As I’ve gotten older, the amount of responsibility I’ve taken on in life has increased.  I assume that’s how it’s supposed to be.  I’m still sometimes unclear on if I’m doing this “adulting” thing correctly, although most signs point towards yes.  At the very least, if my ability to adult is graded pass/fail I’m generally […]

I’ve always expected my spiritual path, no matter which one I’ve been on, to provide me some kind of outlet for my talents and interests.  That’s actually how I tend to pursue all things, spiritual or not, so I know I can’t expect this to be the same expectation held by everyone else.   But […]

“As I look back on my life, I realize that every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being redirected to something better.” The funny thing is that we never know what might have happened if something in our past had gone differently.  Whether we assume that it would […]

One of the most fascinating and, in some ways, attractive rituals involved in organized religion is that of the willing sacrifice, fast, or committed abstinence.  Sometimes it is something expected as part of a pious lifestyle, as in celibacy for some in religious orders or vegetarianism for Jains.  Sometimes it is a fast performed ritually […]

Empathy is the key to all sorts of things, as it puts our focus not outside ourselves and expands our understanding of human existence.  It’s exceptionally important and, I think, is probably the single most important ability we can develop as human beings.   I was thinking the other day about the incredible benefits which […]

My spiritual practice is simple.  I study.  I think.  I write.  Those things enrich my spirit.  I observe a personal habit of focusing each week on one of the four alchemical elements and try to accomplish things during that week which relate to that element.  That keeps me balanced.  On every solstice and equinox, I […]

Spirit:  the nonphysical part of a person regarded as a person’s true self and as capable of surviving physical death or separation (above definition from OxfordDictionaries.com) In part one, it was posited that spirituality involved activities meant to shape the spirit and soul, building character and managing emotions.  Here, the definition adds two more elements: […]

My first true spiritual epiphany came not through religion or spiritual activity, at least not the way I would have defined it at the time.  I was in my early 30s, pursuing what I thought was a dream of mine, and failing spectacularly.  Not many people knew how spectacularly I was failing — I put […]

I’ve not relied on many spiritual guides through my life.  Largely this is because I’ve never quite been convinced that there is anyone out there who will guide me to where I am trying to go.  Let’s face it, spiritual leaders exist to guide people along a prescribed path to a prescribed destination, and the […]

Surprisingly, there is an awful lot of spiritual and religious teachings which revolve around asking for favors.  We pray for healing, ask for forgiveness, use energy to assert our will.  We believe karma will bring us good things in return for good actions, and hope that the same mechanism works to visit punishment on people […]