Bear's Blog
We just celebrated love! It has many forms; personal, familial, societal, and the ultimate compassion for all. Lately I’ve been musing on romance. We can feel appreciation, responsibility, lust, empathy, and sweetness in love. Occasionally we feel the depth of love. Romance is extravagant, delicious, inspired, exhilarating. Romance doesn’t mess around, it’s all in. It’s sexy but ultimately it’s not about sex. It’s passion, which is energy!
What if your greatest romance was with your own life?...
We’re a quarter of the way into the 21st century! Sometimes things go fast (when the economy crashed in the fall of 2008) and slow (Covid, 2020-2022 and beyond). At the beginning of 2000 there were concerns that computers would go haywire and the world would end (Y2K!). Moving forward there will be plenty to track and be concerned about, but the first and most important is attending to ourselves. The thing that will keep us sane in all the turbulence is our own inner stability and endurance.
Personal and spiritual growth...
Many of us are currently engaged in reflection and futurizing. What happened, what to do and not to do moving forward. Take a moment to be; align your Hara and expand your heart energy. Sit in the fullness and connection that is always available.
The present is always true. Optimism has the same peaceful, eternal quality that is in the here and now. It’s beyond a linear timeline. It’s bigger. Don’t let cynicism or despair creep into your outlook. We step into the future moment by moment.
X...
Let’s wal(t)z into August, traditionally when many take a summer vacation. Whether you are going somewhere or staying at home, hopefully you’re finding time to play - or at least enjoying a more relaxed schedule. You can take a cue from others, especially the kids who are enjoying more freedom and unstructured time right now. Although many of us are already anticipating an action-packed fall, let’s take deep breath and – pace ourselves!
There is a lot of chalk action in my neighborhood these ...
One of my favorite sayings for years is “If you’re in a body, you’ve got work to do!” (more on that later.) Lately, the American (originally Protestant) work ethic is being applied to personal development and spiritual growth in an unhelpful way.
Although the traditional definition of work is what we do to make money (for a living?) that sense of obligation and drudgery is creeping into many areas. Child-raising, exercise, diet, and relationships are not immune to the concept of “needing work.”
All these areas do requir...
The pandemic is officially over but we’re still living with all the unresolved consequences. It’s a work in progress. Everything is ramping up, but the speed we considered normal is being re-evaluated. Between working from home, doing more than ever online and being deluged with information and opportunities, are we really ready for more?
Change requires extra effort; we need to integrate before moving on. Yet in another sense, we are ready to be challenged, in a good way.
Let’s take a breath…
and make slow moves in th...
What kinds of changes can we make in our lives that are truly transformative? It’s not big dramatic events that really make a difference. They are helpful as a catalyst for inspiration, or for uncovering some deeper truth that gives us new insight.
The real job is integrating those events, bringing about a positive impact on the quality of our day-to-day. It’s not sexy; it’s about routines. It’s not hard, but at the same time it’s not easy to practice long enough (60 days or so) to change.
For me, it’s helpful to rememb...
There is a national ad campaign called “One Kind Act a Day.” You’ve probably seen the signs on businesses, billboards, and online. Regardless of the good intent, this is a sad statement on our society.
Are we so overwhelmed, self-absorbed, and busy that we need this prompt? In the gym at my children’s grade school there was a sign that said “Stop, Look and Listen” – in order to be aware of your surroundings and be safe. It seems adults need that reminder for different reasons…
Apparently, our lives have gotten out of ha...
In January we think about resolutions, intentions, and how to improve. Self-care can be another item on that to-do list. Are we really just another fixer-upper project?
Like so many things, “wellness” has been defined and commercialized as yet another commodity. Running around taking care of ourselves, and buying services and products to do it, seems counterproductive to the result we want. A more authentic way to look at maintaining health - in all aspects - is to think of it as ”self-nurture”.
A lot of what I heard th...
“It’s better to give than to receive” - (Acts 20:35, King James Version, the Bible)
This time of year there is a lot of emphasis on gifting. Did you know that giving activates the “love hormone” oxytocin? It’s literally pleasurable to be the giver. Yet we cannot give without someone on the other end receiving. Why is that role so difficult? It’s potentially a mutual experience of connection; we deprive ourselves of that moment of closeness when we are reluctant to fully receive.
Resistance to being the recipient can be ...
Fall is a time of transition. Seasonal changes affect the planetary whole - that includes us, and definitely our bodies! In the Indian system of health, Ayurveda, the fall and spring are the optimal time to do a cleanse because we are more susceptible to getting sick when “weathering” these changes.
We undergo many major transitions in our lives; it’s these in-between times that create higher levels of stress in our physiology. How can we navigate challenging conditions with more ease?
We’re all familiar with the big ev...
These are tumultuous times. We are certainly experiencing a disturbance - in the group energy field, in the streets, in our thinking and emotions, and ultimately in our bodies. I have to keep pulling myself away from the weight of events to reference my spiritual practices.
My self-care practices are helpful while I am engaged in doing them. I’m not really noticing a residual or underlying difference right now, although I’m sure I would feel worse without them. I want to be open to what’s going on without the psychic num...
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