à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Spiritual Practice
What does it mean to “commit”?
I’ve been told by various people over the years, and most recently yesterday, that I can’t commit. I don’t know whether they are correct or not, but these folks seem to understand exactly what this means and, therefore, probably assume that I share their understanding. But I’m not sure I do, and I hope that … Continue reading
What if Every Moment were the Last Minute?
Recently I created an online fundraising auction for some of my art, small mosaics of flowers that incorporated empty bullet casings. I had a choice of how long to allow bids — one, three, five, seven or ten days. I wanted to keep people’s attention focused on it, which was a rationale for a shorter … Continue reading
Matzah: Bread of Affliction or Tool for Introspection?
Most of the year I’m an à la carte spiritual being, but there are some holidays that return me to the Jewish “camp”. Passover is one of them. For some Jews, after the Seder ends, Passover becomes a week of dietary torture. Wheat and four other grains are prohibited, making meal preparation challenging if not … Continue reading
Trashing Clichés
I took out the trash today. “So what?” you say. And that, to any spiritual gurus who might be reading, is exactly my point. Not long ago I was listening to a recorded interview of a seeker/guru/author who said something like, “Even if you have an enlightenment experience (on retreat), once you’re home you still … Continue reading
Do You ___ate?
While hiking last week it popped into my head that “evolve” does not capture the process of personal growth as well as the term evolvulate might. What I like about many of the “___ate” words (in addition to the fact that they suggest eating), is that they imply a repetitive and/or cyclical activity or … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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