All Blog Posts (564)

 Howard McQueen

It seems a very difficult thing,

this just noticing the mind

so possessively intertwined  

with our fearful, dark,

often hostile memories.

It may very well be,

that if you patiently wait and see,

what you will really encounter,

is no more than your covered over,

scared little boy or girl,

who, at the…

“Ashes to ashes and dust to dust.

Living we try – dying we must”.

Digging the soil with trowel in hand

Humbles and beckons me,

As only death can.

I am honored to perform this basic task.

I do not need distractive thoughts,

anxiety, philosophy or dread.

It is a simple and pure action to undertake.

I am grateful – saddened and awed by this friend’s passing.

His gentle kindness has filled my…

Sounds like a great thing going on down there in Asheville. Be nice to have something like that close to me in Plymouth, Mass. Guess I'll have to visit sometime!

As I sit here, our daughter Izabella, who is now 9 months old, is crawling around the living room looking for ways to pull her self up to standing.  Iza, as Shelby likes to call her, is such a wonderful gift.  Not only do we get to revel in her discovering everything for the first time, but we get to see her…

From Chapter 2 of The Selfward Facing Way ("Multiple Concepts, A Singular Wholeness"):

Something quite wonderful is occurring at this stage of our human story.  We are now developing a quantum understanding of reality, based on mathematical principles (and backed by discoveries in astronomy and molecular biology as well as other fields of natural science), to reflect and confirm what the greatest saints and sages…

Redistributable Under Creative Commons License (CCBY)

Notice: all former postings stored on Asheville Sangha that carry the (C) traditional Copyright notice are now converted to the CCBY license.

Originally posted / Version 1.0  October 21, 2012; Fernandina Beach, FL

Howard McQueen

All to often

I feel that

life

is

overwhelming me,

that my…

Eight years ago today, November 7, 2004, I had my first grand mal seizure and was diagnosed with epilepsy.  Interestingly enough, it was on the day that John Kerry conceded the presidential election to George Bush.  Though I was not a fan of Kerry, at that time I was strongly opposed to Bush.  When I learned the news I was very upset and went into the kitchen to tell my wife, Shelby, the bad news.  The next thing I remember I was sitting on our stairs with paramedics looking up at me and…

© 2012 Howard McQueen

Come to a full stop.

Bring your awareness and attention to your inner states of balance and harmony.

And, be honest with yourself.

What disturbances and conflicts are exacerbating your inner balance and harmony?

Once you identify these invasive thoughts and uncover their beliefs,

 recognize that they are your guests.

Perhaps they have extended their stay?

It’s a huge house you…

© 2012 Howard McQueen

Everything made of love

 and everything made of fear

 is alive,

 incubated and harbored in the human mind.

Ours is a journey of discernment,

 of recognizing where love has gone astray

 and escaped in the forms of anger,

 distrust, sadness, depression  …

Ours is both an inward journey,

 As well as an outward journey.

We may try to cloister ourselves from the external…

Something that has become undeniable to me, is the presence of a sacredness that is infused within all people and all things.

It is a sense of great beauty that fills my whole being with love. Ever since this sacredness made itself known to me, or any other words, ever since I realized I am this sacredness, or essence, or presence, a deep healing and restoration of true sanity began to take place.

There is a sense that every place of division inside myself is being…

Where do thoughts come from?  They seem to just appear out of the silence of our mind.  They come in the form of words predominantly, but also images.  No one else can hear them or see them, which makes them very private and personal.  For the most part they are purely unintentional and random, but we take this voice in the head to be the only authority on what’s true and what’s not.  Therefore, thoughts make up who we think we are and who we think the rest of the world is.



Are…

© 2012 Howard McQueen 

All the inner voices,

calling out for attention;

some of them advocating for discord.

And yet,

quietly,

patiently,

there is also a soft voice calling forth from a simple wholeness.

It is not the loudest.

It lacks the drama carried by the other voices.

And, yes, even when you clearly hear it,

you still sometimes clam up into a forced silence,

denying yourself your own…

Guardian Angels are thought to be spiritual beings that are "assigned" to assist people here on Earth in various ways. Whether there is one angel per person, one angel for several person or several angels for one person is open to question. But whether you believe in them or not, or whether you want one or not, believers insist that you do have a guardian angel. What is their assignment? According to "Encounters of the Angelic Kind" at Future365 (now defunct), "they intercept at many…

Spiritual well-being, and the role it plays in your life, is stronger than you may believe. The word "spiritual" refers to that core dimension of YOU - your innermost self. It provides you with that profound sense of who you are, where you came from, where you're going and how you might reach your goals. Spiritual wellness may mean different things to different people. For some, spirituality may be synonymous with traditional religion, while for others it relates primarily to the quality of…

Eternal flower



I was just sitting in silence when a voice started to speak: “Just look around dear one and tell me what you see”. I was surprised and I opened my eyes to see where the voice was coming from. I looked around and was facing t

Article reposted from: http://wp.me/p1iNwq-c9

Spiritual awakening is not always straightforward and well-paced.  Mine wasn’t.  That I am here at all caring for my family, working, able to express my experience,  speak with and inspire others, is to a large degree due to the healing work of Charlie Morris.   This does not mean the other supports,  incredible teachers, teachings and practices I have been blessed to receive are not also very…

© 2012 Howard McQueen

We are each on a journey,

 a journey into opportunities to uncover our courage,

 to encourage ourselves and others

 to look beyond and feel beyond the lenses of what we fear.

A journey to notice that when we contract in fear,

 we close like a beautiful flower

 and we deny ourselves of receiving life sustaining love

 and of giving life sustaining love.

A journey to notice that our…