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March 26, 2011What does it mean to be the vast, singular awareness while simultaneously living in a physical body? In innumerable physical...
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January 7, 2011“Oh, holy smokes!” I interrupted Mary in the middle of our conversation. After more than a month, we had finally...
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September 6, 2010 I have been inadvertently weeding out potential suitors with a sort of Buddhist IQ test. When I first moved to...
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June 4, 2010A table of observations on how specific emotions transform automatically into blissful energy.
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June 2, 2010Watching unpleasant emotions quickly turn into raw energy, the key seems to be seeing through concepts.
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June 1, 2010Moments of luminous awareness, or awakening, are often described as an opening beyond oneself that encompasses everything just as it...
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May 28, 2010Pointing to the moon is tricky when its light is found within, but don’t let that stop you.
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May 23, 2010An otherwordly contentment filled my day today. Something that should have caused me sadness brought me peace and tenderness instead. ...
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May 22, 2010A chance to be burdened makes it possible to see the immense love that surrounds those who suffer.
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May 7, 2010A short story about the perpetuation of friendship in the face of grief and impermanence.
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May 4, 2010The notion of psychic boundaries reminds me of the boy who lived his life in a bubble. Protection is lovely,...
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April 11, 2010Apathy often has its roots in the odd, unexpected body memory of prior pain that is evoked by new love.
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April 2, 2010Archetypal wisdom on how women’s “falling apart” can open the doors to awakening.
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March 19, 2010Ripples from a monumental act of love now fill my world. In the presence of profound kindness, every molecule of...
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February 27, 2010Today, I stopped praying for things to get easier. It just occurred to me that it wasn’t necessary. For many...
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Below are accounts of awakening (e.g., satori, moksha, nirvana, enlightenment) reprinted from various sources, such as Zen Flesh, Zen Bones,...
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February 17, 2010An integration of Zen emptiness with New Age form offers one approach to healing our collective samsara.
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February 16, 2010In this frozen moment, your warm consciousness finds all existence waiting.
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February 11, 2010What would you do if your lifelong search for wholeness finally reached the finish line? If the problems you devoted...
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February 5, 2010Last night, I was awake all night, while sleeping, enjoying another one of those full nights resting in clear, lucid,...
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February 3, 2010There comes a time when the dark forces in your life step into the light, remove their masks, and reveal...
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January 29, 2010We are enveloped in intricate patterns of perfect healing. In every moment, from every direction, we’re given exactly what we...
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January 27, 2010When there is no way to make things right, love and courage illuminate what never falls apart.
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January 24, 2010 What happens when we treasure someone too much? A story of discovering the divine by crushing illusions.
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January 22, 2010An encounter with Buddhist fundamentalism reminds me to look for the hidden teaching in every moment.
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January 16, 2010 For nearly a year, twice every month, I attended an event in town known as the Barefoot Boogie. Set in...
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January 7, 2010Who do we turn to in times of need? Reflections on loss return me, somehow, to a state of bliss.
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January 2, 2010At the center of the earth is an iron core. The inner core is solid yet hotter than the surface...
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December 26, 2009The ultimate goal of the spiritual path is to become lucid. Mindfulness meditation, the favored technique for beginners, is a...
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December 23, 2009Can we use drugs to numb our emotional pain without losing our souls?
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December 22, 2009 The function of compassion for those who feel cut off is to return them to the whole. This is not...
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December 17, 2009Among the most excruciating suffering one can endure is social death. Where does compassion fit in?
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December 13, 2009Mystics and philosophers often describe life as an amusement park ride, exciting at times or downright scary but without real...
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December 6, 2009A conversation in a cafe makes me question the belief that severe depression means love and affection are off limits.
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December 4, 2009An essay by Noel McNaughton on how seemingly difficult people enable us to cultivate true compassion.
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In an era of waning social ties, sensitivity to rejection is common. An article in Psychology Today offers solutions.
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November 24, 2009The greatest healers in my life do not even know they are healing me, and most of the time, neither...
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November 14, 2009There are times when we truly need far more than others can give. People help with the tools they have...
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You may have won many battles with depression. Why can’t you win the war? A new way to...
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PhilosophyOctober 10, 2009 We begin with a belief in separation, and we think oneness is the illusion. One day we realize we have...
Written by an embodiment psychologist, Zen Buddhist, and single mother, "Waking Heart" is a diary of synchronicities, lessons both learned and forgotten, accidental awakenings, and the cultivation of love.