Breathe deeply, until sweet air extinguishes the burn of fear in your lungs and every breath is a beautiful refusal to become anything less than infinite. ~D. Antoinette Foy Lately, I’ve been feeling some anxiety. Not debilitating or overwhelming, but anxiety is not something I typically experience, so I’ve noticed it and wondered about its […]
I am never upset for the reason I think. ~A Course in Miracles What happens when we feel disturbed? The mind starts thinking. Emotions flood the body with sensation. At least that is what happened to me recently when I got upset after a conversation with someone. I was upset about what the other person
A Disturbance in the Force Read More »
If a problem has a solution, there is no need to worry. If a problem does not have a solution, there is no need to worry.~the Dalai Lama Worry is so ingrained in most of us that we are not even aware of the “worry loop” spinning in the background of our thoughts. At least
Water Moves the Color: Reflections on the Dao De Jing I don’t remember how I first came across the Dao De Jing, also spelled Tao Te Ching, but I do remember that I was in my early 20s. My soul immediately responded to the poetry of this ancient wisdom teaching. Its words have sung to
Happy to Announce New Book! Read More »
Talk less, listen moreJudge less, love more A mantra is a word or short phrase that focuses your attention. It can be a sacred mantra that connects you to the divine. It can be a brief, inspiring quote. It can be a reminder or guide to keep you focused on what is most important to
This phrase has been helping me stay focused. Jack Kornfield attributes it to his Buddhist teacher Achaan Chah as an encouragement to commit oneself to meditation. In that sense it is an admonition to literally sit on the seat of your meditation cushion. To me, however, it is also a reminder to figuratively take the
[Note: I’ve been trying to update something on my subscriber service, and apparently my last post got resent one or two extra times to some people. If that happened to you, I apologize for the annoyance. Hopefully, everything is fixed now.] Someone complained to me recently that she had gotten away from her spiritual practice
Everyday Life as Spiritual Practice Read More »
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,
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.
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
We meditate, we pray, we read spiritual literature, we set intentions, we attend retreats, we sit at the feet of teachers, we chant mantras, we aspire, and yet …. A few months ago, I engaged in a period of self reflection to explore what was blocking my way. I thought the problem was desire. Then
Living in Trust (Part 1 of 3) Read More »
The martial arts school I used to go to sits on the corner of a busy intersection. I just read that someone smashed one of the huge windows that face the street. With so much of this sort of thing in the news these days, I’m not sure why this particular act of vandalism hit
It’s Okay to Feel Sad Read More »
As a person who often advocates “practice,” I’ve been exploring what it means to practice something. We might have lots of practices. I practice martial arts, for example. Some of us practice mindfulness, meditation, yoga, loving-kindness, and more. When we have an intention to cultivate or develop a skill or a habit, we devote time
The Art of Allowing Read More »
The universe has been giving me plenty of writing material in the joke’s-on-me category. This time it’s about developing a website and working on a new book project. For years I have quietly cruised along on my little blog, happy to use Blogger, grateful for all those who have subscribed by email. Then recently Blogger
Oh Right, I Knew That Read More »
Lately I’ve been feeling drained, like my life force is seeping out of me. Absent any other symptoms indicating illness, I’ve been puzzled by this general malaise. Last night I gave it some focused thought. What is different in my life? What has changed in recent weeks? Two things came to mind. First, I’ve been
Summer is the season of pure yang energy. Its element is fire. Its organ is the heart. Yang energy is active, hot, rising, powerful. When someone is wildly successful, driving forward, dominating the competition, unstoppable, we might say, “Wow, she’s on fire!” Our western culture highly values yang energy. Idle hands do the devil’s work,
Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. ~C. S. Lewis As the tectonic plates of culture alternately drift further apart and then crash into each other with increasing violence, I am reminded of blog posts of the past, written in times of heart pain
Courage at the Testing Point Read More »
What is the difference between an enlightened person and an unenlightened person? The unenlightened person sees a difference.I read this joke recently in Miracles Magazine. I wanted to find the source for it, so I Googled the question. And what do you know? I found LOTS of answers seriously offering a variety of litmus tests to
Just the Way They Are Read More »
People in the United States have traditionally greeted each other with the question “How are you?” It is often intended as a perfunctory politeness, not a genuine question about health and well-being. The typical answer is “Fine thanks. You?” Lately, however, I get the sense when asked, that people are sincerely asking how I’m really doing.