“When nothing is sure…”

“When nothing is sure, everything is possible.”
– Margaret Drabble (1939-) English Novelist
I think it is interesting that most of us do not think this way. We want to “know” what is going to happen. It is uncomfortable when we do not have a clear direction or answer. I wonder if this is an American [...]

“The mediocre teacher….”

The mediocre teacher tells.
The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.– William Arthur Ward

I think we have all had different kinds of teachers in our lives. I thought it would be interesting to share a positive learning experience. Please offer your stories in a comment.

“The ideal society of the Taoists was….”

“The ideal society of the Taoists was cooperative, not acquisitive.”
- Joseph Needham

Number thirty-four

Today the corresponding Tao Te Ching reading is #34:
The Great Tao flows everywhere, both to the left and to the right.
The ten thousand things depend upon it, it holds nothing back.
It fulfills its purpose silently and makes no claim.
It nourishes the ten thousand things,
And yet is not their lord.
It has no aim; it is very [...]

“It’s better to…”

“It’s better to light a candle
than to curse the darkness.”

– Chinese proverb

“Whenever we touch nature we get clean….”

“Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a bath in the sea. They shake off the fetters and allow nature to touch them. It can be done within or without. Entering the unconscious, entering yourself through dreams, is touching [...]

“Live from your heart…”

Teabags are so informative. Yesterday my lemon ginger teabag tag said “Live from your heart, you will be most effective.”
This teabag fortune was right on, especially after taking a 2 weekend class with Pat Allen, a well known art therapist. Having a clear enough heart to “live from” is important. I spent much of my time in the [...]

“Apathy can be overcome…”

Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm, and enthusiasm can be aroused
by two things: first, an idea which takes the imagination by storm;
and second, a definite, intelligible plan for carrying that idea into
action.” — Arnold Toynbee (1889-1975)
Sometimes I feel frozen. This advice is helpful for today! I am balancing a new way, which makes room for [...]

“A childlike man is not a man…

“A childlike man is not a man whose development has been arrested; on
the contrary, he is a man who has given himself a chance of
continuing to develop long after most adults have muffled themselves
in the cocoon of middle aged habit and convention.”– Aldous Huxley
I had a reaction to this quote when I first read it. [...]

“we all get report cards…”

We all get report cards in many different ways, but the real
excitement of what you’re doing is in the doing of it.
It’s not what you’re gonna get in the end – it’s not the final curtain – it’s really in the doing it, and loving what I’m doing.”  
– Designer Ralph Lauren