Spiritual Practices

Spiritual life inspires us to rest and reflect on deep truths, to know our true selves well. Spiritual life draws us to pay attention to each present moment without getting distracted. We are able to trust spiritual life, to depend on its power, because it is not transitory. Spiritual life does not come and go, but is always with

There have been times when I assumed spiritual life was like being in school. If we study and do our homework, we might do well enough to pass the test. If we do well enough on enough tests and assignments, we pass our courses and get a diploma. We often approach spiritual life the same way

There are people who appear to believe spiritual life is all about the past. They read ancient texts. They memorize and theorize about arcane facts. The people who help them find spiritual life wrote what they had to say centuries ago.  Spiritual life, for them, seems to be something historic, something built from very old stones.

We hear people talk about sacred spaces. Actors and directors tell us the theatre becomes sacred space for them. Some people describe places where boundaries between physical life and spiritual life become thin. Spiritual life helps us create and recognize sacred space. Another dimension of spiritual life is sacred time. There are moments of awareness

It is easy for us to forget, and think spiritual life is about special effects. We hear stories of the pyrotechnics of someone else’s mountaintop experience, and get distracted. We begin to approach spiritual life like a movie or a video. We want to watch the one with the best explosions and dramatic shots. It is as

I belong to a liturgical church. We divide each year into liturgical seasons. A new season, Lent, began this week on Ash Wednesday. The season of Lent is not often considered a time of great joy. Lent is a season of preparation and anticipation for Easter, which tends to be more joyful. Lent is more

People ask me to help them recognize and appreciate spiritual life. Some people practice specific ways of strengthening spiritual life. Some people follow traditional practices they find helpful, some discover their own. It can be good to begin by exploring what practices have helped, and not helped, them already. They may feel stuck or trapped in a

Lots of people take spiritual life very seriously. Some of us understand spiritual life as being all about theology or philosophy. Some of us believe spiritual life is about what we think or believe deeply. For some of us, spiritual life is built on rules and regulations, creeds and covenants. For some, spiritual life is