Dr. Howell’s Reflections
Everyday, Dr. Howell writes a reflection, inquiry prompt, and a prayer.
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Make peace with your ego and discover your true path today. The path to wholeness starts now!
The Path of Least Resistance Part 6
December 11, 2024
Today, we reflect on the paths of least resistance of the three centers that compose the Mind Center of Intelligence; Ego Types Five, Six, and Seven.
The Path of Least Resistance Part 5 5
December 10, 2024
On the Enneagram, when we take the path of least resistance, we are on the road to disintegration. A conscious, healthy life requires effort, consideration of others, and realization of our context on all levels. But the unhealthy ego is dominated by the desire to complete its narrative, fend off its fears, and grant its desires. The unhealthy characteristics at the stress point seem to be the best way to meet that agenda. But they are not.
The Path of Least Resistance Part 4
December 9, 2024
In his best-selling book, Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson explains the ongoing plight of persons of color, the poor, and the disadvantaged. He vividly tells true stories of innocent black people who were convicted of crimes they never committed. Also, Stevenson describes his work life in the South when he, too, was accosted by and mistreated by law enforcement officers simply because of his color.
The Path of Least Resistance Part 3
December 8, 2024
Making a conscious choice is sometimes very personal. When someone hurts our feelings or attacks us emotionally, we can naturally get defensive. Regardless of how spiritually conscious we may be, when we are hit, our first impulse is to return the blow.
The Path of Least Resistance Part 2
December 7, 2024
Sometimes, I reflect on people who made conscious decisions that cost them dearly—for example, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malala Yousafzai. As we know, Dr. King paid with his life, and Malala Yousafzai paid with an assassin’s bullet in her face. Countless others made conscious stands and, in so doing, risked their lives and the safety of their families. What drives them to do that? Wouldn’t it have been far easier if they had gone with the path of least resistance and never put their lives in jeopardy?
The Path of Least Resistance Part 1
December 6, 2024
Rivers and lakes do not flow just anywhere; they take the path which offers the least resistance to their waters’ weight and force. As we know, this phenomenon is why rivers meander and have tributaries and why lakes have various shapes.
Making Peace with the Past Part 7
December 5, 2024
In the Book of Genesis (1:31), after God made everything, it is written, "Then God looked over all he had made and saw that it was very good!"
Making Peace with the Past Part 6
December 4, 2024
We make peace with our pasts by giving ourselves a healthy measure of self-compassion and forgiving ourselves. However, this is not as simple as it may sound. It takes time to make peace with our regrets because we must excavate the layers of our guilt and remorse. So, in order to heal, when each memory surfaces, instead of condemning ourselves or being consumed with shame, we see ourselves as products of growth, as people who acted unconsciously, and as a human who, like all humans, falls short. After the sometimes-excruciating process of memory review, we are now in a position to ask for forgiveness from ourselves and then from God.
Making Peace with the Past Part 5
December 3, 2024
When Jesus said,” Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God” he blessed all peacemaking—even the peace we make within our souls. So, making peace with ourselves furthers the cause of peacemaking and, at the same time, God affirms us God’s children.
Making Peace with the Past Part 4
December 2, 2024
Most of us human beings share the characteristic of needing to make Peace with ourselves. We prefer closure to loose ends, and inner calm to chaos. Most favor harmony over discord. This characteristic reminds me of the child who “fesses up” to get things off their chest before going to bed and, on the other end of the spectrum, the dying person who clears their conscience before entering the next life….
Making Peace with the Past Part 3
December 1, 2024
When a person says, “I want to redeem myself” or “Let me redeem myself,” they are saying they want a clean slate—they made an error and want to make it good. This means they need to do or give something to “even the score” as it were.
Making Peace with the Past Part 2
November 30, 2024
One of the ways of making peace with the past is to ask ourselves what haunts us and why. Doing this may not be as simple as it sounds because when we invite hurtful memories into our awareness, we naturally re-experience the hurt. For example, many victims of trauma do everything they can to avoid talking about the trauma because it is excruciating to re-visit it.
Making Peace with the Past Part 1
November 29, 2024
We judge our pasts, but we were not the people we are now when we lived that past. Therefore, we tend to judge our behaviors, actions, feelings, decisions, and thoughts of the past by who we are now. Monday morning quarterbacking gives the inner critic a license to judge ourselves harshly. If we try to make peace with our past by judging and punishing ourselves, we do ourselves a disservice. We can experience shame and remorse for past instances, which can weigh heavily. We can also live in the regret that, “If only I had done such and such my life would be far better than it is now.”
Going Deeper Part 7
November 28, 2024
The grains of the selfish ego dwell deep down in the subconscious. They reside in the shadow and the pain body. They come to light only in consciousness. Only then can we consciously decide to live in those instincts or find a life somewhere else. In spiritual consciousness, we know that our soul is the “somewhere else” where we can dwell.
Going Deeper Part 6
November 27, 2024
When conscious, we reject the idea of stewing in the juice of self-pity or anger. In consciousness, the ego cannot diminish our self-esteem. Instead, we go down into the depths of our being to discover our amazing soul qualities. The qualities of self-compassion, trust, strength, mercy, goodness, hope, and power, to name a few, lift our awareness and redirect our energy into furthering our purpose. Realizing our essential goodness is beautiful because we're reminded that we are of value and that even though we are disappointed in someone or ourselves, we are worthy.
Going Deeper Part 5
November 26, 2024
It is easy to hold grudges against others and ourselves when people disappoint us and when we disappoint ourselves. In large part, the disappointment is when expectations go unmet and people let us down. It isn't easy when we count on someone, and now we realize we can't count on them as we thought we could. And the same goes for ourselves: we counted on ourselves to be or do something, but we didn't come through.
Going Deeper Part 4
November 25, 2024
Sometimes, we think we cannot go any deeper. We have stretched our minds, imaginations, and capacities and consumed all the spiritual information we can. There is no more we can understand or comprehend.
Going Deeper Part 3
November 24, 2024
By what do we tabulate someone's value? There are many different interpretations and measurements of what some may be worth. These include religious, political, social, educational, business, and economic hierarchies, which rank individuals according to their status, accomplishments, power, etc. However, no genuine spiritual hierarchy ranks the true value of human beings.