Many of us have a relationship with someone who is utterly out of touch with his or her own behavior. You know the type, forever blaming a mate, society, the Communists, sun spots for what ails them. They repeat the same mistakes over and over again and are forever blaming the world for their problems, [...]

There are many thoughts that haunt the average human, and one of the most prevalent goes something like this: What do I have to show for my life? Did I make a difference? What will my life have meant? This mindset is summed up nicely during the concluding minutes of Saving Private Ryan, when the [...]

What if everything is really, really OK? What if, as the mystics have taught, all is well, all has always been well and it always will be? Have you ever let yourself believe this - to really believe this? From an early age we are conditioned to be cautious, be careful, not to screw it [...]

My son has the dubious distinction of being, well, my son. I say that because unlike a lot of other 8-year-olds he receives the occasional earful of spiritual woo-woo from his old man. Fortunately, my son is a good sport about it all and, in my defense, he actually brings up the stuff as much [...]

Picture an individual who, for one reason or another, annoys you. I don’t care how “Zen” you are, there is someone in your life who fits this bill (a boss, a spouse, a child, the neighbor, the driver who cut you off in traffic this morning). Really picture this person, what it is that annoys [...]

Few of us in this day and age haven’t heard the expression, “What you put your mind to is what you become” or “Your thoughts are things so be careful with your thoughts,” or some version of the same. Thus the more motivated of us walk around thinking, “Gotta be careful what I think.” The [...]

Here’s an idea I borrowed (and practiced) from Annette Nibley’s website, What Never Changes. Take out a sheet of paper and write down what it is that you are seeking vis-a-vis the spiritual journey (or your material, human journey for that matter). Let’s say you want to put an end to the fear that permeates [...]

Most days when I fetch my 8-year-old from school I arrive early, situate my car in the parking lot and pull out a book to read for a few calming minutes before, quite literally, all hell breaks loose as hundreds of elementary-aged children swarm from their hive. Depending on where I park, some days I [...]

Last week was one of those rollercoasters so typical of the human experience: a “good” week in the sense that a lot of work was being accomplished even if it did require us to work over the Memorial Day weekend; then a “bad” week when the same client for which we were doing all that [...]

A key conceit of spiritual study is that we don’t really exist – at least not in the sense most of us imagine, which is to say a distinct body, name, personality, history, beliefs, etc. There is no “me,” per se, just a share of the same total consciousness that permeates everything. At least that’s [...]