In spite of the trivializing influence of romantic and sentimental views of love in Western culture, love is the strongest force in the universe. Only love can soften a hard heart. Only love can renew trust after it has been shattered. Only love can inspire acts of genuine self-sacrifice…

This is the first of two blogs I want to offer on love. Today we begin with the place of love in the universe (as astounding as that might sound!) and next month, we move from the cosmic to the personal when we will reflect on love in a human context.

One of the things that most of us who live some distance from the equator come to appreciate is the change of seasons. We may love one or two of them more than others, but we become used to the annual cycle of seasons…

I want to talk with you today about how we can nurture awakenings. But let's start with what an awakening is. I would describe it as an expansion of awareness that expresses itself through increased presence. The awareness that you will experience as you begin to awaken will be less clouded by thinking than anything you have previously known...

Awakening is an important spiritual metaphor, but it only becomes meaningful if we understand the state of spiritual sleep. And to really understand that, we need to be willing to acknowledge and engage the parts of us that resist awakening, even while other parts may desire it….

Interest in meditation has introduced many in the West to an extremely valuable spiritual practice – mindfulness. However, there is a closely related, but less well known, practice that I think is at least as important. I call it heartfulness.