The Spirituality of the Ordinary
“Spirituality…is to be found and nurtured in the smallest of daily activities…The spirituality that feeds the soul and ultimately heals our psychological wounds may be found in those sacred objects that dress themselves in the accoutrements of the ordinary.”
–Thomas Moore (American Psychotherapist and Writer, 1940-)
“Care of the Soul : A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life” (Thomas Moore)
A Question About Brains
“In proportion to our body mass, our brain is three times as large as that of our nearest relatives. This huge organ is dangerous and painful to give birth to, expensive to build and, in a resting human, uses about 20 per cent of the body’s energy even though it is just 2 per cent of the body’s weight. There must be some reason for all this evolutionary expense.”
–Susan Blackmore (English Writer, Lecturer and Broadcaster, 1951-)
Knowing What We Want
“Man never knows what he wants; he aspires to penetrate mysteries and as soon as he has, he wants to reestablish them. Ignorance irritates him and knowledge cloys.”
–Henri-Frédéric Amiel (Swiss Philosopher, Writer and Poet, 1821-1881 )
“Amiel’s Journal: The Journal Intime of Henri-Frédéric Amiel” (Henri Frédéric Amiel)
Experiencing and Forgetting
“Next to the hunger to experience a thing, men have no stronger hunger than to forget.”
–Hermann Hesse (German-born Swiss Novelist, Poet and, in 1946, Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, 1877-1962)
Energy Consciousness
“A transcendent energy consciousness informs the whole world and informs you.”
–Joseph Campbell (American Writer, Editor and Mythologist, 1904-1987)
Transcendence
“Transcendence is nothing more than learning to accept the contraindications of life without resistance.”
–Stuart Wilde (English-born Author, Lecturer and Humorist 1946-)
Unleashing Your Potential
“Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be.”
–Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German Poet, Playwright and Philosopher, 1749-1832)
Freedom From Attachment
“Consciousness means freedom from attachment. You realize that the only thing you have to do it to keep yourself really straight, and then do whatever you do.”
–Ram Dass (a.k.a. Richard Alpert, American Spiritual Teacher, Author and Lecturer, 1931-)
Building Resilience
“It is not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed…. Great necessities call out great virtues.”
–Abigail Adams (American First Lady, 1744-1818)
Reflecting Magic and Beauty
“The appearance of things change according to the emotions, and thus we see magic and beauty in them, while the magic and beauty are really in ourselves.”
–Kahlil Gibran (Lebanese Poet and Philosopher, 1883-1931)
