Welcome to this new series, “Something Psalmic,” in which I invite my guests to share what’s lifting their spirits and offering them healing and hope right now.

In this episode of Psalms for the Spirit, I’m joined by Rev. Heather Prince Doss ~ an ordained Presbyterian minister, lifelong traveler, and founder of Progressive Pilgrimage, a ministry that guides spiritually rich journeys for open-hearted seekers. With over 16 years in parish ministry and a love for creative expression, Heather shares how travel, art journaling, and sacred disruption have become life-giving practices for her.

We talk about the power of stepping outside familiar rhythms, the way art and poetry offer space for praise and lament, and how the most moving moments often arise from the unplanned and unexpected. Heather also reflects on the phrase wonder maker ~ a simple shift in language that offered a whole new way of experiencing the sacred.

“What psalmic means to me is to bring all of that praise and lament and need before God in a creative way, whether that's words or music or something more visual.”

If you're craving space to breathe, reflect, or reconnect with what grounds you, this conversation offers a gentle invitation to find what’s psalmic in your own journey.

Heather’s Bio:

Heather is a born traveler, literally. She was born in Germany to military parents, and a love for the world has never gotten out of her bones. This love has carried her all over the United States, to Central America, Europe, Southern Africa, the Middle East, and even to the Presbyterian United Nations Office as a lowly intern. The same love motivated her ministry in the Presbyterian Church (USA) where she served as a parish pastor for over 16 years. Alongside parish ministry, Heather has worked serving unhoused communities. She is the founder and owner of Progressive Pilgrimage where where she now works full time to plan and lead spiritual travel for progressively-minded Christians and faith seekers. She is also a creative soul who loves expressing her faith with (very) amateur artistic pursuits like art journaling, poetry, and a variety of visual arts.

Find more about Heather here:

www.progressivepilgrimage.com

Follow Heather on her social media:

facebook:

@progressivepilgrimage

@heather.p.doss

instagram:

@progressivepilgrimage

@heather.prince.doss

Featured Song:

Psalm 84: How Lovely

Set to the beautiful air, “Carrickfergus,” this psalm depicts the pilgrimage of faith, through which we are strengthened by God’s presence.

Learn more about the Habits for the Spirit Course www.kiranyoungwimberly.com/habits-course

Get involved with “Summer for the Spirit” www.kiranyoungwimberly.com/summer

Download your free guide here: “7 Spiritual Practices for Wellbeing in Uncertain Times”

Become a Supporting/Paid Subscriber

You’ll get:

* Complimentary access to the Habits for the Spirit course

* Videos of the conversations in Substack

* The Psalms for the Spirit Journal ebook

* Invitations to future offerings for supporting subscribers throughout the year

Psalms for the Spirit is a listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This Psalm tells the story of one who is ill in mid-life and of the particular struggles of that experience. It is joined here with Irish words of the original song ‘Taim cortha o bheith im’Aonar mo lui,’ and the refrain “I am weary from being alone.” Both the Psalm and the Irish song contend with grief, loneliness, and the depth of life’s sorrows, yet they take some consolation from simply being able to express that experience in the context of prayer to a God whose “years are forever.”

Continue your reflections with the accompanying journal, which includes further questions for reflection and some invitations to prayer and practice.

Paid subscribers receive a free journal PDF, or you can purchase a paperback version

Visit the Celtic Psalms website for scores/books, mp3s, CDs, and videos for I am Weary

Find out more about the Habits for the Spirit course: an 8-week online course exploring habits and daily spiritual practices to promote wellbeing in body, mind, and spirit

Follow Kiran’s monthly reflections on Bless My Feet

Psalms for the Spirit is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Welcome to this new series, “Something Psalmic,” in which I invite my guests to share what’s lifting their spirits and offering them healing and hope right now.

In this inspiring episode of Psalms for the Spirit, I’m joined by Miriam Diephouse-McMillan, a chaplain, ordained minister, and author of Sacred Balance: How Ancient Practices Can Restore Modern Minds. Miriam has served for over 12 years as a spiritual caregiver in a state psychiatric hospital, where she walks alongside individuals facing profound mental health challenges ~ and where she’s witnessed the deep healing that spiritual practices can bring.

Together, we explore what’s psalmic in Miriam’s life: the grounding rhythm of nature, the reflective power of writing, and how joy can be something we seek, not just stumble into. We also talk about the inspiration behind her book and the growing connection between spirituality and mental health in both research and real life.

