Auditing Behavior Instead of Listening to Promises Manipulation loses much of its power when we stop judging people mainly by what they say and start paying closer attention to what they repeatedly do. Words can sound convincing because saying the right thing often requires much less effort than actually changing. Anybody can promise to do
When Words No Longer Outweigh Behavior Read More »
When Desire Begins Making the Decisions Sexual desire is a natural part of being human, but maturity means understanding that every desire does not have to become an action. A man may feel strong attraction and still decide that acting on it would be unwise. When he cannot tell himself no, he may place his
Sexual Discipline, Self-Control, and the Power of Choice Read More »
Protecting Our Inner Space Life places us in situations that can leave us feeling energized, drained, peaceful, anxious, or emotionally overwhelmed. Crowded gatherings, difficult conversations, family events, workplaces, and even joyful celebrations can demand more from us than we realize. Some spiritual traditions describe these experiences as interactions with energy and speak about protecting the
Creating Light From Within Read More »
Learning Beyond the Human World Long before books, classrooms, and formal teachers existed, human beings learned important lessons by watching the natural world around them. Animals showed our ancestors how to survive, adapt, protect their young, recognize danger, and respond when their surroundings changed. Even today, animals can encourage us to look at life from
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More Than the Body’s Detox Organ The liver is one of the hardest-working organs in the human body, and its responsibilities go far beyond what we commonly call detoxification. It processes nutrients from food and helps determine how those nutrients are stored or used for energy. It also helps regulate blood sugar, produces bile for
The Liver’s Quiet Role in Midlife Health Read More »
The Need to Step Away Sometimes the most important work we can do begins when we give ourselves permission to step away from the noise of everyday life. A retreat creates that kind of space by allowing us to slow down, reflect, and listen more carefully to what is happening within us. It is more
Making Space for the Work Within Read More »
The Direction of Time Is Not as Natural as It Seems Most of us who speak English hardly think about where we place time in our minds. The future is in front of us, and the past is behind us. We look forward to tomorrow and tell ourselves to leave yesterday behind. We move forward
Christianity Was Never as Simple as We Were Taught Growing up around Christianity, many of us were taught the faith as though everything had been settled from the beginning. Jesus came, the apostles preached, the Bible appeared, and the church carried the same message forward. History tells a messier and more interesting story. Early Christians
Trauma Is More Than a Memory Trauma does not live only in our memories or in stories we tell about what happened. The body can carry the effects of prolonged fear, violence, poverty, discrimination, and uncertainty. When danger becomes constant, the nervous system can remain on alert even when no immediate threat is standing in
When History Enters the Body: What Trauma, Neuroscience, and Epigenetics Really Tell Us Read More »
The Idea of Trauma in the Bloodline When people say trauma runs in the bloodline, they are usually trying to explain why pain can seem to travel through a family for generations. Black families have understood that feeling long before anybody started using words like epigenetics. Slavery, family separation, racial violence, segregation, housing discrimination, and