No matter what we may think, no matter how we appear, we always have agency. If we appear passive, we have chosen that. And we chose passivity for a reason: …
Thanksgiving….
Two years ago, just before Thanksgiving, my mother spoke her final word: “No!” After that, her body relaxed, and the nurse thought she was resting. Actually, her body had ceased …
Knowing What We Bring to the Table….
If we are going to undertake spiritual practice, then we have to know what we bring to the table. Until we are clear about our own systems, we can only …
The Destructive Power of Positive Thinking….
Positive thinking is so often seen as a good thing. We get messages all the time that we should look at life as full of possibilities that can all be …
Understanding Grace and Right Effort….
Baba used to say that the bird of paradise has two wings, Grace and self-effort. First, we need the right self-effort to earn Grace. And then, if we fail to …
The Authoritarian Disciplinarian….
It is a truism that what we don’t want to face in ourselves we will deny and instead attribute to other people. People in positions of authority bear the brunt …
Humoring Our Humorlessness….
Humor is so necessary for spiritual practice. In order to have humor—genuine humor, not caustic wit—we have to be disentangled. We have to be able to laugh at ourselves, not …
Making the Choice….
Each of us is a microcosm of the world as it is. Only when we recognize and accept this reality can we move forward in our practice. But we can’t …
On the 35th Anniversary of Muktananda’s Mahasamadhi….
Only because of Muktananda do I exist. Baba left his physical body, but I will not let him leave me. I am a stubborn child who demands he stay with …
Consciously Deeper….
In this past Saturday’s Lessons and Questions, I read aloud a passage from Devatma Shakti by Swami Vishnu Tirtha in which he lays out two ways of using the mind …