Author Archives: Michael Maciel

by Michael Maciel Do you need a spiritual teacher? No. What you need is a specific set of skills that you can use in your spiritual life—tools. Tools are meant to be used. And these tools can only be used … Continue reading →

by Michael Maciel A scientist once said, “The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it’s stranger than we can imagine,” meaning that the human mind is not capable of a direct perception of reality. Even the most enlightened … Continue reading →

by Michael Maciel Learning how to access our own wisdom is more important than learning someone else’s techniques and practices. Doesn’t it make sense that everything we need in order to grow spiritually is already right at our fingertips? Here are eight spiritual tools … Continue reading →

by Michael Maciel One of the things that gets in the way of forgiveness is our reluctance to accept the way people are. We expect them to be different, as though they’re violating our expectations of them. Every time we … Continue reading →

by Michael Maciel Jesus told us to love our enemies. WHAT are we supposed to do with that? I mean, it’s hard enough to love the people we love, right? How, then, are we supposed to love those who, by … Continue reading →

by Michael Maciel There’s a better way to approach this question. God is only gendered in a mythic sense, not literally. Mythic truths are never meant to be taken literally because they have their own epistemological domain, one that is … Continue reading →

by Michael Maciel Faith is not necessarily the same as certainty. It is, rather, more like the expectation that there is more to reality than we can perceive and that that reality is somehow supportive of the one we can … Continue reading →

by Michael Maciel Honoring our parents means recognizing them as a factor to be understood, not a model we have to replicate. In its simplest sense, the Fourth Commandment means taking care of your elderly parents. But in a deeper … Continue reading →

by Michael Maciel What’s being born in us at this Holy time of year isn’t like a parasite that destroys its host, like the creature in “Alien,” but like a baby that comes into our life and overturns it completely. … Continue reading →