OUR NATIONAL SHADOW II This posting is a follow up to the previous one discussing our national, collective shadow which is so dominant in these tumultuous times. This posting attempts to fill this out more and especially see its connection to us and our individual shadow. Trump is the mouthpiece for the undercurrents running throughout American culture. He expresses...
Read MoreTRUMP AND OUR NATIONAL SHADOW I have not written from the perspective of the engaged mystic since late November of 2018. This is the place where I reflect on our political atmosphere through a spiritual lens. Primarily I have not written in this voice because I have found the pain that is around us to be incredibly overwhelming and horrific. This involved me in...
Read MoreEvery breath is a resurrection. Gregory Orr Poetry is the thread that leads us out of the labyrinth of despair into the light Gregory Orr MORE ON NOTHINGNESS This blog posting takes a different form from any I have done in the past. It is the text of a 1115-word poem by Gregory Orr. I am posting it because it is an excellent companion to two previous...
Read MorePRESENCE THROUGH A PHOTOGRAPHIC LENS Being “present” or “in the moment” have become cultural catchphrases over the last thirty years. Motherhood, apple pie and being present are the core of what people trust. This is true to such an extent that it verges upon becoming trite. And yet, it is at the heart of spiritual life, practice and development. I am posting...
Read MoreBETRAYAL This posting concerns an experience of being at the limit of my ability to accept the situation and use transformational, spiritual energies to cope. Although this happened several months ago the experience is still not resolved. I was betrayed by a person I considered a close and reliable friend for many years. The experience cut me deeply. It felt like a...
Read MoreTo be young and vital is nothing. To be old and vital is sorcery. Carlos Castaneda Wrinkles here and there seem unimportant compared to the whole person I have become this past year. May Sarton Dying, dying, some one told me...
Read MoreHow can I be substantial if I do not cast a shadow. I must have a dark side also if I am to be whole. Carl Jung We are Stardust, we are golden And we’ve got to get our selves back to the garden. Then I can walk beside you. I have come here to lose the smog. Joni Mitchel ON BEING WHOLE Lately, the experience of wholeness has been popping into...
Read MoreREVISITING #METOO I originally posted about the #metoo movement on 11/18/17. In that posting I connected it to the arising of the Divine Feminine which I believe is working to empower women and provide opportunity for all of us to face our individual, national and cultural shadow. My purpose here is to reaffirm my alliance with this movement and speak directly to...
Read MoreUNITED METHODIST CHURCH DOUBLES DOWN ON DISCRIMINATION It was with great sorrow that I read about the UMC decision to continue discriminatory policy toward the LGBTQ community. There are many issues in this debate but for me it comes down to hate is hate no matter how much you dress it up in religious clothing. It is sad the way bigotry hides so well in religious...
Read MoreMary Oliver: An Ode to the Goddess One of my favorite places in the entire world is the isle of Iona. It is a small, initially nondescript island off the north western corner of Scotland. Some of the oldest rocks on the surface of the Earth protrude from the soil there. It is the place where Christianity came to Scotland and where Celtic Christianity once thrived....
Read MorePATHWAYS TO THE SOUL BLOG
I am starting this blog to create a space for dialogue about personal and spiritual growth. It is my plan to post once or twice per month and will respond to any comment within forty eight hours. I urge readers to comment on any of my postings with agreement, disagreement, questions or expansions. This blog is meant as a vehicle for dialogue, reflection and community.
Please feel free to pass these postings along to friends, family and colleagues. That is, after all, the way to “grow” the blog.
In this light there are three cautions I need to emphasize:
1) Posting here is not private or confidential. Anything said here is in the public domain.
2) This blog is a space for general reflection on themes of personal and spiritual growth and as such it is not intended as a substitute for psychotherapy or other treatment.
3) As the “keeper of this space” I reserve the right to erase any comment that is not in line with its intention.
I hesitate to say these things but legal consultants make it clear that this is necessary. (Sigh)
