It’s a myth. Spiritual and religious teachers convey that spiritual practices like meditation, prayer, and contemplation are easy. While the techniques are easy, the practice can be challenging. It’s time to bust the myth and address the realities of spiritual practice. The following is a text version of this blog:… Read More »The Unspoken Myth of Spiritual Practice
To live simply. To declutter our lives. To be mindful. These life goals require us to change. Perhaps we can gain insight into the role of change in living a focused life from a unique spiritual tradition: the Shakers. The following is a print version of this blog. If you… Read More »Change and Living with Simplicity
Keeping vigil: it’s like mindfulness and it’s like meditation. But when keeping a vigil, we wait for something. Our attention has a different kind of focus than in mindfulness and meditation. Today, I’m sharing my experience of keeping vigil during a recent trip to Yellowstone National Park. Each day was… Read More »Keeping Vigil: Waiting for Goodness in Life
They say that those who don’t learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. Yes, there are some things that people do which can be considered patterns that repeat generation after generation. But I’m not sure that knowing about the historic events prevents them from being repeated. In… Read More »Mindfulness, the Pandemic, and Getting Back to Business
Many people find themselves caught up with worries and anxieties. Regrets from the past seem to haunt some people. They think to themselves, “If only I had done this differently!” or “I wish I had never done that!” Yet, the truth is this: whatever it is that we’ve done or… Read More »The Wonder of the Present Moment
It was a lovely autumn day. I sat on the front porch swing and watched as squirrels continued their collection of items to store for winter. Birds from farther North arrived in the South, nesting in shrubs and on trees, or resting on the telephone wires overhead. Occasionally, a… Read More »Autumn Reflections from the Porch Swing
It’s a job I really don’t like doing, but I’ll appreciate getting it done. The weather is now consistently above freezing at night. This week, I’ll clean the garden beds and begin to plant seeds. Because the soil is poor, I have three raised garden beds where I can plant… Read More »Letting Go to Die … and Something New
As I sit in my study writing and doing other work, I often listen to the New Age station on an internet radio service. It’s the only time I listen to this style of music. The acoustic and piano melodies form a background that enables me to focus more clearly… Read More »Here I Pause … In the Midst of My Work
