JonathanBenz.com

Comfortable in My Own Skin

 

http://dharmacomics.com/#

I struggle with my humanity. I mean, I really, really struggle with it.

Sometimes I'd think I'd rather exist as a disembodied spirit and float and flit from here to there and access portals and wormholes and galaxies and cosmic places and observe mere mortals from a distance and existentially be out there and perhaps even haunt the people who piss me off in this here mundane physical realm. 

Humanity! The bane of my existence!

I feel trapped in my body. Like I'm meant to soar but wasn't born with wings that would have given even Icarus perfect flight.

Spiritual Community Questionnaire

Religious and cultural views are shifting rapidly and radically in our day.

Would you take a moment to click on this link and complete the Spiritual Community Questionnaire?

It's only ten quick questions. Responses are anonymous.

Thanks!

 

2 Support Groups I'm Supporting

I'm lending a hand to two new support groups in Palm Beach County.

The first is a support group for parents/guardians who have a son or daughter effected by drugs and alcohol. This group is facilitated by area parents and held at Covenant Centre in Palm Beach Gardens on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 7:30. It is open to parents in the community, is non-affiliated, and endeavors to follow principles of recovery. The group focus is parents helping parents. Information about chemical dependency is provided.

The second is a new PFLAG group in Palm Beach Gardens. This meeting is a support group for the friends and family members of gay, lesbian, and transgender persons. The support group is the second Monday of each month at 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at the Palm Beach County Library on PGA Boulevard. You can get more info by emailing them at pflag.pbgardens@gmail.com. 

You can also contact me directly for information on either group. 

Risking My Dragons

I've been exploring new facets of my inner world in recent months. I suppose I'm always about that but it's taken me into some frightful and pleasantly surprising places. 

Be assured, turning inward can be an unproductive place for me. The darker parts of my soul would desire to dominate my better self. But I've found it's only by going into the dark places and owning them that I'm able to find compassion for myself.

If I don't cultivate compassion for myself, how can I ever effectively have compassion for others? So it's my quest as a healer and helper that compels me to love myself better, thereby empowering me to love others in a healthier and more affirming, compassionate way.

A friend sent me me this quote from Carl Jung. I've always appreciated the Jungian approach to the psyche. In fact, I still have my copy of Modern Man in Search of a Soul that I read when I was fifteen.

Choose Your Battles

Here I speak for about five minutes on choosing battles effectively, from Chapter 17 in Live a Legacy.