Category: Spirituality
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Spiritual reparenting: severed belonging, benefactors, vulnerability & reconnection
Tara Brach's weekly dharma talks and guided meditations have been a consistent source of inspiration and equanimity for me over the past several years. A few weeks ago, she presented a talk on spiritual reparenting to which I've listened four times (thus far), as it resonated on many levels for me. The practice of becoming…
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Letting Go of Blame and Judgment: Emotional Transformation through Zen with Len
Many years ago, I experienced betrayal, pain and anger about something that someone did. I did not have the tools or life experience to fully understand my reactions – much less transform them – at the time, and the memory of the episode has resurfaced periodically, re-triggering unresolved emotions. The most recent recurrence began last…
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There are no mistakes only lessons; a lesson is repeated until learned; tuition varies
One of my principal sources of wisdom is Cherie Carter Scott's book, If Life is a Game, These are the Rules, an elaboration of her Ten Rules for Being Human, which initially appeared (inadvertently unattributed) in Jack Canfield's book, Chicken Soup for the Soul. My two favorite life rules are: 3. There are no mistakes,…
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David Whyte on Feminine Wisdom, Courage and Power
David Whyte shared his inspired and inspiring wisdom about the feminine embodiments of power last night at Town Hall Seattle. At a benefit event for Young Women Empowered (Y-WE) – an organization co-founded by his wife, Leslie – he guided the audience on a journey exploring the "five forms of female courage" and revealed aspects…
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Giving thanks for my ‘speed dial friends’
I am grateful for all of my circles of family and friends, offline and online, but on this day of Thanksgiving, I want to express my special appreciation for a small subset that I often call my speed dial friends: the set of my closest friends whose phone numbers I have programmed into the single-digit…
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Contradictory ridges, self and Self
Continuing with the themes of poetry, inspiration and great friends, another great friend, Dan Oestreich, bought me a book of William Stafford‘s poetry, “The Way It Is“, a few years ago – one of many ways he helped me navigate a dark time filled with shadows.The other night, I picked up the book – which…
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Direction, by Len Silverston
The following poem was composed by my great friend, Len Silverston, a spiritual teacher and database guru. I am posting it here with his kind permission … and can't help thinking "When the reader is ready, the poet appears". Direction (Where I go, matters less than where I come from)by Kensho Len Silverston It matters…
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Dark Nights of the Soul
Maureen McHugh, a science fiction writer (who also enjoys "not science fiction" books), has written about the challenges of writing novels (and battling cancer) on her blog, No Feeling of Falling. She augmented her words – which unfold with exquisite openness and vulnerability – with a graphical depiction of the soul work involved in rising…
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Celebrating the Future Within … Everyone?
Amy and I attended the Jubilee Women’s Center‘s 10th Annual Benefit Breakfast on Wednesday, which had the inspiring title "Celebrating the Future Within" … and a correspondingly inspiring program that included several women recounting their challenges, and now the Jubilee Women’s Center helped them rise to meet those challenges. Our good friend, Mary, is on…
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Blessed Unrest: Environmental and Social Justice for All … or Bust!
In his latest book (and video), environmentalist, entrepreneur, journalist, and author Paul Hawken achieves a remarkable balance between breadth and depth in arguing that in order to restore environmental and social balance on this earth, we must strive for both, or we will achieve neither. Noting that "we are nature", and thus however we treat…