The classical Greeks and many ancient cultures divided the world into four elements: fire, earth, water, air. Everything was thought to be composed of some combination of these four elements. The intersection of these four elements creates life. Today, we have other scientific models for the makeup of the universe. From molecules to atoms to …Read More
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Trust the Horse
While in Bolivia in my early twenties, my friends and I decided to visit a valley near Sucre. The guidebook suggested that the best way to see this valley was on horseback. While I remember the golden sunlight of morning turning into afternoon, a slight chill in the air, and the wide trickle of the …Read More
Group Magic: Sedona, AZ
“Certain things catch your eye, But pursue only those that capture your heart.” –Native American Saying I just completed a transformational workshop, co-teaching with my friend Suzanne Sculock-Durana in her annual New Year’s Retreat in Sedona, Arizona. In the “Release and Renewal” workshop, we honor the wisdom of the Native American Medicine Wheel and apply it …Read More
Dementia: Teacher of Presence
Guest Blog Post by Janis McCall: One of my greatest teachers about Presence has been in spending time with my Dad recently. He has Dementia and lives in a Care Home quite close by in a beautiful big Country Manor type building set in lovely grounds with ancient trees. He has always loved the countryside, …Read More
Finding Truth in the Present Moment
When I was 10 years old, I loved to watch Star Trek. I loved Spock. I loved logic and reason. “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” – Spock, Star Trek It just made sense. What’s up with these silly things we call emotions? It’s just not rational. Knowledge is power. …Read More
Three Kings’ Day, Gift of the Magi
Friday, January 6, 2017, is the 12th day of Christmas, also known as “Three Kings’ Day” or “The Feast of the Epiphany.” In many countries, this is the end of the Christmas season, and inspiration for the song “Twelve Days of Christmas.” The Magi were Wise Men who gave gifts to a Babe in a …Read More
Happy New Year 2017! New Blog 2017!
Happy New Year! What an elusive term, this present moment! It is gone almost as fast as we notice it. Staying in the moment requires a constant letting go of expectations and judgments, letting go of this moment as it fades into the past, and focusing on the ever-present and ever-changing NOW. This is the place …Read More
Storytelling in Southwest Florida: New Year, New Stories
What is a storyteller? Someone who tells a story? “Storytelling” is a word used in many different contexts, and hence confusion. We remember books read to us as a child, and often storytelling as “story-reading” is the only definition some have encountered. Sometimes, it is also applied to novelists, essayists, playwrights, and movie directors. In …Read More
Transmitting Food Culture
My childhood memories are filled with Jamaican Jerk Pork fresh from the barbecue pit on the beach, fried sweet plantains in the mornings, “mannish water” (a hot pepper soup served at weddings and gatherings), fresh coconuts from the roadside stall – chopped open right there so we can drink the cool refreshing water and then …Read More
Winter Solstice 2016
If you are reading this on Wednesday, December 21, 2016, in the Northern Hemisphere, you have just survived the longest night of the year. You have now entered the shortest day of the year, and the official start of winter. From here, the days will get longer. From all over the world, thousands will gather …Read More