Articles

The death of Osama bin Laden has unleashed a torrent of discussion in the United States. And, I’m sure, in other countries too.

John Cali

The discussion, at least what I’ve seen and heard, ranges from reasonably polite and civil to venomously angry and hateful.

Those on one end of the spectrum are somewhat willing allow others their opinions and beliefs. Not so on the other end. There it’s “We’re right and they’re wrong!”

So what are “right” and “wrong”?

Since I’m still in the midst of making major changes to our website, newsletter, etc.,… Read more

I recently saw a great Richard Bach quotation: “Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself.”

John Cali

Here’s the full quotation, taken from Richard’s book, Messiah’s Handbook:

“Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. Being true to anyone else or anything else is not only impossible, but the mark of a fake messiah.”

Or, as Shakespeare had Polonius say in Hamlet, “This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”… Read more

As I mentioned to you last week, I’m making changes in my spiritual work.

John Cali

When I was younger I often had a hard time with change. Eventually I realized, short of dying, there was no way I could avoid change in this lifetime.

Last week when I was faced with having to make major changes in my work, I was upset about it for a few hours. (The details are not important, but those changes will soon be obvious to you.)… Read more

A couple weeks ago I read an interesting article on the various causes of cancer.

John Cali

The article had a long list of the usual “suspects.” These included smoking, unhealthy diet, obesity, polluted air, sun exposure, family history, genetic susceptibility, etc. Ironically, the list also included drugs used to treat cancer. A case of the cure being worse than the disease?

What struck me about the article was it mentioned nothing about stress, which many professionals, traditional and nontraditional, have said is often the primary underlying cause of illness.… Read more

I’ve come to the conclusion that time is not always needed to heal our wounds.

John Cali

As you might imagine, many of Spirit’s and my conversations with folks center around healing, especially physical healing. Does it take a lot of time to heal our bodies? Not always.

My busier-than-usual schedule from last week has continued into this week. So we’ve decided to re-run an article on healing from 2003. The experience I talk about in that article was a profound awakening for me, in a good way.… Read more

I took that title from a comment Spirit made several years ago.

John Cali

Folks we talk with are often terrified of what people might think of them if they follow their hearts. Spirit’s invariable response is “The opinions of others do not matter.”

That’s a hard one for most people to accept.

Since I have a busier-than-usual schedule this month we’re repeating the article in which Spirit made that comment. It was a great refresher and reminder for me. I trust it will be for you too.… Read more

I recently read a great article by Ed & Deb Shapiro called Are You a Spiritual Window Shopper?

John Cali

The Miriam-Webster Dictionary’s definition of “window-shop” is “to look at the displays in retail store windows without going inside the stores to make purchases.”

The term has taken on a new slant these days with so many people wanting to know who they are and why they’re here. There are plenty of spiritual teachers out there, many of them excellent. And some wanting to convince us their way is the only way.… Read more

Jean Horn, another of our dear friends, recently posted an article she wrote on our Spirit Forum. It’s a thought-provoking piece called “From Inside Creation We Peek Out.”

John Cali

One of Jean’s comments was particularly powerful for me:

“One cannot look within the mirror and hate oneself, for in doing so we hate all things. The pain we feel is the separation from that which we truly are.” (Emphasis is mine.)

Here’s part of my reply to Jean:

“Separation from ourselves is the source of all pain.… Read more

One day many years ago, as I was getting off an airplane from a long cross-country flight, the stewardess (they called them that back then) at the exit door bid me a friendly goodbye. Our eyes met and locked for just a few seconds.

John Cali

There was nothing sexual about the encounter. But for those few seconds I was riveted by her beautiful blue eyes. It was an exhilarating experience, so memorable I can still see her across all the years.… Read more

A little over five years ago my sister Christine’s husband Dick died at a relatively young age, after a ten-year struggle with a devastating disease.

John Cali

Dick and Christine were happily married for 26 years. Dick, a warm, caring man, was a beloved family member. He was like a brother to me. As you’d expect, everyone was sad and there was the usual grieving.

But even at the funeral, instead of focusing on Dick’s illness and death, we talked about his life, the wonderful memories over so many years, all the happiness he and Christine had found together.… Read more

What’s your story? What’s the story you tell about yourself and your life?

John Cali

How closely do you pay attention to your story? What do you say about yourself and your life — to others, but most importantly, to yourself?

The past few years I’ve made a concentrated effort to watch my words — and also to listen closely to the words of others.

For example, at the post office I overheard a conversation between two men who obviously knew each other.… Read more

John Cali

I’ve been away from home going on two weeks now, and it’s been an unexpectedly busy time. Not everything went as planned. So I’ve written this week’s article without Spirit. They’ll return next week.

Have you ever told yourself things always work out for you, knowing in your gut it’s true? Even when you could not see “the light at the end of the tunnel?” Or do you usually expect the worst?

It’s been only in recent years that I’ve consistently believed things always work out.… Read more

How many times has someone told you to follow your heart? When I was younger I would get that advice often. But I didn’t always heed it.

Here’s Spirit.
Spirit

How often do you seek advice or guidance from others when you know perfectly well the best path for you to follow?

We see nothing wrong with seeking help from others when you need it. After all, you’re all in this together, as you say. You live in your small and large communities.… Read more

Many of us celebrate every January 1, exactly one month ago today, as a brand-new beginning.
John Cali

We didn’t want to talk about this topic around January 1 because of all the celebrations and distractions of the holidays. But now, from the hindsight of one month, it might be easier to focus on new beginnings.

Spirit and I have talked about this subject before. But nonetheless when January 1 comes around each year, we humans believe the day somehow confers upon us a chance to start over again, to have a brand-new beginning.… Read more

I read an article a couple weeks ago about a woman who’d killed herself. But before she did it she posted her intention on a social media network. This was a sad reminder of something Belgian writer Paul Carvel said: “Internet: absolute communication, absolute isolation.”
John Cali

This sad lady took an overdose of pills, as she said in her post. She also said she just wanted to say goodbye to her social media friends. Apparently not one of her roughly 1,500 online friends read her short note.… Read more

Spirit is always saying life should be fun — and you can always find joy in even the most awful experiences.

John Cali

People sometimes tell me it’s nearly impossible for them to find fun in life, especially with all the stresses of the modern world. And when they have challenging experiences, it’s hard to find much joy there.

Is that your experience? It was mine when I was younger. I’m not “perfect” yet, but I’ve succeeded in finding more fun and joy in my life as I move through the years.… Read more

Interesting title, isn’t it? Bet it got your attention.

John Cali

Many years ago I graduated from a Jesuit (Roman Catholic) college. Since I was thinking of becoming a Catholic priest, I had four years each of theology and philosophy. All of which I enjoyed. One of my favorite subjects was Saint Thomas Aquinas.

Thomas was born in Aquino, Sicily in 1225. He studied for the priesthood and was eventually ordained in the Dominican order. In a relatively short lifetime (49 years) he became a widely known and respected theologian and philosopher, rising to prominent positions in the Roman Catholic hierarchy.… Read more