Happy 95th Birthday President Nelson Mandela July 18, 1918 – July 18, 2013 As I reflect on the birth, life, and impending death of Nelson Mandela, I feel tremendous warmth and gratitude for his generous spirit and devotion to peace and liberation for all beings. In so many ways, I honor him as a Beloved Bodhisattva. …
We met standing in front of a mammoth Buddha figure in Beijing, China during the Women’s World Conference in 1995. Two black women with dreadlocks and flowing tears. In that speechless moment, Marlene managed to ask: Do you meditate? I said: Kinda. Within short time, we discovered we both lives in the Bay Area. She …
We’re in a time where polarities are heightened, habits more rigid, past thoughts and future fears distort the present, and what we can’t control looms large. Collective movement is occurring and everyone is affected. We can feel it and we all have reactions to it–knowingly or unknowingly. Basically, we’re afraid. Our desire for something other …
I’ve been thinking about character lately given our intense political climate of “character assignation.” It’s not that uncommon, really. As an organizational development consultant and leadership coach for many years, I’m intimate with how the emergence of any form of leadership is both covertly and openly attacked. Those of us courageous enough to take a …
Imagine Trayvon Martin, 17, trapped, masking his powerlessness with a pumped up ego yet convinced that his life was about to end. What would you do? How might you feel? Have you ever felt this trapped or looked death in the eyes? How was your powerlessness felt and expressed? How are you living with your …
There’s a growing craze that suggest that President Obama should openly express outrage, most recently over the Gulf Oil Spill. According to a recent News Week article, this demand for a show of presidential fury is not coming from a few people: “…New York Times columnists want to see Obama angry; the filmmaker Spike Lee …
Why not make joy a habit. I’m not talking about superficial joy from external conditions or circumstances, but rather the joy that is our nature—something we open wide to and wallow in. For example, I awoke this morning to the sound of birds chirping. As I paused and sunk into this moment, allowing the sound …
We live in a society where there are many good reasons to be enraged, yet as practitioners of health and healing, we are often uncomfortable in the face of rage-our own and that of others. In our fear we may add to the problem by becoming frustrated, self-righteous, defensive, frozen, or indifferent. In these forms, …
I was having a heated disagreement with my partner and in the thick of it, I realized how silly and inadequate words can be, not to mention ineffectual. In fact, when I stepped back and witnessed my dynamic, I recognized that I have sang this song for what feels like my entire life, if not …
I’m overwhelmed–knee deep in a deadline for a Celebrating of Rage retreat. At that very moment, the telephone rings. It’s my mother. I scream, “I’m so angry I could kill.” Not a very wise comment from an emotional wisdom expert, right? My mother replies, “Girl, you ought ta come out here and climb in my …