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Take No Thought

One can’t be mad at the mind for being unable to fulfill the desires of the heart or the Soul.  It has nothing to offer because it spends all of its existence in a territory that doesn’t intersect, in a land that speaks a completely different language – thus no solace to offer.  Only in silence can a bridge be built.  Take No Thought. Instead, seek direct experience; this is the truth against which nothing can...

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As The Guillotine Drops

I woke up this morning in a bit of a slump, nothing serious, just ‘ho hum’.  On the heels of ‘ho hum’ I realized that I’ve carried a fantasy (for more years then I’d like to admit) that I hoped one day to become a great writer.  Hot on the heels of this thought was the recognition that such a hope had more to do with desiring to have a purpose or to produce something of value, then passion for craft itself. The...

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Noticing the Still Small Voice

The beauty of living in a small town, of having space around me is there is space to hear myself think.  Normally that wouldn’t be a good thing, for my thoughts can lead me down crazy paths of worry and obsession.  But just as it is difficult for me to hear others if they are shouting seeking to be heard, my ‘still small voice’ can get lost in the shouting of a busy life. Hearing myself think can lead me to my...

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Default to God as Source

Over the years I’ve recognized that my ability to turn to God (or turn within) as a means of calming my disturbance hasn’t always been automatic.  In the beginning I was a bit hard-headed, and full of fear, seeking to find solutions that ‘made sense’ or wouldn’t necessarily require complete surrender (for fear of losing something I treasured).  Eventually, I would find my way back to understanding that being at...

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Who’s on First? “Who” is on First!

Becoming a Spiritual Seeker can originate from one of two ways – either from outside circumstances, such as pain, failure, humiliation, or profound powerlessness or hopelessness, a brokenness that leads to surrender.  Or from within – a call, deep sense of dissatisfaction, feeling of emptiness, or desire for ‘something more’ that can’t be named or described.  Both paths spring from a sense of lack, and recognition...

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God as Savior?

I’ve never been in a war, never been under fire (literally), so I can’t assert the truth or falseness of the statement:  “There are no atheists in fox-holes.”  But I have lived in my own version of fox-holes, have found my way into and out of them, and can assert that I’m not an atheist.  An atheist is SURE there is no God.  Well I’m sure there is – but I can’t convince you of this, life convinced me, the...

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Meaning-Making Creates Life

For as long as there have been humans, there have been people who debate the existence of a God or Spirit of the Universe.  Some have asserted that God is merely an opiate for the masses (thank you Karl Marx) serving as a crutch for those who live life as sheep.  Others have asserted that God (S/He) has always been, pointing to the creation of the Universe as evidence that there is a Source for all of Life, and...

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Sneaker Waves

In moments of peace and tranquility, it is difficult to imagine that there is any moment but this one.  Walking on the sand at night, watching the waves crest gently, flow into the shore, catching glimpses of the moon reflected upon the foam or deeper within the water, spying a flash of glowing protoplasm sparkling in the darkness, we become mesmerized.  The gentle push and pull of the wave, as it crashes down and...

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Open Mind, Open Heart, Open Will

It has become the norm in liberal society to admonish each other to remain Open-Minded – to be willing to see the other person’s viewpoint, to be open to new experiences, and ways of being in the world.  We’d like to believe that we do this exceptionally well, but in truth, probably most of us average a C+.  But as a mentor once told me, awareness is 90% -- so if we are aware we desire to be open-minded, we are at...

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Language of the Heart

Last week I rediscovered the magic of speaking the Language of the Heart.  Coupled with Keeping it Green, I sought to be present to myself, to tell on myself, to describe my inward condition.  Yesterday’s spiritual insight was sufficient for that day, but not for the moment I was in – I sought to connect with my innermost self, to express myself, and felt in that moment the link-up with others in the room. In...

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The Golden Rule — Expanded

Everyone knows what the “Golden Rule” is – “treat others the way you want to be treated.”  However, this short-hand definition is a bit short-sighted, only focusing on behavior (including words), it lacks the experience of heart behind the sentiment. In the past I would frequently fall prey to an occupational hazard of going into ‘teaching-mode’ or ‘counselor-mode’ with the intention to convey something IMPORTANT...

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Simple vs. Ordinary

I recently came out of a flat period in my life, not depression exactly (but easily mistaken for such), more of a sense of 2-D detachment to my days.  At first I wondered if I was resisting the ordinary flow of my life:  wake-up, tasks, work, sleep, sprinkled with a few connections with others squeezed in between. Watching the Olympics it is easy to compare ordinary reality to extraordinary abilities, events, and...

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Keeping it Green!

One of the most common pitfalls that arise while on a Spiritual Path is when we think we ‘know’ something.  There are two concerns within this statement:  ‘we think’ and ‘we know’.  It is tempting, especially when we have a juicy spiritual awakening (experience), to immortalize the ‘truth’ we have discovered; tagging it as something that we ‘know’.  Often we fail to realize that as soon as an experience occurs, the...

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Releasing Fear — Stepping into Consciousness

The key to releasing the fear of the unknown lies in releasing the enormity of our projected belief systems.  Identifying the panorama of beliefs, some so subtle we simply call them opinions, others so massive we are sure they are TRUTH!  Dismantling or at least acknowledging them can create an opening within ourselves. Such a crack in our façade becomes the doorway (or window) that gives rise to the possibility...

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Waking Into Consciousness

Upon awakening in the mornings we become aware once again of THIS reality, our waking reality, a different experience from our sleeping state of being.  It is as natural as breathing for us, in one moment we are ‘dead to the world’ and in the next instance we are ‘awake’.  We do this all the time, every day, sometimes more than once a day if we like naps! J Awakening to our Spiritual Being is as simple and natural...

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Let Go of the Shore

When I see images of shorelines I am struck by the clear demarcation between land filled with human activity (i.e., created structures and vehicles, etc.) and the smooth open plain of water as far as the eye can see.  There is a beautiful symmetry of Yin and Yang in these elements – the solid surface and the fluid substance that flows into the shore. Wading out into the ocean (or lake) allows us to blend our...

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Expanding the Community of Faith

Expanding the Community of Faith

Finding the balance between holding my own counsel vs. with-holding my truth, I seek to use words that create opening and understanding.  This wasn't always the case, I was consumed with the need to express myself, at times risking alienation and misunderstanding, until I discovered the language of the heart. In the same way, I struggle with bodies of faith that focus on the intellect as a means to understand and...

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Joy as our New GPS!

Joy as our New GPS!

Every time one of us pays attention to the Spirit of Love & Joy, we enter a new destination into our internal GPS.  Once entered, we open ourselves to a continuous flow of course corrections from Spirit. Similar to when we key in an unknown destination into our phone, we trust that Siri won't let us down.  We willingly follow the glowing blue dot, never questioning the accuracy of Google Maps -- we are assured...

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