Category Archives: psychology

Baba Yetu

Posted on December 12, 2023 by richp45198

Occasionally a piece of music crosses my path that touches me and enriches my spiritual journey. Such a piece is Baba Yetu The words of Baba Yetu are the Lord’s Prayer in Swahili. The piece is composed by Christopher Tin … Continue reading →

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Spiritual Mentor: August Wilson

Posted on November 6, 2023 by richp45198

I am not African-American. But I have found myself strongly responding to the plays of August Wilson. The playwright from Pittsburgh presented with his 10-play cycle a powerful picture of the lives and struggles of African Americans in each decade. … Continue reading →

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On Madness and the Streak

Posted on October 10, 2023 by richp45198

“Without a little madness, a man never cuts the rope and is truly free.” Towards the end of the great film “Zorba the Greek”, the character Zorba advises his young friend “A man needs a little madness or else he … Continue reading →

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What It’s Like Inside My Head

Posted on September 26, 2023 by richp45198

Originally posted April 2018 I was watching a TV program recently in which one of the characters said “No one knows what it’s like inside my head!” Interesting. It occurs to me that, like a lot of other bloggers, this … Continue reading →

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On the God of My Understanding

Posted on September 5, 2023 by richp45198

The men who created the AA program and the 12 Step Step program realized two things: 1. If people were to truly recover from alcohol abuse, the solution would only work if it was spiritual in some manner; 2. Many … Continue reading →

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The Catholic Church and the Right Wing

Posted on June 10, 2023 by richp45198

Within our Catholic Church and largely unknown to Catholics is the emerging of an ultra-conservative right wing movement intent on returning us to pre-Vatican days. When Catholics hear of such things, we tend to dismiss such themes as a return … Continue reading →

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On Retirement

Posted on May 24, 2023 by richp45198

I recently closed my 40+ years practice of psychological counseling. As I approached that landmark, I found that I had to apply to myself advice I’d offered to many others over the years: “Don’t just think about what you are … Continue reading →

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Conspiracy Theories: A Spiritual Problem

Posted on April 11, 2023 by richp45198

Conspiracy theories are nothing new. People have long embraced conspiracy theories, most often in an effort to make sense of catastrophic events. Earlier in my lifetime, there were two prominent conspiracy theories, both of which are still around today. Those … Continue reading →

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The Star Thrower

Posted on March 24, 2023 by richp45198

Some years ago, I was reading a book by the great naturalist Loren Eiseley and came upon a chapter titled “The Star Thrower”. In it Eiseley shared an encounter he’d had on the coast of Costabel. In the distance, framed … Continue reading →

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Is My Church Still Dying?

Posted on March 15, 2023 by richp45198

Roughly 23 years ago I wrote a piece published in America that was titled “My Church is Dying?” At a later point, I was interviewed for a television piece on the pedophile crisis in the Church and again said “My … Continue reading →

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