Beliefs and success – are they connected? How much do your expectations influence your ideas about success? And where do those deeply-held beliefs originate? Our friend and colleague, Julie Diamond, has written extensively about these issues, and we would like to share the following article, which originally appeared on her site. One day, early in […] Read more “Beliefs and Success: What Box Did You Crawl Out Of?”
Beliefs and Success: What Box Did You Crawl Out Of?
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Estimated: 1 minute to read
Thich Nhat Hanh
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Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is a global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist, revered around the world for his powerful teachings and best selling writings. This quote got such a strong positive response when we posted it on Tumblr, that we wanted to share with you too. People have a hard time letting go […] Read more “Thich Nhat Hanh”
The Long Haul
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The following is an excerpt from a recently published article by Rami Henrich, that can be found in Elizabeth Sheff’s book, Stories from the Polycule: Real Life in Polyamorous Families. The first of its kind, this anthology collects stories and essays written by and about real people living in “polycules”: the networks between people in […] Read more “The Long Haul”
A New Polyamory Book: Stories from the Polycule
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Estimated: 6 minutes to read
We are pleased to announce that our friend and associate, sociologist and researcher, Dr. Elisabeth Sheff has just published her newest book, Stories from the Polycule: Real Life in Polyamorous Families. The first of its kind, this anthology collects stories and essays written by and about real people living in “polycules”: the networks between people in polyamorous […] Read more “A New Polyamory Book: Stories from the Polycule”
Everyone Has Bias
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No one is immune from bias, not even us therapists! Everyone has bias. Therapist bias takes many forms, especially with regards to clients’ sexuality, gender, erotic orientation, etc… Bias ranges from misinformed opinions about BDSM to confusing polyamory with infidelity to other subtle perceptions, beliefs and attitudes. Bias is a part of us all and […] Read more “Everyone Has Bias”
Unconditional
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Estimated: 4 minutes to read
One of our readers was inspired to send us the poem below, Unconditional, by Jennifer Welwood. Her website offers an insight into her work, “Jennifer was propelled onto the spiritual path at the age of 15 by the sudden and unexpected death of a close friend, which catalyzed a profound recognition of impermanence and a yearning […] Read more “Unconditional”
Therapist Bias
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Estimated: 2 minutes to read
by Cindy Trawinski, Psy.D. & Rami Henrich, LCSW Bias influences all of us — even therapists. In fact, one 2011 study indicates that as many as 50% of clients identifying as polyamorous had seen therapists that they felt lacked cultural competency or were biased. Meanwhile, a 2006 study by Drs. Keely Kolmes, Wendy Stock, and […] Read more “Therapist Bias”
Discovering Optimism
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Estimated: 3 minutes to read
For some scientists, happiness is best defined as “subjective well-being”. In other words, it’s relative to the individual and their experience. From this perspective, happiness is different for each of us. In the Happiness Advantage, author, Shawn Achor, notes that, “happiness implies a positive mood in the present and a positive outlook on the future.” […] Read more “Discovering Optimism”
Meditation on Weathering
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Estimated: 2 minutes to read
Weathering My face catches the wind from the snow line and flushes with a flush that will never wholly settle. Well, that was a metropolitan vanity, wanting to look young forever, to pass. I was never a pre-Raphaelite beauty and only pretty enough to be seen with a man who wanted to be seen with […] Read more “Meditation on Weathering”
Impermanence
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Estimated: 2 minutes to read
Pema Chodron, in her book entitled Comfortable with Uncertainty (2002), writes: “Nothing in its essence is one way or the other. All around us the wind, the fire, the earth, the water, are always taking on different qualities: they’re like magicians. We also change like the weather. We ebb and flow like the tides, we […] Read more “Impermanence”
We Are One
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Recently, as a way to express his gratitude for deep and vulnerable sharing in a group, a friend of mine spoke these words, in the Lakota language “Mitakuye Oyasin,” meaning “we are all related,” or similarly understood as “we are one.” The effect it had on me was visceral and profound. As I had been […] Read more “We Are One”
Thanksgiving Meditation
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Estimated: 4 minutes to read
The holiday season is a time to reflect on the people, experiences, privileges and events for which we can be thankful. I discovered this mindfulness meditation in Mark Nepo’s The Book of Awakening. It reminds me that the whole of existence is a miracle. May it bring you a sense of connection, gratitude and appreciation. […] Read more “Thanksgiving Meditation”
Am I a Marginalizer?
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What do you think of when you hear the word marginalization? People living in poverty, persons of color, those who do not share fully in the privileges some of us are enjoying these days? I would say yes to all of the above, and would include a list that would be broader and more inclusive […] Read more “Am I a Marginalizer?”
Wild Geese
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Estimated: 3 minutes to read
As individuals we often hold ourselves back from our changing nature believing we shouldn’t be who we are becoming. A passing awareness of the crispness of the air, or the crunch of dry grass, the changing colors of trees along our way give us a chance to recognize that change is natural and happening all […] Read more “Wild Geese”
My New Companions — Curiosity & Fear
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Why should you befriend experiences and things that you are afraid of? Things that unnerve you, disgust you or freak you out? A week ago, I had a moment when my curiosity overcame my fear and I started to reflect on how curiosity can help us overcome inner as well as outer fears. Curiosity is […] Read more “My New Companions — Curiosity & Fear”
The Beginning of the End of Loneliness
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Estimated: 4 minutes to read
Loneliness is a condition that all of us experience at some point in our lives. We often think loneliness is brought on by external situations – a loss of a relationship or marriage, a death of a friend or family member, job loss or career change. It’s easy to acknowledge feelings of loneliness when one […] Read more “The Beginning of the End of Loneliness”
Loss and Sacred Connection
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Estimated: 4 minutes to read
I experienced a deep and unexpected sense of connection recently when my childhood friend, Heather, passed away this year. She was 41 years old and died from breast cancer. I had not seen Heather in over 20 years, but because we live in the age of the internet and Facebook (digital connectedness or virtual connectedness), […] Read more “Loss and Sacred Connection”
Power: Is There More in Me?
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Estimated: 3 minutes to read
In her blog on leadership, my friend and colleague, Julie Diamond, poses this challenging set of questions for leaders: “Are you using your power fully, in the way you want to, to create the worlds you want to create? Are you using this opportunity to do amazing things, to be creative, to make your team […] Read more “Power: Is There More in Me?”
Meeting Difference – Our Conflict with Contact
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“Otherness, taken seriously, always invites transformation, calling us not only to new facts and theories and values but also to new ways of living our lives – and that is the most daunting threat of all.” Today, I came across this quote about the quintessential dilemma that difference and diversity pose, from sociologist and renowned […] Read more “Meeting Difference – Our Conflict with Contact”
Creative Process — Moments Between
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“The moment in between what you once were and who you are now becoming, is where the dance of life really takes place.” This quote from Barbara de Angelis describes the edge between our ordinary identities and perceptions, and the places inside ourselves where we step into something new and yet to be. How […] Read more “Creative Process — Moments Between”