Grief

When death comes, there is no getting over it or moving on from the people we love, who have danced through the landscape of our souls, shaping and molding us with their love and presence. Maybe all we can do is cherish the best of the memories, and live life in honor of everything good we shared, and continue the legacy of that goodness. And maybe the pain and sorrow don't diminish, but that there's room for joy in the midst of it still, the kind of joy their memory keeps alive.

Curiosity

Curiosity is essential on the spiritual journey. Curiosity can take us further than courage, ambition, determination and will power, and keep us lighthearted in the process. An open heart requires a curious mind.

Resonsibility

When you are responsible for something, but abdicate that responsibility, and then find yourself disappointed by those who did not handle said responsibility well, you must turn to yourself for blame. You cannot criticize them for doing poorly what you should have done well.

Freedom of Choice

You are not actually required to re-act to everything that happens around you. It's just find to do nothing, wait, think about your next step, and maybe even then, still do nothing. Freedom of choice lies in action, not re-action.

Overcoming Fear

When the concerning circumstances all around us pull me toward disappointment and fear, I remind myself that the only way I can make a real difference in the world is by the person I choose to be and the life I create for myself. I remind myself this every second of every date lately, and it always helps.

Spiritual Experience

You don't have a soul; you are a soul. And spirituality isn't a class or an experience; it's day-to-day life shaped by that knowledge.

The Power of Purpose

There is great power in being surrounded by people who share your purpose. It's impossible to do it alone.

Diving Deep

Psychological and mental complexity are not natural states of being. We may have the habit of entertaining the drama that arises from complication, but solutions and transformation happen in the deep, cool waters of a quiet mind. Do you know how to dive deep?

Transcending Fear

There is so much to be afraid of if you spend too much time and energy looking at the world around you, and all the things that don't work, you can't control and you can't fix. And there is so much power, energy and purpose available if you look within. And that's where any real change begins anyway. It's not in the world; it's in us.

The Throne of Self Respect

The one seat you must never leave is the throne of self respect. If you don't feel comfortable there, find someone who does and learn from them. Aligning your thoughts, words, actions and intentions can only start from a place of self-respect.

Jeevanmukti

It is not that spiritual practice frees you from suffering, but it frees you from being defined by your suffering. This distinction makes all the difference.

Forgiveness and Healing

There is no forgiveness without healing first. You cannot be generous with someone who has hurt you until you have some relief from your own pain.

Humility

True humility means accurately valuing the gifts of the spirit we have been blessed with. Not over or undervaluing them, nor pride of ownership. It means understanding that I'm a trustee of these great gifts, and that my greatest joy will always be when I use the gifts I have well, and share them with others.

Full Potential

Are you one of those people who say "I'd like to meditate, but I can't quiet my mind." Or maybe you just fall asleep? Meditation doesn't mean boring emptiness. It is a naturally powerful state of mind. It's not about turning thoughts off, but the way into harnessing their full potential.

Practical Spirituality

Spirituality isn't a way of checking out of real life. It's not an excuse to avoid the complexities of being human. It just means you acknowledge the reality of yourself and others as spiritual beings as well as human beings, and you're willing to take this into consideration in everything you do.

Entropy

Every thing in this physical world, from its moment of conception/inception, is marching surely toward its own end. Unless some outside force acts upon it to create regeneration, entropy is absolutely inevitable. It is only the infusion of some completely new energy that reverses the process of decay. Meditation is the the connection with that Source, that completely new energy that revitalizes, refreshes and renews.

Questions and Answers

The person who changes your life the most will always be the one who asks the right questions, not the one who has all the answers.

Change Demands Change

Change demands change. If you are disappointed, disgusted or unhappy with your life, your circumstances, or your relationships, the first place change starts is with you. And if you're certain you're doing everything in a way that gives you joy, peace and contentment, but are still unhappy with the world around you, then consider changing your relationship with that world, and finding a way to share your joy, peace and contentment.

Immediately Noticeable

It is immediately noticeable when someone has devoted time and attention to developing their character. 

It is immediately noticeable when someone understands the power and value of personal growth, and is intentional about challenging every limitation they encounter, whether from within or without.

It is immediately noticeable when someone recognizes that bad habits and personality aren't the same and they make concerted effort to change those bad habits into something useful instead.

It is immediately noticeable when someone lives in complete congruity - when their thoughts, words, actions and relationships all flow from the same centered place of character and integrity.

It is immediately noticeable when someone has self-respect, self-confidence and self-esteem because they treat you the same way.

It is immediately noticeable when someone values themselves because they will always find something to value in you too.

And it is immediately noticeable when they don't.

What Now?

Life is uncertain.  I'm not the first to notice this, and for eons, people have been building the kinds of structures, institutions and superstitions designed to make life sensical, predictable, manageable and understandable.  It's the never-ending quest to be certain that if one simple does x,y or z, there will be protection from uncertainty.

Pray the right way, invest the right way, wear the right clothes, eat the right food, live in the right neighborhood, employ the right security measures, say the right polite words, have the right attitude, exercise the right way...you name it and there's a 'right way' to do anything and everything.

And the right way is different depending on your culture, religion, socio-economic status, gender, nationality, political affiliation, education, and on and on and on. 

I've been so certain I found the 'right way' that I lived according to it unquestioning, safe from uncertainty, but also cut off from most of human experience.  No real choices to make, and a great sense of security within that, but also feeling kind of dead most of the time.  And angry and frustrated too.

The thing is, there is no certainty.  There are moments in time that are safe and predictable, and there are some things we can control, but so much is beyond us, and the trick isn't to control more and more of what's in our lives, but to be to experience with the absolute security and safety of the one thing we can know, which is who we are and what we are about.

So right now in my life, I'm settling down in a way I didn't think would ever happen, and I've got some space, literally and figuratively, that I want to fill.  I haven't had that space before, and I think figuring out what belongs in it will be the next big adventure.