Being available, as in being open to another’s state of being, is tough for me. Like multitasking in the kitchen when my kids are visiting during a Holiday. Putting dishes away and thinking that just by being in the same room as my young grandson, I’m “being” with him. My whole operating mode has always … Read more
Mr. Bennett’s words were ringing in me as I woke up this morning. “Everyone must understand that this is the greatest opportunity that has existed for many thousands of years in the Work. Because not for thousands of years has there been such a need for people who could work.” For instance, look at this … Read more
The dénouement of my retreat at the Center for Conscious Living and Dying came during my last workshop, Process Spirituality. In the first workshop of the retreat, Grief Within and Between Us, we had played the game of Opposites. It had been facilitated by Will Daddario PhD & Joanne Zerdy PhD. The objective was to … Read more
Process Spirituality was the last workshop I attended during the Birth, Breath, and Death retreat. The title, Process Spirituality, didn’t reveal what to expect, but I heard others recommending Kalyan Volpe, the facilitator. It ended up the central experience for me on this retreat that my daughter-in-law, Michelle, had encouraged me to go to. Before … Read more
My journey continued as it had begun, full of serendipities. Despite the last minute uncertainty about where I would stay during the retreat, the Air BnB that Jack booked for me for one night was perfect. Arriving at dusk, I found it accessible, cozy, comfortable, and “safe” feeling. I began paying attention to owning my … Read more
This past weekend I went on a journey. This was a far greater and deeper journey than my recent European river cruise. It had to do with my emotions; with living and dying. I thought I was attending a retreat to support my daughter-in-law, Michelle, who has stage 4 cancer. It was being given by … Read more
How we perceive reality can change in an instant. Or that was my experience at Sherborne where I was gently, but inexorably, led into a world of immediate perception. Helping me down that garden path was a young visiting instructor, Henri Bortoft. His field in philosophy stemmed from phenomenology and was leading him to relate … Read more
“Who am I” is not something I still ask myself. Who I am feels well established at this point, with all its gold stars and “room for improvement” notes attached. But writing a book has thrown me a curve ball I was not anticipating. Since fifth grade I’ve always “known” I would be an author. … Read more
Many are familiar with Gurdjieff’s notion of the different parts of ourselves. Over the years, this has boiled down to the three main centers which we refer to as the moving, feeling, and thinking parts of ourselves. Ouspensky talks about our “higher” centers as well—especially the higher intellectual and emotional. So how do we connect … Read more
“Eat, drink and be merry.” Or so the Roman God, Bacchus, supposedly advises. “For tomorrow you shall die.” I have always taken this sentiment to mean, live it up now baby, ‘cause heck, we’re all going to die in the end! The antithesis to a spiritual practice in life, right? Eating and Drinking on the … Read more