No anxious state exists apart from the illusion that the security, happiness, and wholeness you long for exists somewhere outside of you — “in a time to come.” Then why do we go on embracing anxious thoughts and feelings that do nothing but steal from us our love of life? The surprising answer to this question is the same as […]

Few are those content with the direction their lives have taken; fewer are the men and women willing to learn why their destiny feels outside their control; and fewer still are those individuals who persist upon the path of self-discovery until realizing the truth of why their worlds unfold as they do. One of the sad reasons why so few […]

Just as we need to keep an eye on the kinds of friends we keep around us, so must we also remain aware of the circle of “friends” we keep within us — our own thoughts and feelings. Not only does the largely unseen content of our mind and heart cause us to feel attracted to certain kinds of people […]

Each day we hear a knock on our psychological door, and when we open it a pushy person enters and begins to bark out orders: “Worry about this.” “Remember and regret that.” “Work harder!” Is it little wonder we experience only the most fleeting feelings of love, kindness or relaxation? We are all the time being pushed along by something […]

Even though we all know the harm it does to lash out at others, to launch an angry attack or act with cruel intent, we still tend to do these things anyway. The following insights help make clear why this happens to us and how we are made, in effect, to act against ourselves and those we love without really […]

Picture a man who just heard that one of his closest friends has betrayed him. How does he respond? What’s his first answer to this ordeal? Anger that includes plans for revenge. Imagine a woman who suddenly realizes she’s going to be late for an important appointment. There’s no way to make it on time. How does she meet the […]

We meet life, with all of its complex relationships, through what we know. Each daily event, with its dozens of unsuspected twists and turns, challenges us to come up with our best answers. Once our most suitable answer is at hand, we launch it and ourselves into action and watch to see what happens. With each situation this challenge and […]

One of the things that makes letting go seem so difficult is the way in which our spiritually asleep mind looks at life: it sees cause and effect as being separate operations. This means our usual action toward anything that troubles us is to struggle with letting go of that unwanted effect. The problem is our usual reaction blinds us […]

Are you afraid of some condition in your life? Here’s a life-transforming secret: that seemingly scary condition, whatever it may be, is not the problem. It is your reaction that is fearful. This is why if you will become conscious of your condition instead of afraid of it, you will change forever your relationship with fear. It is only within […]

Following is a list for special self-study to help get you started up the path of spiritual freedom. After a careful review of these peace stealing conditions, take time to make a list of your own. Keep it simple. Use casual observations of yourself and others around you to be a spiritual detective. 1. One of the first thieves of […]