"Seek the joy. This idea that joy isn't something that just randomly happens to us, but we can actively build it, seek it, look for it in our lives."

If you’re longing for healing, perspective, and a grounded way to walk through this world with hope, this episode will speak to your spirit.

Miriam’s Bio:

Miriam works and writes at the intersection of Spirituality and Mental Health. She loves exploring big questions of meaning, hope, and connection that shape our faith and well-being. Miriam has been a chaplain at an inpatient psychiatric hospital for over 12 years. She provides spiritual care and counseling to people with a wide variety of mental health concerns and helps them explore how spirituality can enhance their well-being. She is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), and a Board Certified Chaplain. Her additional certificate in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy allows her to teach skills for managing difficult emotions and maintaining a fulfilling life.

Find more about Miriam here: https://www.miriamdiephousemcmillan.com/

Get a copy of Miriam’s book, Sacred Balance, for our Summer Co-Read!

Featured Song:

Psalm 25: For I wait

Set to the traditional Irish tune For Ireland I’ll Not Tell Her Name, this reflective setting of Psalm 25 is a prayer of trust and longing. It speaks of waiting on God, and seeking God’s guidance, truth, and mercy throughout the day.

Learn more about the Habits for the Spirit Course www.kiranyoungwimberly.com/habits-course

Get involved with “Summer for the Spirit” www.kiranyoungwimberly.com/summer

Download your free guide here: “7 Spiritual Practices for Wellbeing in Uncertain Times”

Become a Supporting/Paid Subscriber

You’ll get:

* Complimentary access to the Habits for the Spirit course

* Videos of the conversations in Substack

* The Psalms for the Spirit Journal ebook

* Invitations to future offerings for supporting subscribers throughout the year

Psalms for the Spirit is a listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

‘Willy Taylor’ is the inspiration for this song of praise to a steadfast God. The Psalm tells the story of the Exodus, of the Hebrew people’s liberation from slavery, and of the joyful thanksgiving through which we can sing a new song, with the accompaniment of musical instruments and along with the rest of creation.

Continue your reflections with the accompanying journal, which includes further questions for reflection and some invitations to prayer and practice.

Paid subscribers receive a free journal PDF, or you can purchase a paperback version

Visit the Celtic Psalms website for scores/books, mp3s, CDs, and videos for Sing to the Lord

Find out more about the Habits for the Spirit course: an 8-week online course exploring habits and daily spiritual practices to promote wellbeing in body, mind, and spirit

Follow Kiran’s monthly reflections on Bless My Feet

Psalms for the Spirit is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Welcome to this new series, “Something Psalmic,” in which I invite my guests to share what’s lifting their spirits and offering them healing and hope right now.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Almut Furchert, a German-American scholar, therapist, philosopher, and founder of Cloister Seminars. Raised in a pastor’s family in East Germany and now living in the American Midwest, Almut brings a deep well of wisdom drawn from psychology, monastic spirituality, and personal experience of cultural exile and spiritual homecoming.

“It's the connection to the soul; it's singing the Psalms. It's like breathing in and breathing out. It's the food for the soul.”—Dr. Almut Furchert

Together, we explore what it means to live a “psalmic” life—one shaped by sacred rhythms, seasons, and the soul's quiet longings. Almut shares how her healing journey was nurtured through the Benedictine monasteries of the Midwest, where the daily chanting of Psalms became food for the soul and a sanctuary for rediscovering sacred work. She also speaks beautifully about Hildegard of Bingen, music as soul-practice, and the quiet yet powerful rituals that anchor her daily life.

If you're longing for peace, grounding, and inspiration in uncertain times, this conversation will offer you a gentle invitation to find your own sacred rhythm, and perhaps, something psalmic in your life, too.

Follow Almut’s Substack at https://cloisternotes.substack.com/

Find Almut’s writings and teachings on www.cloisterseminars.org.

Featured Song:

Psalm 1: Their Delight

This first Psalm, set to the Irish traditional tune BánChnoic Éirann Ó, speaks of being like trees planted in streams of water, where we can flourish and thrive.

