We have all heard it before that the new year is a good time to begin again. It is traditionally the time of the year to resolve, to improve or add a situation or condition to our lives. But what if we entered this year differently? What if we entered this year with no expectations only willingness? Can you imagine a new year that was totally blank. It would have no past nor expectation of the future. How would it be if we entered this new year with the reality that each day we awoke with a blank notebook beside us and we could write our day? Think of the endless possibilities that would lay …

And so this is Christmas. The John Lennon song, Happy Christmas asks us, “What have we done?” I would rather ask, how can I be joyful and satisfied? The story of Christmas, the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus, the son of God, is filled with metaphors for life. This year I am personally drawn to the one of the shepherds in the fields. They were just watching their flocks in the night when an angel appeared to them. When they saw the angel, they were afraid. The angel then told them not to be afraid for they had great news to tell them. The angels brought news of the reminder of the…

This week begins celebrations of holy days of light. As we get closer to the first day of winter and the longest night of the year and our area is filled with darkness, the focus of many of our religious traditions will be that the light prevails. This Tuesday evening is the first night of Chanukah, the Jewish festival of lights. Then on Wednesday we have Winter Solstice, the celebration of the return of the Sun King. Finally on Sunday, we have Christmas day the Christian celebration of the birth of the one whom they believe to be the light of the world. Despite the different focuses all …

What do you do when you are feeling bad and you are supposed to be feeling good? There are so many factors that get in the way of us being our best self. There are things that get in the way of us just being a sociable human being. I am not speaking of the serious issues of clinical depression but the everyday issues of fatigue or especially this time of the year, a cold. Holiday season exacerbates the cold and flu one might normally experience during the change of seasons. The added pressure of shopping, decorating, and making plans to see relatives that one might usually try to avoid only …

One of the prominent symbols of this holiday season is an angel. So one may ask the question, “What are angels?” Or you may just smile when you see them or you may even simply ignore them. They are still there. These responses are symbolic of the relationship we all have with angels, moving from belief to disbelief and even avoidance. Angels have been powerful figures in the scriptures of the world religions in many different forms. Actually it is the Arch Angel Gabriel that appears most in an interactive level. He is said to be the messenger of the God. It was this angel that brought the …

As the Salvation Army bells are ringing out in front of every store these days, I am reminded of the concept of charity. What is this December gift giving season all about? Charity is a very spiritual concept. The act of charity is an act of love. It is an act of transformation for both parties. All the major faith traditions have some form of charity as a requirement for true spiritual growth. One of my favorites is the Jewish tikkun olam or 'repairing the world' that calls for us to act in the best interest of our neighbors and help heal the earth. Charity happens in this process. Islam has…

I love Thanksgiving. To me, it is a holiday without pressure and expectations. I am not the greatest cook in the world so my family isn't expecting anything extraordinary, besides, lucky for me and my family, my mother still does most of the holiday cooking. No, Thanksgiving isn't about the meal. Since my husband and I have a combination of six offspring (too old to call them children) and they have wonderful significant others, we have our family holiday football game planned. Since I am not is shape, no one has expectations on me to be an amazing player. No, Thanksgiving is not about the …

How often do we have any truly meaningful conversations with each other? I had the good fortune to have been speaking with a woman yesterday who gently and sincerely said that she really enjoyed our conversation and found it meaningful. She was the one doing all the talking, but while she shared she touched a very deep place within me. I was moved by her words and told her so. She is a Sikh woman who was sharing her beliefs with me from a extremely heart-centered perspective. This past week was the celebration of the birthday of the Sikh's founder and first guru, Guru Nanak Dev ji. In 1499 he…

This week marks the anniversary of the birth of a great prophet in human history. There have been many great prophets that have graced this planet. Whether or not a particular person believes in them or not, does not diminish the value of their work. If we look at history we can see that most of the prophets appeared at a time when humankind needed some support and uplifting. These brave souls answered the call. They reminded the world to seek an answer that transcended the circumstances that they found themselves in. In the year 1852, in a prison called the “black pit” in present day Tehran…

What is the fascination with Halloween? More and more it is developing into a national holiday. Despite having its roots in an ancient Celtic holiday, Samhain, there are only a handful of people who still celebrate the true holiday compared to the commercial boom that it has become. The holiday transcends the United States and even China takes part in the mix of jack o' lanterns and costumes. The true holiday is the Celtic New Year. Ancient beliefs say that it is on this night, the dead walk the earth again. It was later transformed into All-Hallows-Eve or All Souls' Day by the Catholic …

