Share Think of the objects that you make use of (or even make) every day at work or school or in your own home. Make an association between each one and some intention for prayer. You could do this on the basis of what the item looks like or is used for. For example, a pen could stand for communication between friends, relatives, or parties in dispute; a safe or locked cupboard could represent the inner mystery at the heart of all things; a corridor could represent the route to illumination. The more way-out the association is, the easier it wi...

Share Think of the things you do regularly each day, from getting up in the morning until you go to bed at night. Make a list of them…. Don’t worry about how trivial and mundane some of them seem; after all, they are probably the most vital to your health and well-being. Reflect on the list and try to think how each item can be turned into a prayer. Washing, for example, could easily make you think of your own desire to lead a purer life and of your concern for the health of the worlds’ poor. Make a note of these prayers next to your routine an...

Share Take the next opportunity that comes your way to experience the power of the elements. If you do not live within a reasonable distance of the countryside this may have to wait until the weekend or even until your next vacation. You do not need to find somewhere remote, just a place where nature feels more powerful than human effort. The seashore is an obvious place, as are the mountains or a thick forest. Try to be alone there, if only through putting a little distance between yourself and other people or by choosing a time of day or seas...

Share Jot down the outlines of your religious biography. Start with the external version: circumcision, baptism, confirmation, bar or bat mitzvah, attendance at church, mosque, or temple; any outward form of religion in which you participated by choice or convention. Then try a more internal version: a record of moments when you felt moved or touched by something outside of yourself that you feel might have been spiritual in any sense of the word. Did these personal experiences correspond to any of the official religious moments? —Alan Walker i...

Share Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904 - 1991), known to his readers as Dr. Seuss, was born on this day. This beloved children's author says that his works are written for all ages: "I never write for children. I write for people." More than 200 million copies of this books have been sold worldwide. What's the secret to Dr, Seuss's popularity? Rudolf Flesch, author of Johnny Can't Read, attributes it to "a swing to the language, a deep understanding of the playful mind of a child, an undefinable something that makes Dr. Seuss a genius pure and simple...

Share We have all become more and more skilled, in recent decades, articulating positions of belief and opinion. And since it is easier than ever to find alliances with those who agree with us, we find frequent opportunities to rehearse our certainties to those who approve. Left in the wake of all this are relationships. Almost as if they don’t really matter, compared to what we have to say. Mike Donehey, who is famous as a songwriter and recording artist, wants to suggest there is much more to life than this. He is right. His book title comes ...

Share “Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 18:3, NIV). By this, I think Jesus was commending the beautiful innocence, humility, and dependence of kids. It makes me think of the sweet prayers my daughters prayed when they were little. There was no pretense, just the purity of little hearts and minds. We are born with unfiltered expectancy. Our filtered skepticism is learned. “It’s a strange polarity that I’ve seen play out time and time again, as e...

Share “When we stop seeing the world as a ‘problem’ to be solved, when instead we open our hearts to the mystery of our common suffering, we may find ourselves where we least expected to be; in a world transformed by love.”— Philip Simmons in Learning to Fall It is such a pleasure to be immersed in a film that introduces us to an insightful portrayal of human personalities, the complexity of our interaction with others, the ambiguity of our motives, and the impact of social structures upon our activities. These life experiences are depicted in ...

Share When our sons were little, we used to take them to Mt. Saviour Monastery in Pine City, New York, where Br. David Steindl-Rast lived at the time. There, the boys could see newborn lambs in April and, later in the year, watch with fascination as sheep were shorn. But not every child is fortunate enough to grow up with sheep imagery in their repertoire, especially compared with the era when the 23rd Psalm was written. I Am Not Afraid — by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, Director of the Religion, Spirituality and the Arts Initiative and one of our fav...

Share “The first step toward others can be very small. “Doing an act of love cracks us open. “We all experience suffering, but not at the same time. One receives good news when the other hears bad, and the other way around. “So we take turns, ready to set our pain aside and join in regular tasks with others, while looking for the right time, with those we trust, to ask them to enter our suffering with us. “Together we determine how to love through the difficulties we face.”

