Spiritual Guidance Blog
Forever Learning
by Robert Meagher on 09/11/23
Allow me to begin this passage with a parable…
A venerable leader of a spiritual community was
nearing the end of her embodied life. As this leader lay on a bed, many members
of the spiritual community gathered around her to be with her at this
transformative time. One member of the community who was sitting next to her,
reached out, gently touched her hand, and asked “How are you doing?” To which
the venerable leader responded, “I’m still learning.”
During a recent Holiday Season, I called and spoke to one of
my sisters. It was good to get caught up on each other’s lives. During the
conversation, I learned of some stressful situations unfolding in my sister’s
life. My sister expressed her concern for various situations involving her
children that were causing my sister great unrest. I listened, occasionally
asking questions for clarification purposes, but offered no counsel or advice.
After I got off the phone with my sister, I pondered our
conversation. I felt like I was allowing myself to be drawn back into the
family dynamic. I began to recall many such conversations with family members
in the past. I also recounted experiencing these family unfoldings first hand
when I lived in close proximity to my family members.
During dinner that evening, I recounted the above
conversation with my sister to my partner. After listening for approximately 10
minutes to my experience, my partner reflected back to me that it’s possible I
was feeling ‘drawn into’ my family dynamic because I was judging my family
members. I recoiled at the suggestion I was judging my family members and
shuttered at the thought of such mindless behavior. My nuclear family, and the
dynamics that connect the family, has been the source for many hours of inner
work and contemplation. I thought I was above judgement of my family members by
now. Apparently not!
The more I thought about my partner’s comments, the more I
realized my partner was right. Not only have I judged my family members in the
past, but I continued to judge them—as evidenced by feeling ‘drawn back into’
the family dynamic.
I was initially quite discouraged at the folly of my
judgement. But then was reminded of the beautiful teaching by Ram Dass… “I
would like my life to be a statement of love and compassion—and where it isn’t,
that’s where my work lies.”
Clearly, I still have some work to do in extending love and
compassion in all situations. Clearly, “I’m still learning.”
Robert Meagher has
been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual
Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.
Stop Looking at It as A Battle
by Robert Meagher on 07/07/23

This month’s message is a simple, yet precious, little story
about how we look at things can make all the difference.
I live in a 110-unit condominium building. There is a
wonderful sense of community in this building. In part, because of numerous
community-based initiatives going on in and around the building. One of these
initiatives is an old-fashioned composting program. This composting program
uses discarded, raw fruits and vegetables, and other compostable matter, to
create rich soil additive for the gardens around the property. The program has
been a tremendous success for the community, and even some of the wildlife.
One of the wildlife benefactors of this program is the local
squirrel population. The squirrels have easy access to the bin contents via air
vents that they have widened to aid in their access and exit from the bins. I
have tried plugging up the holes in the past, but the squirrels are very adept
at undoing whatever efforts I make to block the holes. Years ago, I decided I
liked the idea the squirrels could avail themselves of the fresh produce in the
bins, especially during the cold winter months, as it provided a dependable
food source for them.
This season, however, the squirrels have been making their
presence known more than usual. Often, the squirrels choose to excavate a
significant portion of the bin contents outside the bin, leaving mounds of
compost strewn around the base of the bins. On the days I discover the squirrels
mischievous behavior, there are typically several squirrels perched on branches
in the trees above the bins, gazing down at me.
When I’m in a playful mood, I will talk to them. I’ll tell
them I’m glad they are enjoying the compost deposits but ask them if they could
mind their manners a little better so as not to leave so much leftover outside
the bins. Sometimes, the squirrels will peer down at me, squawking at me,
twitching their tails, chattering away. I’ll often carry on my exchange with
them—as I pick up the mess—treating them like they know full well what I am
saying. It’s become a bit of a playful game between me and the squirrels.
Surely, if anyone was watching the scene from afar, they would want me
committed!
Earlier this week I ran into a community member at the
compost bins. She was making a deposit of some compostable material. We got to
chatting and the topic of the local squirrel community came up. I shared my
experience above with her. We both laughed and she said to me…
“You know, when we stop looking at it as a battle, we can
begin to look at it as a circus.” We both roared laughing.
I walked away from the exchange with a profound sense of
gratitude for the gracious exchange and the endearing pearl of wisdom offered
me. While the little jewel was offered in the context of the playful times I
was sharing with the squirrels, I was very aware how far-reaching this little
wisdom saying has in our daily lives.
How often do we approach life as a battle? A confrontation,
an argument, an upset, a long-held grievance against a colleague, friend, or
family member. There is no end to the litany of battles we wage on an ongoing
basis.