Which eyes do you use to perceive your world? Did you know that you even have a choice of which eyes to use? I am not speaking of a choice between right and left eyes. I am speaking of the eyes of perception that are available to you. This week hosts a special celebration that challenges perception, Diwali. Diwali is the festival of lights. Sometimes known as Deepavali, this Indian holiday is celebrated by Hindu, Jain and Sikh families all over the world. It is a celebration of victory of good over evil. What, you may say, does this have to do with perception and eyes? One of the many little …

Just a simple 90 minute drive upstate and one can enter a sacred location. It is the Chuang Yen Monastery run by the Buddhist Association of the United States. Members of the Half Hollow Hills community from Gathering of Light Multifaith Spiritual Fellowship took a trip up to this monastery this past week. Its 125 acres of land in Putnam County, New York house such magnificent wonders as the Great Buddha Hall which shelters the largest statue of the Buddha in North America. The grounds have many wonderful statues and huge bells and drums for diverse Buddhist celebrations. The Kuan Yin Hall is…

So the Jewish days of awe have come to a close. They were to be awesome opportunities for insight and growth. Following Yom Kippur one is called to transcend typical inclinations and to strive for greatness. The process required effort. The expectation is to have come out of the holiday changed. So, after being in synagogue for the whole day and after saying prayers all day long, what is different? Prayer is a means of self-inquiry, an instrument of change, talking to God, visiting your inner life, being connected to others, it’s a tuning into the Cosmos and those Higher Laws of mystery and …

Have you ever considered what motivates the great leaders of our day? Today Oct. 2 is the anniversary of the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. In light of this, I decided to re-watch the film Gandhi. I wanted to pay closer attention to Mohan Gandhi; the name of Gandhi before he was Mahatma. Mahatma means 'great soul'. Who was he before he became 'great soul'? Mohan was an attorney that went to Oxford University in England. He had no intention of being a 'spiritual' leader, especially of India. Although he was born there, he spent many years in England. He considered himself a citizen of the empire …

Autumn is here and you can definitely feel the changes in the air. Fall also begins the Jewish New Year and the season of the High Holy Days; the first being Rosh Hashanah, which will begin at sun down on Wednesday evening. I have always been drawn to the passion and depth in the Jewish tradition. This time of year, it becomes more apparent than ever. Even Jews that do not necessarily practice their faith's traditions feel the inner pull of this season. Many will return to synagogue for services on these high holy days. The synagogues are alive with traditions of celebration and renewal. The …

When you are unsure of what you believe spiritually, what do you share with your children? I remember an incident that happened when my oldest son was about 10 years old. He saw in the newspaper an article about a group of people that believed that the world world end by the end of the week. He was just learning how newspapers let us know what is happening in the world and how they are a source of information. The article simply stated the beliefs of this group of people and did not add any commentary as to the validity of this claim. He never thought that the information was speculative. I …

We have arrived at the tenth anniversary of the 9/11. I can remember it as if it was yesterday and I also have vague recollections. That time seemed so surrealistic that even as it were occurring I felt like it was unreal. Do you remember where you were? Can you recall how you felt? I was home and watched with disbelief as it was occurring. I had a bizarre inkling to look behind the television set to see if someone was playing a sick joke by broadcasting a video to fool us. This was no candid camera, this was real and it was happening. Where was my family? My mind went to the inventory list, …

I have often heard it said to stay away from the belly of the beast. I never realized how close that beast was to me. It actually is my own belly. In the beginning of July, I wrote a piece on spiritual journeys with tips for making your travels this summer a richer experience. In it, I briefly mentioned my trip to Turkey. My recent trip to Turkey was my first experience in a predominately Muslim country. I mentioned how I was moved by the spirituality I experienced on that trip. My return was just three weeks before the celebration of the holy month of Ramadan. I felt called to join my Muslim…

One of the hardest things in life is acceptance, yet it is the only way to live fully and completely. Acceptance is an acknowledgement of the moment as it is. It does not mean defeat or regret. It simply means what is. Life has its own terms and that means that everyone has their own interpretation of what is happening in every given situation. Unless I accept life on life's terms, which means I cannot know everything, then I cannot be happy.I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes. This idea of …

Spiritual tips can heighten your summer enjoyment, if you chose to implement them. So the spiritual tip I would like to suggest for this week is the second agreement from the book, "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz. Don't take anything personally. This may seem very simple but it is definitely not an easy task. It is a task that fits the phrase, “easier said than done.” Let's look at why this is so difficult a task that produces powerful results. First of all, everyone is living their own lives. I recently had a friend tell me that she raised her only son with the philosophy that she …