O'Malley is a grief counselor with more than 35 years of experience. He has written many well-regarded articles on grieving, including the namesake New York Times article that inspired his new Sounds True book Getting Grief Right: Finding Your Story of Love in the Sorrow of Loss. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Patrick discuss his unique approach to grief and how it diverts from the popularly accepted five-stage model created by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross. Patrick asserts that the Kübler-Ross model, while helpful as a foundation, can actually create an emotional cage for people as they struggle to find the acceptance and ... posted on Jan 17 2018 (62,837 reads)

GREENE experiences the effect a change makes to the dynamics in her garden, and considers how much more aware we need to be of the decisions we make, and their effect on the Earth. Creatures had been eating the strawberries. Not only nibbling the bright red juicy fruit but also chewing at the roots, causing stress to the plant, killing several of them. Root-chewed plants were scattered through the bed. I suspected voles since, when I lifted the straw mulch around the bed, I saw telltale holes dug into the soft black earth. Chipmunks were the next suspects, with several regularly bounding between the beds as they nibbled beans, raspberries and young cauliflower. They get away wit... posted on Oct 15 2017 (15,236 reads)

can be a safe, effective and lasting way to defeat injustice, but like any other science it takes knowledge, courage and determination. Oakland First Friday Protest, June 2015. Credit: Thomas Hawk, via Flickr. Some rights reserved Here are six guidelines that can help you carry out nonviolent action more safely and effectively, while drawing upon nonviolent practices from your own cultural heritage. These guidelines derive, as you’ll see, from two basic points to bear in mind: We are not against other people, only what they are doing. Means are ends in the making; nothing good can ultimately result from violence. 1. Respect everyone–including yourself... posted on Oct 3 2017 (24,973 reads)

is the transcribed version of Fabrizio Alberico's share at an Awakin Circle in California in 2017. Every time that we breathe, we are exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide. What exactly is that carbon dioxide? Those are little pieces of us, little burnt up pieces of us that we don't need anymore. We send them out there with every breath. Few years ago, Tyler Volk at New York University wanted to figure out exactly how many carbon atoms do we release with every exhale? Turns out to be a half a billion trillion carbon atoms with each exhale. That's a five followed by 20 zeroes. That's a lot of little pieces of us that we breathe out every single exhale, right? ... posted on Nov 14 2017 (12,350 reads)

following is an excerpt from Authentic Conversations: Moving from Manipulation to Truth an Commitment, Berret-Koehler Publishers, 2008 We were consulting with a large East Coast newspaper grappling with a multimillion-dollar shortfall and the plagues of the industry in general: declining circulation, shrinking advertising revenue, and increasing newsprint prices. The problems of this newspaper were compounded by changes in the region’s demographics, which raised questions about whether the paper’s content was relevant to the readers in their market. Layoffs seemed inevitable. Hundreds were likely to lose their jobs. In preparation for a large group meeting about the... posted on Oct 22 2017 (12,294 reads)

is a fundamental human trait. Everyone is curious, but the object and degree of that curiosity is different depending on the person and the situation. Astrophysicist and author Mario Livio was so curious about curiosity that he wrote a book about it. He recently appeared on the Knowledge@Wharton show on SiriusXM channel 111 to talk about what he learned in the course of writing his book, Why? What Makes Us Curious. An edited transcript of the conversation follows. Knowledge@Wharton: What is it that really drives our curiosity? Mario Livio: Curiosity has several kinds or flavors, and they are not driven by the same things. There is something that has been dubbed perc... posted on Sep 25 2017 (12,467 reads)

or the art form called Improv, may call to mind comedy shows but it is now also a serious business tool. Organizations are using it to foster team work, collaboration, positive engagement and mindfulness, says Bob Kulhan, founder and CEO of Business Improv, who is also a part-time comedian and an adjunct professor at Duke University and Columbia Business School. Kulhan describes his strategies in his new book, “Yes And: The Art of Business Improv", which he co-authored with Chuck Crisafulli. He recently discussed them on the Knowledge@Wharton show, part of Wharton Business Radio on SiriusXM channel 111. Click here to play audio. ... posted on Oct 27 2017 (7,567 reads)

