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An inherent aspect of most of our human journeys is experiencing events, setbacks, glitches, and disappointments that require us to shift gears and adapt. As we consider how to move forward into this new year and new administration, how can we trust change when the road zigs where we thought (or hoped) it would zag? How … Continue reading Me and My Guitar: On Adaptation and Resilience
Guest speaker Emily Bostian reflects on representations of race and gender in the children’s and young adult books of her own youth and those of today. Using stories from her own life as well as research by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop and Dr. Anjali Adukia, she discusses what has changed and what remains unchanged. She … Continue reading Reflections – Why Books Hold the Key to the Future
It’s New Year’s Resolution time! Again? (sigh). In 2025, rather than “resolve,” how might we reflect and cast intentions for our lives? Have we become more tender towards ourselves, more flexible with others? Can we muster the energy to fight the good fight? “Now, I become myself,” writes the poet May Sarton, “it’s taken time, … Continue reading Some Assembly Required: On Becoming A Self
What does it mean to be a gift to others? How can we notice the moments when we, and we alone, can see and meet others’ needs? It doesn’t require special powers or the character of a saint. It means recognizing the times when you can give something that nobody else can. How can we … Continue reading Be The Gift
Watch the service HERE (apologies for the substandard video quality). We don’t know what consciousness is, but we have plenty of theories. What we believe about consciousness informs our understanding of what it means to be human, and it influences how we behave toward others. We’ll look at some ways to understand consciousness and consider … Continue reading Consciousness and Behavior
Watch the service HERE (apologies for the substandard video recording). With an enormously consequential election two days away, we’ll examine the rise in conspiracy theories (some downright bizarre) that used to reside at the fringes of society, but have moved into the mainstream. One journalist calls this the “crank realignment.” How do these beliefs take … Continue reading Debunkbot and the Crank Realignment
A Sermon with Zen Tales Watch the service HERE. In the early 1980s, psychologist John Welwood coined the term “spiritual bypassing” to refer to the use of practices and beliefs to avoid confronting uncomfortable feelings, unresolved wounds, and fundamental emotional and psychological needs. In the years that have followed, many well-meaning seekers have fallen under … Continue reading The Path, Part II: Keeping to the Path, or How to Steer Clear of Spiritual Bypassing
Watch the service HERE. In a world overrun with words, thoughts, noise and conflict, how might we clear a path to a more heart-centered life? We’ll explore new paradigms for setting deeply-felt intentions for our “homecoming” service that could yield better results than resolutions or even “goals.” The service includes a guided meditation for opening the heart … Continue reading The Path, Part I: Clearing A Path to Heartfulness
Watch the service HERE. In cities throughout the world, individuals are “checking out” real live people in a program called “Human Libraries.” The goal is to encourage us to engage with others in one-on-one conversations to break down stereotypes and the judgement that comes with focusing on the “cover” and not the “book.” What have … Continue reading Unjudge Someone
Watch the service HERE. I found the reading “A Conversation with a Mayfly” in a decades-long pile of papers I was sorting through. It humorously and seriously considers whether one’s importance is linked to the length of one’s life and what is important. And, after reading it, I spun off on so many different ideas related to those two that … Continue reading A Conversation With A Mayfly
