Certain places are ripe for spiritual practice. Quiet rooms with low lighting and gorgeous altars. Spacious sanctuaries filled with devoted practitioners. Long ribbons of asphalt populated with speeding vehicles. Wait, what? Yup, that’s what I said. Everywhere is a...
Dear Meli, My wife and I recently met some new friends at a party. They are about our age and live nearby. They are kind, friendly, and fun to be around. There’s just one thing that I’ve been grappling with. They’re atheists. They don’t believe...
“Be nice.” “Be polite.” “Put others needs above your own.” As someone who was socialized as female in this society, messages like these were baked into my consciousness from the time I was small. This isn’t to say that all female people have these messages baked into...
Dear Meli, How important do you think consistency is? I ask because I have been practicing meditation for several decades now. However, I change my meditation practice quite often. Whenever I hear about a new form of meditation, I’m always intrigued and have to...
Dear Meli, One of the hardest things for me on the spiritual path is comparing myself to others. I seem to do it all the time: How I compare to others spiritually, how I compare to others in my physical fitness, how I compare to others in how much money I have....
Recently, Melissa and I went on a little trip. Okay, it was actually a big trip. For two and a half months, we lived in our van while we traveled around the country, doing inspirational talks and music at spiritual centers. It was a huge adventure, one that continues...