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A Five Stage Re-entry into the Here and Now
The idea that it may be worthwhile to live as much as possible in the here and now seems to have been reduced to a minor spiritual axiom. Recently, while having dinner with an old friend who has enjoyed a generous amount of professional success, I heard a reference to the here and now as…
Read MoreCondemned and Free: Suspending Hostilities Directed at Truth
Truth is currently under siege. Nothing is more debilitating and devastating to a people than the pursuit of the best version of the truth experiencing a profound desolation. When a commitment to pursue the truth is sacrificed, we live with no North Star. We wander aimlessly or grab onto the loudest and most available voice.…
Read MoreLeaders Shamelessly Lost
Leaders are especially vulnerable to the cultural mandate that they are not supposed to be lost. Laurence Gonzales’ seminal work, Deep Survival, suggests that when leaders are lost, denial of being lost is inevitable. “Being lost then, is not a location; it is a transformation. It is a failure of mind. It can happen in…
Read MoreA Blessing For Peace
I have met you, but I don’t know you. I wonder what it would take to move from stranger to friend with you. Some say your presence is fleeting, leaving me curious about offering you a fervent invitation to stay. Could it be me? Do I not offer you an authentic welcome? How does my…
Read MoreBuilding Bridges – From Divisiveness to Unity
We all love hearing beliefs that are indistinguishable from our own. What can we make of this propensity to rejoice over conversations where the participants agree, confirm and even applaud our beliefs? The ego remains convinced that its current version of truth must be correct. It is often the ego’s tenacity about being right that…
Read MoreA Blessing For The Peacemaker
Kabir says, “When deep inside you there is a loaded gun, how can you have God?” Kabir appears to be reminding us that our relationship with the divine is dependent upon living with diminished inner violence. As one who desires to make peace, you are asked to become acquainted with your gun, the one pointed…
Read MoreBlack Lives Matter – From Altruism and Beyond
Our streets are talking to us. The talk is loud and mostly true. It says, “Black lives matter”, “Marginalization of some hurts everyone”, “Separation breeds ignorance and fear”, “Leadership from ego cannot hold those who are following” and “It’s time to recall the power of kindness and compassion”. These voices can be ignored or they…
Read MoreBlessings For Dreams Lived and Unlived
I watched you with eyes of the heart. You sat alone in the den in that old beige chair, with a dim lamp appearing to struggle to shed enough light for reading. You sat night after night, your glasses tipped forward onto your nose, eyes peering down into an encyclopedia’s version of history. Ancient times…
Read MoreA Blessing for Liminal Time
Liminal time is the between what was and what will be. The familiar increasingly fades while the new known is yet to be revealed. It won’t help to allow an understanding of this to recede too far into some abstract consideration. Hence, we can image liminal time from the perspective of the trapeze artist who…
Read MoreAn Enmeshed Family -Or- Too Much Family
An enmeshed family diminishes the value of individual members while prioritizing the wellbeing of the group. The enmeshed imperative is: Are you giving enough to others? Weak boundaries do not successfully separate and honor individual preferences and needs. There is a way to be, and individual family members are encouraged to figure that out and…
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