Autobiography in Five Short Chapters is a much beloved poem from Portia Nelson. In my years of working with this poem, my understanding of it has radically changed, and that has been so helpful with orientating myself in a useful way with the world as it is: I I walk down the street. There is … Continue reading Revisiting an Autobiography in Five Short Chapters
In this podcast episode, I draw from a beautiful book called, Learning To Fall, by Phillip Simmons. Simmons was diagnosed with ALS at age 35 and given 5 years to live. He wrote this book at 9 years on the “blessings of an imperfect life.”
This week we look deeper at the movement from worry to care– worry, as a fear based reactivity and care, as a wise strong compassionate connected responsiveness. This movement is a powerful support in challenging times. I share Joseph Bruchac’s version of The Chenoo, a story of a man-eating ice giant from the far north … Continue reading The Chenoo
In this talk, we explore practices to support ourselves in the midst of a challenging Election. These include resourcing in the good, intentional planning with media consumption and practicing with “Don’t Know Mind.” Here are some of resources I would like to share: How to Survive Election Night and Beyond: https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/election-day-toolkit/ Stability in the Storm, … Continue reading Election Week Mindfulness Practice
In this sharing I explore lessons from both the Virginia International Raceway and Thich Nhat Hanh on opening to life well in all conditions. The Two Promises from Thich Nhat Hanh: I vow to develop understanding in order to live peacefully with people, animals, plants, and minerals. I vow to develop my compassion in order … Continue reading The Two Promises
In this longer combined talk and meditation, we will more deeply explore the practice sometimes called “the sound of silence.” It is a practice that has been offered in many meditation and spiritual traditions from around the world. Much of my sharing is drawn from a book by British monk, Ajahn Amaro called “Inner Listening.” … Continue reading Sound of Silence
We think sometimes of compassion as a quality that we “should” be accessing if we are “good.” There is a totally different way of understanding compassion instead as that quality of being that brings us sanity, strength, courage and even ease in the midst of difficult situations.
There is a radical freedom offered in practice when we learn to open in all conditions. From the book, “Thoreau’s Ecstatic Witness,” comes this account of Henry Thoreau from his sister, Sophia, in his last couple of months before dying of tuberculosis in his early forties: One friend, as if by way of consolation, said … Continue reading Opening to Practice in all Conditions
Join me for this short reflection and meditation on the usefulness of goodwill in challenging times.
Continue reading Short Morning Practice–The Sanity of Goodwill
Compassion arises naturally as the quivering of the heart in the face of pain, ours and another’s. True compassion is not limited by the separateness of pity, nor by the fear of being overwhelmed. When we come to rest in the great heart of compassion, we discover a capacity to bear witness to, suffer with, … Continue reading Capacity of the Heart