It's Okay To Be Perfectly Human
Brian J. Plachta
Why do we do it? Why do we nag and criticize ourselves? Why do we launch scud missiles of negative words and thoughts against our self-images? Perfectionism is one reason. We expect ourselves to be...
Citizen Of Dark Times
Kim Stafford
Agenda in a time of fear: Be not afraid. When things go wrong, do right. Set out by the half-light of the seeker. For the well-lit problem begins to heal. Learn tropism toward the difficult. We...
Addiction
Jac O'Keeffe
It seems that a believed thought (most often unconscious) underpinning addictions goes like this: ‘something outside of me can make me feel complete/happy or whole’. Experiencing extern...
Inhabiting The Body
Judith Blackstone
To live within the body is to be in contact with the internal space of the body. To inhabit our hands, for example, means that we are in contact with the whole internal space of our hands. To be in co...
What Is Mu?
Robert G. Harwood
“What is mu?” By contemplating such zen koans, students sometimes have deep existential insights, and it was this question that I now asked myself. In the past, I had no idea what an appro...
I No Longer Pray
Chelan Harkin
I no longer pray— now I drink dark chocolate and let the moon sing to me. I no longer pray— I let my ancestors dance through my hips at the slightest provocation....
Our Early Experiences
Dr. Gabor Maté
My mother had muscular dystrophy, which is a degenerative disease of the muscles. It’s hereditary, runs in our family. And so, she could no longer walk, get out of bed, even feed herself very we...
Yodeling Above Freedom
David Bullon
There is a thrushing light alive - dancing and whirling; concealed by midlife shadows in my antsy eyes. My snow-shining mountainous essence beams luminously through that shade, but somehow its rest...
We Are Contextual Beings
Pir Aga Mir
Here is one of my central inquiries: If our spiritual and religious practices are not expanding our circle of empathy, compassion, love and care, what is their purpose? If they are not preparing us fo...
In Hardship, Choose Bewilderment Over Cleverness
Toko-Pa Turner
In grappling with degenerative autoimmune disease, I often wished for a speedy redemption, for something meaningful to come out of my pain and suffering. But every time I tried, I’d be humbled b...
The Great Divide
Mark Vandeneijnde
The great divide: On the left there is business It loves to think and problem solve Move fast and talk with resolve Perform so hard it wears you down If only it would stop to breathe and look a...
The Eagle And The Chicken
Jamie Glenn
A fable is told about an eagle that thought he was a chicken. When the eagle was very small, he fell from the safety of his nest. A chicken farmer found the eagle, brought him to the farm, and raised ...