Befriending the Dark
Until relatively recently, homo sapiens lived more in sync with the rhythms of nature. We had no other choice but to befriend the dark. Sure, we had fires and candles to offer some light at night, but nothing compared with the artificially illuminated world we have...
When Sacred Becomes Spectacle
During this season of Halloween, let’s take a moment to pause. Like many of you, I grew up with the traditional Halloween celebration. But it always felt odd to me. Maybe I was just an unusually introspective kid but it all seemed so random. We buy a costume we will...
Deepen our Relationship with Nature
The equinox is an important time, especially for those of us who want to deepen our relationship with nature. It’s a time of pausing, of reflection, of feeling into what is happening around us, not just with the humans but with the non-human world too. How is it for...
“Where are all the good people?”
“Where are all the good people who are supposed to stop this from happening?” This is the heart wrenching question asked by Joan Meyer shortly before she died. The 98-year-old co-owner of a Kansas newspaper died after local police raided her home and seized her...
Buddhism Meets Activism: A powerful combination
The day of remembrance of the honorable Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. seems like a good time to deeply consider what it means to be an advocate for peace and justice, and how mindfulness and activism intersect. Dr. King was a friend and collaborator of one of my...
Trans Kids: Let’s develop compassion
America is awash in culture wars. It can feel dizzying as we hear the narratives being weaponized to push people towards one 'side' or another-especially when it comes to vulnerable populations like trans kids. Almost nowhere do we see people cultivating compassion or...
Dreams of Ukraine and of Freedom
The year was 1992, less than a year after the fall of the Soviet Union. I was a college student on Semester at Sea, a program that took students around the world stopping in 11 different countries along the way. One of the stops was Odessa, Ukraine and it would be our...
End-Stage Capitalism vs. The Divine Feminine
Friends, I hope this finds you well. I’ve been very quiet for the past year, in part due to an accident which left me unable to walk for almost 3 months. Those of you who know me well and know much I love to move my body know how challenging this was. I had a lot of...
How Thich Nhat Hanh Changed My Life by Encouraging a Vegan Diet
As I grieve the loss (or 'continuation' as he would say) of my beautiful teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, I remember the huge shift he catalyzed in my life. I had read a few of his books before being lucky enough to get a spot at one of his in-person retreats in 2010. I had...
Fierce Kindness, Social Justice and Interconnection
I turned on the trial of the murder of George Floyd just as medical expert Dr. Martin Tobin was testifying. Two consecutive frames of the video were playing over and over, showing the exact moment that George Floyd died on the pavement in Minneapolis. Life Goes Out...
Befriend Water, Receive Gifts
Water is Life I am one of the 'ladies from Massachusetts' referenced in this brilliant article about my new friend (and Earth warrior) Kristin Hissong. She inspired me to write my version of our heartwarming encounter on a remote, deserted beach on Hatteras Island....
Hope is a Verb: Engaged action in troubled times
What an intense time to be alive. I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well. I have so much to say about what is happening in the world right now. But first and foremost I want to share some resources with you to help navigate the turmoil. There are some voices...
Winter Solstice Blessings
The darkest day in what has felt to many like a very dark year is upon us. A rare celestial event will also happen on this Winter Solstice on December 21: Jupiter and Saturn haven't been seen this close together since the year 1226. In reality these planets are...
Superman is Not Coming. Get in the game.
Friends, I know many of you are tired, struggling, trying to navigate this new world as best you can when almost everything has been upended. However, the world is re-configuring around us and all caring people who have even a tiny bit of bandwidth need to GET IN THE...
Lessons From Dreamtime: Our Fates are Intertwined
Location: Dreamtime, last night. I was walking across a busy street in Boston with lots of other people, coming back from a laundromat (I actually used a laundromat for many years of my life) carrying a load of whites, all clean and packed neatly in a pillowcase. I...
From Unraveling to Great Awakening
Throughout human history, most periods of great awakening follow periods of great unrest. We are now in a period of great unrest. We must pay attention and see clearly how we got here. We can not carry on with business as usual if we want to create a better world. If...
Unexpected Bouts of Crankiness
Are your reserves of calm feeling a bit depleted? Do you find yourself more reactive than usual, or even downright crabby? You're not alone! (and please make sure to read to the bottom for a new opportunity to get to the root of the crankiness and access something...
Tough Love from Mother Earth
Healing our relationship with the natural world must be viewed as a foundational priority if we have any chance of solving all the other problems we face as a species. Literally nothing else matters if we run out of clean air to...
Fierce Love is What’s Required
As we humans continue to pause and regroup, there is a lot of talk about how to find solutions to our problems. If we look for solutions ONLY in science and technology, we will inevitably worsen our situation. We need to simultaneously look into our our hearts for...
Covid19: Opportunity in the Crisis
Opportunity in the Crisis We find ourselves in the shockingly unexpected position of having shifted into a new world paradigm overnight. The old ways have been upended. Although uncertainty can be uncomfortable, even terrifying, there is also opportunity. Sometimes...
About Erin
Erin believes that narrow boxes are for shoes and not for people and she hopes you'll join her tribe on the mindful path to freedom!
