May 20, 2025

In the spiritual life, we sometimes reach points of confusion and cannot determine our next step. The Chinese book I Ching, a 2000-year-old “book of changes,” is used for spiritual discernment. Psychologist and philosopher Carl Jung consulted the I Ching at times of uncertainty and wrote the foreword to one of its Western publications.  

May 19, 2025

Life’s nodes are frequently turning points. We all have them, and they come in different forms. We may reach an awareness that we can never “unknow” and that changes everything. Perhaps our thoughts and ideas mature about something and we must take a different approach. Possibly, reality dawns on us unexpectedly, and we change our life direction. Maybe we reach a point of exasperation and stop pursuing something we thought we’d never give up. Perhaps we come to terms with a relationship and are now hopeful when, before, we felt hopeless. 

May 18, 2025

One of the first nodes we come upon in our spiritual development is in late childhood. We are four, five, or six, realizing we can no longer be our innocent selves. We are chided for being too honest or shut down for being ourselves. Maybe we were not ashamed of our bodies and ran around unclothed. Then our caretakers may have rushed us into our bedrooms and made us get dressed. Perhaps we told the truth and said, “The emperor has no clothes!” But we were out of line for saying that and reprimanded. In any event, our secure holding environment no longer held us. We learned we could no longer trust our natural selves, and to be wary of the world we thought would uphold us. 

May 17, 2025

When you reach adolescence, you come to a biological and psychological milestone, or node. Adolescence is a time of storm and stress when we must find our identity apart from the rest of our family. We might not yet know who we are, but we know we are different from our brothers, sisters, and family. Our task in adolescence is to determine the way we will move in the world.

May 16, 2025

Some of us spent a lot of years checking off the boxes. We let obligations dictate what we did. But now we want our values to dictate what we look forward to. We want our lives to be made of experiences we cherish. And we hope that our life purpose is interwoven with everything we do. 

May 15, 2025

Amalgamating our ego and soul is a process of spiritual alchemy. For so long, the soul has been “under a crust” and rarely takes the lead. But when it does take the lead, it overwhelmingly commands the situation. Our souls often arise and even take charge during times of great sadness and great happiness—in loss, in birth, in endings, and in new beginnings. They arise in benchmark occasions like weddings, graduations, and anniversaries. Then, they return under the crust. 

May 14, 2025

An officer pulled over a car for speeding. He walked to the car window and asked the man for his driver’s license. The officer asked the man, “Do you realize that you were doing 60 in a 35-mile-an-hour zone and that there is a school right here? Why were you going so fast?” The man replied, “I am swamped and late for a vital meeting downtown.” The officer said, “Sir, you could have killed somebody or yourself while speeding to your meeting.” The man replied, “Do you know who I am?” The officer replied,” I see your name on your license.” And the man said, “No, I mean, do you know who I am in this town?” 

May 13, 2025

“To thine own self be true” is a line from Act 1, scene 3, of the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. In the play, the king’s chief minister, Polonius, gives his son, Laertes a speech with those now-famous words. It is a father’s blessing and advice as Laertes leaves for university. “To thine own self be true “is one of the most quoted lines in Shakespeare’s works. 

May 12, 2025

The false self is part of our ego structure. It sometimes helps us, and sometimes, it deludes us. But in the quest for consciousness, we go through the process of amalgamating our ego, including our false self, and soul. But what is the process of amalgamation, and how do we achieve it? Amalgamation is the union between our ego and our soul. The prerequisite for amalgamation is that the ego first submits to the soul.

May 11, 2025

The title “false self” has terrible connotations. It smacks of being a fraud and fake, both of which are untrustworthy and despicable. After all, the world would come to a grinding halt if deceit took over. If everything and everyone were false, there would be no true friendship or love. There would be no trust or certainty. Also, our entire religious structure, code of ethics, and economy would be thrown into chaos. No one would trust a vendor or the product they purchased. 

May 10, 2025

One of the first things we do as children is pretend to be someone we aren’t. With magical thinking, we assume any identity we wish: people, animals, trees, cartoon characters, and more. One Halloween, I was a pirate. And I recall feeling a little more powerful and courageous as we walked up and down the streets, trick-or-treating. Then there were the characters I played in school plays. From an early age we have the freedom to pretend to be someone who we are not.

May 9, 2025

The 1990s British TV Comedy series, “Keeping Up Appearances,” is about Hyacinth Bucket, who wants others to think that she is a member of the upper crust. But the truth is that she is from humble origins and is ashamed of that fact.

May 8, 2025

In reflecting on the soul, I believe it sees, understands, and senses things that the ego cannot. The soul does this through the heart connection which is a spiritual ability, whereas the ego’s instinct is predominantly a survival-based ability. Though the intuitive functions of our ego are vital, we can develop an extra sensing ability by enlisting the power of the soul. 

May 7, 2025

Most of us do not “see things” in terms of being clairvoyant, but some people do have that gift. Yes, some people have the ability to transcend the ego’s reality, suspend it, and enter another realm. There is a family story about Lark’s great-great-grandfather, who worked as the comptroller for a large railroad in the 1800s. He was traveling on that railroad on a long-distance business journey out west when something very curious happened. 

May 6, 2025

They say that seeing is believing. But is that true? In this world of false images and fakery, we must be sure that what we see is believable. And that includes what we see in the mirror. 

May 5, 2025

It is natural to be unduly influenced by our biases. However, one of the ways we can reach a more accurate perception of reality is through the progress of inquiry which helps us see things without the distortions of our biases. Inquiry is based on the premise that the truth is blocked by our prejudices, misperceptions, denials, and aspirations, and that honest inquiry into any situation penetrates those misperceptions. The process of inquiry helps expose the deeper truths within us. 

May 4, 2025

Perception is vital in most circumstances or relationships. For example, if we perceive a situation based on false assumptions, we can make the wrong decision. When we are under stress, often our assumptions are affected by our ego’s fixation, passion, avoidance, or trap, all of which distort reality. But when we are in a healthy and conscious state, our assumptions tend to be free from our fixations, avoidances, etc. 

May 3, 2025

One of the most comforting things for Lark and me is when the shape of a heart comes to us. 

This usually happens at times when we need hope and comfort. For us, when we see the shape of the heart, we are reminded of our children, and we feel their presence. Are we just seeing things? Are we simply making up visions and calling them signs? Maybe so.