There are two important things which I look for in a spiritual book. The first is authenticity. Has the author genuinely experienced that about which they write…or are they reorganizing concepts which they have read in other books. The second is, does the author clearly present an effective practice which will guide the reader to a direct personal experience of …
Redirecting Our Resolutions.…
As we approach the New Year our tendency is to look forward with hopeful, positive thoughts. We smooth out the past and move into the future with a smile and a raised glass. The world will be better, we will do better, we will care and love more. And every year we approach this time with this same ritual. There …
Happy Holidays….
At this time when we celebrate two important Jews—Judah Maccabee and Jesus, the Christ—let us receive what each of them offers the world. Though I prefer to think of him as Scottish, Judah Maccabee campaigned bravely and sagaciously to regain and restore the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus also came to restore, but for him the goal was to restore the …
The False Idol of Self-esteem….
Being strong-willed is not being willful, and freedom is not getting to do whatever you want. Our first lessons in these realities come from our first caregivers. These people demonstrate and reflect for us how to live. They both model and teach. Good leadership is like good parenting. Both embody and encourage behavior that is healthy for everyone involved. This …
The Buck Stops Here….
There is a hidden joke in the title of this blog. I approach the protection of my garden in very much the way Baba taught me to handle security in the Ganeshpuri Ashram. In Ganeshpuri there were walls with broken glass on the top. Intruders came in through the drainpipes or the front gates. After we put screens over the …
The Gardener….
Every tradition uses the gardener as an analogy for spiritual work. The garden is a place where everything grows within a prescribed area. We are gardens where everything grows, both beautiful and ugly things. And many times in a garden a beautiful plant begins to be seen as a weed because it has been allowed to grow to the detriment …
I Lost My Patience….
In Orkney I cried, I laughed, and I finally gave up my attachment to patience. Thank God. I had been driven to travel to Orkney for the last two years, and on July 27th I finally arrived, not knowing what would happen or how, but knowing this was an important time. The quiet was amazing as well as the landscape. …
Low and Behold….
Around our cottage in Orkney there are fields filled with cattle, sheep, wheat, grass pasture, or wild growth. The ocean, with cliffs rising from it, is within walking distance. Spotted around are farm compounds. No stores. Virtually no people for us to see or hear. The main landmark, high on the ridge two miles away, is Marwick Head. Entertainment is …
Vacations….
Vacations are designed to help us. We say we need a break, we need a rest, we need to get away. Vacations can help us with detachment. When we go away or just stop our normal work or activity we are forced hopefully to disentangle from that very activity. We get to see how involved we were, which may not …
Work Is Fun….
As a child I was active; I had “productive” and “work ethic” all over me. My girl classmates in the sixth grade would say, “We like boys, we carry pocketbooks, we cut our hair. You are so different than us”. They were right, I was different. I was boring in that I danced every day after school with a prominent …