Have you ever wondered why our best intentions and the ability to accomplish them seem to live in two different universes? We intend not to do something mean-spirited or otherwise self-defeating. Yet that is often just what we do. Then we ask, "What happened... how could we?" Yet, for all of our questioning, this mystery remains unsolved. See if the following insight doesn't shed much-needed...

When faced with any pain or grief -- past, present, or promised -- the first thing our lower nature, the "me mind," usually asks is: "What's to be done? Who can I speak to about it? What's the best way for me to handle it? Is there any way out?" And at the heart of these complaints, whether detected or not, is the me mind's favorite question: "Why does everything happen...?"

If our intuition can perceive that the peace we long for is inherent in this perfectly present moment we call the "Now," what is it that keep us from knowing the fulfillment of its promise within us? Let's look.

There is an unseen source of daily suffering that is the constant companion of humanity. It is in one respect one of the great driving forces behind the darkness that encompasses this planet -- the unremitting wars, the violence, the greed, the fear, the desperation -- all the things we see in the world around us...

More than a few times I've received letters from students wanting to know about certain strong feelings they've had concerning their wish to "fly" or otherwise levitate (in some way). Most of us have had a wish like this; let's look into it. The following thoughts are for anyone who has ever felt this longing, and especially for those who are confused by it...given the great contrast between...

The more you will step into the emptiness you fear, the sooner you will see that your immortal Self can never be empty any more than a sky without clouds is less than full.

It is no stretch of the imagination to say that many days most people wrestle with some form of discontentment about their lot in life. Add to this an equal if not greater amount of time spent searching for the solution they think will "cure" this confliction, and it might surprise us how pervasive runs this human pastime of trying to dodge these feelings of being discontent...

The universe is a work being continually perfected; though unseen, it is justice, compassion in action. Those who resist and resent what comes their way -- who fight with its unending waves that rock their contrived sense of reality -- are actually the ones who live without real choice. They must serve their struggle to resolve the sense of loss that comes each time the world changes without first having consulted them.

Do you ever feel like the world is closing in on you . . . that there is an absence of possibilities for you? How would you like the genuine power, in any moment, to literally be able to change the boundaries of your life? It is indeed true -- even if we don't recognize it yet -- that limitation and possibility coexist. We can look at any given moment and realize that what confines us in this...

Each of us grows physically without any real inner struggle on our part. Our bodies mature; we learn to tie our shoes, and dance, and do gymnastics. Social skills develop naturally. We grow in our mental abilities as well: we learn a new language, expand our knowledge to grasp a scientific theory, or learn a set of mathematical axioms. This, too, is natural. However, inwardly, emotionally for...

Sometimes the touch of Grace is sweet; sometimes it seems bitter, hard to bear; yet, whatever its measure, this much is true: it always strengthens those who will agree to stand in its Living Light, allowing it to reveal, and release them from what they've yet to realize is true about themselves.

When we don't understand our negative states, when we have yet to realize how they trick us into doing their bidding, they have the power to make us jump through hoops like circus animals. It's not a pretty picture in which to see ourselves, but we must not turn our eyes away from these truths that are self-evident. When we are dominated by any negativity, be it some consuming fear or heated a...