Challenge Your Traditions

Holiday traditions are wonderful things. They connect us to our family and culture. They allow us a kind of time warp where we are connecting the previous generations with ourselves and those to come. Traditions help us weave ourselves into a bigger tapestry, help bring memories to life, and reaffirm our role in our community.…

Details

To Stand Witness

THE MEDUSA MYTH has always been a favorite of mine. I mean, it’s cool right? As a kid it’s a great story like Godzilla vs. Mothra. There is a horrible monster doing horrible monstery things which needs to be vanquished. And there is a hero who looks just like every other guy and he gets…

Details

Cord Connections

When we think about how we are connected to people we think of emotions: love, friendship, grief, shared misery, and hate. Or our connections can seem to be formed from thoughts, communities coming together through mutual interests, perspectives, or goals. Spiritual aspects of life call us into connection whether through intimate relationship or community which…

Details

Filling Your Own Cup

We’re taught to get the work done first and then we can do what will make us happy.  You know, “Do your homework or you don’t get to go out and play.” It’s practical, it builds a good work ethic, it’s a virtue to be able to work hard and achieve, blah-blah-blah.  It’s true like…

Details

Materialized Practice

There is a phrase which has stuck in my mind for decades: “So much hinted at in play never materialized in practice.” – Anne McCaffrey.  I think of it every time someone talks about their beliefs as something different than how they live. Many languages and cultures have no words or concepts for this type…

Details

Restrictive Boundaries

I highly recommend and support having healthy boundaries. They proactively show people how to treat us so interactions are positive, help protect us when actions or choices are abusive, and foster trust within ourselves  and with others so we can unfold ourselves fully and participate with the world. But boundaries are not one size fits…

Details

Reward the Increments

One of the cruelest things about Christmas Day is we have built up months of excitement which is rewarded with a brief instant. Even the best explosion of presents often leaves people disappointed, not because they didn’t get what they wanted, but because the reward isn’t equal to the effort or the expectation. While “having…

Details

Balancing

Somewhere along the way our notion of balance becomes about stillness.  That balance is about perfect measures bringing everything to a point where nothing moves. It’s the essence of perfection, to be perfectly balanced in a stillness that proves everything is exactly equal, measured, compared, in exacting relationship to each other. Yet nothing could be…

Details

Body Meditation

Our bodies hold a tremendous amount of practical wisdom which can help us on our spiritual path. Unfortunately we often treat them like a blind hound dog that needs constant monitoring and correction that periodically will lead us to something interesting but for the most part is a huge amount of work. Sometimes we remember…

Details

Focus

Sometimes the issues in our lives don’t stem from bad luck or circumstances, but focus. We are taught how to focus on a goal in order to achieve it. When we’re young we’re taught to focus on one thing to get it done and to focus even more in order to do it well. Applying…

Details

Wearing Masks

I like masks.  Not the made in China, you can’t breathe through them, Halloween kind from the store at Halloween, but beautiful Mardi Gras masks and hand crafted fantastical masks used in ritual and ceremony, masks made by craftswo/men who put a little bit of magic into them and that can take you to another…

Details

Fun House Mirror

It’s truly impossible to see or know all aspects of ourselves because we can’t be impartial, kinda by definition. People and situations hold up mirrors for us so we can see who we are and the ramifications of our actions more clearly.  Not perfectly, but it’s a great tool we should be…looking into.  Ahem.  Moving…

Details

Resolution Punishments

95% of all New Year resolutions are punishments disguised as hopes.  We pick the things we don’t like about ourselves, the things we think are broken or bad, not up to par or holding us back, pick a punishment and then set out to implement it. You can tell when this is the case because…

Details