Category Archives: Spirtual Practice

Pearls Before Breakfast

Pearls Before Breakfast is an article in the Washington Post on an experiment they ran. They talked Joshua Bell, one of the finest classical violinists in the world, to take a street musician gig, playing 6 classical pieces in a … Continue reading

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Coyote Work

Coyote is the Trickster, the border crosser.  Some would say the border violator.  In slang, a coyote is someone who guides people who prefer to not use the official border crossings into the Promised Land.  Religious reformers guide you into … Continue reading

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Posture Matters

Meditation seems to be a mental exercise—mindfulness, quieting the mind, etc.  And I\’m finding that the body/mind connection is more apparent in my meditation practice than anywhere else in my life. Some lessons are obvious, if my head is on … Continue reading

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Practice vs. Rehearsal

It took several years to understand the difference between practice and rehearsal. We practice to build skills. We rehearse for a performance. Musicians practice scales and rehearse songs. Études blur that—music written for students to improve skills.  And great études … Continue reading

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Pilgrim to an Unknown Shrine

Walking, staff at hand, on pilgrimage to an unknown shrine. Each fork I ask, “Are you it?” Looking out the night window, I see the wrong landscape. No idea what’s right, but that isn’t it. “God said unto Abram, ‘Get … Continue reading

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Revolutionary Words

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:52–53) These are powerful words, revolutionary words. They belong not to … Continue reading

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Paths

There were so many paths, so many people and signs. The Dark Path\’s entrance lit with neon signs. The Light Path not so well illuminated, nor trod. But that was then and now has come down to just a single … Continue reading

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The Best Spiritual Writing 2013

While on vacation, we frequently drop by Point Reyes Books.  There is usually at least one book that calls to one or the other of us, often several.  This last visit\’s find was The Best Spiritual Writing 2013.  Some of … Continue reading

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Advent

I like the insights into human reality embodied in language.  The Spanish verb esperar is interesting.  It means to wait, to hope.  As one native Spanish speaker explained, \”It is that for which we are willing to wait.\”  In English, … Continue reading

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Build Yourself a Recovery Routine

A post from the Brooklyn to Mars blog. Build yourself a recovery routine.  As artists, we can find ourselves being sucked into the void without a way out.  This is why so many have succumbed to the drink or worse.  … Continue reading

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