Gather 'round…
"We cannot live without being affected by others, but we are only real when we let truth and love shape us from within. Our want to be liked, our want to avoid conflict, our want to be understood--all these traits tease us away from taking the voice within seriously. Though the Earth is touched by... Continue Reading →
"Sometimes when we look out, the world seems so dark. War, violence, hunger, and misery seem to abound. This makes us anxious and helpless. What can I do in my private little corner of life that could have any effect on the march of world events? The usual answer is: nothing. We then decide to... Continue Reading →
"What we speak always returnsWith a spike of barbsOr the sweet taste of berries in summer."~ Joy Harjo, Song 6. Let 'Em Eat Grass We've all learned, at one time or another--probably many, many times--how powerful our words are, but we don't often sit with the power of our tongue and really give it our... Continue Reading →
For Those Who Would GovernFirst question: Can you first govern yourself?Second question: What is the state of your own household?Third question: Do you have a proven record of community service and compassionate acts?Fourth question: Do you know the history and laws of your principalities?Fifth question: Do you follow sound principles? Look for fresh vision to... Continue Reading →
"Let the opposing voices in your head speak.They are only finding their partin a larger, yet-to-be heard song." ~ Mark Nepo, The Book of Awakening This is the 6th year I'm working my way through The Book of Awakening. Fun Fact: It looks like I first embarked upon my journey with Nepo right about the... Continue Reading →
"'If you place two living heart cells from different people in a Petrie dish, they will in time find and maintain a third and common beat.' -- Molly Vass "This biological fact holds the secret of all relationship. It is cellular proof that beneath any resistance we might pose and beyond all our attempts that... Continue Reading →
“Let your soul receive this rest: The God who sends thunder and lightning seeks to obliterate every system that threatens the dignity and shalom of the cosmos. Accept what mercy is available after what we’ve made of this precious, sacred world–what we’ve made of one another. In all our greed, our deceit, our apathy, our... Continue Reading →
"There is no substitute for going through things together. There is no way to 'language' what two whales share who swim around the world together or what binds two friends who climb through a forest of years in each other's steps."~ Mark Nepo, Seven Thousand Ways to Listen "... in the end, it seems to... Continue Reading →
“There is an implicit wholeness in the human heart; it is a huge treasure house that we draw on every day. Ultimately it is what anchors and guides us. A simple metaphor for this is a physical wound. When you have a wound in your hand it always heals from the edges; the center is... Continue Reading →
"May I be the tiniest nail in the house of the universe, tiny buy useful. May I stay forever in the stream."~ Mary Oliver, Upstream Grandiose ideas.Dreams of fame.Mixed motivations outing the carefully concealed conflicts of our humanity. There just may be some space in every human soul for delusions of grandeur, for jumps and... Continue Reading →
'"In a dark time the eye begins to see.' And this is the paradox: that black is white, that darkness is the mother of beauty, that the extinction of light is a revelation."~ Chet Raymo, The Soul of the Night Without darkness, there is no light. Without depths, heights are not heights. Without suffering, love... Continue Reading →
"The very act of resolving to love, no matter what our emotional state, is the crucible and school of love."~ Monks of New Skete, In the Spirit of Happiness" For all of us, there are days when there is no motivation to further ourselves. No drive to dig deeper. No ability to concentrate on the... Continue Reading →
Tales From the Nexus 