May 30, 2017 Your browser does not support the audio element, but you can play it here. Diane Musho Hamilton is a spiritual teacher, mediator, and group facilitator who has been studying mindfulness for more than 30 years. She is a featured presenter for A Year of Mindfulness, Sounds True's yearlong online meditation program. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Diane discuss how her experience with mindfulness has helped her to become an effective group mediator. Diane speaks on how mindfulness skills transfer to interpersonal communication and skillful relationship—especially when it comes to being able to take on someone else's perspecti... posted on Oct 29 2017 (15,469 reads)

Life Without Fossil Fuels—Slow and Satisfying A visit to the Possibility Alliance reminded me also that the one constant of life is change. Photo by James Garcia on Unsplash. The Possibility Alliance is a 110-acre homestead run by Ethan and Sarah Hughes. Their reliance on fossil fuels is limited to trains for long-distance trips, municipal water, and a telephone landline. I stepped off the train in the farm town of La Plata, Missouri, with my 9-year-old son, Zane. Thomas was waiting to meet us with two well-maintained bikes, one with a trailer for our backpacks, the other with a long wooden seat for passengers, to make th... posted on Oct 12 2017 (11,602 reads)

question is not what to do but how to see. Seeing is the most important thing—the act of seeing. I need to realize that it is truly an act, an action that brings something entirely new, a new possibility of vision, certainty and knowledge. This possibility appears during the act itself and disappears as soon as the seeing stops. It is only in this act of seeing that I will find a certain freedom. So long as I have not seen the nature and movement of the mind, there is little sense in believing that I could be free of it. I am a slave to my mechanical thoughts. This is a fact. It is not the thoughts ­themselves that enslave me but my ­attachment to them. In order to ... posted on Dec 24 2017 (10,525 reads)

is much more than a medical event. It is a time for important psychological, emotional and spiritual work – a time for transition. To a large extent, the way we meet death is shaped by our habitual response to suffering, and our relationship to ourselves, to those we love, and to whatever image of ultimate kindness we hold.” - Frank Ostaseski Frank Ostaseski is a Buddhist teacher, international lecturer and a leading voice in contemplative end-of-life care.  He is the Guiding Teacher and visionary Founding Director of Zen Hospice Project, the first Buddhist hospice in America, in San Francisco, and also author of  The Five In... posted on Jan 26 2018 (32,133 reads)

wisdom | An interview with Anthony Aveni in Interview Anthony F. Aveni is Russell Colgate Distinguished University Professor of Astronomy and Anthropology and Native American Studies Emeritus at Colgate University. He began his career as an astrophysicist, but soon became interested in cultural astronomy—the study of how various peoples and cultures have viewed astronomical events.  His research led him to develop the field of archaeoastronomy and is considered one of the founders of Mesoamerican archaeoastronomy for his research in the astronomical history of the Mayan Indians of ancient Mexico. A lecturer, speaker, and author or editor of more than two dozen books... posted on Dec 5 2017 (13,013 reads)

I was a young man, I liked ideas and books quite a lot, and I still read a great deal. But each time I come back from a long hermitage retreat, I have no desire to read a book for the next few weeks or even months. For a while I know there is nothing in any book that is going to be better, more truthful, or more solid than what I have just experienced on the cellular, heart, and soul level. If you asked me what it is I know, I would be hard pressed to tell you. All I know is that there is a deep “okayness” to life—despite all the contradictions—which has become even more evident in the silence. Even when much is terrible, seemingly contradictory, unjust, and i... posted on Nov 7 2017 (21,251 reads)

makes you, you or I, I? That is the age-old question science journalist Anil Ananthaswamy tackles in his book, The Man Who Wasn’t There: Tales from the Edge of the Self (Dutton, Penguin Random House, USA, 2015). He examines the nature of selfhood from all angles, turning to philosophy, neuroscience and in-person interviews with people afflicted with neurological conditions that in some way rob them of some aspect of their selfhood.   In his book, Ananthaswamy, a former software engineer and current consultant for New Scientist Magazine, writes about eight diseases, starting with Cotard’s syndrome, in which deeply depressed individuals become convinced they are d... posted on Sep 13 2017 (9,143 reads)

Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are "Resilience — the ability to overcome adversity — has been a growing topic of study since the early 1970s. In a world plagued by stress and struggle, everyone from psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers to clergy and criminal justice researchers want to why and how some folks are better at bouncing back from hardship than others. We want to understand why some people can cope with stress and trauma in a way that allows them to move forward in their lives, and why other people appear more affected and stuck. "As I collected and analyzed my data, I recognized that many of the people ... posted on Dec 11 2021 (28,970 reads)

out for a walk up in the canyon. This was at Spirit Rock. I walked into this creek bed and laid down. I was just sort of going to take a nap. I was so conditioned at that point to reflecting inward and practicing Ajahn 's body scans, that I just sort of went into this lying down meditation. There was this extreme release after a point, of just—all I can describe it is just energy, just lifting out of my body. Something very dark and sticky was just removed. And all kinds of horrific images came with that, as if in a sort of a waking dream. I describe a lot of this in my memoir. And actually, some of it in the new book. And then I just found myself experiencing this incredible ... posted on Sep 20 2018 (11,085 reads)

following is excerpted with permission from "Odes to Ordinary Things", published by A Network for Grateful Living, 2017 Introduction Some years ago a neighbor gave me a gift—a collection of “odes to common things” by Pablo Neruda. What I didn’t immediately realize was that she had given me, not just the gift of a book, but the gift of seeing “common” things with fresh and celebratory eyes. Neruda writes playfully and lovingly of lemons, salt, socks, a box of tea! And in doing so, he heightens our attention and appreciation for the everyday wonders which fill our days and lives. Odes (themselves miraculous) bring life, depth and wond... posted on Sep 24 2018 (9,914 reads)

her career, New York-based author and activist, Ashton Applewhite has written about a wide variety of subjects including Antarctica, astrophysics, and a village in Laos that got access to the internet via a bicycle-powered computer. Since 2007, she has been writing about aging and ageism at ThisChairRocks.com, and has authored a book by the same name. She's also the voice of “Yo, Is This Ageist?" and has been widely recognized by the New York Times as an expert on ageism. What follows is the edited transcript of an Awakin Call with Ashton. You can listen to the full recording here. Pavi Mehta: Ashton, what brought you to where you are today, and what dre... posted on Feb 22 2018 (13,921 reads)

of heaven) and “This is why I started the center, to have these opportunities.”   This little girl next to me looked up and said “The Lion King Video is too loud.”  What is this? I listened, thought maybe it is on the street or something; maybe someone is playing the music. I said: “I don’t hear it” and she said “It’s in my head.” (Gasps) That was the moment when the idea, the intellectual understanding of how these images are intruding on imagination and attention became real and I knew I had to go work on it. All these things take time. We can bring these strong tools of our own stories to our children: fami... posted on Oct 16 2017 (12,564 reads)

of the heart” (a phrase coined by Alexis de Tocqueville) are deeply ingrained ways of seeing, being, and responding to life that involve our minds, our emotions, our self-images, our concepts of meaning and purpose. I believe that these five interlocked habits are critical to sustaining a society. 1. An understanding that we are all in this together. Biologists, ecologists, economists, ethicists and leaders of the great wisdom traditions have all given voice to this theme. Despite our illusions of individualism and national superiority, we humans are a profoundly interconnected species—entwined with one another and with all forms of life, as the global econo... posted on Jan 2 2018 (23,688 reads)