“…you must embrace joy as a moral obligation.” ~Andre Gide How do we avoid getting caught up in the pain and negativity in the world and in our own lives? I remember a quote I heard decades ago by Wayne Dyer that went something like this: You can never be unhappy enough to make someone else happy; you can never be sick enough to heal someone; you can never be poor enough to help someone become rich. This seems obvious…..
Are you feeling dismayed, stressed, and helpless in the face of the current conflict and uncertainty? During this time when the world is experiencing the growing pains that accompany change, the need for compassion is greater than ever. One of the first things the teachers at the ashram taught us was the importance of the “flowering of the heart.” This is the first step on the spiritual path in order to really progress, they told us. And this applies to…..
Even though we are formed from stardust and carry within us the intelligence that created the stars, we are still required to navigate our unpredictable, ever-changing lives here on Earth. Living here in Hawaii I have plenty of opportunity to watch surfers riding the giant waves, and though it may be over-used, surfing seems like a good metaphor for us humans living our lives. It requires being balanced and centered, and continually adjusting to the movement of the wave. It…..
We know so much and yet we still don’t know how to live in peace with each other and our planet. Rather than acquiring more knowledge, more beliefs, what is needed is a transformation of consciousness, a shift in how we view ourselves and our world. Maybe stepping outside of our limited idea of ourselves and contemplating the mysteries of the Universe can help us recognize the vastness, the unfathomable nature of all that is. Maybe contemplating the unknowable can…..
The poet, Rainer Maria Rilke wrote, “Where something becomes extremely difficult and unbearable, there we also stand already quite near its transformation.” I believe this is because when we are at a place where we think we can’t go on, we are at the point of surrender, where something greater than our own ego can take over. But why do we wait until everything has fallen apart and all our defenses are down before we surrender and allow Nature to…..
Several years ago, I went whale watching with a small group of people on a sailboat off Maui. The captain had brought along his four-year-old autistic son who was non-verbal. The little boy was happily playing on the deck of the boat when suddenly he began speaking in unintelligible sounds. It seemed he was calling forth a whale, communicating with it through his vocalizations. The captain helped his son into the water and together they swam out to commune with…..
The life we took for granted is no more; the next step hasn’t revealed itself. As we navigate this transitional phase, what inner transformation is brewing? What shape will our lives take when we emerge from hibernation? As spiritual teacher, Stuart Mooney said in a recent talk, “Humanity has taken a time-out and we have the opportunity to push the reset button to be more in tune with natural law.” Aligning with natural law means living in the present. During…..
“Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet, we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children’s future, and we are all mortal.” John F. Kennedy I believe, as humans, we all carry the desire, however hidden it may be, to uplift and care for each other. After all, we’re all in the same boat here on Earth. We are all subject to suffering as well as joy. These days, as we are suddenly…..
I sometimes stop by the Starbucks at Waikoloa Beach and sip green tea as people from all over the world in aloha shirts, tank tops, and flip-flops flow in and out. The visitors to Hawaii have stepped away from their normal lives at home for a sense of freedom from their regular responsibilities. It feels like entering another dimension here with the vivid colors, soft breezes, fragrant flowers, soothing ocean water, and slow pace. The frequencies of the Island help…..
Thinking has so far never been able to solve the human problems of war, conflict, suffering. And what about basic questions like: Who are we? and Why are we here? Thought comes up with these questions but can thinking answer them? There must be another approach to life besides the mental approach. As a spiritual mentor recently pointed out to me, humanity is in a process of transition from thinking to being. When I was in high school, I did…..
