Minneapolis Therapy & Marriage Counseling

Ghandi's philosophy

2011-08-31T07:45:00.000-07:00

Change

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves.”

Control.

“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”

Forgiveness

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

Action.

“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.”

The present moment.

“I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.”

Everyone is human.

“I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.”

“It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.”

Persist.

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

Goodness.

“I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won’t presume to probe into the faults of others.”

“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.”

Truth

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”

Development.

“Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.”

Ten Soul Reminders for Vibrant Children

2011-08-04T08:41:00.000-07:00

by: Annie Burnside, M.Ed.

Ten soul reminders and activities to infuse greater spiritual awareness into the home.

Ideally, beyond the basic physical offerings, the greatest gift parents can offer their children is to be a clear mirror for them as conscious, spirit-embodied beings that reflect back to them wholeness, self-love, joy, appreciation, empowerment, passion, truth, vibrancy and overall well-being in every interaction. Because many parents are on the path to self-realization themselves, simultaneous spiritual development and self-exploration, where parents and children mirror each other, seems the best available option in our current times.

The following ten soul reminders and activities are written in kid-speak, in the hopes that families can embrace them together to infuse greater spiritual awareness into the home on a daily basis:

It’s Really Soul-to-Soul
It’s not really parent to child, doctor to patient or neighbor-to-neighbor. Move beyond roles and experience a larger perspective of others.
Activity: Look into the eyes of someone and feel their presence beyond what you normally notice. The eyes are the windows of the soul. Through the heart, give them permission to be themselves fully.

Trust Your Vibes
Humans are energy beings first and foremost. Like a radio receiver, begin to sense energy on the front end and move in the direction of joy, freedom, ease, flow and uplift as much as possible with all choices.
Activity: Write down what a good vibe feels like for you. Write down what a bad vibe feels like. Share.

Your Body Is Awesome
The human body is very much connected to the mind and spirit. Create a deep and ongoing relationship with all aspects of your body through acknowledgement and appreciation. Initiating self-healing is always the first step in recovery.
Activity: Choose a body part and talk to it in your imagination with love and gratitude for all that it does for you on a daily basis.

Everything Depends on Perspective
The piano or the key; the tree or the leaf; the sugar or the cake; the ocean or the wave—your perspective depends on where your attention is focused. All perspectives are valid, and multiple perspectives share the same space.
Activity: Create a few more analogies to exemplify perspective.

Oneness Rocks
The Divine Paradox invites peace to prosper in an “and/both” understanding rather than in an “either/or mentality.” Individuation and Oneness is one of the greatest of paradoxes, but they can be found in all life experiences.
Activity: What could you do for another to exemplify your belief in Oneness?

Shine Your Light
The greatest gift to the world is the authenticity of each and every soul. The interior compass is the finest of treasures. Listen to the voice of your own soul.
Activity: What brings you joy? What makes your eyes sparkle? Create a “Love List” as fast as you can.

Ask for Help
The Universe has your back! Infinite guidance and support are available to all who ask for it. Choose to awaken to it and utilize it now.
Activity: Think about something that you desire help with right now, and ask your soul, God, angels and/or spirit guides for assistance. Let the Universe know on a daily basis that you are available, open and ready for an ongoing relationship with Spirit.

The Power of Soul Time
The interior world is just as real and valuable as the exterior one. It is extremely important to balance the two with equal amounts of attention, acknowledgement and appreciation.
Activity: Write down your favorite place for quiet soul time.

You Are a Powerful Creator
Thoughts, words, deeds, priorities, beliefs and states of being create reality. Become accountable for your energetic offerings—both input and output. We are responsible for our own lives.
Activity: Name one area in your life where you could offer more positive, joyous, appreciative energy.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!
Gratitude is a high vibration. More than simply saying thank you to be polite, feeling gratitude changes everything.
Activity: Hold an “Appreciation Blitz” in your imagination by appreciating as much as possible everything you can think of in your life right now.

Greater intimacy with our own soul will change our world. There is so much more occurring in our multidimensional reality than most people realize, but we are being called right now in 2011 to go deeper and wider in the breadth and scope of our perspectives and perceptions. The world awaits our authenticity, our joy and our love.

If I had my life to live over again. Erma Bombeck

2011-08-01T06:50:00.000-07:00

If I had my life to live over...

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television, and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

There would have been more “I love you’s.” More “I’m sorry’s.”

