InnerSelf

by Xorin Balbes. Unfortunately, for many of us, the condition and appearance of the place where we live make us feel uneasy instead of refreshed, resulting in relationship, career, and creative blocks. We need to feel truly at home in our living quarters and in our own bodies.

by Dr. Allan G. Hunter. In European mythology, this specific process of self-discovery (meeting the shadow) is usually depicted as the hero literally descending into the underworld and meeting the dead. Whether it’s in The Odyssey or The Divine Comedy or the Harry Potter tales (in which Harry frequently visits past events), the first part of this process involves going into a netherworld that allows the traveler (and the reader) to think...

by Sanaya Roman. As they grow older, many people constrict their boundaries; they often seek what is comfortable, familiar, and safe. Life becomes a matter of focusing on the petty rather than...

by Joyce Vissell. On January 15, 2009, a jet taking off from New York City suddenly plummeted into the Hudson River. What would your thoughts, feelings, desires, regrets, and heartfelt prayers be if you, like these passengers, knew you perhaps only had two more minutes to live? ...

by Nicolya Christi.

The time has come to write a new story for our lives and to let go of those handed down to us by our families and our cultures. These are not our stories; they do not belong to us. We must hand them back with love and write our own. We are being urged to become aware and informed and, by doing so...

by Roy Holman.

Responsible means able to respond, answerable for, trustworthy. Most of us would probably say we are responsible. But it is often the wrong response! Frequently, we are tempted to take responsibility for others, as in changing or healing them. As a peace activist, I know this one quite well. To me...

by Ronald P. Villano. Change is a necessary part of living. Many of us use planners to lay out the course of our day. Then, plans change — someone cancels a meeting, or the car won’t start, or the kids get sick. You couldn’t predict that something else was going to happen, but it did. So, you...

by Ervin Laszlo.

A more evolved consciousness means new thinking, and it is the key to a new civilization, which, in turn, is the key to the well-being, and even the survival, of humankind. You can help humanity survive; you can evolve your consciousness. One way you can do this is by...

by Cassendre Xavier.

In honoring our feelings, we can more swiftly and comfortably navigate through difficult times, and come out wiser in the process. If we face our difficulties with grace, gratitude, if we can combine occasional expressions of pain and sadness with our usual routine of...

by Alan Cohen. One of my favorite hiking trails on Maui leads to a magnificent hidden waterfall far off the beaten path. The path to the waterfall begins as an offshoot of a main trail in a county park. County officials posted a sign, "End of trail." I chuckled to think that what was advertised as the end of the trail was really the beginning...

The power to bring about change is in our hands. That's because the most important thing that each of us needs is each other. Many of our problems have grown out of our alienation -- our inattention to each other as individuals. And that is something we have the power to change. One by one, person by person, we...

by Carol Ritberger, Ph.D.

Each event in our life builds off other events emotionally so that they create our core themes. Every perception, drama, trauma, relationship (both the good and bad ones), fear, belief, success, and failure are rooted in our core themes. They're all just waiting for the right time and opportunity to resurface and ...

by Paul Brenner, M.D., Ph.D. and Donna Martin, M.A. When you have begun seeing through new eyes, it might still appear to others that nothing about you has changed. However, you know inside yourself that everything has changed. A Zen proverb says: Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water; after...

by Gail E. Steuart & Barry Blumstein. While we focus much of our attention on the "afterlife", we often fail to consider the "beforelife" in gaining a more comprehensive perspective and understanding of our life experience. It is during the period before being born into this world that we placed within our Soul the purpose for our life -- what is that purpose?

Many people say they cannot enjoy today because of something that happened in the past. By holding on to the past, no matter what it was or how awful it was, we are only hurting ourselves by refusing to live in this moment to the fullest. The past is over and done and cannot be changed. This is the only moment we can experience.

by Paula Bonnell. Everyone has dreams. You may dismiss them, wish them into your life or escape into them, but there is always one inside you. Have you ever attempted to make your dream your life's reality? This is life's biggest challenge and one of the greatest opportunities for you to grow as a person.

by Alan Watts. An old aphorism from India says, What is beyond, is that which is also here. And you must not mistake this for a kind of blasé boredom, or a tiring of adventure. It is instead the startling recognition that in the place where we are now, we have already arrived. This is it. What we are seeking is, if we are not totally blind, already here.

by Chandra Alexander.

Sometimes, things just go our way. We call it luck or attribute it to simply having a good day, but in truth, we have been given a glimpse of the actual nature of the universe. If only for the moment, our state of being pulls to us this divine experience of synchronicity. There is rhyme and reason to...

by Mark A. Burch.

Simple living is not an end in itself. We may save money and increase our freedom and security, and our life may reflect the special beauty of simplicity. But more than anything else, simplicity is a means of clearing a "space" within which something new can be born. It is this "something new" that simplicity is for.

by Mark A. Burch.

Simplicity is not the same thing as destitution, or self-imposed deprivation. It has to do with finding a graceful balance in life where we have enough material possessions to provide for our basic needs, plus some comforts and luxuries that may not be required for basic survival.

by Robert K. Cooper.

