Aligning with Grace

It is a difficult time to witness what is happening on our planet... The sorrow, the suffering, the violence the pain... This morning I woke up with this short, lovingkindness practice on my lips: "May our hearts overflow with compassion." The only solution possible to all that is happening is greater Love. Greater compassion. I believe it is the foundation for everything else: greater insight, understanding, and practical solutions. This is all I am going to leave you with today. Let us all practice it and embody it, to shift the energy on this planet. "May our hearts overflow with compassion." For more practices to support you on your journey, visit:  www.meditationsimple.com

I took this picture in Dachau last year. It was such a haunting experience and I have thought of my time there over and over again. It was profoundly moving. And while the focus of that trip was something totally different - this is what I think of the most and it is what haunts me. A friend of mine told me her father had been held there. I cannot imagine what that must have been like. Since then, I have read many books on the need for ancestral healing and how the wounds of one generation are passed on to the next and the next... I felt compelled to thank the guide I had for teaching countless others about what happened in that camp, so that we would never forget. I asked myself then, how could this have happened? But the truth is, I knew. And we all know. And yet it continues to happen. Like many, I am profoundly affected by what is going on in Israel and Gaza. I am also very concerned about all of this escalating into something much bigger. I have many friends who are Jewish. And I ...

There was a time I came to this river, about a mile from my home,  almost daily, but it has been a while. This morning, the river itself was very still. Quiet. At rest. Even if people walking around or sitting by it were not. The leaves have not quite taken on their autumn mantel of brilliant colors, and it was a warm morning and definitely not very fall like. Despite all the details and concerns that might be floating around in my head, or taking up real estate in my mind, there was something about the calmness and stillness of the river that spoke to me. It invited me to slow down and be present. It reminded me that there are times in our lives when we are called to be more active, but there are also periods where we are invited to slow down, and just simply be. And the thing is, neither one is better than the other. There are times for motion and activity and there are times for rest and stillness. What is your life calling you to right now? Greater activity? Or rest? We are beg...

This quote, from the poet May Sarton's writings, is one that is often repeated and illustrated. It is a favorite of many, and certainly of mine as well: "Help us to be always hopeful gardeners of spirit, who know that without darkness nothing comes to birth, as without light, nothing flowers." You and I, might not be actual gardeners in the traditional sense, but we are all called to be gardeners of spirit - tending our own inner, delicate, souls.  Another famous writer and spiritual figure, John Henry Newman, wrote: "Growth is the only evidence of life." And still another, Francis de Sales, noted in the 17th century, that true growth is often a slow and hidden process. What is to be learned from all this wisdom? We are told that true growth - within and without - is often slow, and perhaps not noticeable to many outside of us. There are difficult and challenging experiences to be dealt with along the way. There are days of both light and darkness, as well as da...

  If you are anything like me, you are probably easily triggered. By the silliest of things. Some of mine are: The noise my hard of hearing husband makes in the morning as I am trying to meditate. Or, towels that are not folded "correctly." Or, the overflowing neighborhood cars parked in front of my house. I'll fret over a hypothetical situation like - what if a workman is coming.to repair something that happened overnight? Where will he park? We all have thoughts and concerns that fill our minds - many of which we can't control - and others which we simply want to control all of the time. Sometimes I remind myself, that NO ONE appointed me Master of the Universe! A hard reality to swallow! But the reality is, that the things that upset us most about others are things we harbor within ourselves that need our attention and that we need to change. In other words, others hold up a mirror to where we need to do our own work to further our growth. A couple of days ago, as ...

You have probably heard the old adage, "Be yourself. Everyone else is taken." This is so true, but so hard to wrap our brains around because we often do not believe that we are enough - not good enough, not smart enough - well, just not enough... But we are. Why? Because each one of us is an irrepeatable spark of Divine Light. No one like us has ever been, or will be again.  Read that again. So I say to you: Be bold. Be brave. Be you! This morning, I read this wonderful quote: "The way you treat yourself is one of the few things you control in life. There’s no reason to be anything but kind to yourself, in both your speech and your actions." Toni Bernhard, “Self-Care in an Uncertain World” So yes, you are you - unique in every way. Notice your self talk. Treating others well begins with us treating ourselves well. Go out today - and every day, and simply, Be Bold! Be Brave. Be Beautiful. Be who you are and BE that well! Be YOU! Supportive resources wait for you here...

On this day of August 8th, often called the Lion's Gate, because the numbers of the day are 8:8, there is supposed to be a special energy that permeates the day and allows for creativity and change. I don't think it matters whether you believe in this or not. I think you can choose to see this day as one of change or transformation. But then, I sincerely believe that all days can be that, if we invite that change and transformation into our lives. One of the easiest ways to do this is by formulating an affirmation that is relevant to our circumstance, and then repeating it over and over again, until it becomes our reality. Mostly, the affirmations should benefit us on a personal level, but they can also have an impact on a global level as well. When we change. The world changes too. You have have heard the adage,  "Change your mind, and change your life."  I would also add this:  "Change your life and you change the world." Here is a wonderful affirmation fo...