Over the winter I read the authorized biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, written by Walter Isaacson (Simon & Schuster 2011). And I have been puzzling for two months now over this question: How to reconcile the nasty, very often heartless, and narcissistic traits of Steve Jobs with his great accomplishments. What explains, or justifies, success at the expense of others, and how do we integrate this into a spiritual understanding of how to succeed as whole individuals, spiritually and morally developed? Walter Isaacson, hand picked by Jobs to be his official biographer, pulls no … [Read more...]
True North
Do you know your “true north”? Or how to find it? True north is a navigational direction based on the Earth’s axis. Magnetic north—the north a compass needle points to—deviates from true north over time and from place to place because the earth's magnetic poles are not fixed in relation to its axis. True north is fixed and certain. But the “true north” that I am referring to is your personal navigation marker, the one based on your own inner axis—that is, your alignment with your true, authentic self. This is the pointer that allows you to successfully find the way in your life, and … [Read more...]
Inner Partnership
We live in a time when many are unaware of, or doubt, the reality of unseen consciousness and the ability we each have to access it. But sometimes, extraordinary events occur that cause even the most skeptical to pause and reconsider. Here is a remarkable—and true--story of one woman’s inner contact with her ancestors that recently resulted in her winning a half million-dollar MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant! Meet Jessie Little Doe Baird, a member of the Wampanoag Tribe in Massachusetts. (The Wampanoag were the first Native Americans to meet the Puritans when they arrived in the … [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...]