As Halloween approaches and we can’t help observing, and maybe participating in, dress-up and pretend play, I am thinking again about the importance of imagination, and in particular how much children can remind us about expanding our capacities to know in non-linear ways. Children are impressive in their ability to easily and fluidly abandon so-called rational thought and immerse themselves with freedom and delight into imaginary worlds. In the process of such play they are naturally accessing their intuition and accomplishing important developmental tasks. My four-year-old granddaughter … [Read more...]
Indiana Jones, Winston Churchill, Coincidence and Synchronicity
What are coincidences? How do they happen? Why do they happen? What do they mean? Coincidence, as commonly defined, is when two or more events happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection. But this definition only considers events that are causally related. Synchronicity, a term coined by Swiss psychologist Carl Jung in the 1920s, recognizes that concurrent events may be connected by meaning, rather than cause. Synchronicity is when two or more events that appear not be connected, and are unlikely to occur together by chance, in fact do occur together in a way … [Read more...]
Why Do We Choose Life?
I have a new granddaughter, a 6-pound bundle of perfect incarnation, not yet 2 weeks old. As I hold her I am not only reminded of the ineffable wonder of creation that produces a new life, but I have also been contemplating the why of it, why we souls become embodied. Why do we choose this physical experience? Why are we here? Many traditions teach that we come into life to learn, to develop ourselves and our ability to love and serve, to express compassion and to understand truth and integrity. Human incarnation--our visceral physical presence-- allows us the experiences of ego and … [Read more...]
Leo Rising, Hazel Conjunct: A Lesson in Being Present
In this season of thanksgiving, and holiday giving and receiving, I have been appreciating what a gift I have in the constellation of my life: two very young grandchildren, Leo and Hazel. Their unrestrained engagement with life reminds me, over and over again, what it means to be fully here, present in the moment. Each, in their unique ways, is completely occupied with their immediate experience and everyone and everything around them, in rich expression, moment by moment. They are expert at simply BEING. Would that we each could rediscover the fullness of wonder in each moment. And then … [Read more...]