What Really Matters: Everyday Spirituality

In this episode the beautiful theme of love is traced through some of the verses of the Tao. This episode includes: How love is like water Why we need to focus on "being love" Only love will remain because it is the creative force of the Universe Choose love over fear Ultimately there is only love Get my latest books: The Tao of Death, Stories from the Dark Night and The Journey from Ego...

In this further exploration of The Tao of Death we look at another theme that runs throughout the text: finding the "middle path." This episode includes: Life is a mystery and you can't control it Everything has its own flow and balance The middle path leads to harmony and the integration of opposites Nothing is left out and nothing is wrong in the wholeness of creation How to "...

In this episode exploring the wisdom of the Tao of Death we'll take a look at another recurring theme: why you need to pay attention to your inner life (the inward arc.) This episode includes: Why healing the Shadow is essential for growth Forgiveness is an important part of inner work Why we need to "soften the hard edges" How to allow Soul to guide the ego A new definition of &quot...

In this episode I begin exploring the major themes contained in the wisdom text The Tao of Death (an adaptation of the Tao Te Ching). The first is suffering as a path to transformation and I'll read some verses from the Tao that are based on this theme. This episode includes: Illness, suffering and loss can be messengers in our lives Why we need to strive to be in harmony with whatever life br...

In this follow-up to last week's episode I focus in on intellectual humility, which is sadly lacking in our society today. This episode includes: What intellectual humility is and why it's needed right now The benefits of practicing intellectual humility How humility can improve relationships and heal some of the polarization in our society How to develop your own intellectual humility so...

Today I'm talking about humility and why it largely seems to be missing in our society (especially in the field of medicine.) This episode includes: Why humility is not weak or passive (even though the ego believes it is) Why humility is an essential part of the inward arc of spiritual development 8 different types of humility Why we need to understand the workings of the ego before we can inc...

In this episode I'm revisiting the topic of loneliness from a slightly different perspective: many spiritual teachers say it's a necessary part of our path. This episode includes: Why we need to embrace loneliness rather than try to fix it How loneliness reaches a peak at the beginning of the inward arc Pema Chodron's concept of "cool loneliness" and how to recognize it How c...

In this episode I'm sharing some insights from my recent re-reading of The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. This amazing little book was pivotal for me during the earlier stages of my spiritual growth and the lessons it contains are still valuable. This episode includes: Be impeccable with your word Don't take anything personally Don't make assumptions Always do your best Get my lat...

As a follow-up to the previous episode we're talking about success again but this time from the perspective of higher consciousness. This episode includes: Why we need a higher view of success to balance out the ego-driven perspective How to tell the difference between the ego and the higher self How to reframe your own definition of success to include both perspectives Why a "successful&...

In this episode we'll look at an interesting study and questionnaire that help us sort out the factors in our lives that have contributed to our "success" in society. This episode includes: Society's definition of success Paul Piff's Monopoly Study and what it tells us about our understanding of success Some factors that contribute to wealth inequality How economic disadvanta...

In this episode I revisit the experience of Awe, which I previously discussed in Episode 96. There is a new study available that talks about how healthcare providers (and everyone) can experience awe even in little everyday moments and receive the same benefits. This episode includes: The definition of awe as an emotion The benefits of experiencing awe How the awe study was conducted A 3-step proc...

In this episode I talk about resentment as a form of resistance toward "what is" and why it's important to heal our old wounds if we want to move toward enlightenment. This episode includes: Why body work is essential for healing old trauma How to connect the dots between cognitive work and body work when looking at old buried pain and resentment Why it's important to be curious...

This episode is a follow-up to last week's discussion on whether or not people can actually change (listen to that episode first.) I discuss what it takes to keep growing and changing throughout life. This episode includes: Why we have to be willing and able to look at our past if we want to change The necessity of taking responsibility for our wounds, emotions and triggers and avoiding the tr...

In this episode I'll look at how we change and grow and why it's important to have role models of growth and transformation in our society. This episode includes: The four predominant levels of consciousness of people in our society Why it's harder for people at lower levels of consciousness to change Why the traditional level actually resists and stifles change Why it's essential...

In the episode I talk about why we each need to intentionally behave with kindness to counteract some of the negativity in our society. This episode includes: The benefits of kindness for our own health and wellbeing How both kindness and unkindness are contagious Kindness is a self-reinforcing habit Practices to prepare for showing more kindness The random acts of kindness experiment Get my lates...

I'm back after taking a week off for self-care! Today I'll share some thoughts about the life cycle of a butterfly and why it's a good analogy for our own process of growth and change. This episode includes: The small world of the caterpillar Why the "chrysalis phase" of change is so unsettling and even frightening Why all the stages of the cycle are necessary in order for th...

In this episode I share my ongoing journey of self-healing as I look at my old beliefs about what it means to be a good person that primarily came from my early religious training. This episode includes: How our old beliefs can stay hidden even as we grow to higher consciousness Why we need to recognize and heal old beliefs that may be harmful to us How expanding our consciousness helps us see mor...

In this episode I talk about learning how to manage our own internal "self-bullying" in order to be more resilient and better protected from bullying behaviors by other people. This episode includes: The bullying tactics of the wounded ego How to recognize our triggers Why being triggered is a good thing for our growth in consciousness Finding compassion for our wounded egos Stopping the...

This episode continues my own exploration of getting ill at the same time I released my podcast episode on grief after my father's suicide death. I've been gleaning a lot of wisdom from my own time of illness and recognizing why sometimes things get worse before they get better. This episode includes: The metaphor of a backdraft occurring after releasing old painful feelings How to get thr...

As I record this I am dealing with a case of shingles so I'm talking about how I'm using self-compassion practices to cope. I recently released an episode on End-of-Life University Podcast about my grief after my father's suicide death, which was very stressful to create and intimidating to publish, so I think this illness is part of the aftermath of that stress. This episode includes:...

In this episode I share some new insights I've found about the value of "reparenting" ourselves while we are also parenting our own children or grandchildren. This is powerful work that can lead to deep healing. I'm drawing on the work of ShellyRobinson.com so go there to check it out. This episode includes: How reparenting might be work that we continue throughout our lives How...

In this episode I share some thoughts on why the spiritual journey to expanded consciousness can cause us to feel lonely and to miss the tight-knit religious communities we may have been part of at an earlier time in our journey. This episode includes: The health benefits of being part of a supportive community Why our spiritual growth may require us to be lonely at times Finding "micro-commu...

I'm recording this episode the day after my birthday and sharing some thoughts about growing older and what I'm doing to shift my attitude about my age from negative to positive. This episode includes: Why the term "elderhood" is better than "old age" The important health benefits of a positive attitude toward aging Traits that predict "successful" aging The m...

In this episode I talk about breaking the cycle of shame and unworthiness that leaves us feeling like we are never good enough. This episode includes: We are hardwired to compare ourselves to others and to fear rejection How a 4 year old boy is teaching emotional intelligence to adults on social media Why we need to develop self-acceptance and find happiness in being ordinary The affirmations that...

In this episode we continue to look at childhood wounds and the idea that healing may require us to grieve and mourn the losses that have occurred. For me this seems to be a missing piece of my healing journey and I hope it resonates with you as well. This episode includes: Why we may not be able to heal if we don't recognized our grief from childhood William Worden's Four Tasks of Mournin...