As we awaken, we learn to see beyond \”good\” and \”bad\”. \”Spiritual practice includes learning how to open-heartedly receive the shocks of life – the things you don’t like, the people who criticize you, the job that goes wrong, the partner that leaves, the health that fails you – whatever shakes you up.\”  ~Ezra Bayda~ […]

Our struggles transform us. \”When life presents difficulties we can crumble or we can learn. Aspiring to be free tips the scale toward learning.\”  ~Ezra Bayda~ Our natural inclination is to avoid pain. Eventually that creates a core belief that we should never need to experience pain. When we resist it (out of the belief

Anger disrupts your ability to be at peace in the present moment. \”What holds us back from living open-heartedly? What shuts life out? What cuts off our natural ability to truly love? As must as anything, the answer is this: our anger. Though out anger hurts both ourselves and others, we still cling to it.

Rather than being a slave of the mind, seek instead to regulate it back into the helper it is meant to be. \”Enlightenment is a state of freedom not only from the counterproductive emotions driving cyclic existence but also from the predispositions established in the mind by those afflictive emotions.\”  ~Dalai Lama~ What you allow

You have chosen to be here now, in this place with your loving insights, for a purpose. \”You must become enlightened in order to most effectively benefit others.\”  ~Dalai Lama~ The greatest gift that we can give is our Presence. No matter what the situation, we have the opportunity to bring light where there is

Our attachments create biases that impact our ability to love unconditionally. \”Real compassion does not depend on whether the other person is nice to you.\”  ~Dalai Lama~ Our friendships and close connections demonstrate our unconscious biases or judgment. We feel for those we love. Our compassion prompts us to extend a helping hand when they

\”Each of us is a unique thread, woven into the beautiful fabric, of our collective consciousness.\”  ~Jaeda DeWalt~ What harms one, harms all. What heals one, heals all. In spite of the appearance of separateness, we are One. This planet provides a paradoxical playground in which to explore and discover these truths As we immerse

Opposition from those around you indicates that you are making significant changes. \”Resistance is the first step to change.\”  ~Louise Hay~ When we seek to break free from old patterns and conditions that no longer serve our evolutionary process, the ego will often disrupt our efforts. See this as an indicator that the change you

When you change your thoughts, you change your life experience. Lao tzu taught four virtues that, when practiced consistently, provide a lasting foundation of inner peace and purpose:1) Reverence for All Life – When you live from the heart, expressing unconditional love for yourself and others, the light of consciousness will automatically flow into all

Those who are awakened focus on self-understanding rather than seeking approval through outside factors. \”In the 33rd verse of the Tao te Ching, Lao-tzu is asking you to change the way you look at these twin ideas of knowledge and power. You’ve invited to evaluate your level of self-mastery by turning your gaze inward and