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute… look at it and really see it… live it… and never give it back.

Stop sweating the small stuff. Don’t worry about who doesn’t like you, who has more, or who’s doing what.

Instead, let’s cherish the relationships we have with those who DO love us.

Let’s think about what the universe blessed us with.

And what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally, as well as spiritually.

Life is too short to let it pass you by.

We only have one shot at this and then it’s gone.

I hope you all have a blessed day.

Erma Bombeck

One of life's most important lessons

2011-07-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

Whatever happens around you, don't take it personally. Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves.

Don Miguel Ruiz

Hitting rock bottom

2011-07-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life. - J.K. Rowling

Fire of love

2011-07-12T15:18:00.000-07:00

The day will come when, after harnessing space, the winds, the tides, gravitation, we shall harness for God the energies of love. And, on that day, for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Practice Peace

2011-07-12T10:46:00.001-07:00

“Every day brings a choice: to practice stress or to practice peace.”

Joan Borysenko

AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

2011-06-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

Be Thankful
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.
Author Unknown

1. “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” — Albert Schweitzer

2. “You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.” — G. K. Chesterton

3. “No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks”. — Unknown

4. “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” — Marcel Proust

5. “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” — Epictetus

6. “You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.” — Sarah Ban Breathnach

7. “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” — Thornton Wilder

8. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein

9. “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” — William Arthur Ward

10. “Take full account of the excellencies which you possess, and in gratitude remember how you would hanker after them, if you had them not.” — Marcus Aurelius

11. “Real life isn’t always going to be perfect or go our way, but the recurring acknowledgement of what is working in our lives can help us not only to survive but surmount our difficulties.” — Sarah Ban Breathnach

12. “We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” — Cynthia Ozick

13. “Can you see the holiness in those things you take for granted–a paved road or a washing machine? If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” — Rabbi Harold Kushner

14. “We can be thankful to a friend for a few acres or a little money; and yet for the freedom and command of the whole earth, and for the great benefits of our being, our life, health, and reason, we look upon ourselves as under no obligation.” — Marcus Annaeus Seneca

15. “When we become more fully aware that our success is due in large measure to the loyalty, helpfulness, and encouragement we have received from others, our desire grows to pass on similar gifts. Gratitude spurs us on to prove ourselves worthy of what others have done for us. The spirit of gratitude is a powerful energizer.” — Wilferd A. Peterson

16. “Whatever our individual troubles and challenges may be, it’s important to pause every now and then to appreciate all that we have, on every level. We need to literally “count our blessings,” give thanks for them, allow ourselves to enjoy them, and relish the experience of prosperity we already have.” — Shakti Gawain

17. “Thou that has given so much to me,
Give one thing more–a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if thy blessings had spare days;
But such a heart, whose pulse may be
Thy praise.”
– George Herbert

18. “(Some people) have a wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder, and even ecstasy.” — A.H. Maslow

19. “If the only prayer you say in your life is thank you, that would suffice.” — Meister Eckhart

20. “Find the good and praise it.” — Alex Haley

21. “Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot.” — The Hausa of Nigeria

22. “What if you gave someone a gift, and they neglected to thank you for it-would you be likely to give them another? Life is the same way. In order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer, you must truly appreciate what you already have.” — Ralph Marston

23. “Happiness is itself a kind of gratitude.” — Joseph Wood Krutch

24. “The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.” — Henry Miller

25. “There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.” — Ralph H. Blum

26. “Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy — because we will always want to have something else or something more.” — Brother David Steindl-Rast

27. “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.” — Denis Waitley

28. “As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily. The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world. ” — Adabella Radici

29. “For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

30. “Grace isn’t a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It’s a way to live. ” — Attributed to Jacqueline Winspear

31. “When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them.” — Chinese Proverb

32. “Only a stomach that rarely feels hungry scorns common things.” — Horace

33. “But the value of gratitude does not consist solely in getting you more blessings in the future. Without gratitude you cannot long keep from dissatisfied thought regarding things as they are.” — Wallace Wattles

34. “Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.” — Author Unknown

35. “If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” — Rabbi Harold Kushner

36. “Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.” — Albert Schweitzer

37. “God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “thank you?” — William A. Ward

38. “Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic.” — John Henry Jowett

39. “Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life.” — Christiane Northrup

40.”The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.” — Richard Bach

41. “Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes of which all men have some.” — Charles Dickens

