Zen and the Art of the Midlife Crisis

Guns Don't Matter

2012-12-16T23:07:00.003-05:00

Events on Friday in Newton, Ct are a horrific reminder that tragedies do not take holidays into consideration. In comparison to tsunamis, hurricanes, spreading cancers and climate change, the death toll is relatively small, but being man-made and with victims so innocent, we struggle to understand the terrifying implications. We seek relief in arguments for gun-control and

The Music Never Stops

2012-12-12T23:07:00.000-05:00

About once a decade, musicians gather together and pool their incredible talents in a single concert broadcast around the world to raise relief funds for some disaster. It’s impossible not to be swept up in the magic of the moment. For a brief time, there’s no “us” or “Them”, no rich or poor, white, black or Latino. The world is united and everyone is giving. It’s all about giving, all about

In Love

2012-12-12T07:14:00.002-05:00

We're down to just a matter of days now before the acclaimed date of December 21, 2012. Already, as I write this in most parts of the world, it is the symmetrical and picture perfect 12-12-12. Easy to think that this will be just another day and notice we're all in the holiday spirit with little regard for the End of the World as heralded by the end of the Mayan calendar.

Realignment

2012-12-04T09:37:00.002-05:00

Another day of significance with planets aligned strategically and incomprehensibly passes around and through us. This was the day when Mercury, Venus and Saturn would stand directly over the three pyramids at Giza. Instead of being energized, however, I feel eclipsed, my brain so dense and full of mush, I crashed comatose on my couch at 8 PM. Curiously, dreams long

Round and Rounder

2012-11-24T11:55:00.000-05:00

This is a weekend of gratitude. Thanksgiving is perhaps the most American tradition, crossing all boundaries of religion, ethnicity and politics. For this one day after the elections and before the shopping intensity, as a nation, we pause to bless, love and appreciate. Beyond the feast and companionship, my favorite part is to walk outside in the late afternoon and

Pick a Little, Talk a Little

2012-10-23T06:59:00.002-04:00

The transformation of our lives is not an easy process. We want to think there is a distinct “before” and “after”, a beginning and end. We want it to be something we get through and then are done with, free and clear on the other side of trouble and lack. Time proves, however, that the transformation is never truly complete. Even our death, apparently, is not an end, but simply a shift into a

Lightshine

2012-08-04T08:23:00.001-04:00

Upon hearing that I am looking for a roommate to help with expenses now that my son is off to college, a well-meaning friend advised that I should choose someone young, fresh and full of energy. "The kind of man your age," it was suggested, "Who would be able only to rent a room would indicate struggle and you need no more of that in your life." Like seeing that my

Rising Moon Over Disorientation

2012-04-06T08:56:00.000-04:00

The full moon energy is strong tonight. Mercury is retrograde for another week. In Vermont, we've already had May and it's only April. No wonder my head is swirling. On an earthly plane, very few words have been scribbled on this blog or notes strummed on my guitar in the past few months. The creative energy is on hold while I wrestle (once again) with the effort to pay bills on the

Guest Post: Kate Loving Shenk

2012-03-21T18:44:00.000-04:00

As I have been so very busy of late pursuing other projects, I am pleased to present Kate Loving Shenk, an internet friend of mine met last summer through a telesummit about writing transformational books. Kate is leaping forward with fierce determination to spread good prayers in the world and I invite you to get to know her work a little better. (There's a pause button on the music icon to

The Proof is in the Coffee

2012-02-27T07:52:00.000-05:00

Like duct tape, Coffee, it seems, can cure anything. Some times the simplest of tasks can cause the biggest frustrations. We can have done something over and over, but for some reason, the tried and true method is bollixed by a flurry of miscues that makes you think the world is conspiring to ruin the result. This week it was a sink fixture that should have completed

New Year Revolution

2012-01-05T06:28:00.000-05:00

With six loads of laundry folded before the sun was even up on New Years morning, I wish I could say I had felt accomplished. The truth, however, was that in that damp dark dawn we call a holiday, I was awake too early and alert with fear and worry about what may or may not lie ahead. In the darkness, it is too easy to become overwhelmed by the prospect of matching all that

Breathing In, Breathing Out

2011-12-28T06:25:00.001-05:00

In a few days we begin the year that some believe will be the end of the world. I prefer to add the phrase "as we know it" and join in the celebrations around the world that predict a marvelous transformation of fear into love. The energy is mounting. More and more, I find myself in cosmic conversations that blissfully dance around images of joy. Beatific smiles grace the voices

Good Cheer

2011-12-25T08:28:00.000-05:00

Christmas morning early around the world children are waking up with visions of wrappings torn from their packages. Parents hold hands and are proud, joyful and loving to hear the delighted screams. The day of peace on earth and good will seems abundant with truth and beauty. Other religions have their celebrations of light in this time of short days and dark nights.

