• Growth, Learning, & Letting Go of the Previous Rung on the Ladder
    May 7 2021

    Growth, Development, Education.

    Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, Thay.

    Learning requires Change, “Letting Go of Previous Rungs on a Ladder” Metaphor.

    Dualisms, Dichotomous Thinking: Liberal-Conservative Divisions, Political & Cultural Gaps, Divides.

    Letting Go, NonGrasping, Free of Concepts, Freedom from PreConceived Notions.

    (Music: Courtesy of Adrian Von Ziegler, “Your Dying Heart.” )

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    7 mins
  • Eco-Theology: What Did You Notice in Nature Today?
    May 6 2021

    EcoSpirituality, Eco-Spirituality, EcoTheology, Eco-Theology, Mother Earth Spirituality, Earth-centered Spirituality.

    Mindfulness, Awareness, & Presence in the Natural World, Nature as Teacher.

    Questions as the “Quest I On” from Laurence Boldt’s book Zen & the Art of Making a Living.

    The Value of Recognizing the Sacred – To Sacralize or Re-Sacralize, To ReSacralize.

    Spiritual Practices with Family, Friends, Loved Ones & Individual, Personal Spiritual Practices.

    Nurturing Curiosity, Mystery, Wonder, & Awe.

    (Music: Courtesy of Adrian Von Ziegler, “Your Dying Heart.” )

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    4 mins
  • Fierce Interdependence with Ruth Sawyer
    Apr 29 2021

    Children’s Literature, Ruth Sawyer’s book Old Con and Patrick, Reading Aloud with Children.

    Connecting Across Space & Time through Books, the Power of Reading.

    Storytelling & Story Reading, Ruth Sawyer’s book The Way of the Storyteller, Sacred Stories.

    Michael’s STORYTELLING WEBSITE.

    Podcast Series THE MINDFUL STORYTELLER.

    Podcast Series MICHAEL THE STORYTELLER TELLS TALES.

    Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, Interbeing, Inter-being, Fierce Interdependence.

    Elders, Ancestors, NonSeparateness.

    Connections, Deathlessness, Connecting Across the Chasms of Life & Death.

    (Music: Courtesy of Adrian Von Ziegler, “Your Dying Heart.” )

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    6 mins
  • When was G-d Speaking to You?
    Apr 28 2021

    Spiritual Practices, Sacred Moments, Childhood & Adolescent Memories.

    Elders – Dad William J. Malley, Uncle Dudley Mackin – Family Relationships.

    More Blood, Spirit, & Land Ancestors – Laurel & Hardy, Red Skelton, Jackie Gleason, Johnny Carson.

    Youngstown, Struthers, Ohio, Ministry of Lightness & Playfulness, Blue-Collar Buddhism.

    Questions, “Quest I On,” – from Laurence Boldt’s book Zen & the Art of Making a Living.

    Presence of G-d, God’s Presence, Re-Sacralizing our Lives.

    (Music: Courtesy of Adrian Von Ziegler, “Your Dying Heart.” )

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    8 mins
  • Embodied Theology 101
    Apr 20 2021

    Sacredness, Sacrality of the Body.

    Appreciation of the Senses – Taste, Touch, Smell, Sight, Hearing – Being in our Bodies.

    Mindfulness, Bodily Awareness of Sweat, Pain, Being, Physicality.

    Father Nathan D. Mitchell’s book Meeting Mystery: Liturgy, Worship, Sacraments.

    Mother Earth Spirituality, Buddhism, Christianity – Sacred Ground Community Church & Sangha.

    Eco-Theology, EcoTheology, Eco-Spirituality, EcoSpirituality.

    Embodied Theology, Embodied Spirituality.

    Gratitude for our Earthiness, our Earthy-ness.

    (Music: Courtesy of Adrian Von Ziegler, “Your Dying Heart.” )

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    8 mins
  • A Dream, My Sister, An Irish Folktale
    Apr 19 2021

    Multi-dimensional Meanings of an Irish Folktale, a Family Story, Sacred Texts, or any Tale – Multiple Meanings & Interpretations;

    MICHAEL’S STORYTELLING Website.

    The MINDFUL STORYTELLER Podcast Series.

    MICHAEL THE STORYTELLER TELLS TALES Podcast Series.

    Fr. William J. Bausch’s book STORYTELLING, IMAGINATION, & FAITH, Quote of Fr. Jake Empereur, “The purpose of storytelling…is to break the imperialism of the one-dimensional meaning.”

    Cheryl Sodeman, Dream Visions, Spirits, Dreaming of those who have Died.

    The Value of Stories, Dreams, & Our Connections with Loved Ones who have Passed On.

    (Music: Courtesy of Adrian Von Ziegler, “Your Dying Heart.” )

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    7 mins
  • Era-Centrism: Our Era-centric Worldviews
    Apr 13 2021

    Weaving the Past, Present, & Future Together.

    Harmful & Beneficial Seeds, Leaving Behind that which is Hurtful, Bringing Forward that which is Helpful & Worthy.

    NonDualism, Dichotomous, Dualistic Thinking.

    Culture Wars, Political Divides.

    Learning from History.

    Era-Centrism, Eracentrism, Era-Centric, Eracentric Worldviews.

    Point of View, Perspective, Allowing for Complexity.

    (Music: Courtesy of Adrian Von Ziegler, “Your Dying Heart.” )

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    8 mins
  • What is the Opposite of Happiness?
    Apr 12 2021

    Presence in this Moment, Holy Now, Mindfulness, Genuineness.

    Ministry of Lightness & Joy.

    Awareness of Nature, Friends, & Family.

    The Question as Quest-i-on, the “Quest I On” – Laurence Boldt.

    Buddhism, Thich Nhat Hanh, Conditions for Happiness.

    Direct Experience of Sacredness.

    (Music: Courtesy of Adrian Von Ziegler, “Your Dying Heart.” )

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    7 mins