Posts by Maria Hill

What has happened to sharing? It seems we are all messed up on the topic. We have over-sharing, under-sharing, boundary violations that distort sharing, and all sorts of behavior that mucks up the possibilities of a natural way of community.  That may sound harsh; after all so many people get up every day despite all…

The Spite House: Photo by Nils Huenerfuerst on Unsplash Spite is a close cousin of anger and resentment. It is a combination of resentment and defiance which make our lives and the lives of others miserable. Spite and the feuds it creates have a long history and some hidden benefits. What Is Spite? According to Dictionary: a malicious, usually…

What is surrender? When you hear the word, do you cringe – even a little? Surrender is often associated with humiliation. Because war is central to how we too often view life, when we think surrender, we usually think of a defeat and a humiliation. We can too often be defeated even when we are…

Joy has many special and overlooked qualities and, as a practice, becomes a different kind of bold. Boldness and aggression have been joined at the hip for a long time. How often, when we are prodded to be bolder, is it about “getting out there” or “pushing the envelope?” How often are we asked whether…

We all carry baggage from the past. We can feel it in our energy. We know it is in our minds especially when we are ruminating on something we do not understand or something that has hurt us. Many of us work with meditations of various kinds and other exercises to release the burdensome feelings…

  Being useless feels awful. Being useful feels good, doesn’t it? It is nice to feel valued and know we are valued. It helps us to feel secure. It also means we are supported by others and welcome in the world. Is There A Stigma For Uselessness? As a highly sensitive person, I suspect that…

  Freedom is an important subject. It is something that we all yearn for and seek in some way. Freedom is also the subject of ideological and political mischievousness. We can easily get bogged down and messed up on this subject. What Is Freedom? According to Dictionary, freedom is: the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint. exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc. the power to determine action without restraint. political or national independence. personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery: a slave who bought his freedom. Notice…

Too often, we can get wrapped around the axle by problems, worries, and drama, all of which consume our time and energy and offer us little in return.  Wouldn’t it be great to change that? The truth is we can. Joy is not just a feeling. Joy is an intelligence, an anchor, a practice, a…