I recently got a birthday card with an illustration of a monk exclaiming as he looked into a box he was just given by his fellow monks: “Just what I always wanted—nothing!” The card sender knew me well: I am a joyful pauper—I don’t own anything other than some clothes and a few personal items….
The Living Arrow
In Western cultures, there is a bow-making profession, with practitioners in English-speaking countries being called bowyers. People who hunt with bow and arrow are called bow hunters. There are books and magazines titled The Traditional Bowyer’s Bible and Bowhunting Magazine. All of this indicates that more emphasis is placed on the design, construction, and use…
Retirement Announcement
It’s time to step down—I have reached the pinnacle of my career. There can be no more glory, no more milestones to achieve. Another award-winning book would leave me flat. One more invitation to give a keynote speech, take a committee chair, or do a television special…uh-uh; give them to someone else. Ahem. I am…
Life Beyond Calendar and Clock
Right now, it’s around a mealtime after high sun, and we’re in the waning crescent of the Frog-Chorus Moon, after the Very Early Melt White Season. Do you know where you are in the day and season without a clock or calendar? I associate with two different kinds of people: one will look down at…
I’m OK Having Sh…I mean Swiss Cheese, for Brains
If you noticed that this post is similar to the one it replaced, I encourage you not to dwell in the past. After all, I merely replaced one illusion with another. It’s all the rage to glorify the now. We’re told it’s the key to success in everything from golf to satoric bliss. The book,…
It’s Evil–Or Is It?
Whatever residual belief I held of good and evil was smudged out last night by a dream where several people and I were being detained by a couple of smooth-operating thugs. They exuded such calm, slick professionalism that they didn’t need to level any threats or brandish any weapons to keep us quiet and sitting…
Forbidden Fruit Is Created, Not Grown
My friend Craig’s six-year-old nephew didn’t like carrots and refused to eat them. One day he walked into the kitchen and asked Craig what he was snacking on. “Oh, this is special adult food,” he replied. “You’re too young for it—you’ll have to wait until you grow up to enjoy carrots.” A while later, Craig…
When Differences Become Problems
I once met a woman with long, dark hair who moved with a flowing grace. She revered Gandhi, listened to Andreas Vollenweider, and treated all beings with kindness. We found ourselves nodding in agreement so much we hardly had to talk. We were the perfect couple, and that first year together I thought we had…
The Fast Track to Healing Emotional Pain
Experiencing physical pain is pretty much a given; experiencing emotional pain is optional. When pain receptors in the body are stimulated, we suffer, plain and simple. However, we are much more in control of our emotional reactions. The mind’s emotional responses are governed by a belief system, which we can consciously choose. Once installed, it…
Feelings Just Are
It is commonly believed that feelings are either expressed, which is healthy, or repressed, which is unhealthy. As a child in a family where the expression of feelings was sometimes traumatic, even violent, I couldn’t buy into the belief. It was a matter of survival—I found safety in stuffing my feelings and insulating myself from…