Spirituality That Works

Q: I see the value of meditation. But what I’d like to know is what’s actually happening. How is meditation able to change us, physically, mentally, spiritually? What’s going on?

The autonomic system is being told that it’s okay to relax. Breathing slows, the heartbeat slows, thinking slows. Brain activity moves into quieter patterns. The body expends less energy on stress responses. Healing speeds up, because there’s less interference.

The emotions are told that it’s alright to stop being on … Read More

Q: The spiritual path can be lonely. How do we deal with this loneliness?

Loneliness on a spiritual path can be a positive sign of growth. It means you no longer feel that you fit with those not on a spiritual path and may not have found a community that shares that spiritual path. That’s stage one. Let’s call it the Misfit Stage; you are in the “between” space where the old world has lost its appeal, but the … Read More

Q: How do we know when it’s time to make a major life change?

On an arbitrary scale of 1 to 10, how restless are you? If the number is higher than 5, it’s time to think about making a change. If the number is higher than 7, it’s time to be actively looking. If the number is higher than 9, change becomes mandatory.

To define the restlessness we’re talking about here, it’s when nothing feels comfortable. Nothing feels right. … Read More

Q: Many of us find ourselves reflecting on the meaning of life. Many of us develop our own theories and beliefs. Many get the meaning supplied by religious and spiritual traditions. From your perspective, what is this time here as humans really about?

It is about wonderment.

Wonderment that any of this exists. That you exist. That you have the ability to create, to manifest, or to destroy. That you live on a planet that is unparalleled in beauty, yet … Read More

I’ve always been drawn to older spiritual texts. There is something about their language that feels settling, especially when compared with much of what we read today.

That’s because language does more than pass along information. It shapes attention. It affects the nervous system of the listener.

This got me thinking about the differences between modern language and older spiritual language.

Modern Language and the Need to Win

Much of modern language is structured around assertion and opposition. It assumes … Read More

Q: There’s something that’s been on my mind, that I struggle with. The apparent random creation and destruction, and the violence that is experienced in the destructive stage. We’re sometimes told that we need to change our perspective on troubled times. We need to see the flow of creation, existence, destruction, creation. Have no attachment to the moment. Have no personal liking or disliking. Let it be. It’s all part of the grander way of things. But the cycle of … Read More

Q: Many people have the discipline to run marathons and do all kinds of things that seem like very difficult practices. And yet, for many, meditation seems so impossible. Why is it?

Because people want results they can measure. They think, if I meditate, I’ll get something from it, like peace, calm, enlightenment. And then I’ll know when it’s working. What’s unspoken is that I’ll get those results in this time frame. They set expectations, and those expectations set them … Read More

Q: Is psychoanalysis the way to go for somebody to resolve mental health issues?

The answer is a qualified no, not in its classic form. Freud’s great contribution was his recognition that for deep change to occur, a person needs more than advice or willpower; they need a profound, felt insight like an “aha experience.” His idea was that by talking until unconscious patterns were made conscious, healing would naturally follow.

But, there are more efficient and direct ways to … Read More