Living In Deep Time
"To be a contemplative is to learn to trust deep time,...to learn how to rest there and not be wrapped up in chronological time." Richard Rohr discusses the contemplative life, how to transition into deep meaning as we age, the challenge of generations engaging in spiritual transformation and applying this work in his retreats for men. He likens the contemplative life to the mythic hero's journey:... posted on Sep 11 2017, 15,151 reads

What Makes Life Worth Living in the Face of Death?
As a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi felt he'd be prepared to face his own mortality. After all, he'd helped so many of his patients before. But after receiving a lung cancer diagnosis, he found little of it helpful in deciding what makes life worth living in the face of death. In this TED talk, Lucy Kalanithi talks about her husband's last two years and the choices they made to improve his quality o... posted on Sep 10 2017, 50,623 reads

Ready to Start Living? First Consider Death
What would you do if today was your last day alive? There's nothing more compelling than the thought of living, breathing and experiencing the playground of life when we consider that all of what we know and are may one day come to an end. Connecting with this powerful reminder will connect you to life in a way where you move from auto-pilot living to a curious, excited energy for what life can br... posted on Sep 09 2017, 15,899 reads

Why Is It So Hard to Change People's Minds?
Understanding the emotional connections underlying our deeply held beliefs and ideas can help us learn to listen and talk to others in ways that open up possibilities for change minds; ours as well as others. This article from Greater Good Magazine by Elizabeth Svoboda explores how dialog between people can be a "fertile exchange" where each person's thinking evolves in unexpected ways.... posted on Sep 08 2017, 11,340 reads

To Try to Have Some Healing: A Conversation with Silas Hagerty
What would you do to remember a deep wrong? Would you ride over 300 miles, through the Dakotas and Minnesota on horseback, in the middle of winter as a ceremonial act of forgiveness and reconciliation? And, if asked, would you be willing to accompany the journey to document the healing as an act of service? Read this interview from Parabola with Silas Hagerty. Silas describes his experience filmin... posted on Sep 07 2017, 5,740 reads

Are Some Social Ties Better Than Others?
Social capital, or the benefits we get from relationships with family, friends, coworkers, and others, is an important measure of how we give and receive. From online exchanges to intimate gatherings, our connections span a wide range of closeness, each offering different challenges and rewards. Are some relationships better for us than others? Perhaps, but research suggests that having relationsh... posted on Sep 06 2017, 7,483 reads

Diane Ackerman's Secular Prayer
What counts as prayer? What counts as spirituality for that matter? Are there ways into the mystery of the divine other than traditional religion? This article, from Maria Popova's website Brain Pickings, explores some intriguing answers to these questions centered around Diane Ackerman's poem "School Prayer".... posted on Sep 05 2017, 14,974 reads

Mental Illness: Turning Stigma Into Compassion
In this interview international expert on developmental psychopathy Stephen Hinshaw discusses his book "Another Kind of Madness: A Journey through the Stigma and Hope of Mental Illness". Dr. Hinshaw grew up in a family where his father suffered from severe bouts of psychosis, sometimes requiring hospitalization, in turn affecting his own mental health. Having experience on both sides of the issue ... posted on Sep 04 2017, 9,832 reads

5 Ways to Step Up Your Love for Nature
Writer Melissa Hellmann discusses 5 ways to take your love of the outdoors to the next level, including activities such as volunteer work and activism. In order to increase our positive experiences with the outdoors, she recommends we fix the trails, count animals, restore history, take activism outside, and ditch the car. ... posted on Sep 03 2017, 6,147 reads

Returning the Gift
Robin Wall Kimmerer notes, "In the teachings of my Potawatomi ancestors, responsibilities and gifts are understood as two sides of the same coin. The possession of a gift is coupled with a duty to use it for the benefit of all. A thrush is given the gift of song and so has a responsibility to greet the day with music. Salmon have the gift of travel, so they accept the duty of carrying food upriver... posted on Sep 02 2017, 15,170 reads