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“Rather than scoffing at religion…scientists should be studying spiritual practices as a source of ideas and inspiration” — David DeSteno, author of How God Works: The Science Behind the Benefits of Religion For a long time, many people assumed science and religion lived in different neighborhoods—one dealing in facts, the other in faith. But psychologist David DeSteno, in his thoughtful work How God Works, suggests something surprising: science is discovering that many ancie

“ Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world. ” — Dacher Keltner It got to me this morning—that quiet, accumulating weight of the world pressing in before I could quite name why. A headline here, a comment there, voices rising and tightening, each one a little sharper than the last. I could feel it first in my body, a low hum of agitation, like something inside me was bracing for a fight I didn’t want

“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”— Julian of Norwich There is a pattern in human life that many of us slowly discover. Some seasons feel bright and expansive. Life flows easily. Gratitude rises without effort. Beauty catches us by surprise. Other seasons feel darker. Plans collapse. Certainty disappears. We find ourselves walking through confusion, grief, or struggle. For centuries spiritual teachers have described these experi

“A ll pain deserves to be held in the warm embrace of compassion, so that healing can occur.” — Dr. Kristin Neff, renowned self-compassion researcher and practitioner In an earlier blog, I wrote about taking the U-turn — that sacred pause where we regain our center, get back to our "home," the seat of focus, attention, and intention (some call it our true Self or best self). The U-turn keeps us from spinning outward in blame or panic. But sometimes a pause, a breath or two,

“True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.” — Socrates Not long ago, psychologists ran a simple test. Participants were told to imagine a friend calling to say he couldn’t go on living. What would they say? It wasn’t a cruel exercise but a study in wisdom. Researchers weren’t measuring IQ or cleverness. They were looking for something deeper: the capacity to make sound judgments guided by empathy,

"The way of the Ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the desire of strength to do good." — Boromir, The Lord of the Rings...

Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses – Alphonse Karr, French novelist. A few...

"Never give advice unless asked. The wise won't need it, the fool won't heed it." German proverb When someone gives me advice after I...

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – The Dalai Lama It’s easy to...

We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness. — Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk, prolific author, peace activist,...

“We often find that the harder we try to get rid of emotions and thoughts, the stronger they become….” ― Richard C. Schwartz, No Bad...

“Suddenly some force struck him in the chest and side, making it still harder to breathe, and he fell through the hole and there at the...

The good life is found in the small practice of universal virtues that align the body, mind, and spirit. After talking to several people...

Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky...

“Daddy," I whispered, feeling my own breath hitch in my throat. "I love you." Just when I was sure he was asleep, the one corner of his...

Yes, I saw and read some of the political news yesterday. I am politically independent - still I have plenty of thoughts about what path...

“Imbalanced systems, whether internal or external, will tend to polarize.” ― Richard C. Schwartz, Internal Family Systems Therapy “Parts...

Contempt is the sulfuric acid of love . Dr. John Gottman, relationship expert “How did this happen? I just don’t understand.” That’s...

There is no 'them' and 'us.' There is only us. Father Gregory Boyle When a system is far from equilibrium small islands of coherence in...

Between stimulus and response there's a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and...