Live Conscious Blog
I Never Step In The Same River Twice
For a dozen years, I attended a lot of meditation retreats. Two or three times a year I immersed myself in the practice, for week-long intensives. Before each new Zen ‘sesshin’, as they were called, or Vipassana retreat, I struggled with whether to take the time out...
How to be a better man
Do you want to be a better man? Do you remember that line from the movie, As Good As It Gets—Jack Nicholson says to Helen Hunt—”You make me want to be a better man.” And she says, “That’s maybe the best compliment of my life.” In the past...
Peaceful State of Mind
How to achieve peace We recently received a request for help from a man who was frustrating himself because he wasn’t able to maintain a peaceful state of mind. He was sick of the roller coaster he found himself riding on a daily basis. At times he would find...
I Have A Dream
We ran a contest in which people could submit their poems that were written to celebrate Martin Luther King’s march on Washington. The following is the poem we selected, written by someone choosing to remain anonymous, but happy to accept the $500 credit to...
Travel That Changes You
Travel that changes you The retreats we offer are not just for recreation, but also re-creation. If you want to re-create yourself—find your purpose, re-boot a special relationship, or re-connect with yourself—those are great reasons to join one of our retreats. When...
Dating Relating Mating
A Map For Romantic Relationships Walk, run, rest. Hop, skip, jump. Birth, life, death. Everything has a rhythm—an order. This is true for romantic relationships but most people don’t know or pay attention to the order. It goes like this: Dating, Relating,...
What Is Love?
What is love? Certainly “what is love?” is a nebulous question with probably as many answers as there are people. One definition that caught my attention recently was Victor Hugo’s quote, “To love another person is to see the face of God.” If we were to believe that...
Finding Yourself – A Love Story
Finding yourself is a journey Finally, one perfect day in early July, I arrive in northern New Mexico with comfortable clothes, a journal, sunscreen, a jacket for cool nights, and rain gear. I’m aware that I’m carrying my interior baggage as well—hoping that someone...
How To Dream
I have a dream . . . I have a dream of a gentle world Spacious and soft A world where we each know what we value And we value our humanity and divinity alike I have a dream of a world where our differences Don’t divide us but define us As unique and irreplaceable Each...
Is Rapid Self-Improvement Possible?
Here’s the question I’ve been pondering. Do we need to grow one step at a time, going through each developmental stage, building from the ground up—or—can we leapfrog? Leapfrog . . . you know how they talk about developing countries not needing to lay...
Stand Up For Yourself
Moms (and Dads) have their ways. They can be pretty powerful in good ways and in not so good ways. Much guidance and direction are needed when we are young, but when we find we’re still being directed, manipulated or controlled (often in our own minds) by our...
Judging or Asking?
Hmmmm . . . So many people are concerned about being judged or being judgmental. But, as a result, are we becoming overly sensitive about expressing ourselves? Are we becoming too politically correct? Can I tell you what I think without you feeling judged? Can...
