Author: tomstellawebsite

    “Recently I asked a conductor friend of mine how it is that some conductors have authority when they stand in front of the orchestra and others don’t…He said he didn’t know the reason, but he confided that, before starting a piece, he pauses for a moment on the podium. It seems like he is … Continue reading True Authority

     “Now, you may be an atheist, an agnostic, a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, a Buddhist, or something else…You may find the whole idea of God ridiculous, but I ask you to believe in the concept of a soul. You may just be chatting with someone about the weather, but I ask you to … Continue reading Our Transcendent Spark

“One way or another we are inextricably drawn into the deep. It is here that we begin to… “grow down” into our lives. Here that we have the possibility of discovering within us what is most solid and sustaining while slowly learning to embody such presence in the daily round of our lives. Some would … Continue reading Growing Down

“And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown. And he replied, Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a … Continue reading The Gate of the Year

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone…for a child is born to us, a son is given us, upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-forever, Prince of Peace.”  (Isaiah 9: 1, 5) Dear Friends, … Continue reading A Christmas Letter

    “The ancient Chinese had a saying…”Ride the horse in the direction it is going.” It was an attitude that encouraged cooperation with life, with its variables and unknown quantities, rather than trying to control the outcome in advance. It didn’t mean you merely drifted through life like a leaf in the wind… but it … Continue reading Ride That Horse

     “For just a moment can we stop thinking about our lives and instead find the courage to actually inhabit them? Can we begin to feel our feet on the ground? Notice what’s happening in our thinking? Sense our bodies instead of running away from them into addictive, distracting behavior? Hear all the sounds happening … Continue reading Sentual Meditation

     “The material universe as we know it offers countless possibilities for extraordinary adventures…Only in the physical form and on the material plane can we fall in love, enjoy the ecstasy of sex, have children, listen to Beethoven’s music, or admire Rembrandt’s paintings. Only on Earth can we listen to the song of a nightingale … Continue reading An Examined Life

CRAZY OR COURAGEOUS      “When my second marriage fell apart, I tasted the rawness of grief, the utter groundlessness of sorrow, and all the protective shields I had always managed to keep in place fell to pieces. To my surprise, along with the pain, I also felt an uncontrived tenderness for other people. I remember … Continue reading Crazy or Courageous

     “Many times I have made the statement that I could be the poster child for stupidity. I have made every mistake you can think of. I have wrecked my  business, gone bankrupt, nearly ruined my marriage, been a lousy parent, wasted time, done stupid things, said stupid things, overspent, under earned, and on and … Continue reading A Blessed Mess