Category Archives: Spirtual Practice

Beautifully Broken

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Jeff

A blog post by one of my favorite writers, Austin Kleon, and a YouTube video by one of my favorite musicians, Warren Hayes keep banging up up against each other in my head/heart. The song is “Beautifully Broken”. The post … Continue reading →

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Niebuhr on Preaching

Posted on December 23, 2019 by Jeff

I hope my preaching will comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Reinhold Niebuhr This was one of the meditations today in the worship service. It is catchy, memorable, and a nice play on words. I don’t like it for … Continue reading →

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Agenda

Posted on November 9, 2019 by Jeff

As my practice deepens, my agenda deepens with it. What I do and what is off the table is key. For rank and file cloistered monastics this is not a question. A higher-up or the tradition decides when they rise, … Continue reading →

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The Southern Cliff – a Bigger God

Posted on November 5, 2019 by Jeff

The above picture of the Southern Cliff in the Lagoon Nebula is from NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) blog. It is beautiful and five light years high. From Earth it cannot be seen with the naked eye. The … Continue reading →

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Rituals

Posted on October 10, 2019 by Jeff

Most creatives have rituals to get them started. Steven Pressfield blogs on the writng process. He writes fiction and creative fiction, but most of his advice applies to any creative endeavor. His latest, “Get Up! Begin Your Day!”, details his … Continue reading →

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Beauty Every Day

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Jeff

My chiropractor recommended I look at something beautiful every day to get me out of my (rational) head more. I’ve been using the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) for several years. A recent post on Brain Pickings, The Stunning … Continue reading →

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The Hard Work – Anxiety

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Jeff

Teachings are helpful, but often times I need a concrete example. The poem “Beg for Love” by Abu-Said Abil-Kheir is a teaching. The accompanying concrete example, along with the artwork, reminds me how to put the teaching to work.

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Mid-Course Corrections

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Jeff

Out beyond ideas of right and wrong there is a field. I’ll meet you there. – Rumi There are several models of spiritual/social/emotional development, e.g Fowler’s Stage of Faith, Ken Wilbur’s Integral Psychology, and Deepak Chopra’s How to Know God. … Continue reading →

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Going to Work

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Jeff

This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal. … Continue reading →

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Community vs. Clubhouse

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Jeff

José Luis Vilson writes a blog on education, specifically middle school math education. He emphasizes how much of education is supporting past and present injustice. A recent post, Where We Belong, captures a key aspect of current society and education … Continue reading →

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