Author: tomstellawebsite

     “Plunge into matter, Teilhard said – and at another time, “Plunge into God.” And he said this fine thing: “By means of all created things, without exception, the divine assails us, penetrates us, and molds us. We imagined it as distant and inaccessible, whereas in fact we live steeped in its burning layers. … … Continue reading Plunge into Life

“We each have within us an aching that is craving to be met. It’s not a physical ache and it isn’t a mental one. It’s much deeper than either of those. We came into this life with it and, if it’s not tended to, it will be right there when we die. It drives our … Continue reading Answer the Ache

“You may have noticed that sometimes – no, more often than not – the day, the week, our life, turns out other than you had expected, and not always for the better. No matter how much we try to do the right thing, become a better or more spiritual person, get all our ducks in … Continue reading Remember to Laugh

“At the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. It was like waking from a … Continue reading It’s a Blessed Blur

“I believe I know the only cure, which is to make one’s center of life inside of one’s self, not selfishly or excludingly, but with a kind of unassailable serenity – to decorate one’s inner home so richly that one is content there, glad to welcome anyone who wants to come and stay, but happy … Continue reading At Home Within

“We like to think we behave rationally and that our actions are  governed by a sober evaluation of  consequences, but this idea ignores ample evidence that most of what we do is either habitual or the product of underlying motivations, emotions, impulses, and biases that constitute Freud’s “unconscious mind.” No better example exists than our … Continue reading The Lure of the Marketplace

“Central to an embodied spirituality is the importance of the natural world. Being born on Earth is not a secondary byproduct of spirit, a mistake, or irrelevant. It is profoundly central to who we are. Earth is home. Nature is the source of our nurturing, and the sustainer of our life on Earth. It is … Continue reading Wedded to the Earth

“The world did know and remained silent. And that is why I swore never to be silent when and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when … Continue reading Sometimes We Must Interfere

“…As I grow older, I think that resting might actually be the main point of life. To sit down passively, inside or outside, and merely absorb things – the tick of a clock, a cloud passing by, the distant hum of traffic, a bird singing – can feel like an end in itself. It can … Continue reading Resting is Doing

     “…the ending of a relationship, losing one’s job or home, becoming ill, growing old, or realizing that one’s own death draws near. Such moments are risky. They can break our spirit, causing us to give up, to assume the stance of the helpless victim or the addict who attempts to overcome the pain of … Continue reading The Power of Powerlessness