Posts by carol
Pain Pain, Go Away, Come Again Another Day
We’ve all been there — wishing fervently that pain was not part of the equation. But pain is always part of the human journey. There’s no getting around it. The problem isn’t so much with the pain. It’s with our misguided conditioning that pain shouldn’t be there; that a “good” life, a “happy” life, has…
Read MoreThe Path to Awareness
Many people get seduced into thinking that if they are walking a spiritual path, they will obtain some sort of divine protection from anything that is too difficult and too painful. The fact is, the spiritual path to self-awareness is difficult. No matter how you slice it, it comes up difficult. It’s good to know this…
Read MoreUnderstanding Life’s Challenges—When “Bad” Things Happen
In the course of anyone’s lifetime, “bad” things are guaranteed to happen. Yet there is nothing wrong with these “bad” things—nor is there anything “right” about them either. They simply happen. They are neither good nor bad, right nor wrong, and human judgment, as always, is best left out of the equation. It is much more…
Read MoreHow To Keep Your Power
Power is attractive and enticing. We all want to feel powerful, and we want others to see us as powerful. This is as it should be. Yet, we have an uncanny ability–habit?–to continually give our power away. Humans have been handing over their power on a silver platter for thousands of years. Who do we give it…
Read MoreObserve, Observe, & Observe Some More!
You can never do it enough. It will often bring surprises. Most times we hate to do it. We’d rather create our own fantasies. We’d rather swim in the pool of our own beliefs, and wrap ourselves up in the cozy blanket of our own opinions. We’d rather be in denial. We’d rather medicate. We’d…
Read MoreWhy Are We Rushing?
As a former New Yorker, I understand the drive to rush. New Yorkers are always in a hurry. And they walk fast. I considered myself a successful New Yorker because I could outwalk almost anyone next to me. I could cross the street faster, get to the bus stop quicker, dodge my way through a subway crowd…
Read MoreLife Without Judgment
We consume an enormous amount of energy judging others and judging ourselves. A day doesn’t go by when we do not pass judgment. This is no accident. We’re conditioned to judge. Judgment is encouraged because it oils the joints that support the status quo and the existing power structures. Like programmed robots, we dive daily and dutifully into…
Read MoreBreaking Free
Freedom is a great essence. It’s one of my favorites and probably ranks high on everyone’s list. Yet I wouldn’t say that being free is an easy state to achieve. More often than not, I spend most of my time in the ‘breaking’ part of breaking free, the ‘trying to become free’ part. Perhaps it…
Read MoreTorpedo Your Fantasies!
“Why”, you say, “should I get rid of my fantasies? I have spent many idle hours embellishing them.” Then you add with a sorrowful glance to the ground, “Besides, they’re all I have these days.” AAh, if that were only true. But alas, we humans are much more powerful than we’d like to admit, and…
Read MoreThe Human Animal
What makes us buckle under when we feel the pressure of fear? Survival fears have prompted homo-sapiens to make millions of out-of-power choices. For centuries we have reacted to fear by engaging in unreasonable and often horrific, animalistic acts of aggression and domination. Why does our intelligence, our compassion, our common sense get thrown out the…
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