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Jen Miller
Born and raised in Southern Appalachia,
Jen Miller is a poet and mystic without the monastery. Blending narrative, lyric, and confessional styles, her poems weave strands of the sacred and the mundane, taking the reader on a journey into the soul's deepest yearnings.
Jen's work has appeared in Humana Obscura, Gypsophila, SageWoman, and others. She is also the founding editor-in-chief of Quill of the Goddess, an independent literary journal dedicated to goddess spirituality.

![I borrowed lines from a couple of hymns for this one (𝘔𝘺 𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘦𝘴𝘴 and 𝘙𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘨𝘦𝘴). I was also inspired by a passage from 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘕𝘰𝘸 by Richard Rohr, where he says, "𝘈𝘣𝘺𝘴𝘴 lets you know that you will never know fully and God must always remain a mystery (Judges 13:18). This keeps you humble and searching. 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 gives you something solid on which to stand on and a place from which to move."
[poetry, spiritual poetry, mysticism, poems about spirituality, mystical poetry, soul]](https://instagram.fsdv2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t51.82787-15/791143507_17904337287520423_721391034150631791_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=108&_nc_map=urlgen_bucketless&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=P0KokBfUNPUQ7kNvwFKpM-s&_nc_oc=Adodwh9OOXQFGZa1ixO_sZ7_J84GfPG-2uJlZBmKQITzGRYBmYyMFqbpKLrshYvMHBs&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=instagram.fsdv2-1.fna&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=SEvR-2dpsgxhkAkwwbdRxA&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQKLLy-n7tdD1EWpUdiFF5i6WjqVgrJN7p2iJ1rNL9dAAZ9c7YuZjrSaEl95Y5zdzZF58-jTGNfA&oh=00_AQJs5xEvp6PgyV8ZY8VKhHUUgb5Mk9D7h5WKQWmUoj2wEQ&oe=6AAEBB34)

![This is my call and response poem in couplet form inspired by @prof_kikij. I used the line "Today I see the faces in everything" from 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘩: 𝘚𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘰𝘪𝘢 by Donika Kelly.
[poetry, spiritual poetry, mysticism, poems about spirituality, mystical poetry, soul, poems about nature, buzzards, vultures, poems about life and death]](https://instagram.fsdv2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t51.82787-15/780187302_17902558917520423_5832752421659551109_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=111&_nc_map=urlgen_bucketless&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=HLANWMSGx5EQ7kNvwF794OV&_nc_oc=AdoOBcVb443EMQvxnjf-lF7dwwSMeqk6jBQGdTe-mLGQYqKbJio9OGJfaQp4qoCbQJM&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=instagram.fsdv2-1.fna&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=SEvR-2dpsgxhkAkwwbdRxA&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQJ67eA-2rHJPqJKUpkQPL8Ek417LUBFj2Z1pSSVGWk3u3Hy-8iWHhIHMqiZ3P9uGDMfpk2P7knZ&oh=00_AQLCdYc4MirDA2UQlK4r2wKAmVaRZNlskd3CB6a1t7Bgnw&oe=6AAEC47B)




