By Charles A. Francis “No one outside ourselves can rule us inwardly. When we know this, we become free.” ~ Buddha Many of us have painful memories that we would rather forget—a difficult childhood, painful relationship, or traumatic event. We usually find ways to avoid thinking about them, so we Read more…
By Charles A. Francis “There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.” ~ Buddha Have you ever wondered if there was a way you could speed up your spiritual growth? Well, there is: it’s the mindfulness meditation Read more…
By Charles A. Francis “Life is available only in the present moment.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh I’ve had people tell me that they’re not interested in becoming a guru: they just want to learn how to be happy. While this sentiment may sound humble, and noble, it is not practical. Read more…
By Charles A. Francis “The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment, and feeling truly alive.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh A while back, the BBC did a piece on the death of “purposeless walking.” Many Read more…
By Mary Sovran There are many reasons for low self-esteem. Most of them stem from a childhood of physical, or emotional abuse, or even abandonment. If you suffered from this type of childhood, low self-esteem is almost guaranteed because you didn’t get the validation and support you needed from adults Read more…
By Matt Abbasfard My journey in recovery from alcohol and drug abuse has been by no means a straight line. This is my third attempt to get clean, and there were times in my life when I never thought that recovery was possible. I’ve been to individual therapy, residential heroin Read more…
By Charles A. Francis ”Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” ~ Buddha Many people these days are starting a mindfulness meditation practice with great intentions and lots of enthusiasm. They’ve heard of the stress-reducing and other health benefits of the practice, and Read more…
By Charles A. Francis The rising popularity of mindfulness meditation in recent years has sparked a great deal of interest by the general population. As with any innovation, there are bound to be some misconceptions. Though mindfulness meditation is an ancient practice, it is relatively new to Westerners. Whenever I Read more…
By Charles A. Francis Helping other people on their spiritual journey is one of the most prominent qualities of an enlightened person. When you begin to see your interconnectedness with the rest of humanity, you will see the suffering in other people, and your compassion for them will naturally grow. Read more…
By Charles A. Francis Do you ever find it difficult to slow down your mind? For some of us, a racing mind is a serious problem. When we’re agitated, we have no control over our mind, and it becomes extremely difficult to meditate. An agitated mind leads to stress and Read more…