Spirituality That Works

Q: Do most people think in words rather than in images?

It’s true. Most of us are conditioned for a nonstop internal monologue, a “ticker tape” of words strung together. The first step in releasing the grip of these thoughts is learning to shift our internal focus from language to imagery.

While it may seem counterintuitive, since images often evoke stronger emotions, visuals don’t trigger the same analytical “chatter” that words do. A picture may be worth a thousand words, … Read More

Q: I’m feeling stuck in old patterns.

Work to try to shake yourself out of the habits that are preventing you from changing, from getting to where you want to go. For example, don’t start the day at the computer. Start it outside going for a walk, or exercising, or reading.

Q: I know, I’ve made my energy and my life very small. But it feels manageable. Making it bigger feels like just adding more to the to-do list.

I’m … Read More

Q: What is it that we are afraid of? Is it just fear of the unknown?

You can’t be afraid of the unknown, because it’s unknown. In this case, you’re afraid of what your imagination conjures.

What people are really afraid of is losing the known.… Read More

Q: You hear a lot about thoughts and what we should and shouldn’t do with them in meditation. Should we try to resolve thoughts in meditation?

A few thousand years ago, back when the Buddha was alive—that was a very different world. There weren’t the distractions that there are today. Living back in that time, you were already much closer to being able to be in the now, because there was very little to distract from the now. 

There are … Read More

The current world energy could be summed up as a “Do Not Enter” sign with its red outer circle and horizontal bar. But if you look with a shifted perspective, you can also see that the bar can also be viewed as a handle that can be used to push the door open.

Presently, many people are experiencing a kind of holding, where they don’t know how to proceed or believe they cannot proceed because they take at face value … Read More

Can it work that there are certain numbers of people in a community or around the world, who if they think good thoughts, they can overcome the destructive thoughts? 

On one plane, yes. But on the physical plane, destructive energy is a very dense energy that overtakes most things in its path. 

An angry person has a much greater chance of making other people around them angry than a happy person has of making people around them happy. Negative energy … Read More

Start with First Things First

Q: How should people go about achieving their dreams?

Most people are inclined to put the cart before the horse. It’s valuable to have dreams, but most people don’t know why they have the dreams they have. Many have them because they’ve fallen into them and don’t know what other dreams to have. Yes, through dreaming, people create their own reality and lives. But so many of these dreams get shaped at times in our … Read More

There are three key components to finding the inner teacher. It is truly this simple. Stop. Look. Listen.

The stopping is stopping the craziness of modern life. Stopping habits that keep you trapped in behaviors that you know are nothing but time wasters. Stop using your phones as a pacifier. Stop running around looking externally for the outer world to fulfill you in any lasting way. Stop hectic lifestyles.

Part of the stopping includes beginning the process of meditation, which … Read More