Frederic C. Craigie, PhD
Welcome! You can scroll down to see the long-running welcome text below, with a brief introduction to the website and explanation of the “Goodness of Heart” theme.
JUNE/JULY 2021
Summer comes! It’s 110 in my seasonal home in Tucson today (which underscores why it’s “seasonal” and why, right now, I’m 13 degrees of latitude north of there!).
Some of the teaching in the last month has been about meaning and purpose. I suspect it will not surprise you that there are good data (including several sound recent meta-analyses) associating various measures of meaning and purpose with subjective well-being, all-cause mortality, and a number of measures of physical health. Among seniors, meaning and purpose is associated with better physical function, cognitive function, longevity and quality of life. And there are good studies of intervention programs that support these benefits.
These data underscore the importance of being mindful about what is important to you. Some of the questions to which I invite people are, “What is sacred for you?” “What do you cherish?” What do you take particular pride in?” “What kind of person do you aspire to be?” “When are the times that show something of you at your best?”
And some of the way that participants in the recent teaching session have framed meaning and purpose for themselves are, “love,” “deep connections,” “treating people with respect,” “doing good in the world,” “kindness,” “hope and positivity,” “leading from the heart,” “lifting others up,” and “to be a source of light,” among many other similar touching values.
How would you frame the idea of meaning and purpose for yourself? How might you hold an awareness of this as you move through the days… the comfortable days and the challenging days… of your life?
New for this month, you can hear an archived interview on the Portland, Oregon KBOO public radio program, Pathways, in which I talk about some stories and themes from Weekly Soul. See https://kboo.fm/media/102964-weekly-soul.
And, as always, see the short quotation/reflection updated weekly on the Weekly Reflections tab.
I hope you remain safe and well and are finding liberation and renewal in being able to visit and hug more and more people whom you love!
Take care for yourself, and take care for your neighbor.
Fred
Some of the teaching in the last month has been about meaning and purpose. I suspect it will not surprise you that there are good data (including several sound recent meta-analyses) associating various measures of meaning and purpose with subjective well-being, all-cause mortality, and a number of measures of physical health. Among seniors, meaning and purpose is associated with better physical function, cognitive function, longevity and quality of life. And there are good studies of intervention programs that support these benefits.
These data underscore the importance of being mindful about what is important to you. Some of the questions to which I invite people are, “What is sacred for you?” “What do you cherish?” What do you take particular pride in?” “What kind of person do you aspire to be?” “When are the times that show something of you at your best?”
And some of the way that participants in the recent teaching session have framed meaning and purpose for themselves are, “love,” “deep connections,” “treating people with respect,” “doing good in the world,” “kindness,” “hope and positivity,” “leading from the heart,” “lifting others up,” and “to be a source of light,” among many other similar touching values.
How would you frame the idea of meaning and purpose for yourself? How might you hold an awareness of this as you move through the days… the comfortable days and the challenging days… of your life?
New for this month, you can hear an archived interview on the Portland, Oregon KBOO public radio program, Pathways, in which I talk about some stories and themes from Weekly Soul. See https://kboo.fm/media/102964-weekly-soul.
And, as always, see the short quotation/reflection updated weekly on the Weekly Reflections tab.
I hope you remain safe and well and are finding liberation and renewal in being able to visit and hug more and more people whom you love!
Take care for yourself, and take care for your neighbor.
Fred
WELCOME. Thanks for stopping by. I hope that this site offers you meaningful ideas, helpful resources, cool images and the opportunity to have some dialogue about spirituality and life-well-lived. It's also the portal for information about my books, Positive Spirituality in Health Care and Weekly Soul: Fifty-two Meditations on Meaningful, Joyful and Peaceful Living.
Why GOODNESS OF HEART?
In our culture and language, the word “heart” usually signifies depth and authenticity. We say, “What I know in my head is fine, but it’s what I know in my heart that really matters,” or “She’s not always consistent in what she does, but she has a good heart.” “Heart,” I think, has to do with the recognition of who we are… who we really are… and what is sacred in how we wish to be living our lives.
“Goodness” of heart signifies mindful awareness of who we really are. If you cherish kindness, or compassion, or understanding… if these qualities are sacred for you… then “goodness of heart” means to hold these qualities in front of you, to remember that this is who you really are, and to allow the energy of these qualities to direct and empower you as you move through your life.
In our culture and language, the word “heart” usually signifies depth and authenticity. We say, “What I know in my head is fine, but it’s what I know in my heart that really matters,” or “She’s not always consistent in what she does, but she has a good heart.” “Heart,” I think, has to do with the recognition of who we are… who we really are… and what is sacred in how we wish to be living our lives.
“Goodness” of heart signifies mindful awareness of who we really are. If you cherish kindness, or compassion, or understanding… if these qualities are sacred for you… then “goodness of heart” means to hold these qualities in front of you, to remember that this is who you really are, and to allow the energy of these qualities to direct and empower you as you move through your life.