As I Walk with Gratitude

As I Walk With Gratitude As I walk, as I walk The universe is walking with me In gratitude it walks before me In gratitude it walks behind me In gratitude it walks below me In gratitude it walks above me Gratitude is on every side -Adapted from the Navajo prayer  As I Walk with Beauty   Today as I walk with gratitude my heart is filled with love and appreciation. Thank you for your presence in my life. For all...

In the Steps of the Ancestors – The Story Continues

Last weekend I participated in the Way of the Teacher – the concluding weekend in the four part, yearlong series of the new Four Directions program. Developed by Patrick O’Neill – long time student, collaborator, and friend of Angeles Arrien – the new program builds on and deepens practice in the pioneering work of Angeles’ Four Fold Way. We began the Way of the Teacher work by calling in our ancestors through...

In the Steps of the Ancestors

Most of us know Halloween as the time of year for carving pumpkins, kids (young and old) in costumes and lots of candy around to enjoy or tempt us, depending on the relationship we have with sugar. This is the time of year that the Christian traditions celebrate All Saints and All Souls. Living in San Francisco, it’s hard to miss Dia de Muertos – and I wouldn’t want to – a lively celebration that includes parades,...

Journey into Nature

It’s summertime here in California. Traditionally this is the season to take a break, slow down from the intensity of everyday life, relax and renew. A time when some of us take vacations, travel to new places, and explore new lands. Or we may travel back to places that feed us, that we love and feel a symbiotic connection to. The land may be across the globe, the country, in the city you live in, or your own back...

Helping Allies

  The important strangers who gathered this past weekend at the Women at the Well retreat were blessed with many helping allies from the natural world to assist us going deep in our work. Helping allies are the animals, natural elements, and nature spirits that  show up at a particular time in life to guide and teach us. Whether we like them or not, are afraid of them or not, are comfortable with the message...

Asking for Help

  Why is it so hard to ask for help? When it’s offered many of us have a reflexive response to decline outright. Some of it stems from being raised in a culture of fierce independence, keeping up appearances, protecting our feelings, and unhealthy pride. We’ve inherited a litany of old beliefs along the way to justify not asking for help: we’ll look needy, weak or incapable we’ll owe them something in return...

Gratitude for You

In this season of gratitude, it is rare to spend much time reflecting on what we are grateful for about ourselves. We will include thanks for good health but don’t often go deeper into appreciating who we are at our core – our gifts, inner resources, and contributions. In fact, there are ingrained societal and cultural taboos against it. When it comes to thinking about ourselves, we are much better at identifying...

When it’s Over, it’s Over.

    Beginnings, middles and endings.  These are the natural cycles that all life experience moves through. We’re generally better in some and have strengthening work to do in the others.  The first step is to be aware of where we are in the cycle. Each carry a different energy and are accompanied by different emotions. This is a period of endings in my life – high school graduation, projects launched,...

What is Your Heart Dreaming Of?

Last Night as I Lay Sleeping by Antonio Machado Last night as I was sleeping, I dreamt—marvelous error!— that a spring was breaking out in my heart. I said: Along which secret aqueduct, Oh water, are you coming to me, water of a new life that I have never drunk? Last night as I was sleeping, I dreamt—marvelous error!— that I had a beehive here inside my heart. And the golden bees were making white combs and sweet...

Living in Gratitude

Angeles Arrien’s newest book, Living in Gratitude – A Journey That Will Change Your Life, has just made a timely debut.  Like all of her work and past writings she brings multicultural wisdom to everyday life in a practical way that supports each of us in living our life dream. From the Introduction: “Living in Gratitude is designed to carry you through a full calendar year, month by month.  It approaches the topic...

Calling All Allies

Many of us do not belong to an organized spiritual tradition.  Some of us weren’t raised with any or are atheist or agnostic.  Others didn’t resonate or couldn’t fully accept the whole package of a particular theology and chose to go our own way. What has worked for many who still desire spiritual practice and ritual is to take the best of what works from others and craft our own.  The beauty of creating something...

It’s All The Mystery

This week on Fresh Air, Terry Gross interviewed first responders to the World Trade Center bombings.  A comment I heard has stayed with me.  After humbly relaying what by all accounts was the heroic story of his experience in the South Tower on the morning of September 11, Capt. Jay Jonas was asked to comment on why it was that he didn’t like it when people said to him that God was with him on that day. “By saying...

The Gratitude Visit

Gratitude can make your life happier and more satisfying.  When we feel gratitude, we benefit from the pleasant memory of a positive event in our life.  Also, when we express our gratitude to others, we strengthen our relationship with them.  But sometimes our thank you is said so casually or quickly that it is nearly meaningless. – Martin Seligman I’m currently on fire about Flourish – A Visionary...

Look For The Signs

  In my top 10 list of favorite TEDTalks is Neil Pasricha’s the 3 A’s of Awesome. Neil started a blog to deal with heartache by savoring life’s simple pleasures.  He offers The 3 A’s to Leading a Life That’s Truly Awesome. 1.  Attitude—Life ain’t gonna go according to plan.  There are 2 two things you can do: stay stuck where you are or grieve, face the future and choose to move on. 2. Awareness— Embrace...

The Big Love Fund

I’m on retreat this week.  Enjoy this post from my friend Clare Campbell in Liverpool and join in on the Big Love Fund. …as if for an instant we had all learned how to give all our money away, watching it return without a shirt on its back… happy and singing, telling stories and introducing us to brilliant company, walking as if we could be dangerous again, dangerous in our generosity. –...