Practicing Advent Online Like many of us, the Pandemic revealed to me how much of my spiritual community exists online. My spiritual practices have been transformed by people I know electronically. This year I am preparing to practice Advent online. One thing which makes us “liturgical” is following an annual pattern of the parts of our story we remember called the liturgical year. Each year has something in common with other years; each year is unique. Our liturgical years have... Read more
Who Do We Hate the Most? Who we hate the most appears to define our world. We live in a world which has been been at war for longer than we can remember. Large groups of people who hate each other and take violent actions to express their hatred. It is almost impossible to go onto social media without hearing about what or who someone hates. Other media are essentially the same. Hatred seems to be everywhere. Some of us... Read more
Stillness on a November Morning November can be a contemplative month. It begins as we sit in the stillness on a November morning. The month begins in the wake of costumes and frivolity; false selves on display for all to see. The days grow colder and darker, almost as if the month itself were turning inward. Candles and treats give way to the early darkness of standard time. Like contemplation, November is a process of letting go. Leaves fall from... Read more
Toward Gratitude Some of us spend this month practicing our way toward gratitude. People post their thankfulness on various social media each day, describing how grateful they are for the good things which fill their lives. I appreciate their practice. There are days when something they share inspires me to see my own experience in new ways. Gratitude is often a challenge for me. My first inclination is to find a problem to solve or avoid, not blessings for which... Read more
If Only We Had Another Hour We live our lives in a race against time. Our calendars are filled with target dates and deadlines. We work as hard as we can within time limits. Just think what we could accomplish if we only had just another hour. Many of us recognize we simply react our way toward goals. We do not have time to see the big picture or think things through, much less practice being mindful and aware. If... Read more
What Masks Are We Wearing? Some of us spent weeks finding masks and costumes for today. What masks are we wearing? We may be hosting a party or giving out treats and we want to look just right. Some of us spend months sorting out what costumes we will wear and how we want to look. We may have invested time and effort into designing and constructing our own costumes, making sure they are exactly right. Even with an excellent... Read more
Stories We Choose to Believe We decide who we want to become by stepping into the stories we choose to believe. Most of us see ourselves as the protagonist of our own stories. We are the beautiful princess or the handsome prince, with the courage or wisdom or persistence which saves the day. The stories we tell ourselves as children at play shape our expectations and perceptions of the lives we lead. We paint our faces and dress ourselves in... Read more
Walking With Trees I live in a place where people seem to think trees get in their way, though I enjoy walking with trees. Some trees send their roots out to create obstacles in sidewalks. When the winds pick up trees drop their branches, and fronds, and disrupt traffic. Where I live people plant citrus trees to be decorative and the fruit can become a nuisance. People here do not seem to understand walking with trees the same way I... Read more
Learning to Listen Well Listening may be the most intimate thing we can do with another person without touching them. Slowly, I am learning to listen well. Some people think listening well is waiting for another person who is talking to take a breath so we can interrupt. We may understand listening as an opportunity to think about what we want to say next. Listening well is more than not speaking. It is listening on a deep level. Not merely... Read more
The Metaphor of Your Spiritual Life What is the metaphor of your spiritual life? Spiritual life is, by its very nature, beyond our ability to understand it. Does anyone truly grasp and appreciate all its complexities, concepts, and apparent contradictions? Each of us relies on our own metaphors to help us recognize the spiritual life within us. Some of us see spiritual life as a crutch or a thermometer for taking our spiritual temperature. Other people approach spiritual life as... Read more
Strategic Monk
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