Heart-centered Holidays

2011-12-07T08:07:00.001-05:00

As the days of December darken into winter, holidays ignite magic into our hearts, creating light to find our way. Be it Christmas, the Solstice festivals, Hanukah or Kwanzaa, the time is of celebration and gratitude for all the gifts material and metaphysical that we have received. Tinsel and glitter, red cheeks and candles, song and festivities create sparkling energy

Love Over Gold

2011-11-18T08:04:00.001-05:00

The test of my true faith has come upon me. Far later than is healthy for any man, I have accepted one last parting gift from my father and step out into the world once again on my own. No longer tested like some Job broken-hearted on my sofa with a tube in my belly and dreams in my head, today I go forth strong, healthy, and loved to find my way, earn my keep and leave no

Words in the washing pile: finding creativity amid the “everyday.”

2011-11-17T07:32:00.001-05:00

Karin Cox is a professional editor in Australia (don't let that stop you from sending a manuscript for her review!) and the author of more than 28 non-fiction titles. In 2010, she published her first ebooks Growth and Cage Life, which between them have attracted more than 35,000 readers. We "met" through a link after a link after a link--perhaps one link too many that night, but turns out to

To the Wolves and Sheep Who Cry enough

2011-11-16T10:01:00.001-05:00

Just as the sense of the Occupy Wall Street Movement began nearly overnight, it seems evictions of parks in cities around the country have tried to put an end to the uprising in one fell swoop. We are on the verge of a precipice and our collective energy as a culture and society, the kind of world we want for ourselves and our children, teeters in the balance. The mayor of Oakland

Imagine: it's easy if you try

2011-11-09T11:05:00.000-05:00

A little more than a year ahead of the Mayan Calendar's end of the world as we know it in December 2012, our good ol' Western version, accepted by most, will reach the symmetrically perfect date of 11/11/11 in just two days. Many have embraced significant meaning in the perfection and will honor the moment in different ways. However deep and spiritual one wants to think about it,

What is Your Life Whispering to You?

2011-11-07T15:58:00.001-05:00

Guest Post By Cheryl Shireman I believe life whispers to you and provides direction. I call that life force God. You can call it whatever you want, but there is no escaping it. If we are open and brave enough to say yes, life will take us in directions we never expected, and you will live a life beyond your wildest dreams. Those whisperings often come in the form of a “crazy” idea or a nudge

How Sharing Wealth Attracts Prosperity

2011-11-06T14:25:00.000-05:00

The broader and more sophisticated grows the world wide web, the closer are we able to connect to total strangers, creating community in all corners and companionship even as we sit alone. The ripples of nearly every conversation can wander near and far. Countless acquaintances with neighbors have been deepened online and some connections with people on the other side of

Milestones in Tiny Steps

2011-10-20T11:07:00.001-04:00

A few days ago, I did the marketing must of a good business and sent out a newsletter to my email list. Although there is little income for my efforts at this point, it was remarkable to notice how busy I am, how many pies have been created for my fingers to nibble. Days slip through our grasp and race around the corners of each season. Before we know to look in the mirror, grey

Houses of Glass

2011-10-16T10:05:00.001-04:00

On Tuesday evening, my life will be the focus of a two hour discussion on the internet. While there are nooks and crannies too personal or involving others that will not be voiced, most everything about my inner heart and soul is on the table. Uncomfortable with braggadocio and self-importance, I have spent much of these past years examining my motives for writing this blog and book,

The Call to Arms Embracing

2011-10-11T10:58:00.000-04:00

My version of facebook tonight is loaded with clips and quotes about the movement to occupy Wall Street and its spread to other cities around the country. "Something's happening here, and what it is..." is very exciting. Only a month ago, I heard someone from Vermont mention heading down to participate and offering to carry donations to help the protesters. A veteran of Viet Nam

Letting the Sunshine In

2011-10-08T10:33:00.001-04:00

One of my biggest fears, I admit, is spending the working part of my life in a 9 to 5 cubicle, a rote sort of drudgery that might grind the joy in my soul to dust. Of course, this is obscenely unfair, a phobia generated out of early television shows, ignorance and my own well-nourished determination. My father led a large architectural firm and traveled for business and pleasure

Help From Friends

2011-10-04T17:11:00.000-04:00

Energy builds and relaxes by the hour, sometimes by the minute. As we awaken to more conscious living, our heads swim with the pulls and tugs between new perspective and old habits. Exploring the potential of ideas that flood through the opening sluice gates of creative life, my mind leaps and frolics with passion for the dreams, long dormant, now coming more clearly into focus.