Pt. 12/31 in the in the Moon Cycle blog series.

“You hold in your hand an invitation: to remember the transforming power of forgiveness and loving kindness. To remember that no matter where you are and what you face, within your heart peace is possible.”
― Jack Kornfield

I first read buddhist monk Jack Kornfield’s book A Path With Heart as a freshman in college. It was one of a handful of texts I was lucky enough to encounter that year which played an instrumental role in my spiritual development, which was co-evolving with a deepening commitment to activism and social justice.

Today I had the opportunity to see him speak live for the first time, at the Wisdom 2.0 conference held in San Francisco. He and Trudy Goodman, founder of Insight LA, led a session where they both illuminated and led us through the experience of four practices that we can draw upon for increasing our love and compassion for ourselves and others, something that’s particularly relevant in a time when technology leads to hyperconnectivity, a state of being out of balance.

What are the four practices?

The four practices are loving kindness, compassion, joy and loving awareness. Each can be increased through simple meditations; engaging with any one of them allows our nervous systems to relax and destress, opening our hearts for interdependent connection rather than hyperconnectivity.

Today’s moon status: Waxing gibbous 88% illuminated. Moonrise 2:45pm, moonset 4:44am (3/2).