Here’s Why — I’m a professional visual artist, and one of my most popular types of commissioned works is called “Tree Soul Portraits”. To create one of these, I sit down with a client for a 1–2 hour interview and a somatic meditation. …

Finding New Meaning in a Flawed Holiday and a Flawed Approach to Life — American culture caught up with my bullshit. For most of my life, I’ve been somebody who looks at the world through a critical lens, one that focuses on the flaws in our social systems- the exploitation, corruption, hypocrisy, hate. My main role model going into high school was Daria. …

And how these misconceptions hurt everyone with depression — Our culture wants to turn a blind eye to depression. We want to marginalize it, pushing people to the sides when they are experiencing it. We want to medicate it away, seeing it as something dysfunctional with no value, something that needs to be excised like a tumor. The truth…

A Short Travel Memoir About Broken Spirituality — I drove pretty far up Loy Butte Road, past some red rock sculptures, until I found what looked like an empty campsite, but upon pulling in, I realized there was a car to one side. In general, there’s some sort of tent or other sleeping structure, but this guy just…

And 4 ways it makes me and the world a better place — I am not a robot. Though I know this in my heart to be true, I am often called to make this affirmation to myself, usually by checking a box on a computer screen. Sometimes I proclaim it aloud, “I am not a robot!” …

#1. I Stopped Being Afraid of Aliens — Shortly after I began a practice of daily meditation, I began having profound experiences. At the risk of sounding like a weirdo to my family, friends, and acquaintances, I refer to the first year of my meditation practice as my “spiritual awakening”. I never had a goal to awaken. I…

Mission, Values, Ants, and Anti-diarrheal Medication — Whether consciously or subconsciously, it was obvious to everyone in the room that the meeting was called as a means to justify Amy’s position of authority within the organization. I once heard a story on the radio about ants, and how they have tiny brains, and how if you look…

For people who love people with depression — I hear it all the time: “It’s so hard to describe depression to someone who has not experienced it.” When somebody you love is going through depression, it is hard for you too, maybe even harder than it is for them. It can make you feel like you’re crazy when…

And other meditation advice — It sounded like the croak of bullfrog at first. Then came the release, like that noise you make with your throat when you have an inner ear itch. It fell from her mouth in a giant blob onto the floor, all the undigested food and stomach juices, almost like a…