Gather 'round…
"Though the human body is born complete in one moment, the birth of the human heart is an ongoing process."~ John O'Donohue, Anam Cara Take your time. You're not done, and you never will be. This is excellent news. "Everything that happens to you has the potential to deepen you. It brings to birth within... Continue Reading →
“Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore,May the relief of laughter rinse through your soul… Like the dignity of moonlight restoring the earth,May your thoughts incline with reverence and respect. As water takes whatever shape it is in,So free may you be about who you become… May your prayer of listening deepen... Continue Reading →
“When the rhythm of the heart becomes hectic,Time takes on the strain until it breaks;Then all the unattended stress falls inOn the mind like an endless, increasing weight. The light in the mind becomes dim.Things you could take in your stride beforeNow become laborsome events of will. Weariness invades your spirit.Gravity begins falling inside you,Dragging... Continue Reading →
“With each day, we have this choice: we can build walls, block ourselves from the light, and suffer a dampness in the soul. Or we can live barely, shine on through, and suffer the nicks of erosion for living in the open.” ~ Mark Nepo, The Book of Awakening Don't get hung up on the... Continue Reading →
“The Bible says that no one can see God and live. In a transferred sense, no person can see himself and live. All you can ever achieve is a sense of your soul. You gain little glimpses of its light, colors, and contours. You feel the inspiration of its possibilities and the wonder of its... Continue Reading →
One month ago I started an inadvertent journey here at kjottinger.com. I broke from our usual fare, and broke some itinerant streaks of silence. I was so rattled by the election that morning that I didn't know how to move forward. Grief for the humanity I was sure would prevail wracked me. In an effort... Continue Reading →
“... This story invites us to honor each obstacle as something flowing in its own right in the Universal stream, to see ourselves and the obstacle as two limbs of the same tree drifting in the same river, bumping into each other, and even blocking one another for a moment. Looking at obstacles this way,... Continue Reading →
" An old man in Calcutta would walk to get water from a well every day. He'd carry a clay pot and lower it by hand slowly, all the way down, careful not the let it hit the sides of the well and break. Once it was full, he'd raise the pot slowly and carefully... Continue Reading →
“May all that is unforgiven in youBe released. May your fears yieldTheir deepest tranquilities. May all that is unlived in youBlossom into a futureGraced with love.” ~ John O’Donohue, To Come Home to Yourself Just a Monday blessing. That is all.
“It’s common to believe that life is a series of external experiences... If we focus on what’s going on inside ourselves–sensations, emotions, the patterns of our thoughts–a wealth of material can be found. Our inner world is every bit as interesting, beautiful, and surprising as nature itself. It is, after all, born of nature. When... Continue Reading →
"Breathing in, I know I am breathing in.Breathing out, I smile.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, No Mud, No Lotus Such simple instructions, so hard to follow. The bar, I would like to remind you, need not be so high. In meditation, certainly, but it's never just about meditation... Click here for just a few things... Continue Reading →
“… the angel of relationship can only appear when our hearts pump our eyes open. It is such a powerful feeling that many things can go wrong. I can feel an aliveness that I think is only in you because it has been awakened between us. So I might only want to be with you... Continue Reading →
Tales From the Nexus 