What do you see when you look at the center of this rose? What emotions do you feel? When it appeared as one of spring’s first offerings in my garden, I marveled at the perfection of the folds and their graceful sweep. And, I am drawn to the center, wondering in awe at the source of this creation. The center …
How We Can Fuel Ourselves for Political Action
Virtually all my close relatives and women friends joined the Women’s March and were encouraged and fired up to keep on acting. With all the nightmare actions coming out of Washington, clearly meditating is not enough. And yet, as a spiritual seeker, my question remains, what energy do I want to fuel my actions, and how do I maintain that? …
Seeing Our Way Through the Pachakutiq
The latest earthquake in Japan is said to be an aftershock from the one in 2011, and that means among other things that Mother Earth set a big change in motion back then, and the effects are still going on. Perhaps our electoral, political and psychic earthquake in the U.S. is an aftershock too, a manifestation of unseen forces of …
My Favorite Photograph
Light.co, a camera technology company , recently posed the question: what is my favorite photo among all I’ve taken? This is like asking me what my favorite experience is. I absolutely cannot choose. But, I’m selecting a recent favorite from a wonderful adventure in Alaska. This photo was taken on that cruise that so many have taken through the inland …
The Power of Ritual and Ceremony
The smoke from the copal grew thicker in the room, as Apab’yan fed the small container fire with the granules of incense, and his prayers. People seated around him and behind him prayed too, mesmerized now by the hypnotic chanting in the Mayan language, punctuated by English phrases so we could all track where the prayers were being directed. The …
Responding to Chaos with Compassion
I love teacher, Lynne Twist’s observation that in these times, it is the role of those on a spiritual path to “do hospice for the old order, while serving as midwives for the new.” (Lynne Twist) If you are one who believes that the earth and our species are in the midst of a great shift, then this observation can …
Trump as the Shakespearean Fool
Shakespeare loved inserting the character of a fool into his theatre, as a way of being entertaining and pointing out bluntly certain truths that other characters of higher standing wouldn’t reveal. His fool was usually a clever peasant who used his wits and spoke outside the codes of morality. Not believers in the supernatural, Shakespearean fools had no idealogy or …
Women Holding the Long Lens
I’m visiting family and marveling at how long my grandchildren’s arms and legs have grown, how my daughter has become an inventive and creative cook, and how my ex husband has turned into a gentle friend. As this year just begins to unfold, I’m aware of the longer arc, and of the graceful way life changes the way the path …
Honoring Death as Part of Life
On the night of Nov. 1, the whole central plaza of most Mexican cities is ringed with altars (or “ofrendas”) like this one. Each is a unique creation made by family and friends to honor a loved one who has passed to the spiritual realm. When I spent two weeks around Dia de Los Muertos in San Miguel de Allende, …
Opening the Heart
Once upon a time, I didn’t know what love was. I knew it was a good word, a desirable feeling, but I wasn’t sure I had experienced it. How was it going to feel? I was a child, trying to team up words and concepts with real-world feelings. In 7th grade I made friends with a girl named Missy. I …
