Authority
In a world where institutional religion is mortally wounded, we can feel as if we are in an authority void. This is especially true of people who have belonged to authoritative traditions, wherein people become accustomed to pious proclamations from on high telling them what to believe. In traditions with a stronger emphasis on doctrine,…
Thoughts from Ram Dass
Together we are all on a journey called life. We are a little broken and a little shattered inside. Each one of us is aspiring to make it to the end. None is deprived of pain here and we have all suffered in our own ways. I think our journey is all about healing ourselves…
Cleaning Negativity
Sometimes I spend quite a bit of time cleaning something only to step back and realize it isn't very clean at all! This has been especially true when polishing altar ware. Brass and silver can be a huge pain to polish, especially if there are nooks and crannies that are hard to access. Wine and…
In Praise of the Handshake
Yes, I know. Don't shake hands because you will get covid and your nose will slide off your face. To be clear, I am not an anti-masker or a covid denier. My wife and I are both fully vaccinated. I have no political agenda on this issue. What I want to say is, let's give…
If You’re Single, Have [consentual] Sex with Whomever.
I mean it. Just do it. Have fun. Do the same if you are in an open relationship. As long as your partner or partners and the sheep in your pasture are okay with it, I say go for it! Why? How can I say that? I really don't want to get your puritan panties…
When Authority is Corrupt
I was watching a presentation by Joan Chittister recently as part of the Spiritual Directors International annual conference. In it, Sister Joan put forth the Benedictine steps to humility as a solution to what she - correctly, I believe - sees as the loss of values in our overly individualistic society. One of the qualities…
New Perspectives
Over the years I have noticed that most spiritual teachers who teach on a national level develop what I call, "this year's message." That works because only rarely does anyone see them twice in a year, so most of their audience thinks they are listening to a wonderful message crafted especially for them. I suppose…
Getting out of our own way
It may seem like a strange concept, but many of us have a habit of getting in our own way. We may have an objective in mind, but we also have a habitual behavior that impedes our ability to achieve our goal. We may feel that, whatever the barrier is, we are completely justified in…
With Power Comes Responsibility
Another day, another fatal shooting of an unarmed black man in the Minneapolis area. The officer's body cam footage seem to reveal that she meant to use her Tazer but somehow grabbed her gun instead. That's a potential reason but is most definitely not an excuse. I found some articles on the Internet that claim…
Craig Bergland 