about karen

I'm passionate about personal growth—both in my own life and in the lives of others. I love seeing joy in others as they notice the next positive steps in their lives.

This passion served me well throughout many years of teaching in the US and in Swaziland and Sudan, Africa. For nine years I pastored a church which grew rapidly as the long-term members welcomed newly arriving refugees into services, activities, and leadership. My chaplain work at Lancaster General Hospital and Philhaven Psychiatric Hospital also benefited from my natural attraction toward hope, healing, and wholeness.  In May of 2020, I received a certificate as a spiritual director from Moravian Theological Seminary. I find great fulfillment in listening to the longings of the soul, so individuals and groups can become more of what they are created to be.

Pottery captivated me in 2015, when I took my first class. I continued to follow the steps and discovered that making Dance of Life oil lamps directly connects me to my passion. I received a steady stream of orders, without seeking orders. Individuals said they were experiencing calmness by watching the dance of the flames on the rim of the lamps. 

I am now devoting more time to this energizing, yet calming, spiritual practice of making lamps for other people. I work mostly in silence, praying for the people who will eventually receive each lamp. My hope is that you, too, will take that next step toward a moment of quiet in your busy day. A still soul is more hopeful, more whole, than an anxious soul. 

I have combined clay work with soul work and offer Spiritual Direction along with experiments with clay for individuals in my home, or for groups on retreat in various places. Participants have expressed a new level of vulnerability and growth when their body is also involved in creativity.

Contact me at karen@dancinglifelamps.com or 717-371-6485 to schedule a Spiritual Direction session in person in my home, or by ZOOM, Skype, Google Duo, messenger video, or phone.

Purchase your lamp or waterfall today and practice the stillness. Sign up for email notices of new blog posts, encouraging you in the way of peace. And go out there and live YOUR passion.