reading The Joyful Home Schooler by Mary Hood, Ph.D.  She points out that in the Bible, God admonishes parents to teach their children in the ways of the Lord and his Word. Nothing else. Hood is Christian but not Catholic, so of course she doesn't talk about the Magisterium of the Church. Religious differences aside, I love what she wrote. God has not directed us to focus on lesson plans or grade levels or to create a mini educational institution that mirrors the public schools. Though she doesn't use the term, what she is talking about is establishing in one's home a domestic church.

We do have a responsibility to equip our children with the knowledge and skills that they will need to make their own way in this world. However, academics must always be secondary. As we read stories from the Bible, study the Catechism, and learn about the saints; as we pray together and talk about our Faith; as my child is mindfully lead to become the person that God has created her to be; the reading, the math, and the writing will follow. Trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit is paramount to anything that can rightly be called an education. There is no education without Jesus and his Church. It follows, then, that there is no real education in the public schools. Even if there is no choice but to send one's children to a public school, parents are still required to be their primary educators.

Getting back to the basics of organic mothering means going higher up and further into the Catholic Faith. It means that there is no separation between life, learning, and religion. As Charlotte Mason said, education is the handmaid of Religion. Along with flowing with the rhythm of the seasons, we follow the liturgical year. We gratefully care for all we have in stewardship to God. We behold the Incarnation and the image of Madonna and Child, of God become man, nurtured at the breast of Mary. What greater symbol of organic mothering could there be? What greater Beauty?

Patron Saint 2015--Julian of Norwich

If there is anywhere on earth a lover of God who is always kept safe, I know nothing of it, for it was not shown to me. But this was shown: that in falling and rising again we are always kept in that same precious love.  --Bl. Julian of Norwich

When I came into the Catholic Church in 2013, I chose Kateri Tekakwitha as my Confirmation name, and she was my official patron saint for 2014. She certainly hasn't been replaced by any means, but for 2015 my focus is upon the patronage of Julian of Norwich. I came across her name recently in a book on Christian mysticism and was reminded of a previous interest in her.

Julian is venerated in the Lutheran, Anglican, and Catholic Churches, though as far as I'm aware, she has never been formally canonized. She is traditionally regarded as "Blessed Julian".  A medieval anchoress and English mystic, Julian is known mostly through her Revelations of Divine Love, the first book written by a woman in the English language.

When I first learned of Julian on my journey to the Catholic Faith, I was puzzled as to why, when an English major at The Ohio State University, I had never heard of her. She has been a primary influence as I endeavor to write my own spiritual memoir with a focus on the Virgin Mary and the sacred feminine in Christianity.

I am currently reading a large and engaging spiritual biography called Julian's Gospel by Veronica Mary Rolf, which reconstructs the times in which Julian lived in the city of Norwich and her likely place in society, with reflections on her visions. Since Bl. Julian was both a female mystic and writer, she seems a fitting choice to guide me as I endeavor to produce my own work of mystical literature.

Who is your patron saint and why? I would love to hear from you in the comments.

Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart.  --Luke 2:19

One thing I love about the Catholic Church is the making sacred of even secular holidays. New Year's Day is also the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. New Year's Eve, for me, has come to be not about going to a great party, but about going to church. At the Vigil Mass last evening, I had the special surprise of hearing that it was being said for my Great Aunt Rosie, who died in November. For some reason, there was no one to do the music for the Mass, so Father J. had us sing a verse of "Immaculate Mary" at the beginning and another at the end. The quiet that settled in the moments usually filled with instruments and song seemed appropriate. What filled the silence was joy.

It's still the Christmas season in the Catholic Church, and we heard for this Feast Day the story of the shepherds coming to witness the birth of the Messiah and how Mary was silent in awe and wonder, how she cherished the words said about her Holy Son, tucking them into the deepest recesses of her heart.

Catholics celebrate Jesus' birth and sacrifice on the cross at every Mass. The Mass makes present the events of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection in a unique way. Christmas, in fact, comes from Christ-Mass. Christmas is a Holy Day inaugurated by the Catholic Church, a fact that many Protestants don't realize. When I was a Protestant, I didn't either. The Mass truly is the place to experience such holy mysteries together.

I wondered last evening at the brevity of our priest's homily, which was short even for him. But then I consider that there aren't many words beyond the Gospel that are needed. Mary herself simply contemplated all that had transpired. Her focus was on the meaning of the birth of her son and the great work of God. Being the Virgin Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, must have given her endless food for meditation. All Christians are called to birth him in our hearts and take him out into the world. Mary is our exemplar of discipleship. It's interesting to note that in the days of the Protestant Reformation, Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli all acknowledged and honored Mary as the Holy Mother of God.

