The Glorious Both/And

Can you see that when we deny and reject the existence of something in the name of oneness, spiritual truth, for example the ego and the world of form, we're actually denying and rejecting it - because we're rejecting its actual, real expressions. To recognize this is to recognize that there are aspects of god that are not purely peaceful, blissful, joyful, or even  likeable  and that god cannot be relegated to or sanctified in a dimension that is cut off from anything else.  This can be disillusioning to those who cling to a vision/experience of god as the untarnished, transcendent/absolute only . To recognize this is to admit that god is not perfect, at least not in the way that we tend to see perfection as something that can only exist in isolation from the blemishes, flaws, and stains of imperfection, it's opposite.  But paradoxically, in seeing this, we open ourselves to experiences of a strange perfection  within  this bittersweetness, one ...

The proliferation of mindfulness and meditation practices has been met with widespread acclaim, as its health benefits have been widely touted and experienced by many individuals. However, it comes as a surprise to some that these practices can actually have adverse effects, and it is not a one-size-fits-all solution that should be prescribed to everyone without caution. Thanks to ongoing research, we are beginning to understand the factors that contribute to the severity, prevalence, and nature of these adverse effects, and to shed light on the previously unknown dangers of these practices. This growing body of research has been crucial for enabling proponents and facilitators of mindfulness and meditation practices to better safeguard their students and audiences, and for individuals to take steps to protect themselves. Many programs, retreat centers and individual facilitators have been taking pro-active risk prevention steps including getting trained in how to help support someone ...

Evolutionary Spirituality, as I relate to it, is about presence and progression, dipping into the absolute alone as a means to progression, rather than reductionist spirituality's regression and taking up of permanent residence in absolute-only consciousness.  It seeks repair and reformation through conscious, mindful action, doing balanced with being, without valuing one over the other. Spirituality that values evolution encourages us to lend our individuality and personal strengths to improvement but also coming to see and accept the way that things are, so that improvement is not the only goal, but comes more naturally when we see clearly the ways in which, often unintentionally, we hurt ourselves and others. It's not an obsession with improvement, nor is it complacency. It wants to rev eal our human potential for benevolence, grace, change, and resilience. It wants to be a catalyst for wonder and awe, for a deep appreciation of how an impersonal causeless cause, "the...

I recently discovered Evolutionary Spirituality, a beautiful non-dual perspective, often found within Kabbalah, that I feel drawn to and invigorated by, especially the notion that since everything in the world is a manifestation of god (or Beingness, which resonates with me), the process of evolution is actually the evolution of god, of Being in a constant state of becoming. Deeply humanistic, unlike so many non-dual frameworks, we as humans are the leading edge of evolution, and when we experience ourselves as an expression, a manifestation of god, humanity plays an active role in the evolution of god - as we evolve, so does god .  "Each human being participates in the process of divine evolution―that is to say, the evolution of all of reality―every human being participates uniquely in that evolution."   Life, from this perspective, takes on a new level of meaning, awe, and empowerment - revealing our innate human divinity, worthiness, urging us to love, heal, and g...