But what opportunities are there to turn these battles into
something we can laugh at and have fun with?
Robert Meagher has
been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual
Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.
I Can’t Change Anyone
by Robert Meagher on 05/03/23
I was in the kitchen with my beloved partner when my partner
let into me about some items that were out of place in the kitchen. It was a
bit jolting to be barked at for something that seemed so insignificant as a
knife that was out of place in the cutlery drawer. In the moment, I simply
apologized and said I would try harder the next time to place the knife in its
right place. Thank goodness I was in a peaceful state of mind at the moment and
was able to respond instead of react to the unfolding events.
Later that day my partner apologized to me for his outburst.
He asked me if there was anything that bothered me about things he did? I
paused, realizing this was a formative moment. “Sure!” I said. “Then why don’t
you tell me?” asked my partner. I explained to my partner that I have come to
realize that I cannot change him, or anybody else.
We are all set in out ways. We all have our little,
sometimes big, foibles and idiosyncrasies. We are often very set in our ways,
and these ways become so entrenched in our psyche and behavior that to change
them would be tantamount to moving a mountain.
People are who they are. People do what they do. The sooner
I accept this fact, the sooner I can come to peace with whatever situation
greets me. The lesson and teaching in events that bother us rests in asking
ourselves, “Why does that bother me?”
If the car keys are not in the place they ‘should be’ and I
get upset, I must reflect on why it bothers me that the car keys are not in the
place they should be. If the grocery list is not arranged how I like it and I
get upset, I must reflect on why it upsets me that the grocery list in not
arranged how I like it. If it bothers me that I go into the fridge to get some
milk, and there is no milk left, and I get upset because there was milk in the
fridge earlier in the day, I must reflect on why it upsets me that there is no
milk left in the fridge. You get the idea.
Nothing is as it seems. And I am never upset for the reason
I think. The other person is not upsetting me. I am getting upset. If I ever
want peace in my life, I must stop wanting to change other people and events. Learn
to accept them as they are, and welcome it as an opportunity to reflect on why
a person or event upsets me. This introspection will lead us to peace and
personal growth.
Life’s Smooth and Bumpy Roads
by Robert Meagher on 03/06/23
Once again, this month I am going to use my passion for
cycling to retell a recent adventure. The cycling adventure held within its
teachings a wonderful metaphor for life.
I was out for one of my day-long rides. I went back to an
area that I had explored a few weeks earlier. At a point in my ride, I had the
choice of turning north on March Road, but I had found March Road to be both
bumpy and heavy in car traffic—not a good combination for safe riding. So, this
time around, I decided to cycle further west so that I could take another route
north.
I cycled west to Panmure, along Upper Dwyer Hill Road, and
turned North on Panmure Road. I immediately felt this was a much better route
north, over the Carp Ridge. The road was quiet and had little car traffic. I
was also pleasantly surprised that the road was very smooth. What a difference
from the other route north! I was so glad I had cycled further west so I could
turn north on Panmure Road.
Panmure Road turned into the Donald B. Munro Drive that had
me, eventually, cross over the Carp Road. On the north side of Carp Road, my
smooth ride came to an end. The Donald B. Munro Drive became bumpy and full of
cracks. As long as I was cycling on the flats, it wasn’t too bad. But if I
found myself cycling downhill, the chatter from the bumpy road really took its
toll on my body. My whole upper body would shake and tremor from the cracks in
the road. Fortunately, the car traffic remained light and I could cycle out
more to the centre of the road where the asphalt was a little smoother. As I
approached Dunrobin, the road smoothed out again. Once I turned on to Dunrobin
Robin, there was a nice, smooth paved shoulder to cycle on.
As I quietly made my way back toward home on smooth road
surfaces, I smiled at the experience that took me from Upper Dryer Hill Road to
Dunrobin Road, along Panmure Road and the Donald B. Munro Drive. The road
started out smooth, then became uncomfortably rough, then smoothed out again. What
a beautiful metaphor for life!
Sometimes in our lives everything goes smoothly. We glide
along with few, if any, obstructions. The wind can feel like its at our backs,
pushing us along. We experience a smooth ride through life. Then, unexpectedly,
through no seeming fault or cause of our own making, we encounter bumps in the
road that can really take a toll on us. We go through periods of ‘bumpy rides’
before life calms down again.
Life can seem like that sometimes, can’t it? Smooth and
effortless, then bumpy roads that have us holding on tight. To navigate these
ups and downs in life I have found the Buddhist practice of the ‘middle way’ to
be helpful. The middle way may be described as an approach to life where we
avoid extremes. This approach includes extremes in emotions and thought.
