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 … [Read more...]
Pathways
As Fall brings transition, I have been thinking about the nature of pathways: the choosing, the traversing, and sometimes foraging when the path disappears. And then arriving, finding where the path takes you. How did you get there? What did you bring with you? What did you find on the way? How difficult was the passage? Where are you now? Choosing your path, trying to figure out what is the “right” path, for you, is not easy. And, things are not always as they appear. The soft and sunlit path in the woods, so gentle and inviting, may take you through rough terrain ahead that you … [Read more...]
New Math: Subtracting From Your Mind
What do you yearn for, and where does it direct you? As we savor the last sweet days of summer, and many prepare for school, I have been thinking about this. And about the nature of the scholar and inner learning. What is it we really want? What are we studying and learning and trying to achieve in this life? We live in both our inner and our outer experiences, and the emphasis on one or the other ebbs and flows, and perhaps the balance shifts over time. But the outer distractions have a way of taking over. It is important to find ways and means of attending to our inner growth … [Read more...]
Love Infinity
Creation begins at home. We are each and all participants in creating our world. We put together lives and partnerships and settings, seeded with intention, expressing our selves into our environments, presenting who we are as individuals. As we do this, often without great attention, we not only build a sense of home, both inner and outer, but we are also projecting our selves, the expression of our personal truth, into the world. So, the first place to begin in creating the world you would like to see is with your self. More precisely, through your embodied “Self”: the physical, … [Read more...]
Declare Your Independence!
Do you remember who you are? As we turn to July 4th and celebrate the declaration of freedom, I am reminded that political independence is necessarily founded upon a deeply held value of personal independence. It is your birthright to be your unique self. By self, I mean you in all your aspects, inner and outer, full and strong and beautiful and wholly integrated. This seems such a simple statement. Yet, we face all sorts of obstruction, much of it well meaning, that nevertheless suppresses our abilities to thrive in “full-selfness” and be and give from our individuality and our … [Read more...]