LivingToBe – When Faith Stops Working

Fred was a successful professional sportsman in his younger days. His life began to fall apart some years ago with his anger tantrums leading to an acrimonious divorce and financial disaster. Later his children and remaining friends refused to deal with him any longer. He lives today in a shelter for the homeless in melancholy sadness over the life that was and is no more. I could go on and on abo...

The wise teachings of the 13th-century Dominican monk Meister Eckart (1260-1328), Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510), and Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) is timeless and more topical than ever during these pandemic times. They were the eco-warriors and holistic healers of their time, addressing issues of personal health, nutrition, and the environment. It took the disruption of a global pandemic to re...

It is just part of the human condition that we have about 70,000 thoughts a day with most of those thoughts revolving around cravings such as food or on the past or future. The melancholy sadness over that which was and is no more holds many a mind captive. If you find that you are caught in such a downward spiral it might be useful to ask yourself the following questions: § What other avenues did...

We have all at some stage in our lives had to deal with loneliness or the feeling of being left alone. I’ve always had to deal with different facets of loneliness on my pilgrimage walks on the Camino. There is a subtle but important difference between feeling lonely and finding solitude. Pablo Picasso once said that without solitude no great work of art is possible and the singer Naomi Judd descri...

There is a growing sense of optimism that by late summer we can start returning to normal lives when a large percentage of the populace in most countries has been immunized against Covid-19. Little attention is being given to a far deeper underlying problem. Sometimes a major shock or jolt is needed to change perceptions. A major threat to public health such as a dangerous virus can bring the enti...

Following the daily news media we could easily assume that the world is on a downward spiral. It is however very much a matter of perspective, especially if we look back two or three centuries. A wealth of data proves that our world is a much better place today. It does not mean we must procrastinate. A negative attitude reflects on the exterior world. What we perceive externally is what happens w...

You attract those people around you who are similar to you in sharing the same views, values and even mannerisms. Especially when you start raising your consciousness it is worth taking the time to analyze who you really want to spend your time with. We often stay too long in relationships that have outlived their purpose. Who is your main reference group? Who do you want to spend more time with o...

The human mind is like a recording device. What you feed your mind with - you become. Are you one of the avid followers of negative news on social media? Are you living an imaginary life of the rich and famous in the yellow press? You do have the power to stand guard at the doorway of your soul and to determine who is allowed in and who should stay outside

When the external world appears to crash down all around you it is crucial how you react. What do you do in that moment of loss and despair? The first step is the acceptance that external circumstances are at times out of your control. Stress always starts with a thought. The challenge is to imagine those thoughts as your friends who come to visit and then depart again.

This is a power-boosting meditation to improve your energy levels, improving your health and aligning body, mind and soul.  After practising this meditation you will likely experience a positive effect lasting several hours. It is a meditation you can practise at any time you feel stressed out, overwhelmed and exhausted.

During times of crisis, the fear demon gets stoked by the professional deceivers. The divisions along cultural, racial, gender, and religious friction points become particularly pronounced. We are all susceptible to burying parts of our character that we find unacceptable. But if we don't accept the shadow, it becomes too big to control. Only in unconditional acceptance of the imperfect human cond...

Many people will tell you that the pandemic is the most anxious and fearful period in their life. Some people have even lost loved ones or all their material resources. So how can a crisis be a blessing? Any type of personal tragedy is always followed by a period of grief, sorrow, procrastination, and despair. Ignoring or suppressing such feelings will inevitably have long-term harmful effects. Ac...

During times of rapid economic and social change we need to be aware and vigilant. A dark destructive force seems to awaken in the large human group when the individual mind succumbs to the herd-mind.  Education in the Western world emphasizes individual freedom of expression and individuation. At the same time an inner loneliness and spiritual disconnect appears to exert a gravitational pull...

Some people walk the Camino de Santiago in northwestern Spain as a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience.  When Kevin Considine from Chicago walked his first Camino it changed his life. He has not stopped walking the Camino paths since.  Kevin has walked in total 10,500 kilometers on the ancient paths and spent a total of 405 days just on the Camino.  In this interview, Kevin Considine sh...

Early in the last century the northeastern Italian town of Gubbio was once terrorized by a wolf. It waited outside the city gates waiting to feast on anyone foolish enough to venture outside. Saint Francis, who had lived in the city at the time, then announced that he himself would visit the wolf in its lair to bring peace to the village. St. Francis was followed by some townsfolk from a distance...

It appears that by far the major part of our happiness is determined by the way we process the external world and the way we program ourselves with our thought and belief systems. A large body of researchers from the school of positive psychology concludes that it is possible to completely transform a life for the better by changing one's attitude to whatever you have experienced. Thought discipli...