Does evil exist? — Like most people currently watching the news I am struck by the evil acts of conscious cruelty being meted out onto people of the Ukraine, especially in Mariupol and those who were surrounded and trapped under the steel works there, being starved out under Putins orders. …

The gift of confusion and chaos — When it feels like you might drown in the waves that wash over you again and again. When it feels that those same waves will shake your footing so that you are swept away. When it feels as if the world is going crazy (it is) and nothing can be…

One summer’s day — I remember one of those long, too hot summer days around 1985. We have been out playing in the garden all afternoon, getting hotter and slightly muddy too. I have two little boys whose bedtime is near, and I have put them both in a bath to cool down. Splashing…

The purpose of life is to be happy A tiny tree seed that lands upon a small rock surrounded by water has very little room to grow, so it grows as best it can — a natural bonsai — and looks very beautiful, perhaps even more so than a tree…

A path to healing and freedom — Although the inner child is not an obvious spiritual dimension, it is part of our healing towards spiritual integrity. Our childhood is our foundation for adult life and certainly in my case also the early glimmerings of a spiritual consciousness or awareness that no one was able to interpret or…

How to act spiritually but positively. — I meditate for peace, both internal as well as external, almost every day. Peace and gratitude are my two most active meditations. I will continue to do this, of course, to maintain my own equilibrium. But I now also recognise it is not enough. I love this life, this moment…

A seasonal joy — We just walked back indoors from our customary saunter around our garden together just while we wait for our mid morning drinks to cool slightly. We’ve been to visit our woodland garden. It occurred to me how mindful this annual ritual has become. Snowdrops en masse are a feature of…

Finding peace in the everyday — There is a wonderful story told from the Buddha’s day about the woman at the well that has resonated with me ever since I heard it. The Buddha was teaching every day, sitting under the shade of some trees in a wonderful park. Nearby was a well where the people…

What is it about us Humans? — What is the ego? It crops up in so many chapters here and it deserves its own space for exploration since it is a crucial part of the spiritual journey. I first came across the concept of ego when I was studying developmental psychology and Freudian theory was included. It…