Galen Pearl

Galen Pearl

No Way Café

There is nobody who can teach the way of no way. It cannot be learned either. Teaching and learning require someone. When there is no longer anybody, then the way of no way is evident and there is neither need for learning nor desire for teaching.

~Todd Jackson

How Do You End the Year?

Endings and beginnings. Our calendar end and beginning of the year may be an artificial construct and not universal, but for me it still signifies something wondrous. A time to reflect on and release the year ending, and a time to anticipate the fresh start of a new year. Most years, I spend the final …

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Winter Solstice

The dark of longest night  Gives way to coming light  Winter cradles longer days  The promise of spring  Suckles at her icy breast  

Allowing Ourselves to Receive Love

The journey from teaching about love to allowing myself to be loved proved much longer than I realised. ~Henri Nouwen As a spiritual practice, “allowing” is often described as an acceptance of what is. We sometimes think of this acceptance of reality as not struggling against something that we don’t like. But we overlook the …

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Kiss Gently with Compassion

Kiss gently with compassion  All that come to you  The babe and the crone  The beggar and the king  The wise and the foolish  The angry and the meek  The joyful and the grieved  The fearful and the brave  Touch all their hearts with love  And smile sweetly to their soul  Embrace them with forgiveness  And send them on with blessing  

Blessed or Cursed

My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened. ~Michel de Montaigne I must be getting old. Several people in the last year have asked me to offer some wisdom or insight gained over decades of living. It has proven more challenging than I might have anticipated. Indeed, the more I …

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I’m Here to Love You

“Judge not,” said Jesus. Two words, not hard to understand. Yet, by all appearances, almost impossible to obey, even by, sometimes especially by, those who claim to follow the teacher who said them. I don’t think this teaching discourages using good judgment or discernment. I think it is cautioning us against setting ourselves apart by …

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Bowing to Life

I was practicing with some taiji buddies yesterday, and we got to talking about the custom of bowing in martial arts. Students and teachers bow, sparring partners bow, everyone bows when entering or leaving the practice area. Our discussion expanded to other bowing customs. Some people bow in greeting or farewell, children bow to elders, …

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Making Mistakes

Mistakes. We all make them. Yes, even me. I wrote that last sentence with a smile because occasionally someone has a (mistaken!) perception of me that I don’t make mistakes. Perhaps they think that because I write this blog and lead a contemplation group and meditate and so on, that somehow I am always wise. …

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You Need Not Be Concerned

If a problem has a solution, there’s no need to worry. If a problem doesn’t have a solution, there’s no need to worry. ~The Dalai Lama Sometimes I get caught up in my thoughts. The thoughts that often hook my attention are fretful, anxious, impatient thoughts. Maybe I’m worried about kids or grandkids, or irritated …

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