Aligning with Grace

"Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable." ~ Mary Oliver This week, many of us tuned in to Oprah's last show - which spanned - practically my son's entire life to date. I remember watching the show during its humble beginnings while he toddled around the family room. So, in many ways, Oprah, my son and I "grew" up together, and she and I are also about the same age... Oprah's last show focused on the lessons she had learned throughout the years, which was my original title for this entry. But then, I came across this quote by Mary Oliver , and it was evident to me, that if we truly implemented all that Oprah suggested, we would give birth to a life and world that is, in many ways, unimaginable, but fully possible... Some parting words from Oprah: "You are not alone... We are all called. Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out what that is and get about the business of doing it...And that is what I want for all ...

Sometimes messages hit you over the head. Hard. Sometimes messages come from unexpected places - like "cyberspace" or the "cloud" - wherever that is! Yesterday, I wrote about Adyashanti's book, Emptiness Dancing . And I included this quote toward the end of the entry: "What is born in awakening - is a love of what is." I must have repeated this to myself dozens of times yesterday. Such a simple statement. And so hard to embody. It reminded me of Byron Katie's book, Loving What Is. This is truly a practice that demands everything - and one that cannot be simply "intellectualized," try as one might. Today, I came across a couple of reminders of the role that grace plays in our life: "You cannot be bitter and unforgiving and be a conduit for grace." ~ Carolyn Myss And then, in the new SoundsTrue catalogue I received last night, I read this excerpt from Adyanshanti's newest book, Falling into Grace: " Grace is something...

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...

Yesterday, in the midst of life's busyness, I nearly stopped in my tracks when I read this post by Marianne Williamson ... "Don't try to get your life together and then surrender it to God. Surrender your life now and that's when it comes together! Is there a part of your life you're holding onto, thinking you can best run it yourself? Simply think about it in your heart and surrender it to God. This movement in your spirit will make all the difference." It seemed so simple. Surrender. Do not resist. Surrender your need to have things be a certain way. Surrender your need to be in control. Surrender your wants. Surrender your desires. Surrender your goals. Surrender the outcomes. Surrender even your needs... Byron Katie, in "The Work ", speaks of loving what we have, and accepting what is, as being essential to our awakening, and our spiritual evolution and growth. The Bhagavad Gita teaches, that we are only entitled to our actions, but never to th...

I had both the pleasure and honor to meet, and be able to speak to Sally Kempton , a respected meditation teacher, this past weekend, during a workshop she gave at Willow Street Yoga Center . If I had to summarize the workshop, I would simply say that it was about "Bhakti," the path of love - and deepening our relationship to the Divine... Today, I finished transcribing and typing nearly 33 pages of notes, and as I often do, I research or review references made, and include them in my notes. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am the "official" scribe for my local yoga community, and my notes usually circumnavigate the world. Or, so I often find out! As I reviewed my notes, and quotations from the workshop, I could not help but see, that truly, everything that matters, circles and comes back to love. Why are we here? We are here for love... What are we to do? We are here to love... And really, what else is there? In the 14th century, Julian of Norwich , an English mys...

We are all gardeners. Perhaps not of actual gardens, but certainly of our souls... We must til the fertile soil within our hearts and plant seeds that will blossom into those traits and characteristics that we want. There are many ways to do this. Through deep inner work. By reading. And sometimes, by attending a lecture, a workshop, or some kind of training. I am off to do this today. I am looking forward to spending a weekend with the wonderful meditation teacher and practitioner, Sally Kempton , whom I have quoted here so many times. Last night, I finished reading - Inheriting Paradise: Meditations on Gardening , by Vigen Guroian , and began The Fragrance of God , also by this same author - two exquisite tomes, filled with delicious imagery and beautiful insights. In Inheriting Paradise , Guroian writes: "...Everything comes from God and without God's constant nurture, nothing would be and nothing could grow. 'It is not the gardeners with their planting and watering who...

I had not intended to make an entry today. After a morning meditation enjoyed to the backdrop of a choir of birds singing very joyously, and after watering my thirsty plants, I settled down to clear out my inbox... But sometimes, when we least expect it, a gift arrives, from someone we have not met perhaps in the physical realm, but after all, we are all one, and wherever the Presence of God is - which is everywhere - there is no separation. The Dalai Lama has often said, he has never met a stranger. The following poetic reflection was posted as a comment to my last entry, by a wonderful soul named Lisa. I wanted to make sure everyone had an opportunity to read this, and so I make this entry on this magnificent and beautiful spring morning, here in the Northern Virginia area. The author wrote it to her own mother, and I was moved to share it with my own, and with some dear friends as well. But lest we leave anyone out who might benefit or be touched by these words, I share them here a...