42. “Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend… when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present — love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure — the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth.” –Sarah Ban Breathnach

43. “Whenever we are appreciative, we are filled with a sense of well-being and swept up by the feeling of joy.” — M.J. Ryan

44. “Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.” –Doris Day

45. “Many people who order their lives rightly in all other ways are kept in poverty by their lack of gratitude.” — Wallace Wattles

46. “Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” — Buddha

47. “Two kinds of gratitude: The sudden kind we feel for what we take; the larger kind we feel for what we give.” — Edwin Arlington Robinson

48. “There is a law of gratitude, and it is . . . the natural principle that action and reaction are always equal and in opposite directions. The grateful outreaching of your mind in thankful praise to supreme intelligence is a liberation or expenditure of force. It cannot fail to reach that to which it is addressed, and the reaction is an instantaneous movement toward you.” — Wally Wattles

49. “Gratitude should not be just a reaction to getting what you want, but an all-the-time gratitude, the kind where you notice the little things and where you constantly look for the good, even in unpleasant situations. Start bringing gratitude to your experiences, instead of waiting for a positive experience in order to feel grateful.” — Marelisa Fábrega

Never too late

2011-05-26T07:42:00.000-07:00

It's never too late to become what you might have been.

George Elliot

The time of your life

2011-05-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

Don't keep thinking of what happened yesterday and what is going to happen tomorrow. Live in the moment and every situation will seem like the time of your life.

Swamiji Paramahamsa Nithyanada

Finding your true purpose

2011-05-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

by Eckhart Tolle

For anyone who has risen above the level of mere survival in day to day life, the sense of purpose and meaning become important. The less gripped you are by the need to survive – or simply the perception that you need to survive – you are free, spiritually and psychologically speaking, to pursue purpose and even to be led by it.

Take a quick moment to evaluate your life on the basis of these descriptions:

Do you feel consumed by the demands of your job or schoolwork (or both)?

Does it seem at the end of each day that you have been running a race of time, frantically trying to do everything on some mental list of required accomplishments?

Do you suffer from stress of any kind on a regular basis?

Do you feel that you and your life are stagnant, the opposite of frantic running, wallowing instead in inaction, boredom, despair, negativity or depression?

Or, if you have said no to all the above, do you feel that your life lacks a sense of meaning and purpose, that you don't know how to find it?

If any of these descriptions apply to you, then consciously or unconsciously, something is blocking your connection to meaning and purpose. That something is most likely you.

It may be that you are still living in survival mode (which may be true if any of the first four descriptions applied to you). If this is the case, then it is very important that you take a good look at your priorities in life. Spend several days pondering this question all through the day: "What am I making most important in my day right now?" You may be very surprised by what you find. Be honest with yourself and write down what you learn. Notice also how you feel about these most important things you fill your days with. How satisfying and fulfilling are they? How many unnecessary activities are unsatisfying to you? Take special note of those. They are the activities you can drop altogether. As you do, you will free up time and inner space from which you can begin to contact and develop your sense of purpose.

Your true purpose already exists, that's the good news. You do not have to create it and it's not a matter of choosing it. Purpose is something you discover within yourself in the space of stillness. This is the only way you can find it, in your own stillness, not in a book or a workshop or in the analysis of your dreams. You must go within and be with yourself in stillness and there you will discover the purpose that has been waiting for you all along.

Next week we will explore the difference between inner purpose and outer purpose. Take this opportunity until then to be a detective of your own life, doing the practice described above.

Obstacles to mindfulness and how to overcome them

2011-05-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

This is a contribution by Henri Junttila.

“Peace of mind is not the absence of conflict from life, but the ability to cope with it.” ~Unknown

Mindfulness has allowed me to become more aware of my thoughts and reach a sense of inner peace.
As my awareness has increased, so has the peace and joy in my life. The more familiar I have become with the inner workings of my mind, the better I have started to feel.
I came onto the path of mindfulness, meditation, and spirituality when I was 16 years old. I saw the TV-series Ed where the main character started experimenting with lucid dreaming.
That got me interested, and that is where my journey started. It hasn’t been an easy journey by any means, but I’m nearing a decade on this path, and I don’t regret it for a moment.
I’ve been through a lot of challenges, such as going through brief spurts of depression. I’ve felt like I wasn’t good enough, and that life wouldn’t work out the way I wanted it to.
In every one of these cases I let my thoughts run wild. I started focusing on the negative instead of on the positive, and I think many people have the same tendency.
So there have been both ups and downs, but in the end they have all been there for a reason. And with each “bad period,” I’ve learned more and more about myself.
I’ve learned more about what works and what doesn’t, and they have all been blessings in disguise.
I have wanted to give up many times, but I’m glad that I kept going.
Truly living in the present moment isn’t easy, but it is highly rewarding. The best way to move forward on your own path to “here and now” is to understand the potential obstacles and plan in advance how you’ll deal with them.

