Category: Dharma Journal

Moods of a Mountain

12,000 foot Mt. Mazama, Giiwas in the indigenous Klamath language, erupted about 7,700 years ago. The activity ejected material outward from volcanic vents deep inside the lower portions of the mountain. The resulting void...

Badgers and Bulbs

I did not know badgers could run so fast. Of course, having never seen a badger running, how would I know? This one padded through the forest like it was on a mission, the...

Auspicious Signs

We just concluded a study of the text, “Waking Up from the Slumber of Ignorance,” when a flash of lightning brightened the sky outside our Dharma Center. As I drove home, I witnessed a...

Of All the Nerve!

Living in this moment we call a human body can be very challenging. With all the delights of sensory awareness, the physical vehicle can also feel wondrous discomfort. I am currently in the ‘shingles...

Listening to the Wind

On the Metolius River … The wind rises and swirls through the trees, causing them to sway like giant arms waving and reaching toward the heavens. This invisible energy whispers divine lessons one cannot...

Vitamin P

The other day I met at a cafe, in person, with a friend for tea/coffee. It was the first time in over a year. I have to say it felt a bit weird—in a...

Endings and Beginnings

My mother-in-law, Kitty (short for Katharine), passed away last Friday. Another life ends. Another life begins. One incarnation makes way for another. Those of us left behind will begin to live without Kitty, so...

Subtly Profound

The subtle wisdom of the desert speaks only to those who are willing to look beyond the obvious. Here at the Painted Hills, the obvious is the colorful multilayered hills. If one does not...

A Child’s Gift

Tarn and I often become informal naturalists, interpreting nature’s wisdom for the benefit of folks we randomly meet along the trail. Today we connect with a young family—mom, dad, and two youngsters. The children...

Flowering Wisdom

A profusion of white flowers growing along the highway entices us to pull over and investigate. The plant getting our attention is Sweet Coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus). It likes to grow where it can have...