As I turned on to Panmure Road and gave thanks for a
smoother surface than March Road to take me north, I knew that ‘this too shall
change.’ As I crossed over the Carp Road and the Donald B. Munro Drive became
bumpy, I knew that ‘this too shall change.’ While I was grateful for the smooth
road surface on Panmure Road, I knew better than to be jubilant. While I was
feeling uncomfortable with the bumpiness on the Donald B. Munro Drive, I knew
better than to be dejected. I knew the road surface would change from what it
currently was.
The gift of life is inherent in our ability to learn how to
be happy where we are, instead of trying to be happy where we are not. We have
a tendency to wish away the present moment by wishing we were somewhere else.
If I’m on a bumpy road, my tendency may be to wish I was on a smoother road
surface. But that bumpy road is teaching me something; something that is
important for me to learn. Can I sink into that awareness and welcome the
experience, no matter how uncomfortable it may be?
Robert Meagher has
been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual
Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.
You Don’t Have To Like It To Love It
by Robert Meagher on 01/03/23
Last year I signed up for the Great Cycle Challenge (GCC)
taking place throughout August. The GCC was to raise money for cancer research
for children. I have an increasing passion for cycling and I have a personal
connection to childhood cancer. So, signing up for the event was a no-brainer
for me. My personal connection with childhood cancer is that my partner’s,
niece’s daughter is currently undergoing treatment for lymphoma.
I began my fundraising in earnest! I was pleasantly
surprised by how much I enjoyed the fundraising. It was exciting. Each donation
I would receive filled my heart with joy, knowing how generous people were
being and the support they were showing for the cause.
As with most anything in life, at least in this material
world, you will have people who will support certain things, and others who
will not. Deep into my fundraising efforts, an acquaintance responded to one of
my fundraising emails to congratulate me on signing up for the GCC and wishing
me well with my challenge. This acquaintance went on to share with me that they
could not, however, in good conscience support the medical research behind the
cause. This acquaintance expressed the view (and the same view as many other
people share) that such medical research has been taken over by the
pharmaceutical industry which has zero motivation to cure cancer, because their
efforts to find a cure for cancer is really a thinly-veiled attempt to create a
‘cash cow.’ My acquaintance closed the response with a wish that my partner’s,
niece’s daughter “truly heals from her cancer.” I responded to my
acquaintance’s comments by thanking them for their support, blessing them, and
sending them love.
I was initially taken back by my acquaintance’s response to
my fundraising email. I quickly got over my reaction, realizing the message had
nothing to do with me, personally. The response from my colleague was such a
blessing and such a wonderful teaching. It got me thinking…
As a practicing therapist, one of the golden rules of
therapy is to always, always, always, meet the client where they are. If the
person is ready for a certain approach to healing, then that is what you start
with. Who am I to judge what approach anyone would use to heal themselves? If
the client thinks that eating Tim Horton’s donuts is what’s going to heal them,
what purpose does it serve to tell them they are wrong? In the end, whatever we
think will heal us, will heal us.
Had my acquaintance cared to enquire about my motivation
behind signing up for the GCC, my acquaintance would have learned that I shared
the same views as they did about the ethical nature of the medical system
undertaking research in the name of ‘finding a cure’ for whatever ails us. If I
had cancer, I may not be quick to dive into conventional treatment methods. I
would more likely look to alternative approaches, approaches that might be
considered by some to be more holistic in nature.
But in the case of the GCC, I put aside my own beliefs and
views, and decided to give back to life—a life that has given me so much! Who
am I to judge the motives of the medical industry? Who am I to judge someone
who has been diagnosed with cancer and decides to undergo traditional treatment
methods?
I don’t have to like something or someone to love that
something or someone. I don’t have to like the medical industry. I don’t have
to like cancer. In this instance, I put aside my views and personal opinions
and chose to love it all, and give where I could.
There is a magnificent teaching from a great spiritual tradition
that if someone asks you to do something that is insane, do it anyway, so long
as it doesn’t hurt anybody. Even if you don’t agree with it!
Like with so many things in my life, and spirit-led things,
I had been approached by a colleague, who knew I was a cycling enthusiast, to
sign up for the GCC. I took this request, as most others, as a sign from Life
that there’s something in this for me and I won’t interfere with what I am
being offered. I will just go ahead and do it. I’ve never regretted this
approach to life! I may not like it, but I can love it!
Robert Meagher has
been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual
Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.