Dr. Howell’s Reflections
Everyday, Dr. Howell writes a reflection, inquiry prompt, and a prayer.
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Beginnings
January 6, 2024
It is hard to begin again when we are met with failure or defeat each time we start. After so many tries, many of us give up and do not begin again. When I think of how hard it is to begin again, I am reminded of "IF," the famous poem by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936). One line in the second stanza is of particular importance:
Beginnings
January 5, 2024
Typically, new beginnings elicit a lot of excitement. The honeymoon phase fascinates us with all the possibilities of what the activity will do for us. But in time, negative facets emerge that kill our enthusiasm. We realize that we do not desire the activity enough to continue.
Connection
January 4, 2024
The spiritual life calls us to become conscious of everything we do daily. However, that is a tricky proposition because our egos rely on their strategies rather than primarily on the soul's presence, faith, and trust. We know our egos are essential in moving us through the world, but in becoming conscious, we resist its wholesale control of our being. The ego's thoughts can lead us on a dark collision course.
Connection
January 3, 2024
There are times when I have trouble feeling my connection to the Divine. Something heavy worries me, an outlook seems bleak, or an uncertainty looms that disconnects me from the God within. It's a hopelessness that seems to smother me.
Connection
January 2, 2024
A deep connection to another person is a rare type of intimacy. There are only so many people we trust with our deep feelings and vulnerabilities. These special people understand and do not judge us, so we openly share things we would never discuss with other friends. The connection to these friends is deep and solid.
Beginnings
January 1, 2024
The new year of 2024 calls us to begin anew. The old is gone, and the new is here. So, how do we consciously embark on the next twelve months? The Enneagram of Soul gives us a perfect map with which to approach the new year:
Connection
December 31, 2023
Though Donne lived in a different era, his poem speaks to this timeless truth: none of us exists in a bubble; we are all connected. But instead of living in this awareness, we tend to live only in our immediate emotional, mental, or physical "proximity."
Connection
December 30, 2023
Over the years, I have heard many people express that sometimes they feel so empty that they do not know who they are. They say that sometimes shame and self-alienation sweep over them when alone, like in the car or the shower. They feel like an imposter. They realize they are in their body but feel there is much more to themselves than just a body. They want to feel solid, not flimsy. They want to feel they are of substance, not fragile.
Connection
December 29, 2023
How do we remain connected to God? Many spiritual seekers ask this. Even those of us committed to our spiritual journeys experience ebbs and flows in our connection to the Divine. Mother Teresa's letters reveal that, surprisingly, even she felt hopelessly outside the Love of God.
Connection
December 28, 2023
When on the cell phone and our call is dropped, our connection is lost. When our toaster doesn't work, there's no electrical connection. There's no connection if I meet someone and can't relate to them. If part of me scares or disgusts me, I am probably disconnected from it. If I am unaware of my spiritual capacities, I am not connected to them. If my prayers bounce back to me, I may be disconnected from the Divine.
Looking Ahead
December 27, 2023
In this holiday season, we reflect on our triumphs and shortfalls. We look at the year behind us and the one ahead. This process calls for great self-compassion. So often, when we take stock of our lives, we judge ourselves harshly. But that negates Christ's message that we are to love others as we love ourselves.
Looking Ahead
December 26, 2023
The ego and the soul frequently have two different reasons for looking ahead. The ego's strategy is ego-planning, the fixation associated with type Seven. However, all ego types have seven energy. And because of that, our ego plans for things that will satisfy our desires and quell our fears. Bottom line: the ego has a preconception of how it wants life to go, so it plans to make that happen.
Christmas Day
December 25, 2023
Amid the celebration and haste, we consciously take time to reconnect to the Divine. In this Holy Pause, we center on the peace of God, which is deeper and more substantial than the peace our egos manufacture. God's peace takes us out of egocentricity … the thought that things and people should be the way we want them to be.
Christmas Eve
December 24, 2023
As we prepare for tomorrow's festivities, our thoughts turn to the reason for Christmas. A child was born who changed the world by providing a path of love.
Transformation
December 20, 2023
Two dear friends of ours are always looking ahead. This couple are the consummate journeyers who’ve traveled to all seven continents, including Antarctica. When asked about their adventures, they usually give the highlights of their most recent journey. Then they remind us that the cultures and landscapes of all countries have their own flavors, but people everywhere are more alike than different. They say that travel is work and that life is much better when you have a journey to look forward to.
Transformation
December 21, 2023
Why would we ever want to change …. to transform? … The bottom-line answer is that we all want peace and happiness but are disconnected from it. At our creation, peace, and happiness were placed in our souls, but we disconnected from them when our egos took control. So, our egos find their own ways to restore that peace and happiness. There are nine major ways that the human ego tries to restore the peace and bliss we were born with.
Transformation
December 18, 2023
Transformation of our entire being requires dismantling and replacing our ego structure with another. The ego structure saves us from its fears and attains its desires. Our ego influences our decisions, thoughts, feelings, and behavior. It is an expert because it’s had decades of practice. It anticipates the future according to its perceptions and preoccupies us with its needs.
Transformation
December 17, 2023
I like to watch TV and YouTube presentations about fixing up and flipping houses. Decorators magically transform houses from dowdy, outdated dwellings to sparking, trendy living spaces. But some of these TV shows present house restorations that are more than a face lift. They show transformation, not only in interior decoration but in basic construction.