The Phoenix Rising – Creativity and Life Force
In so many ways, following through on a creative project teaches a radical level of mindfulness and self-compassion, as well as the grace of ruthless, unconditional forgiveness. The creative process instills a remarkable ability to not only tolerate ambiguity and...
Harmony Doesn’t Stand Still
Recently I was having a catch-up call with a close friend. She spoke of how many years it took for her to be able to love herself for the whole of who she was, where she could be a caring and kind friend, or at least friendish, towards even the more excruciating and...
Music and Healing : The Edge of Science
“It goes like this: the fourth, the fifth / the minor fall, the major lift.” From the song Halleluja, by Leonard Cohen I found myself in a dilemma in the process of writing this article. That’s not anything new, after all this is the creative process of writing...
Music and Healing – The Art of Listening
I’m both excited and apprehensive about a six week course I will be teaching in the 2019 summer semester at Colorado Mountain College on the subject of music and healing. Wow. Music and Healing. Such immense topics. Both subjects...
Self-Compassion: Making Peace with the Predator
Mindfulness. Compassion. Self-Compassion. Yeah nice stuff! I was at at the Department of Motor Vehicles acting a bit spacey and muddled by the time I got to the counter. The nice lady with the camera smiled at me and said, "Take your time. Be mindful." I laughed and...
The Heartbeat of Life : Action and Emptiness
I was having a conversation this morning with one of my meditation students, and we got onto the question of action and emptiness. It’s often confusing when to back off from activity and take a break. The worried mind wonders, “Am I copping out?” Shouldn’t I keep...
Taking Flight
There is a reservoir in the farming community of Eckert, Colorado, where the greater sandhill cranes stop to rest and feed for a night in their annual migration. The landing and takeoff of these giant ancient birds is an unforgettable sight; depending on the year,...
God is an Outlaw Path
Sometimes I'm bemused by how the individuals whose lives became the genesis of religious institutions were themselves outlaws: Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad. They were people who just couldn’t follow the rules. Outlaws. Delinquent. Threatening. Then, as institutions grew...
Making Room for Death
Two of the most challenging aspects of life are death and change. Sometimes life takes a turn, and what has changed is truly incomprehensible. We’re stunned and numb. We have no idea how to think or what to say. We flounder and fall back on awkward platitudes. We want...
Nonviolent Self-Improvement
For the sake of this article, I'm using the label ”non-violent self-improvement” to talk about an approach of intentionally directed self-care that respects our humanity, our fears and hurts, while patiently, gently, focusing our attention towards the good....