![I was watching a documentary that showed the whole life cycle of a female chameleon, which is rather short. She only lives about four months. But at her death, due to rapid, disordered signals from her nervous system, she puts on a brilliant and final show of color. It's beautiful and haunting, and I can't stop thinking about it. So I had to write a poem.
You can watch the video from "Nature" on PBS here:
https://a-z-animals.com/animals/chameleon/the-colorful-farewell-why-chameleons-erupt-with-color-right-before-they-die/
[poetry, spiritual poetry, mysticism, poems about spirituality, mystical poetry, soul, poems about nature, chameleons, poems about death]](https://instagram.ftlv23-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t51.82787-15/765069982_17899982169520423_1116289305631328804_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=102&_nc_map=urlgen_bucketless&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=vkS4dxDSuzAQ7kNvwHRKAMV&_nc_oc=Adp3joa5GJLwG-lofvMvQdi3D0v2v2FCupR7xKEXeDOZr9QSIrBsPs-sCHXTTqNlGNc&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=instagram.ftlv23-1.fna&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=SEvR-2dpsgxhkAkwwbdRxA&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQJUVImGfRDiWo_4us7YEMpkFrZXLfsEHUme4TxAMoiH4Ds2ZHjC6HNBRSvUApC4XGirKVKER8A3&oh=00_AQIow0BPmruAeAuP_BKJuEEpR_TPDUVN3gboP8T-Th_rAQ&oe=6AAEB750)
![A prayer inspired by "The Soul" card from The Mary Magdalene Oracle by Meggan Watterson.
[poetry, spiritual poetry, mysticism, poems about spirituality, mystical poetry, soul, Mary Magdalene, soul and body, remembering the soul]](https://instagram.fsdv2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t51.82787-15/758469155_17898669174520423_6906432785980539852_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=103&_nc_map=urlgen_bucketless&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=lRNslKz2lQkQ7kNvwG9ciSI&_nc_oc=Adr5JUelYed-j6x0Io8SK1vM6Ko9gr8ba7OKfZ17oAx7ojvxP3BZaollDMYUaxXmT-0&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=instagram.fsdv2-1.fna&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=SEvR-2dpsgxhkAkwwbdRxA&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQL8EK_8pw2Ef_fNBCaUKWaA7zTo9GoZktfa54aNQkoRTcpHvMT72zSL9K9t5ZYQx2dVmVdsZQ7g&oh=00_AQIqwsJzX3HEkwrDzoFfzJMGwsmCjYAtCc3AJ9bCFtzk_g&oe=6AAEC288)
![I have been working with The Mary Magdalene Oracle by Meggan Watterson this week. This poem was inspired by the card entitled "The Fifth Power" and the Soul-Voice Meditation prompt: "What helps me remember that I am also a soul?"
[poetry, spiritual poetry, mysticism, poems about spirituality, mystical poetry, soul, Mary Magdalene, soul and body, remembering the soul]](https://instagram.fsdv2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t51.82787-15/756604070_17898334512520423_5813604183924162763_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=105&_nc_map=urlgen_bucketless&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=QlUxKsetvfUQ7kNvwGvyOLS&_nc_oc=AdqgOnWGgIRGMEf_b6sMqR-Z60c7jgKVhC7Rk34A8I2JsTO5kA6hXMsETEFomjrU8Ic&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=instagram.fsdv2-1.fna&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=SEvR-2dpsgxhkAkwwbdRxA&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQIbh0n5QnBaU4c0W4DbA4UIoIfCUOW-bDTunjgzWihY8zrsI7kWlLD5vIokR_Oh9i0-AjtmZjUg&oh=00_AQLZYEDWVKJDVqMzuQK1qX1htX0GHKNRgKnxPqYY_fsMAQ&oe=6AAEC075)
![If you are a musician, then I don't have to tell you about how everything sings, how you get attuned to the vibration of the most subtle lifeforms. You know when things are in harmony and when they aren't. You know the parts of a symphony and how everything speeds up in the fourth movement. I feel like that's where Earth is right now, somewhere in the midst of that wild, tumultuous sound.
Credit to @prof_kikij for the line prompt "Hearing the whole earth change its tune" from W.B. Yeats 𝘈𝘵 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘙𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴.
[poetry, spiritual poetry, mysticism, poems about spirituality, mystical poetry, poems about music, poems about climate change, weather]](https://instagram.ftlv23-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t51.82787-15/754143667_17898036300520423_7806686617932832346_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=105&_nc_map=urlgen_bucketless&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=y9CgIxz3SI4Q7kNvwFIuKg3&_nc_oc=AdoWt2V9BP_IVp4F556ah1Noy7RJF_qIVAl7RyMx7pTXg5n5sEWzt_us-6nfitQBROw&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=instagram.ftlv23-1.fna&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=SEvR-2dpsgxhkAkwwbdRxA&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQIqEjZ5zt-K2BWJ0vU2c6xk9o142bi_aTmzRl6xRH6fjYzgNY-r5aV03_ZUyeX3ohaghCP-Veor&oh=00_AQKafAl17P39mKRkpm4--BjmTN5X2D4KZJTrT4chf3CSFw&oe=6AAED703)

![I think this is my favorite piece I've written all year. Because most of us resist being loved unconditionally. Something in our nature makes us think we don't deserve it. We'll do just about anything to run away from it. Divine love doesn't make sense to the mind, only to the heart, and sometimes the heart has to be cracked open first.
When I thought about God as a persistent lover, that whole scene with Lloyd and the boombox from the movie 𝘚𝘢𝘺 𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 seemed like the perfect image.
[poetry, spiritual poetry, mysticism, divine love, poems about spirituality, mystical poetry]](https://instagram.ftlv23-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t51.82787-15/744820087_17896448586520423_3595837210411515488_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=104&_nc_map=urlgen_bucketless&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=UtJ0BCOd-mwQ7kNvwESCxGp&_nc_oc=AdrbGgd7rV9_nBzh4q1QcH6lYKimXos9zKyeuY-Gu2AVcTGPk8rej6dvgVYc4HZIr6A&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=instagram.ftlv23-1.fna&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=SEvR-2dpsgxhkAkwwbdRxA&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQK0fmyNMUj-Xy2xLyFOru6C34CcGYWSFWR8VQBxTFF3loCipT6IjXd66Ech1AVCI5H9jjuhw7Jh&oh=00_AQKF0nFH1jo8bdhKiP8Np7dRGeQDNmqQfbmmUHLMaKHpGQ&oe=6AAED14F)