Relationships

Consciousness/Thriving
Making Peace with Death & Dying

Do You Know the 6 People in Your Marriage?

Have you ever noticed that you and your partner keep having essentially the same fight over and over again? No matter what the topic, whenever you get into an argument, does it always seems to  turn out the same way? That’s usually because…
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Celebrating Oneness in Diversity

Do you and your partner frequently battle over who is "right" and who is "wrong?" If so, battles will be won, but a war will rage on. Right/wrong thinking makes a relationship an ongoing power struggle. It is the territory of two ego personalities…
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When Loved Ones Aren’t Very Loving

Do you dread gathering with your family and friends for holidays, weddings, funerals and other events? Or have you been blessed with a truly loving and nurturing family? Dysfunctional childhood and family dynamics have a way resurfacing and…
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3 Truths: Mine, Yours, and Empirical Reality

Two of the biggest mistakes we make in figuring out what is going on in our lives are:   to assume that our perceptions of reality match empirical reality.    to assume that anyone who disagrees with us is simply…
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When a Difference of Opinion Threatens a Friendship

What happens when you have a significant difference of opinion with someone you care deeply about? How do you evaluate what is going on? How do you treat each other? What kind of outcome can you expect? 20/20 hindsight gives us a much…
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Love: Lighting Each Other Up Inside

  Years ago, I remember being disturbed by my spiritual teacher, John-Roger, describing love as activating or stimulating that place inside of each other where love resides. It seemed so unromantic. I had been raised to believe in the…
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When Your Partner Becomes a Stranger

Sometimes, seemingly out of left field, your partner becomes someone you don’t recognize. An invisible line gets crossed and you find yourself being treated like his or her enemy or someone they are disinterested in rather than as their cherished…

The Ultimate Wedding Ring Exchange

The exchange of wedding rings typically occurs immediately after the sharing of wedding vows. It is a symbolic ritual in which marriage partners place a ring on their partner’s finger to create a physical reminder of the sacred vows they…
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Who Pushes Your Buttons?

We all have sensitivities to the behaviors of others and it can be helpful to look below the surface of that dynamic. Our automatic response is generally to blame and judge the other person and then to attempt to get them to change their behavior.…
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Getting Divorced? What Can You Do For Your Children?

Divorce and what leads up to it are not tidy and polite affairs.  The children who bear witness to the demise of their parents’ marriage inevitably get wounded – some very deeply and invisibly at first.   No matter how old a child is…