1. Mindfulness takes ongoing effort.

Mindfulness takes a lot of work, but the good news is that the longer you practice, the easier it gets, and the more joyful your life becomes.
At first, your thoughts will be in chaos, and everything will seem out of control. Your situation will feel helpless, but the more you focus on being fully where you are, the easier it will be to find peace of mind in the moment.
Mindfulness is best practiced throughout your day. It’s not just for when you sit down and meditate. Focus on being mindful of your thoughts when you’re doing everyday tasks and it will be easier to remain mindful when things get tough.

2. There will always be distractions.

When you’re on your journey to becoming more mindful, it seems as if the universe starts throwing stuff at you just to give you challenges.
The distractions could be problems in your life, drama in your relationships, or old negative beliefs popping up from your past.
These are great opportunities to practice present moment awareness. They will help you become stronger, better, and more in tune with yourself. The problems and challenges we face are teachers in disguise.
They are there to help you grow and to realize who you truly are.

3. Progress doesn’t always come quickly.

Progress may seem excruciatingly slow. There will be times when you attach to things and situations that you want, which will make it difficult to be fully in the present moment. It’s impossible to be mindful when you’re dwelling on the past or obsessing about the future.
We all do those things sometimes. I’ve experienced it countless times in my own life. The more I want something, the more I fixate on not having it and wanting to get it.
Once I release the attachment and focus on being grateful for what I have in the moment, my life seems to shift, and progress seems to happen naturally.

4. You may want to give up.

Like with any worthwhile journey, you will feel like giving up and throwing in the towel multiple times.
But it is during the times when you feel most frustrated that you are often on the verge of a breakthrough.
Our lives are very similar to the seasons. We go through cold, dark winters, and joyful, expanding summers. It all comes and goes. It’s the ebb and flow of life.
When you realize that the challenging times are there to help you grow, you will automatically feel more peaceful and relaxed.

5. Your goals may challenge your mindfulness.

Having goals is fantastic, essential even, but when you become overly attached to them, something bad happens, just like we talked about above.
You know that you’re too attached to something when you start feeling frustrated, angry, and negative.
Attachment muddles our clarity. You’re likely pursuing your goals because you believe they will make you happy. Remember that when you start letting your goals pull you into a stressful state of mind. If you focus on the good things around you, you’ll feel that happiness that you think you need to chase.
This will make you much happier in the long term, and, of course, right now.

6. You might forget that the journey is the destination.

Most people miss the fact that the reward is in the journey. Have you ever noticed that when you reach a goal, it’s not as exciting as you thought it would be?
Sure, it feels great to hit a milestone, but if you do not replace that goal with another one, you will soon find yourself feeling unfulfilled.
That’s because we are goal-seeking mechanisms. Humans need goals so they can have a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
It is in the journey that we learn, grow, and become better. When you’re practicing mindfulness, remember that there is nowhere to arrive at. If you focus on what is going on right now, the rest take care of itself.

7. Sometimes you’ll want to be anywhere but in the now.

Even the most enlightened masters on earth have to deal with difficult situations and chaotic thoughts. The difference is they have learned to accept the moment for what it is.
When you do this, you become the guardian of your inner space, which is the only way to feel good inside and find peace of mind, right now.

Forgiveness

2011-05-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love.

In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.

Robert Muller

Let go

2011-05-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.

Lao Tzu

Changed perception

2011-05-13T11:46:00.001-07:00

Every thought you have makes up some segment of the world you see. It is with your thoughts, then, that we must work, if your perception of the world is to be changed.

A Course in Miracles

Positive thoughts

2011-05-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a defeatist or negative thought. Since we create through thought, we need to concentrate very strongly on positive thoughts. If you think you can't do something, you can't. But if you think you can, you may be surprised to discover that you can. It is important that our thoughts be constantly for the best that could happen in a situation -- for the good things we would like to see happen.