Find out more about “Summer for the Spirit” at www.kiranyoungwimberly.com/summer

Download your free guide: “7 Spiritual Practices for Wellbeing in Uncertain Times”

Become a Supporting/Paid Subscriber

You’ll get:

* Complimentary access to the Habits for the Spirit course

* Videos of the conversations in Substack

* The Psalms for the Spirit Journal ebook

* Invitations to future offerings for supporting subscribers throughout the year

Psalms for the Spirit is a listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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A prayer of protection for a loved one, this Psalm makes the hopeful claim that God will provide ultimate redemption from the evils that threaten us. Set to the Irish tune ‘Dearthairin Ó Mo Chroí,’ it is a fervent prayer for safety, despite the perils of this world, and it expresses a faith that in the end, God will protect us in a way that this life cannot.

Continue your reflections with the accompanying journal, which includes further questions for reflection and some invitations to prayer and practice.

Paid subscribers receive a free journal PDF, or you can purchase a paperback version

Visit the Celtic Psalms website for scores/books, mp3s, CDs, and videos for All Who Dwell in the Shelter

Find out more about the Habits for the Spirit course: an 8-week online course exploring habits and daily spiritual practices to promote wellbeing in body, mind, and spirit

Follow Kiran’s monthly reflections on Bless My Feet

Psalms for the Spirit is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

A Psalm of recognition of the fragility of life as well as God’s eternal nature. Combined here with the Irish traditional song ‘Casadh an t’Súgain,’ it broaches the subject of how we might live with “wise hearts,” recognizing that from dust we came and to dust we return. Importantly, this paraphrase emphasizes that we return to God ~ our maker, to whom we belong in life and in death and who will redeem all of our brokenness.

Continue your reflections with the accompanying journal, which includes further questions for reflection and some invitations to prayer and practice.

Paid subscribers receive a free journal PDF, or you can purchase a paperback version

Visit the Celtic Psalms website for scores/books, mp3s, CDs, and videos for From Dust We Came

Find out more about the Habits for the Spirit course: an 8-week online course exploring habits and daily spiritual practices to promote wellbeing in body, mind, and spirit

Follow Kiran’s monthly reflections on Bless My Feet

Psalms for the Spirit is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

A Psalm of abandonment, full of questions without any attempt at resolution, this Psalm presents a heart-rending, honest portrayal of someone in the midst of deep difficulty. Combined with the lamenting tones of the Irish tune ‘Bean Dubh a Ghleanna,’ this song holds a space for the most forsaken experiences of humanity, while continuing to retain a relationship with the God to whom it asks these questions.

Continue your reflections with the accompanying journal, which includes further questions for reflection and some invitations to prayer and practice.

Paid subscribers receive a free journal PDF, or you can purchase a paperback version

Visit the Celtic Psalms website for scores/books, mp3s, CDs, and videos for God of My Salvation

Find out more about the Habits for the Spirit course: an 8-week online course exploring habits and daily spiritual practices to promote wellbeing in body, mind, and spirit

Follow Kiran’s monthly reflections on Bless My Feet

Psalms for the Spirit is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

The haunting melody ‘My Lagan Love’ accompanies this Psalm’s plea for the listening ear of the loving God who is “Lord of All,” words kept from the original lyrics by Joseph Campbell. This Psalm expresses lament from a place of weariness deepest longing to be saved from the grave, and turns to God for guidance on the way forward, recalling also God’s deep love and goodness.

Continue your reflections with the accompanying journal, which includes further questions for reflection and some invitations to prayer and practice.

Paid subscribers receive a free journal PDF, or you can purchase a paperback version

Visit the Celtic Psalms website for scores/books, mp3s, CDs, and videos for Love is Lord of All

Find out more about the Habits for the Spirit course: an 8-week online course exploring habits and daily spiritual practices to promote wellbeing in body, mind, and spirit

Follow Kiran’s monthly reflections on Bless My Feet

Psalms for the Spirit is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Depicting a vision for what this world could be, this Psalm, set to the Scottish tune ‘Lovely Molly,’ imagines love and mercy (or truth or faithfulness, in other translations), justice and peace coming together to greet and kiss. This rendition of the Psalm continues to unfold that vision of the future as one in which God’s goodness and kindness are evident, healing takes place, and the people will sing.

Continue your reflections with the accompanying journal, which includes further questions for reflection and some invitations to prayer and practice.

Paid subscribers receive a free journal PDF, or you can purchase a paperback version

Visit the Celtic Psalms website for scores/books, mp3s, CDs, and videos for Love and Mercy

Find out more about the Habits for the Spirit course: an 8-week online course exploring habits and daily spiritual practices to promote wellbeing in body, mind, and spirit

Follow Kiran’s monthly reflections on Bless My Feet

Psalms for the Spirit is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.