I think Father J.'s short homily reflected his humility, in imitation of Mary's. Homilies and sermons are certainly an important part of the Mass, but the point is not to wow us all with brilliant words, though sometimes he does. In a similar way, the Mass does not exist to entertain us, musically or otherwise. Going to church isn't about one's spiritual "experience". It isn't about giving one a rush of ecstatic feeling or a profound revelation, although that can and does at times happen. Father J. let it be all about Jesus, just like Mary did.

Here is my reason for writing this today; this is my plea: Catholics, come home. Whatever the reason you left, grace awaits you. If you are not a Christian, I invite you. And if you are a non-Catholic Christian, I invite you too and challenge you to do some homework. Research the origins of the Church. Learn about the sacraments, all 7 of them, not just the 2 that Martin Luther left intact. Seek the historical evidence regarding what Christian worship really looked like in the early centuries of the Church, and what the members of the early Church actually believed. Because I can tell you, worship looked like the Catholic Mass, and the followers of Christ believed in his Real Presence, in the transubstantiation of the consecrated bread and wine of Holy Communion into the body and blood of Jesus.

We are all--Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant alike--Christian brothers and sisters. But we shouldn't be separated. Catholic literally means universal. One Church for all people. That's why Jesus came, and that's why he gave us Mary, his very own mother, as Mother of the Church.

Lullaby (a poem)

The sky falls
   on everyone eventually.
Bird lands between cat's teeth,
   and there is nothing for it.
Wings lacking tenacity
   and life flight urgency.

But what is our excuse?
We who war over the nature
of right thinking and sanity,
or insanity, and how it moves
through shadows and sticks like a web...

Sleep--the elusive mistress we crave
over all percussive instruments.

Eventually this mortal coil must shift to pause--
Its tune-ups are more persistent,
prevalent as daily mail.

Send me a better letter.
Return this pale elemental
envelope filled with unrechargable
batteries and miscellaneous bric-a-brac.

Ship me a Ginsu to cut
through an old macabre melody
stuck in a worn vinyl groove.

And don't forget the warranty,
   the extension, the last chance
donation to a First World disaster,
   First Class.

Birthday Reboot

I have decided, today on my birthday, to begin writing here again on a regular basis, under the patronage of Catholic writer and mystic, Julian of Norwich. Every month Organic Mothering is visited a few hundred times, which is a modest number but still significant, especially since I haven't written anything new in several months. I started another blog, and it has been well received, but it isn't the same. Something resonates with people in this blog. Maybe it's the title, or the popularity of certain subjects, or there is a mysterious inspiration at work.

I read over my old posts sometimes, and I am reminded of wisdom I have gathered that I sometimes forget. This helps me to "pull focus" and get back on track if I have been distracted by fear, doubt, worry, or any number of things that compete for my attention. I center once more on what is important. So this is my gift to myself today, to breathe out my life onto these electronic pages.

The sun is shining, for which I am so grateful! It is these little things that we must rely upon to bring us joy as the temperatures drop. It has been a mild winter so far, the grace of a reprieve, I suspect, before we get hit hard. Or maybe not. Either way, I'm not going to cringe from what comes, because what is to come will come, and stiff shoulders won't make any difference at all.

I'm going to see a movie with my family this afternoon and eat leftovers from the birthday brunch I shared yesterday with my parents, grandparents, sister, husband, daughter, and her friend. I already had cherry pie for breakfast! I am blessed with so much love. None of us knows how long we will have any of the important people in our lives, so I remind myself frequently to cherish each moment. A Madonna CD playing, a young girl dancing in the middle of the living room--what more entertainment can a person really need?

I am excited to meet with you here again, dear readers, perhaps for a cup of tea, or to shed a few tears, to smile conspiratorially, and to hear the silent music of the soul. 

All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.
-- St. Julian of Norwich

Carrying the Cross

After I received Communion at Mass today, I looked up at Jesus on the cross, as I usually do, and made the sign of the cross. But today, I really noticed Jesus on the cross in a new way. I am currently experiencing the heaviest cross I have ever been given to bear in my life. When I looked up at Jesus, it was as if he saw me. And I have no doubt that he did. He showed me that in his pain and agony, there was great strength. Power. All the power in heaven and on earth. I felt him saying, See me up here, on this cross, and know that I am in you. Know that there is nothing that I will give you to bear that I will not also give you the strength to withstand. 

