OPEN MINDFULL

As we navigate this "brave new world"... I had the opportunity today to attend a webinar of chaplains from around the country, several of whom referred to the idea that in this pandemic, there are no "safe spaces" anymore--we have to create "brave spaces" together, as we are all now going through a time of "moral stress." Many questions arose for us to sift through together. What are our experiences in this pandemic space? How will we meet each other, how do we perceive each

We tend to think of autumn as the season of change, maybe because it’s a showy season, the vibrant color, the dramatic sacrifice of leaves, the bare branches at the end. But changes and losses and impermanence are continual; they show up in every season. There’s a wind high in the trees this spring morning, blowing in from the north, clear and cold. In this wind, even green leaves are falling, with the last of the tulip poplar and honeysuckle blooms. This week, my friend’s ca

Of all the types and styles of meditation, all the various approaches I have encountered over the past several years of study and practice, I find that my favorite is actually walking meditation. This is also my favorite meditation method to teach, because it is so simple and effective, and because it addresses the two major concerns people raise as an obstacle to their own potential meditative practice—“My mind is too busy,” and “I can’t sit still!” What if you didn’t have t

Dear friends—are you setting resolutions today? One, or perhaps several ways in which you plan to improve yourself and your life in 2018? Or do you feel internal resistance to the idea of New Year’s resolutions? Formal studies and anecdotal evidence seems to indicate that they do tend to fail, and lead to feelings of failure, even leaving us with the sense that we cannot accomplish the changes we desire. Perhaps intention-setting is a better practice. Instead of the super-fir