We sometimes judge ourselves for falling short of how, in our opinion, a “spiritual” person should think and behave. If I am feeling upset, angry, despondent, sad, fearful, then I must not be practicing enough. I must try to do better, be better. Maybe I’m too lazy, or unfocused, or not really committed to the […]
All life is your guru. There is absolutely nothing that does not reflect the perfection of creation and the power of love that created it. The very cells of your body vibrate in harmony with all that is. Your understanding or your lack of understanding changes nothing. But your experience changes everything. Once remembrance is
All Life Is Your Guru Read More »
If you paid attention to the thoughts in your mind and the words that you speak, what would you hear? Maybe spend some time today listening to yourself. Listen without intentionally directing, without judging, without self-censoring. Just listen. What do you hear? And perhaps more important, how does what you hear make you feel? Without
Listen to Yourself Read More »
The way to find love is to be love, which is just another way of saying be who you are. You are not lovable because someone loves you. You are not without love if someone doesn’t love you. It is not possible to be without love or to be unlovable. It is only possible to
Years ago when I was researching and writing about happiness, one question kept coming up. If we all say we want to be happy, why aren’t we? Before we go further, let’s expand our concept of happiness to include joy, well being, wonder, awe, contentment, inner peace, enjoyment, just basic okayness, and any other related
Shadow Beliefs about Happiness Read More »
Several years ago, the desire to know, to merge, with the Divine Beloved was so strong within me that I knew without that union, nothing else would ever be enough. And so I wrote this prayer: BelovedOh to feel your touch of graceI ache for your embrace of compassionTake me to yourselfLose me in the
An Answered Prayer Read More »
Many of us have had the experience of hearing our name called as a teacher or group leader goes down the list. The typical response is usually “Here!” or “Present!” Sometimes this is accompanied by a raised hand to help identify ourselves. The person calling the roll is not asking anything of us at that
The Roll Call of Life Read More »
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
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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
Open my eyes to the beauty that surrounds me that I may walk through this day with the kind of awareness that calls forth grateful living. ~Macrina Wiederkehr I’ve been using this quote recently to start my day. I like the idea of waking up with a blessing, an expression of gratitude for a precious
I’m walking a labyrinth with some friends next week. I love this meditative practice. It models how we move through life in faith. Unlike a maze, there are no wrong turns in a labyrinth. Yes, there are twists and turns, but the path leads unerringly to the center. You cannot get lost. So you can
Most of us have heard the saying that it takes a village to raise a child. After today, I’m pretty sure that all of us need a village, maybe not to raise each other, but to care for each other. The beginning of this story is that my zippered wallet containing my money, credit cards,
We All Need a Village Read More »
You brought the music back Carried by trade winds and ocean currents You sing across the seas Now the music chants my days I dance my life In the arms of the Beloved
In the Arms of the Beloved Read More »
No one tells you There is a sadness When all is left behind Although shed willingly Touch lingers A last caress Of what was once a treasure There is no going back Nor would you want to Yet there were moments When happiness kissed your lips And longing stirred your soul When the dream sang
The Sadness of Letting Go Read More »
This chapter starts with a description of a small country with few people. They live simply and in harmony with nature. (This chapter could have been the model for the back to the land movement of my younger years. Reading it brought back wonderful memories of living in a shack in the mountains of Montana!)
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 80 Read More »
When people do not fear powerGreat power appearsThese first two lines have been translated and interpreted so many ways, it’s difficult to find any footing in a particular meaning. Like many passages in the Tao Te Ching which seem to address governance, this couplet could refer to actual political government, and could also refer to
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 72 Read More »
Morning sunCasts tree star shadowsLight and dark dance in dewdropsEmbracing as lovers doJoyful in the green
As I explained in Part 1, this unusually long chapter resembles a string of proverbs. Picking up from the earlier post, here are some key passages from the rest of the chapter. Action leads to failureGrasping leads to lossThus the sage refrains from action and does not failRefrains from grasping and does not lose Once
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 64 (Part 2) Read More »
They paved paradiseAnd put up a parking lot~Joni Mitchell Every other weekend, I leave my urban home to spend a few days at my forest cabin. Two weeks ago, I missed my usual weekend because I was sick. So when I went this last weekend I had been four weeks away. I always savor the
Tao is the honored source of all creationThe awakened person treasures itThe unenlightened are protected by it This chapter is an ode to the natural beauty and humble majesty of Tao. Similar to the Bible’s observation that the sun shines and the rain falls equally on the just and the unjust, here we are told
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 62 Read More »