I read my first religious complaint of the season this morning in our newspaper. Seems some retailer has put a Nativity Scene up in their store window and opened the annual clash of cultures. So off we go. Now every group opposed to any public display of the Christian religion will be vigilantly scoping out every nook and cranny to find and publicize any infraction and any politically incorrect sentiment, ready to launch into protest if anything “too” religious occurs... Read more
I am a self-professed Christmaholic. I love the season—the lights, the music, the presents, the food, even the snow. However, I found myself getting burned out by all the fun activities I tried to cram onto an already full plate. Why must Christmas fall at a time when I’m so busy? Historically, Christmas came during the off-season. In an agrarian society, the winter holidays were a time of rest after the busy harvest of fall. It was when we... Read more
“Our only problem is that we want not to have any problems.” ~ Buddhist saying As we enter the final month of the year and the Holiday Season, many of us get distracted by all of the holiday-related activities that call to us – shopping, planning family get-togethers, holiday travel and parties, etc. Then, before you know it, the month of December is over and the New Year has begun, and we are faced with an unplanned future. We have... Read more
At first Karen’s project looked like just a large slab of wood, painted sky blue. Then as it got passed around the circle of students, you could make out sentences in découpage: affirmations of promise and possibility, and exclamations of gratitude. We had seen more unusual end-of-class displays in years past. A simple bowl of dirt intimated the want of seeds. Once, a stew was cooked up and fed to us, in which each ingredient stood for the qualities of... Read more
Our decades old purpose and vision for Centers for Spiritual Living is to “awaken humanity to its Spiritual magnificence and create a world that works for everyone.” Recently I attended a conference in Italy hosted by the Associated Global New Thought Network, the Interreligious Peace Council and the Interreligious Engagement Project. It was a conference of around 250 spiritual and corporate leaders as well as academic theologians, professors and teachers and heads of many non-profit organizations from around the world.... Read more
Recently, in a conversation with a fellow minister, the term “off Principle” came up. This turn of phrase is akin to another equally offensive phrase, “You’re out of Principle,” which was popular in the 80s and 90s and used frequently by teachers of that generation as a not-so-subtle shaming technique. I have searched and searched the writings of Ernest Holmes and nowhere have I found either of these phrases. What comes to mind are the equally distasteful admonitions “What’s in... Read more
A basic law of snow skiing is that you go in the direction you look. Likewise, race car drivers know that when they are racing at speed next to a wall, they never look at the wall, unless they want to become part of it. Our minds work in a very similar way; we go where we focus. Effective focusing demands conscious, intentional purpose. My experience has been that when I am clear on what I want, it becomes... Read more
While sitting in traffic last week, I composed a new driving mantra: “I love cone zones! Sounds crazy? Yes? But really, I am. True, construction delays certainly take their toll (yes, every pun intended) on our everyday lives, but I know eventually I will appreciate and take advantage of the end result. What I don’t like is that uncomfortable in between time. Sound familiar? Hum, growth can be frustrating and aggravating? So how can I be thankful for the construction?... Read more
I have for some time cherished a vision of people of diverse backgrounds, life experiences, expertise, world views and spiritual/religious traditions coming together to sit together in full-hearted sharing and deeply respectful listening that honors the validity of each point of view. I have just had that experience, and was grateful to witness the “something greater than the sum of the parts” that occurs when people join in the spirit of true collaboration to address world conditions. The Awakened World... Read more
We’re on the brink of the 2012 Presidential election in less than 2 weeks and perhaps more than ever the visions of the 2 candidates are clearly and distinctively different. I want to look at this from the perspective of what our basic tenet and beliefs of Centers For Spiritual Living (CSL) are and which candidate or party is most in alignment with those principles. By no means am I representing how all the ministers and spiritual leaders of our... Read more
The Principles of Spiritual Living
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