Category Archives: Spirituality and Religion
The Bishop and Me
A poor Catholic girl goes to university and meets an eminent philosopher… her mind expands… she meets him later when he is a Bishop…what did she find? Continue reading
Sit with your anger, dive deep through pain
Some years ago now I sat with a spiritual community in trauma. Their spiritual leader was in disgrace from allegations of sexual impropriety. The hall that is normally full was half-empty, and of those attending, half were quietly weeping. The … Continue reading
Surrender: True, or False?
A question that vexes yogis – when is surrender true abandonment of the ego, and when is it only an ego-hijacking of spiritual aspiration? Let’s think about some examples of both…
Shivaratri
Shivaratri – the night of Shiva, the dark night of the moon when God makes his presence felt most strongly… ahh, don’t you feel it somewhere deep and intimate? Of course I want to stay up all night and welcome … Continue reading
The Heretic’s New Year
When it comes to making New Year’s resolutions, we could have a look first at the “me” that thinks it should improve. Continue reading
Christmas, Jesus, Yoga
Another Christmas… it is often represented by children’s faces glowing with wonder and anticipation as the presents start to pile up under the tree… followed soon by the predictable gripes about the commercialisation of Christmas. I don’t remember it exactly like that. … Continue reading
Farewell Fr Sweeney
I heard the other day that Father Kevin Sweeney had died. I would have liked to attend his funeral. He brought peace to my father’s troubled soul. He married me to my former husband. He gave me a job teaching, when I had … Continue reading
Meister Eckhart – On Poverty
God as “God” couldn’t satisfy the spirituality of a fly. This piece of Eckhart’s is the height of mystical attainment, from a 14th century Dominican monk. I transcribed it late last century. It is Sermon 87 ‘On the Poor in … Continue reading