Aligning with Grace

This month is nearly over - and the summer is now officially for me - two thirds of the way through as well... It was not the kind of summer I had originally envisioned for there were so many unexpected turns that were taken. But in my heart of hearts, I know that everything was as it needed to be - and indeed, everything is always as it should be... I spent Saturday afternoon and early evening, attending Sally Kempton's workshop, titled - "Surfing Transformation: How to Navigate Your Journey of Inner Awakening and Change," at Willow Street Yoga Center. I have regularly attended Sally's workshops, and it was also wonderful to return to Willow Street and see so many friends. As always, Sally had much to say that was helpful to me. Her insights and the practices she led us through were particularly meaningful. In fact, a couple of the practices resulted in one of the most profound "aha!" moments that I have had - and I know I will be sitting with those insig...

This season, as in the previous two, I begin each morning in Advent , by meditating on the online devotional, "Follow the Star." I have been pondering some of Michelle Thomas Bush's reflections this week, but this one, in particular, struck a chord: "Keep awake! We are an over-caffeinated community with 6 hour energy drinks, who are in the practice of staying up late. The local coffee shop knows what we will order when we walk through the door. Facebook and Xbox Live can keep us up for hours on end. We know how to stay awake. Keep awake! It is a call to be alert to the presence of God. We may be wide awake, but have we fallen asleep in our spiritual life? We are in charge and waiting for the return of our Master. Our God is coming! This is a wake up call!" Yes - we do know how to stay awake on a physical level - perhaps willing ourselves so - but we do so without being fully present, attentive, or mindful. We know how to stay awake and multi-task. But, are we...

The last few days, I've been marinating various ideas and insights that have emerged from my reading of Emptiness Dancing , by Adyashanti , who is a very amazing, and contemporary spiritual teacher. As often happens, a particular book falls in my lap at precisely the right moment - not one too soon or too late... I had previously stumbled across interviews in several publications over the years with Adyashanti, who is known as "Adya" to his devoted followers. But, I had never felt particularly drawn to him in any way. However, because of the illuminating experiences of a dear friend who has attended many retreats and "satsangs" with him, I was finally led to explore his writings and recordings on my own. The book I am reading, addresses the process of awakening, which is essential to the spiritual life, in a manner that is very accessible. I will share some brief excerpts from Adya's wisdom, in hopes that it might "awaken" some small insight within...