Peace Pilgrim

Great days

2011-05-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

There are two great days in a person’s life—the day we are born and the day we discover why.

William Barclay

Fighting vs. peace

2011-05-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

I've spent the day thinking about Tolle's question, "Do you want to be right or do you want to be peaceful." It's amazing how some times I want to be right so much that I will suffer the consequences and let my ego take over. Sometimes the only way I can stop it is to ask myself if being right will make me feel more positive about myself or will it hurt me. Rarely do I find that being right outweighs the benefits of feeling at peace. If I'm fighting hard to be right, I'm fighting. Even if I've won the war, the victory is never sweet. Consistently I will try to choose to be more at peace.

Right or Peace

2011-05-10T12:46:00.001-07:00

Do you want to be right or do you want to be peaceful? Eckhart Tolle

Irritation

2011-05-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.

Carl Gustav Jung

Going home

2010-10-16T12:45:00.001-07:00

Does one really have to fret about enlightenment? No matter what road I travel, I’m going home.

Shinsho

Awareness

2010-10-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

Be attentive with the awareness that does not think.

Zen Master

Want what you get at this moment

2010-08-20T15:30:00.001-07:00

When you drop your expectations that a person, a situation, a place, or an object should fulfill you, it's easier to be present in this moment because you're no longer looking to the next one. Most people want to get what they want, whereas the secret is to want what you get at this moment.

Eckhart Tolle

Psychotherapy

2010-08-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

There is nothing wrong with psychoanalysis or finding out about your past as long as you don't confuse knowing about yourself with knowing yourself. Whatever you learn through psychoanalysis or self observation is about you. It is not you. It is content, not essence. Going beyond the ego means stepping out of its content. Knowing yourself is being yourself, and being yourself is ceasing to identify with content.

Most people define themselves through the content of their lives. Whatever you perceive, experience, do, think, or feel is content. Content is what absorbs most people's attention entirely, and it is what they identify with. When you think or say, “my life,” you are not referring to the life that you are but with the life that you have, or seem to have. You are referring to content – your age, health, relationships, finances, work and living situation, as well as your mental-emotional state. The inner and outer circumstances of your life, your past and your future, all belong to the realm of content – as do events, that is to say, anything that happens.

What is there other than content? That which enables the content to be – the inner space of consciousness. This is what psychotherapy should focus on.

A good psychotherapist would ask these kinds of questions of you:

What is your relationship with the present moment?

Is the Now a means to an end?

Is the Now a way to achieve something or get something in the future?

Or is the Now an end in itself?

Do you see the Now as an obstacle?

Are you making it into an enemy?

What is your relationship with Life itself?

These questions will unmask your ego and bring its unconscious activities into the light of day. Remember: the present moment is all you ever have, and life is inseparable from the Now. To the extent that you are living in the past or future, you are not living and you will not feel fulfilled and happy.

How do you go beyond a dysfunctional relationship with the present moment? The most important thing is to see it in yourself, in your thoughts and actions. In the moment of seeing, of noticing that your relationship with the Now is dysfunctional, you are present. The seeing is the arising Presence. The moment you see the dysfunction, it begins to dissolve. Some people laugh out loud when they see this. With the seeing comes the power of choice – the choice of saying yes to the Now, of making it into your friend.

Mindfulness

2010-08-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn't more complicated that that.It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it.

Sylvia Boorstein

Ego

2010-08-03T11:42:00.001-07:00

Don't take the ego too seriously.

Eckhart Tolle

Refuge from imagination

2010-07-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

The present is the only refuge from imagination.

Robert Earl Burton

Tolerance and patience

2010-06-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

Insofar as the destructive effects of anger and hateful thoughts are concerned, one cannot get protection from wealth nor education. The only factor that can give protection from the destructive effects of anger and hatred is the practice of tolerance and patience.

The Dalai Lama

Negative emotions

2010-05-13T07:58:00.001-07:00

The strangest and most fantastic fact about negative emotions is that people actually worship them.

P.D. Ouspensky

Seeing

2010-05-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

We do not see things as they are. We see them as we are.

The Talmud

Prisoner

2010-04-30T09:44:00.001-07:00

A person does not have to be behind bars to be a prisoner. People can be prisoners of their own concepts and ideas. They can be slaves to their own selves.
Maharaji

Presence awakened

2010-04-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

It is only by grounding our awareness in the living sensation of our bodies that the "I Am," our real presence, can awaken.

