I had a very interesting experience that has recently come back to mind...

The unexamined answer is: “having the ability to do what you want.” But is that really freedom?

I wanted to take a bit of a deeper look into the notion of reincarnation.

For those of you old enough to remember that song title, that's what we will be writing about today. It's about the human tendency to look for love and joy outside ourselves.

Perhaps you have seen one of those old movies about a hard-working scientist. He suddenly shouts “Eureka—I found it!” with great joy. It’s a well-known cliche, but there is a bit of a flaw in the depiction.

Now there's an encouraging title, eh? Actually, it rather is when understood...

The phrase "Say yes! to life" is one I try hard to live by. We spend so much time resisting reality, arguing in our heads, resenting circumstances, and wishing things were different.

I am part of a spiritual community. Different ideas would sometimes captivate those living there en masse. Some years ago it seemed as if everyone was asking "What's my dharma?"

This phrase of Yogananda's is extremely interesting and can help us understand some important spiritual principles.

It is often said that service to others brings joy. Is that true, and why might that be? Glad you asked! :-)

Human nature is what it is. We have our natural tendencies, but if we work at it, we can do better than that. It can be thought of as similar to working out. We have the body we are born with, but through effort and training we can greatly improve on it.

I had a very interesting experience last week, and as often happens, it got me to think a bit more deeply about what I had just seen…

Well, tricky fellow that I am, I will say "both." But perhaps more of an explanation is needed, as there is much confusion about both the notion of ego and about the oft heard (and correct) idea that it needs to be overcome.

A friend of mine said this to an atheist years ago, and I have always appreciated it. We all have images of God/Spirit/The Divine. It's just how the human mind works. Besides, it's a lot easier to feel devotion for something we can relate to, than feel the heart swell open when contemplating The Cosmic Ground of Being. I am somehow more moved when I look into Yogananda's eyes! :-)

The pain in our lives is caused by our misperceptions. The mind naturally goes to extremes when we hear things like this, but let's stay in the realm of the infinitely more common for now. The “Do you mean to tell me...?!” questions can come later while we first deal with realistic things that affect us every minute of every day.

A friend of mine said something quite interesting recently, that I thought was worth exploring. Talking about our Guides helping us make spiritual progress, she said, "If they take it from you, you still want it."

It has often been said that humility is a mark of spirituality, and this is so. But “humility” may need to be examined a bit to really understand what that means.

I thought to share some thoughts about the true meaning behind Easter according to deeper mystical teachings. After all, it's not just about hidden eggs, bunnies, and chocolate. (It's better than that. I promise...!)

A friend shared that she had a willful six-year-old son. One morning he was quite anxious for the day to get started, but when he awoke he realized it was still the middle of the night. Not to let such a small impediment stop him, he went to the top of the stairs and yelled for the whole world to hear, “I want it to be day!!” Suffice it to say, the rotation of the earth did not accelerate to meet his demand.