Author: Dana Young
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Give someone your attention (Advent Day 2)
Think about what it felt like when someone you know sat and really listened to you. What did it feel like to be heard and fully acknowledged? Today, on Day 2 of #24daysofgiving, give someone your full attention. Take the time to sit with a co-worker or loved one who needs to talk. The holidays…
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Give yourself 5 minutes (Advent Day 1)
You made it through a busy weekend of Thanksgiving eating and holiday shopping. And now, the countdown really begins. Burnout can take the joy out of your holiday celebration, so give yourself 5 minutes today. If you can give yourself this gift every day, it will help you give and live from your heart more fully the rest…
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24 days of giving
I have been giving some thought to how to take a more spiritually-centered approach to the holiday season. I love Christmas and gift-giving as much as anyone else, but the emphasis on consumerism feels more hollow and stressful each year. And I’ve think of those who are struggling financially, or in body, mind and spirit.…
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Blessing, releasing, forgiving
Recently, I had to let go of a very difficult relationship. Although I love this person very much, the relationship has always been unhealthy, causing pain and grief over the years. Even while limiting contact, I searched in vain for ways to “fix” things. I eventually realized that this relationship couldn’t be fixed. Sacrificing my…
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Not “if”, but “when”
Originally posted on Lil' Rev: Tonight I preached at our CAYA (come as you are) service, we call our service “New Song”. It was the first time this service was held outside and on our new concrete pad built in our garden for just this purpose. It was a beautiful evening and even though I…
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Alive to the self
My daughter is 6 years old, and it has taken me her entire lifespan to fully return to myself. Within hours of her birth, I had suffered a massive postpartum hemorrhage. This was not the near-death experience of white light and angelic voices. It was the terrifying experience of being trapped in my body experiencing…
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The wounded heart is the healer
“In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others.” ― Brennan Manning, Abba’s Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging I recently came…
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Today only
I recently held a workshop, where my students and I examined the Five Reiki Principles (sometimes called the Reiki Precepts) and discussed how we can find ways to apply them to our daily life and spiritual practice, During the workshop, I assigned a group exercise for the next 6 weeks. We are mindfully working with…
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Mikao Usui’s Legacy: Healing the World one Person at a Time
Originally posted on Simply Jikiden Reiki: "Reiki will conquer the world and heal its inhabitants as well as the Earth itself." Mikao Usui A lesson in limits for Jikiden Reiki practitioners Guest blog by Elaine Rainey At a recent UN High Level Meeting on Wellbeing and Happiness, discussion turned to how the concept of Gross National…
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Life is my monastery
Last night, my husband and I finished watching the beautiful documentary, Into Great Silence, an illuminating look at the lives of Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse monastery in the French Alps. The monks live a simple, ascetic spiritual life, devoted to prayer and silence, Scheduled times are intentionally set aside for walks, conversation and, in…
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