Spirituality is definitely transcendental, but to soar we must first be grounded. When my kids were very little, a friend gave me a DVD about “stranger danger”. The approach was great; it broke adults into three categories (safe people, people you kind of know and complete strangers) and explained that ONLY the safe people were safe. And in the best of all possible … Read More Getting Grounded
I need to re-learn this very simple truth every day! Because…despite all the hours of meditation and books read and therapy and deep and life-changing conversations—we are human and we love and care and we easily get caught. We get caught by pain from our childhood, ideas of who we think we are supposed to be, by physical pain and emotional pain, by … Read More Intention-compassion-intention…
It’s that wonderful time of year again—when we get the opportunity to rid ourselves of unwanted habits and create new and healthy ones! And what better way to embark on these resolutions, or intentions as I like to call them, than with a reminder that most goals are well within our reach and all they require is repetition, repetition, repetition. This year, I … Read More Repetition…
You may be thinking…hardly a festive post for Hannukah Christmas Eve! But, actually there is nothing more relevant when ‘tis the season for family togetherness. For those particularly challenging relationships, we may think that avoidance is the best course of action. And in some cases, especially when it is clear that your thoughts and feelings will be maligned, it is the best course … Read More Conversations
It is easy to convince ourselves of our rightness. There is confirmation bias, the echo chamber, memories and tribes and self-fulfilling prophesies—all which lock us in mental prison. And these mental prisons are dangerous! They fill us with passionate vitriol that inhibit our ability to question ourselves or converse with those who have differing opinions. Just turn on the news in the … Read More Rightness
Our true nature is more than all the details of our lives or the particulars of our personhood. We are, as they said in Kabbalah, a spark of the Divine. And, while we are more than the ups and downs of our daily lives, it is precisely through these ups and downs that we access the Divine within. And this means both ups … Read More True Nature
Throughout our lives we experience many moments of chaos, which in turn give rise to order, until it is again time to let go, restructure and rebuild. Yet all too often we see chaos as bad, as an unwelcomed force that disturbs the peace of our lives. We are convinced that everything is exactly as it should be, and then we are hit … Read More Chaos and Order
We carry countless untold stories within us. And kept secret, some of these stories can feel like a burden. They can reinforce feelings of shame and fear. And they can make us feel terribly alone. While it is unwise to be an open book to all, it is important—and even necessary—that we have safe and supportive and loving relationships where we can share … Read More Untold Stories
Many of us carry a false belief that we are broken. And we respond either by trying to fix the brokenness or—when we are overwhelmed—by avoiding whatever upsetting emotion or situation that is triggering us. But this premise is wrong! We are not broken. We are human beings navigating our way through this mysterious journey, and we are figuring it out … Read More If it ain’t broke…
A beautiful and powerful metaphor we experience in autumn is watching leaves transform from bright and shiny and green to rich yellows and oranges and reds. And then, we watch them fall, shrivel up, and be washed away by rain or snow. Birth and death. Beginning and end. And we are equally multidimensional. We are beautiful and generous and loving; we can … Read More Branches and Roots
Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always. -Anonymous When we are hurting, it’s hard to imagine how others can’t also be hurting. And when we are joyful, we can be oblivious to the pain of others. But, in reality, we are all universes unto ourselves. We all carry pain and trauma and petty annoyances and blessings. … Read More Be Kinder. Always.
This being human is a guest house. Every morning is a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor…Welcome and entertain them all. Treat each guest honorably. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a … Read More Guest House
