We're trained to demonize and combat those who disagree with us. But what if we cultivated better habits that didn't unravel the fabric of our civic community?
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Growing up with firearms provided life-long lessons on responsibility and discipline for many families. A man born and raised in a Southern hunting family reckons with the heritage of guns in his life and our our deeply held tendencies to trust in violence.
If there's one thing winter teaches its humbled residents, it's that gratitude begins before the snow falls and happiness finds new heart in the thaw.
What are the last things you want to cherish? The last things you want to give up? Parker Palmer on treasuring those things that anchor one to the blessings of life.
It can be easy to fall into distorted channels of self-doubt and self-criticism. But, rather than trying to suppress those feelings, personal empowerment may come from acknowledging, relating, and directing them may lead to a more spacious life.
The most romantic relationships just may be our platonic friendships. But, as we age, it gets more difficult to establish new friendships with those of the same sex. Our columnist celebrates the inimitable joy of platonic courtship and female attachment.
On a retreat at a cabin in the northern woods of Wisconsin, Parker Palmer strings together pearls of contemplation on silence and solitude. With the help of Merton and Rumi, he finds the catharsis of being forced to reckon with one's angels and demons.
Being around people can be an anxious experience, if not draining experience, for many. But, how can we manage that trepidation and move forward? Alexandra Elle reflects on having the courage to show up and interact when it feels next to impossible.
The act of running reveals. An avid marathoner realizes that her physical training is also a spiritual exercise — a place to meditate on the move and find God in unexpected, sacred places.
Though she's the example many turn to for guidance on mindfulness practice, Sharon Salzberg didn't always find meditation so easy. She reflects on an early retreat in India, and what it can teach us about letting go of ideals, and having faith in what is.
It's when we sit with our silence that the world opens before us, in ways large and small. Parker Palmer reflects on Gunilla Norris' poetic words and the regrounding silence brings.
When we strip away various veneers, what are we left with? Sharon Salzberg on the practice of letting go of denial and the uncomfortability of avoidance.
Each year brings the loss of a life we loved. But what if our grief served as a conduit to community and creating a more thoughtful, interconnected world?
Finding a clear sense of being home shouldn't be sought from a desperate place. But, how is it possible to yearn without becoming lost in our deluded states of mind? Sharon Salzberg on the wise attention we possess that alchemizes delusion into wisdom.
There is no norm when it comes to the prototypical family unit. And, family as we all know is at once our breaking point and our healing refuge. With the holiday season behind us, Courtney Martin asks us to embrace the family we have and resist the idealized version that never existed.
Untamed, wild beauty kindles a yearning and an awe that few man-made structures can, even the most sacred churches, mosques, or temples. Our resident bard with a praise song for the wide open spaces that beckon us to open our hearts to all people and things before us.
December 24, 2015
A Theology of Cracked Spaces: A Confluence of Traditions to a Confluence of Spirit
Christians and Muslims are celebrating the births of Muhammad and Jesus on back-to-back days. Omid Safi reflects on these beautiful adjacencies and what the unity of these two traditions can teach us about opening our hearts, minds, and homes to those seeking physical or spiritual refuge.
Remembering a passage from the Christmas services of his childhood, Parker Palmer finds counsel for living an honest and genuine life. We must, he says, allow the good words we speak to become incarnate in our actions.
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