I had been thinking during this current crisis that God must believe I am very strong to have given me such a great trial and responsibility. He must have much confidence in me. But maybe the more accurate reality is that he is strong, and that it is his strength that he is giving me. When I looked up at Jesus on the cross, I had just received him in the Eucharist, his Real Presence--body, blood, soul and divinity. The Gospel reading was from John 6, which makes so clear that Jesus commands us to eat of his body and drink of his blood, literally. I heard these verses again on the way home in the car on the radio, said by a priest with a lovely accent during a Latin Mass. I am supposed to pay attention to these verses, to hold them close to my heart, to understand that it is here, in the Blessed Sacrament, in the consecrated bread and wine, that I will receive my strength and be nourished in every way.

Today also happened to be the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ. We had a guest priest who taught us the origin of this feast. The story was about a priest who once doubted the Real Presence in the Eucharist. While he was saying Mass, blood dropped from the host onto a cloth on the altar. This relic is paraded through the streets of Italy on this feast day. After the homily, the guest priest shared a really long mission speech asking for donations. I was anxious to just have Communion and get home to make sure everything was okay, and I couldn't believe how long the man talked!

But now it occurs to me. I have learned in Catholicism that there is a purpose to my suffering. I can offer it up to bless those in greater need. The children in poverty in third world countries that I heard about today have a greater need than mine. For food, shelter, education, and the basic necessities of life. To keep the boys out of a life of terrorism and the girls from a life of forced prostitution. I gave a donation in the envelope and wrote my prayer request. I can offer up my suffering for these children, and it will bless them, and what I am going through will mean something good and real. It will help someone else. And the person who opens the envelope will make my intentions known and make sure that my family is prayed for. Knowing these things, perhaps I will avoid despair.

The gift of the Catholic Church is endless. It is eternal, this one, true, holy, universal and apostalic Church. This is the Church Jesus built on the Rock named Peter, the apostle who denied him three times. This flawed, fearful, unfaithful man was the first Pope. The one given the keys to the kingdom by our Lord. Jesus is now trusting me, just as I am, with a great task. That's the other thing he seemed to be saying from the cross, that I can do this difficult thing just as I am. He is with me and in me. I don't have to be perfect, because he is perfecting me in his way, in his time. He has guided and will continue to guide me in my decisions, even if others don't understand them or think I am making the wrong choices.

In hindsight, we might see what we could have done differently, and we can learn from our mistakes and grow to be the persons God has created us to be. When we find ourselves in a crisis or difficult situation, we can pray and then do the best with what we have, with what we know, with what our instincts and the Holy Spirit lead us to do. Decisions are not made with 20/20 hindsight, but rather in the present moment. I made a phone call today that resulted in someone else being upset, yet the person who responded to the call delivered, in perfect kindness and compassion, a much needed message and important information. I believe, therefore, that it was a good decision, and that the message given was of divine intervention. We often have to feel our way as things unfold, to navigate a new challenge in very stormy seas, but we don't have to do it alone.

We are, each and every one of us, specially designed by our Father with a unique personality, with particular strengths and talents. Everyone has his or her own genius and purpose in life. I am not supposed to be different from who I am, from the person I was created to be, and neither are you. We also all have human weaknesses, which are not necessarily defects of personality or character, but rather raw material that God uses, along with our stronger qualities, to draw us closer to him. Every imperfection has its brilliance on the other side of the coin. For example, patience is the virtuous side of stubbornness. Both reflect a strong will and the ability to wait. We are all sinners, and every single sinner is called to become a saint.

There is an old hymn that has the lyrics, Just As I Am. As the 12 Step adage goes, what other people think of me is none of my business. We can only be forgiven in the exact measure that we forgive others. Living with endless remorse, regret, guilt, shame, blame, resentment, fear, doubt, and worry can only keep us from the mission given us by Christ. The Sacrament of Confession gives us the opportunity to bring our sins to Jesus and know that we are absolved of them. I am reminding myself right now, and you, to go to Confession often! We then do our penance, make the amends to others that we can, and move on. We must learn to see Christ in ourselves and all others, and accept ourselves and one another just as we are.

And here's a neat thing I have experienced my whole life. People have often remarked on the qualities of patience, compassion, empathy, and understanding that they saw and admired in me. What if the good things people say about us really are true? What if we believed our advocates, even a little, and allowed the condemning voices to pass through, and let them go? We might be able to move mountains.

A retired priest that I am very fond of who still occasionally says the Mass loves to recite the poetry of Mary Oliver.  I will leave you with my personal favorite, "Wild Geese":


You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-
over and over announcing your place
In the family of things.