When we suppress our originality, we lose touch with the source of our vitality and initiative. One of the unwritten codes I came to believe in was, "If everyone else is doing it, don't." Through the years I have learned that when using this approach many individuals in all walks of life have...

by Robert M. (Bob) Anderson, Ph.D.

I found myself in the world of the late eighties with a complete loss of identity and direction. My professional life was in upheaval; my personal life was a disaster. That's when my first significant experience with feathers happened.

by Daisaku Ikeda.

What's important is that you challenge yourself in something, it doesn't matter what. Then by making consistent effort, the direction you should take will open up before you naturally. It's important, therefore, to have the courage to ask yourself what you should be doing now, this very moment.

by Joan Borysenko.

 Over the years, I've informally polled thousands of people about the things they do to take care of themselves. Going out into nature is at the top of the list. Returning to the natural world is my favorite self-care activity as well, and has been since childhood.

In just one year, guns are used to kill more than thirty thousand Americans, and thousands more are injured. The fear of gun violence alone affects the quality of life of every American, even those who have never experienced it firsthand. What we forget is that living in fear does not have to be an inevitable part of life in America.

by Dr. John F. Demartini.

There are three forces that motivate people. The first two are avoiding pain and seeking pleasure; these are fueled by desperation. The third, inspiration, transcends the others. When you're inspired, you embrace both pain and pleasure in the pursuit of your purpose.

by Carolyn Baker, Ph.D. According to Jung, the shadow is any part of the psyche which remains unconscious. It is not always dark or undesirable. Since the shadow is any part of ourselves that we "send away," it contains parts of oneself which may also be quite pleasing, yet for one reason or another, are allowed neither awareness nor expression.

by Julia Cameron. 'Charity begins at home' is not a bromide. It is a direction. It means start with being nice to yourself, your authentic self, then try being nice to everyone else. When we place ourselves too low in the pecking order, we feel henpecked and, yes, we feel peckish. When we undervalue ourselves, we literally bury ourselves in lives not our own...

by Chögyam Trungpa.

Shambhala training is based on developing gentleness and genuineness so that we can help ourselves and develop tenderness in our hearts. We no longer wrap ourselves in the sleeping bag of our cocoon. We feel responsible for ourselves, and we feel good taking responsibility.

by Marie T. Russell. Boundaries... barriers... walls... All these words have similar meanings. They indicate a place where one must stop and go no further. In some cases boundaries and walls are wonderful. But too much of a "good thing" can become its opposite... bad.

by Meredith Young-Sowers.

Just as there are four seasons in Nature, our inner natures also experience four seasons. In the Winter of our inner natures, we feel as if we're coming undone; an old fear we thought we'd put to rest resurfaces. The more attached we are to worldly success, or to old patterns and people with whom we've identified...

by Kathy Gates.

A great life doesn't happen by accident. A great life is the result of allocating your time, energy, thoughts, and hard work towards what you want your life to be. Stop setting yourself up for stress and failure, and start setting up your life to support success and ease.

by Michelle L. Casto.

All work can be meaningful, if you approach it with the right attitude (with love and respect for others). Many people think it is 'beneath' them to perform menial tasks. But all work is valuable, and in order to find meaning in your work, you must first find the lesson.

by Michelle L. Casto.

If you want to live a certain kind of life, you are going to have to be proactive so you can consciously create life as you would like it. You must first mentally visualize and then physically create what you want. You can do this by having a clear vision and developing strong intentions. Your life is your gift, how you appreciate it and use it is entirely up to you.

Nature is a great teacher. Its natural cycles demonstrate important truths about life and renewal. Every year, deciduous trees must drop their leaves so that new life can form. If the leaves did not fall, the tree could not renew itself. It is that simple. What can this cycle teach us?

by Dan Joseph.

To begin, please choose a person whom you don't feel a great deal of appreciation toward. It could be someone you love who is currently bothering you, someone you strongly dislike, or someone whom you feel just slightly negative toward.

Karma usually comes with no warning. It frequently comes like a freight train rounding the bend and coming down the tracks with inexorable speed. The train is upon you before you can run away. When you are in the midst of a karmic situation you feel foggy and unclear, and you may feel strangely unable to get out of the situation. You often wonder how this happened to you all of a sudden.

by Norman Monath. A knowledge of basic psychology can be extremely useful in giving us insights into our psyches so that we can learn our true needs. Anne Miller, a friend of mine, was a mother of five children when she started studying psychology on her own. From this she learned that she wanted to become a lawyer, and...

by Katherine Gibson.

When we consciously choose what graces our environment, it will harmonize with our inner journey. Our home will be welcoming, restful, and intensely personal. Each book on the shelf, every painting on the wall, and even the decorations we use at Christmas will reflect who we are and what matters most...

by Bud Harris, Ph.D.

We live in challenging and exciting times. Because the old gods are crumbling, and our old models are failing us, we can explore new ways of living, understanding ourselves, and growing that may result in opportunities that are more unique, personal, fulfilling, and loving than ever before.