Share This unique book combines few words together with simple drawings, pointing people toward what we all desire: unity. After a two-page explanation of her method, author and illustrator Lara Match begins simply with, “We all have thoughts. It takes a moment to even notice that another person is there.” Drawings on facing pages show one person caught up in themselves and their thoughts and processes, while another person stands before them with emotions contained and ideas to share, hoping to be let into the other’s presence. The wisdom then...

Share John Steinbeck, who was born on this day in 1902 and died in 1968, is remembered as one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century, known for his novels about the challenges of American life, especially for the poor and the disenfranchised. His classic novel, The Grapes of Wrath, chronicled the plight of a family of Okies, victims of the Dust Bowl in the Midwest, through their traumatic and ultimately tragic life as migrant workers in California. It received the National Book Award for Fiction and a Pulitzer Prize for Ficti...

Share For half a century, political activist and attorney Ralph Nader has challenged corporations, government, and other organizations to be more accountable to the public. His activism helped pass several landmark pieces of American consumer protection legislation including the Clean Water Act, the Freedom of Information Act, the Consumer Product Safety Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Whistleblower Protection Act, and the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Nader ran for President as a candidate for the Green Party in 20...

Share Born in 1897, American contralto Marian Anderson was the first African-American to sing at the Metropolitan Opera (Verdi's "Masked Ball," 1955). Equally gifted in renditions of spirituals and German lieder, Anderson combined her faith, dignity, and gentle spirit with her uniquely beautiful voice. The great conductor Toscanini felt that "hers is a voice that we hear only once in a hundred years." When Anderson's scheduled performance at Constitution Hall was not permitted by the Daughters of the American Revolution (which caused Eleanor Ro...

Have you ever tried to have a conversation with somebody who wasn’t listening to you? Could you tell? Have you ever seen yourself nodding and smiling during a conversation while in your mind you were landing the space shuttle? Expertly, you might add. And do you think it was obvious you were in orbit? Of all our communication skills, listening is the one most called upon—and neglected. Philosopher Martin Heidegger identified it as a key to maintaining meaningful relationships with family, friends, and even colleagues. But what is listening? Oft...

Share The next time you find yourself in competition for a parking spot or reaching for the same bunch of fruit or vegetables as another shopper – give whatever it is away to your competitor freely and with your blessings. Here, you’re making the choice to forego something in exchange for peace of mind and less stress. You’ll have to deal with going without whatever you gave up, but at least you can feel better about your act of kindness. —Jonathan S. Kaplan in Urban Mindfulness by Johnathan S. Kaplan

Share "Regularly ask yourself, ‘How are my thoughts, words, and deeds affecting my friends, my spouse, my neighbor, my child, my employer, my subordinates, my fellow citizens? Am I doing my part to contribute to the spiritual progress of all I come into contact with?’ Make it your business to draw out the best in others by being an exemplar yourself." –Epictetus For one week, try asking yourself this question before you go to sleep at night: How are my thoughts, words, and deeds affecting my friends, my spouse, my neighbors, my child, my employ...

Share As you go about your day, in every situation you find yourself whether it’s a request by someone, a traffic jam, or an irritation with your loved one, ask yourself, "What’s the radically generous thing to do now?" Then do whatever it is your mind comes up with. Notice how it makes you feel. —M. J. Ryan in Radical Generosity

Share "We can train ourselves to become more yielding, balanced, and flexible, giving up our rigid stances and fixed ideas." –Lama Surya Das Next time you find yourself in a conflict with someone, instead of rushing to the barricades, sure that you know the truth of the situation, think to yourself, "Maybe he has a point." By being willing to let go even that much, you can create an opening that will allow better understanding between you. —M. J. Ryan in Radical Generosity

Dariia/Adobe Stock There are countless ways we can shift our world for the better—whether it’s volunteering weekly in our communities, engaging someone in a compassionate conversation, joining an activist group, or creating art that envisions what positive change might look like and energizes us to get there. Showing up with our passion and care is strong fuel for joy and purpose. Yet outward actions are not the whole story here. We need to care for ourselves, too: Healing and replenishing ourselves is part of the healing we wish for others. So...