Author: tomstellawebsite

       “Frequently the experience that sets people on the spiritual path seems to come “out of the blue.” It is an experience of intense happiness or joy, or unity or love that has much in common with the “mystical” visions described in traditional literature…      For some people, the spiritual journey begins with what may … Continue reading The Spiritual Path

“You want it. You want it bad. Sometimes so much it hurts. You can taste it. You feel like you would do anything to get it. Go further than they’d suspect. Twist your soul and crush what’s in your way. Then you get it. And something happens. You become the object of your desire. And … Continue reading Our Deepest Desires

“I am a more sensitive person, a more effective pastor, a more sympathetic counselor because of Aaron’s life and death than I would ever have been without it. And I would give up all of those gains in a second if I could have my son back. If I could choose, I would forgo all … Continue reading Spirituality vs Spiritualism

     “In her song “Holy as a Day is Spent,” singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer describes the wonder of everyday life. Quotidian activities like washing dishes, making breakfast, and encounters at the market become charged with divinity for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear… As Abraham Joshua Heschel asserts, radical amazement is at … Continue reading Keeping On

“If you have lost money or faith, when you are sick or a family member is suffering from illness or addiction, even when a child is in jeopardy, you are not alone. You are sharing in the inevitable trouble of human incarnation. On this very day, hundreds of thousands of others are also dealing with … Continue reading Interbeing

“We imagine that if we become really spiritual, we will never be afraid or angry, or even grieve or fret. We want to live in the world yet be untouched by challenges, projecting a wise and loving Buddha-like veneer, living with perfect peace.      We glorify leaders, artists, and spiritual teachers. Yet they all have … Continue reading On Just Being Human

     “A critical step in the embrace of silence and solitude is setting aside the notion that we have to be “doing something” throughout our waking hours. For most of us, this goes against what we have been taught since childhood: that being active and productive is the best way to proceed. Many factors feed … Continue reading Chill

“I have learned things in the dark I could never have learned in the light, things that have saved my life over and over again, so there is only one logical conclusion. I need darkness as much as I need light…      Most of the books on the New York Times “How To” bestseller list … Continue reading What Hurts Can Help

“This thing in front of you. This issue. This obstacle – this frustrating, unfortunate, problematic, unexpected problem preventing you from doing what you want to do. That thing you dread or secretly hope will never happen. What if it wasn’t so bad?      What if embedded inside it or inherent in it were certain benefits … Continue reading What’s in the Way is the Way

“There are moments, often unexpected, when you find yourself at home in your own life. Simple, gentle, ordinary moments. Standing at the kitchen window. Rain outside. The earth springing into green and yellow. The birds, the ridiculous birds, singing without worry beneath the gray sky. For some reason, without effort, the anxiety lifts, your chest … Continue reading Giving In