G.I. Gurdieff

Perception of the world

2010-04-22T17:54:00.001-07:00

Every thought you have makes up some segment of the world you see. It is with your thoughts, then, that we must work, if your perception of the world is to be changed.

A Course in Miracles

Thoughts of health and happiness

2010-04-18T09:19:00.001-07:00

Since you alone are responsible for your thoughts, only you can change them. You will want to change them when you realize that each thought creates according to its own nature. Remember that the law works at all times and that you are always demonstrating according to the kind of thoughts you habitually entertain. Therefore, start now to think only those thoughts that will bring you health and happiness.

Paramahansa Yogananda

Philosophy is kindness

2010-04-15T17:06:00.000-07:00

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

Dalai Lama

Peace of mind

2010-04-10T10:10:00.001-07:00

In the final analysis, the hope of every person is simply peace of mind.

Dalai Lama

Meditation

2010-04-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

Whenever you step out of the noise of thinking, that is meditation, and a different state of consciousness arises.

Eckhart Tolle

Opportunity to heal

2010-04-08T08:06:00.001-07:00

Every situation, properly perceived, becomes an opportunity to heal.

A Course in Miracles

True self

2010-04-06T05:41:00.000-07:00

When the ego dies, your own true self, which has been dormant in slumber, will be resurrected. Not necessarily all at once with a big noble transformation, no. It will happen many times in small measures, again and again. Many resurrections. And they will lead, in time, to a real and grounded transformation of your consciousness, one that will never leave you.

Eckhart Tolle

Real life

2010-04-05T20:09:00.000-07:00

The unique personality which is the real life in me, I can not gain unless I search for the real life, the spiritual quality, in others. I am myself spiritually dead unless I reach out to the fine quality dormant in others. For it is only with the god enthroned in the innermost shrine of the other, that the god hidden in me, will consent to appear.

Felix Adler: An Ethical Philosophy of Life

Easter

2010-04-04T12:07:00.001-07:00

Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there.

Clarence W. Hall

Religion

2010-04-02T08:45:00.001-07:00

Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.

Gilbert K. Chesterton

Persistent intuition

2010-04-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

The smallest flower is a thought, a life answering to some feature of the Great Whole, of whom they have a persistent intuition.

Honore De Balzac

Vital awareness

2010-03-31T07:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes people get the mistaken notion that spirituality is a separate department of life, the penthouse of existence. But rightly understood, it is a vital awareness that pervades all realms of our being.

David Steindl-Rast

Earth

2010-03-26T05:55:00.001-07:00

The Earth does not belong to man; Man belongs to the Earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.

Chief Seattle

Inner security

2010-03-25T15:20:00.001-07:00

A human being is a part of the whole, called by us, "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.

Albert Einstein

Soulful person

2010-03-25T14:46:00.001-07:00

To be a soulful person means to go against all the pervasive, prove-yourself values of our culture and instead treasure what is unique and internal and valuable in yourself and your own personal evolution.

Jean Shinoda Bolen

Strictly following

2010-03-24T05:16:00.000-07:00

If a man would follow, today, the teachings of the Old Testament, he would be a criminal. If he would follow strictly the teachings of the New, he would be insane.

Robert Green Ingersoll

Peaceful revolution

2010-03-23T07:29:00.001-07:00

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.

John F. Kennedy

Truth

2010-03-20T08:25:00.001-07:00

In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth.

Mahatma Gandhi

Fear and belief

2010-03-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

Do not fear- only believe. All things are possible to him that believes.

attributed to Jesus Christ

Read, learn, do

2010-03-18T08:25:00.000-07:00

Read as much as you can, discarding negative or disturbing information. Learn by doing, and the Goddess and God will bless you with all that you truly need.

Scott Cunningham

Power of the mind

2010-03-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

The mind has exactly the same power as the hands; not merely to grasp the world, but to change it.

Colin Wilson

Agnosticism

2010-03-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

I do not consider it an insult, but rather a compliment to be called an agnostic. I do not pretend to know where many ignorant men are sure -- that is all that agnosticism means.

Clarence Darrow ~ Scopes trial, Dayton, Tennessee, July 13, 1925

Kindness

2010-03-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

My religion is kindness.

The Dalai Lama

Laughing God

2010-03-13T15:52:00.000-08:00

If your God is not a laughing God, change religions, for Christ's sake.

Eliezer Sobel

Intelligence and God

2010-03-13T07:37:00.000-08:00

I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.

