Attuned to Soul

“As long as there have been humans, we have searched for our place in the cosmos. Where are we? Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies … Continue reading We Are Star-Stuff

“Nonviolence seeks to “win” not by destroying or even by humiliating the adversary, but by convincing him that there is a higher and more certain common good than can be attained by bombs and blood. Nonviolence, ideally speaking, does not try to overcome the adversary by winning over him, but to turn him from an … Continue reading Dancing Alone

     “At my daughter’s bat mitzvah, I told her to say yes to life. That was my greatest hope for her. I long to infuse in her the power of holding another’s gaze, putting your face to the wind and fully feeling the cool breeze and mist kiss your skin, opening your heart to nature … Continue reading Seize the Day

“To be human – to be alive – is to fall into patterns of behavior. Some of these patterns are good. We are drawn to the comfort of routine, and we settle in, but there can also be a discomfort in going through the same motions. Just as slumping for hours in the same position … Continue reading Stuck in Place

“The biggest change we are likely to know is when old age, sickness, or death comes knocking at our door, or at the door of someone close to us. This shouldn’t be, we think. This can’t be. Even though we know conceptually that our life has an end-by date, even though we know that people … Continue reading The Biggest Change

“To come to ground is to find a home in circumstances, and in the very physical body we inhabit in the midst of those circumstances, and above all to face the truth, no matter how difficult that truth may be; to come to ground is to begin the courageous conversation, to step into difficulty, and, … Continue reading On Being Grounded

     “What really counts in life? What can we identify in our deepest selves that is essential? There must be something within us, something that motivates us, a direction that manifests, and gives meaning to each step we take. Living is not being content with roaming around aimlessly at the whim of chance encounters and … Continue reading The Yin and Yang of Life

     “With spiritual maturity the basis for (our) practice shifts away from ambition, idealism, and desire for self-transformation. It is as if the wind has changed, and a weather vane – still centered in the same spot – now points in a different direction: back to this moment. We are no longer striving after a … Continue reading Spiritual Maturity

     “The idea has been around as long as humans have been, of course; the poets of East Asia. the philosophers of ancient Greece and Rome, regularly made stillness the center of their lives. But has the need for being in one place ever been as vital as it is right now?... In an age … Continue reading Sitting Still

“What is the bravest thing you’ve ever said?” asked the boy. “Help,” said the horse. “When have you been at your strongest?” asked the boy. “When I have dared to show my weakness.” “Asking for help isn’t giving up,” said the horse. “It’s refusing to give up.”      The dialogue above is an example of … Continue reading Alone Together