Accessing a Life Without Suffering
We are told our minds are powerful tools. That anything we can imagine we can create. And this is true. Which begs the question: “Why have we not imagined and created a world without suffering?” Because we don’t believe it’s possible. Suffering is everywhere. It’s...
Which “I” Are We Talking About
Here lies the entire problem with the self-help movement and most spiritual efforts. Who is the “I” practicing mindfulness and loving kindness? The ego. The illusory concept of the personal self we all carry in our heads. Who I really am—the divine Self—is love and...
Selflessness versus the Self
Basically, I’ve been paralyzed to various degrees over this issue for decades. Starting off as a spiritual seeker back in the early 1980s, it was clear from the teachers and books that the ego self was something bad that needed to be transcended—or killed—at the very...
Lost in the Dark Forest
Ever felt lost? Confused? Uncertain? Yeah, me too. I like to joke about how I’ve never been lost geographically. Blessed with an acute sense of direction, hiking or driving from point A to point B has rarely been a problem for me. I wish I could say the same about...
A New Creation
Two metaphorical lightning bolts hit me this morning during the weekly Sunday morning class on A Course of Love. (A channeled teaching of Jesus, who clearly states it is his follow-up to A Course in Miracles.) The question came up, “How do I incorporate what I’m...
A new world
Most ancient cultures speak of the New Word that is coming. For the Hopi it’s the arrival of the 5th World. For the Hindus it’s the end of the Kali Yuga. The Book of Revelations talks about the new heaven and the new earth, and back in the day, Jesus (apparently) said...
World-class cosmic game changer
What an amazing year! I can't help but be amused at how the year started, which was the same way most years of my life have started: With me determined to do something—to accomplish something in the world—and be somebody. (I mean really, only people who think they...
Once upon a time
Once upon a time there once was a farmer who grew excellent quality corn. Every year he won the award for the best corn crop. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with all of his neighbors. “How can you...
Embracing the unknown
Covid. The Elections. Polarization. Violence. Militias. Economic instability. Fake News. Climate change. The glorification of ignorance, meanness and willful stupidity. As the ancient Chinese curse puts it: “May you live in interesting times.” What the next year will...
Forget specialness
“Mommy, Mommy, watch me!!” It’s a cry most of us have uttered. Certainly a cry most of us have heard. A cry that, if you’re a mom and it’s summertime, can drive you crazy. “Yes, dear, I’m watching,” Mommy says, burrowing deeper into her computer/book/magazine, wishing...