Galileo Galilei

Miracle on earth

2010-03-12T06:40:00.000-08:00

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child -- our own two eyes. All is a miracle.

Thich Nhat Hanh:

Courageous dreaming

2010-03-11T06:43:00.000-08:00

The nature of the cosmos is such that whatever vision you have about yourself and the world will become reality. As soon as you awaken to the power you have, you begin to flex the muscles of your courage.

Then you can dream bravely: letting go of your limiting beliefs and pushing past your fears. You can start to come up with a truly original dream that germinates in your soul and bears fruit in your life.

Alberto Villoldo

Dysfunctional mind

2010-03-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

Your mind is an instrument, a tool. It is there to be used for a specific task, and when the task is completed, you lay it down. As it is, I would say about 80 to 90 percent of most people's thinking is not only repetitive and useless, but because of its dysfunctional and often negative nature, much of it is also harmful. Observe your mind and you will find this to be true. It causes a serious leakage of vital energy.

Eckhart Tolle

Creation

2010-03-09T06:45:00.001-08:00

To recover a spiritual tradition in which creation, and the study of creation, matters would be to inaugurate new possibilities between spirituality and science that would shape the paradigms for culture, its institution, and its people.

Matthew Fox

Change

2010-03-08T06:00:00.001-08:00

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.

Alan Cohen

Successful day

2010-03-06T10:13:00.000-08:00

If I have been of service, if I have glimpsed more of the nature and essence of ultimate good, if I am inspired to reach wider horizons of thought and action, if I am at peace with myself, it has been a successful day.

Alex Noble

Acceptance

2010-03-05T06:18:00.000-08:00

Conversion for me was not a Damascus Road experience. I slowly moved into an intellectual acceptance of what my intuition had always known.

Madeleine L'Engle

Creator

2010-03-04T07:16:00.001-08:00

Man has been endowed with reason, with the power to create, so that he can add to what he's been given. But up to now he hasn't been a creator, only a destroyer. Forests keep disappearing, rivers dry up, wild life's become extinct, the climate's ruined and the land grows poorer and uglier every day.

Anton Chekhov

Life deeply lived

2010-03-03T07:14:00.000-08:00

The personal life deeply lived always expands into truths beyond itself.

Anais Nin

One religion

2010-03-02T06:07:00.001-08:00

I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit.

Kahlil Gibran

Holy curiosity

2010-03-01T07:14:00.000-08:00

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.

Albert Einstein

The vital awareness

2010-02-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

Happiness

2010-02-26T06:12:00.001-08:00

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.

Denis Waitley

Spiritual life

2010-02-25T06:23:00.000-08:00

Energy conveys to us the idea of motion and activity. Inside a living organism we see a source of power, which by some manner is released in terms of movement.... Life is energy... it is the creator or initiator of movement change, development. We are different from moment to moment because the life principle is at work with us.... The spirit of humanity, like the forces of nature, and like the physical life, is at bottom energy.... Spiritual life, therefore, is just as much a development out of what has gone before in the evolutionary process as physical life is; which means that the origin of spiritual life is from within.

John Dietrich

Real life

2010-02-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

Come alive

2010-02-23T07:34:00.000-08:00

Wherever we may come alive, that is the area in which we are spiritual.

David Steindl-Rast:

The mysterious

2010-02-19T06:35:00.001-08:00

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.

Albert Einstein

Internal growth

2010-02-18T05:32:00.001-08:00

The demands of internal growth are incomparably more important to us...than the need for any external expansion of our power.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

When one is happy

2010-02-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

This much is certain: when a man is happy, happy to the core and root of beatitude, he is no longer conscious of himself or anything else.

Meister Eckhart Quote

Rooted in self

2010-02-15T07:01:00.001-08:00

To be present here is to be rooted in yourself, in being. It's to feel that subtle sense of aliveness. There's absolutely nothing to work out in your mind; it's too simple.

Eckhart Tolle

Who is your neighbor?

2010-02-14T10:15:00.001-08:00

Love your neighbor, but who is your neighbor. Your neighbor is the one who is sent to you from the Divine. Your neighbor can be one who is a total stranger to you from afar. Your neighbor can be someone living close to you. But what is true is that your neighbor is one of the Light who needs your support as much as you need his.

Transform

2010-02-12T18:58:00.001-08:00

You are the beginning of the transformed world.

