“Notice what you love and let that guide you.” “When we resist change, it’s called suffering. But when we can completely let go and not struggle against it, when we can embrace the groundlessness of our situation and relax into its dynamic quality, that’s called enlightenment.” This is not the world I would create if
I cut my psychologist’s teeth on the inexhaustible Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung. Jung was a disciple of Freud’s. He took the study of consciousness and behavior much deeper into mysticism and spirituality. It has taken the world many years to catch up with him. Through my studies of Jung and my own personal analysis,
An old fable goes like this: There is a wise, old Native American Chief who is sitting at a campfire with his grandson. “I have two dogs who live inside me,” the grandfather told the boy. For a few moments, the child appears lost in thought and then asked his Grandpa to tell him more
Chicago Flowers When I arrived in Chicago last week, one of my most moving early experiences was taking in and marveling at the enormous energy and beauty of the multitude of flowers that have been lovingly cultivated by local businesses, groundskeepers at the Lincoln Park Zoo, those creating and maintaining the endless splendor of the
It is practically inevitable that the demands of our culture begin to reassert themselves the moment we awaken in the morning. (They were probably in our dreams as well, although perhaps disguised.) Our first thoughts, feelings and behaviors, unless we do something about it, reflect our usual wake up process, as opposed to what could
My beloved meditation teacher first communicated to me the idea that the challenge with mindfulness is not related to being mindful itself, but rather to simply remembering to do so. Years later, this advice is at the core of my practice. Let’s look at in depth: First, if you have reached the point where you
Reality – the universe, the real world, how things actually are, etc. – is always here for us, just as it is, completely without regard for our subjective responses to any of it. Hate it? Love it? Indifferent to it? It cares not; it proceeds anyway. (Actually it may care but caring will not change
We spend so much of our time mentally correcting ourselves. So often, as we move through life, we direct judgments toward ourselves for various ways in which we disappoint ourselves for simply being the inevitably fallible humans that we must be. What does all of that judgment accomplish? Do we sleep better knowing every single
“I would not look upon anger as something foreign to me that I have to fight… I have to deal with my anger with care, with love, with tenderness, with nonviolence.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace Our entire political world reflects the profound woundedness of the present human condition. The political aspect of ourselves suffers as
I was walking more carefully than usual through my neighborhood this morning, stepping over all the dead tree limbs on the ground. It was the familiar “day after” scene, ubiquitous in the southeastern United States. The feeling I had was different, though. Before my walk, I’d seen on my phone that there was a new
My passion is to help guide you if you have chosen to look profoundly into the questions of your life. My goal is to help you get to the point where your existence on this wonderful planet has become a richer, deeper, and more meaningful process. Every story is unique and I would love to learn about yours.