Eckhart Tolle

A collective disease

2010-02-12T07:52:00.001-08:00

Compulsive thinking has become a collective disease.

Eckhart Tolle

Simple as that

2010-02-11T15:30:00.001-08:00

God is a metaphor for that which trancends all levels of intellectual thought. It's as simple as that.

Joseph Campbell

Being alive

2010-02-09T07:51:00.001-08:00

I don't believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.

Joseph Campbell

Wrong thoughts

2010-02-08T06:25:00.000-08:00

Wrong thoughts are inside us just because we identify ourselves with these thoughts. If we identify with something else, immediately they have to leave us.”

- Sri Chinmoy

The greatest of these is love

2010-02-07T19:50:00.000-08:00

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Jesus and Buddha

2010-02-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

Jesus: Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, “Friend, let me take the speck out of your eye,” when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You, hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

Buddha: The faults of others are easier to see than one’s own; the faults of others are easily seen, for they are sifted like chaff, but one’s own faults are hard to see. This is like the cheat who hides his dice and shows the dice of his opponent, calling attention to the other’s shortcomings, continually thinking of accusing him.

Remorse

2010-02-05T09:27:00.001-08:00

Chronic remorse, as all the moralists are agreed, is a most undesirable sentiment. If you have behaved badly, repent, make what amends you can and address yourself to the task of behaving better next time. On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.

-- Aldous Leonard Huxley

War inside ourselves

2010-02-04T06:34:00.001-08:00

We used to wonder where war lived, what it was that made it so vile. And now we realize that we know where it lives...inside ourselves.

~Albert Camus

Sacrifice

2010-02-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

The sacrifice which causes sorrow to the doer of the sacrifice is no sacrifice. Real sacrifice lightens the mind of the doer and gives him a sense of peace and joy. The Buddha gave up the pleasures of life because they had become painful to him.

Mahatma Gandhi

Calm mind

2010-02-01T07:14:00.000-08:00

When you meditate, what you actually do is to enter into a calm or still, silent mind. We have to be fully aware of the arrival and attack of thoughts. That is to say, we shall not allow any thought, divine or undivine, good or bad, to enter into our mind. Our mind should be absolutely silent. Then we have to go deep within; there we have to observe our real existence.

Sri Chinmoy

Let the universe shine

2010-01-28T07:04:00.001-08:00

The universe and the light of the stars come through me.

Rumi

Grace of God

2010-01-27T06:25:00.001-08:00

Do you want to enter paradise?
To walk the path of Truth
You need the grace of God.
We all face death in the end.
But on the way, be careful
Never to hurt a human heart!

Rumi

The universe

2010-01-26T06:29:00.000-08:00

There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle.

Deepak Chopra

Giving up a secret

2010-01-22T06:55:00.000-08:00

Anything will give up its secrets if you love it enough. Not only have I found that when I talk to the little flower or to the little peanut they will give up their secrets, but I have found that when I silently commune with people they give up their secrets also -- if you love them enough.

George Washington

Forgive

2010-01-21T18:52:00.000-08:00

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you.

Unknown

Limitations

2010-01-20T07:04:00.000-08:00

Argue for your limitations and sure enough they are yours.

Richard Bach

Gandhi on Christ

2010-01-19T13:30:00.001-08:00

I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.

Mahatma Gandhi

I have a dream

2010-01-18T13:27:00.000-08:00

I Have a Dream Speech (Full text)

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. *We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: "For Whites Only."* We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."²

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

Prayer to end poverty

2010-01-18T07:39:00.000-08:00

I dare to pray: Lord, let the world be changed,
For I long to see the end of poverty;

I dare to pray: Lord, let the rules be changed,
For I long to see our economic structures bring justice to the poor;

I dare to pray: Lord, let my life be changed,
For I long to bring hope where the Good News is needed.

In the strength of your spirit
And inspired by your compassion,
I make this promise to work for change,
And wait confidently for the day
When you make all things new
And those that weep will rejoice.

Peter Graystone

Haiti

2010-01-17T05:44:00.000-08:00

We pray for our brothers and sisters in Haiti and all those throughout the world suffering from poverty, war, and destruction.

Minneapolis Therapy and Marriage Counseling is making a donation to the Red Cross (Haiti) for each new fan of MTMC on facebook or follower on twitter.

Let go of fear

2010-01-15T06:28:00.001-08:00

The key to change is to let go of fear.

Roseanne Cash