Exploring the Meaning of Spirituality – dummies

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By Sharon Janis

One of the great gifts of spiritual knowledge is that it realigns your sense of self to something you may not have even ever imagined was within you. Spirituality says that even if you think youre limited and small, it simply isnt so. Youre greater and more powerful than you have ever imagined. A great and divine light exists inside of you. This same light is also in everyone you know and in everyone you will ever know in the future. You may think youre limited to just your physical body and state of affairs including your gender, race, family, job, and status in life but spirituality comes in and says there is more than this.

Notice that spirit sounds similar to words like inspire and expire. This is especially appropriate because when youre filled with spiritual energy, you feel great inspiration, and when the spiritual life force leaves your body, your time on this earth expires. These are two of the main themes of the spiritual journey:

The study of spirituality goes deeply into the heart of every matter and extends far beyond the physical world of matter. Spirituality connects you with the profoundly powerful and divine force thats present in this universe. Whether youre looking for worldly success, inner peace, or supreme enlightenment, no knowledge can propel you to achieve your goals and provide as effective a plan for living as does spiritual knowledge.

Perhaps the best way to think about a spiritual approach to the world is to contrast it with a more common materialistic approach.

One of the main teachings of spirituality is to look within and find what you seek within yourself. The external world is ephemeral, temporary, and ever changing; in fact, your body will die one day, sweeping all those worldly accoutrements away like a mere pile of dust. Your inner realm, on the other hand, is timeless, eternal, and deeply profound.

Although religion and spirituality are sometimes used interchangeably, they really indicate two different aspects of the human experience. You might say that spirituality is the mystical face of religion.

Looking beyond outer appearances to the deeper significance and soul of everything

Love and respect for God

Love and respect for yourself

Love and respect for everybody

Different religions can look quite unlike one another. Some participants bow to colorful statues of deities, others listen to inspired sermons while dressed in their Sunday finery, and yet others set out their prayer rugs five times a day to bow their heads to the ground. Regardless of these different outer manifestations of worship, the kernel of religion is spirituality, and the essence of spirituality is God or the Supreme Being.

Spirituality is:

As one becomes more spiritual, animalistic aggressions of fighting and trying to control the beliefs of other people can be cast off like an old set of clothes that no longer fits. In fact, many seekers begin to feel that every image of divinity is just one more face of their own, eternally ever-present God.

Loving and respecting all religions and images of God doesnt mean that you have to agree with all their doctrines. In fact, you dont even have to believe and agree with every element and doctrine of your own religion! This goes for any teachings you may encounter along your path. Everybody thinks that what they are doing is right. Thats whats so fun about the world. Everybody is doing something different, and each one believes deep in his soul that what he believes is right some with more contemplation and conviction than others.

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Exploring the Meaning of Spirituality - dummies

Have Faith: Spirituality and addiction – Martha’s Vineyard Times

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For anyone dealing with addiction, whether it is their own or that of a friend or family member, relying on some kind of faith in a higher power can be critical. Then there are also many touched by addiction who either dont believe in God or dont feel they need to depend on a belief system for support. A couple of Sundays ago, I went to the First Congregational Church in West Tisbury to hear the Rev. Saramaria Allenby, spiritual care advisor at Gosnold Treatment Center. I was interested in what her position means in the scope of things.I have to admit that every time I enter the West Tisbury church, Im taken with its beautiful simplicity, and the people, who are so welcoming. This time around, I was shuffling papers, settling in and getting myself ready to take notes before the service when Pastor Allenby strode right over to shake my hand. I explained that I planned to write about my visit in the Have Faith column.

I could just give you my sermon, she said. Im not attached to anything.I was already impressed by that single sentence.

The Rev. Vicky Hanjian filled in for the churchs pastor, the Rev. Cathlin Baker, who was away that weekend. Hanjian led the service, welcoming everyone and introducing Gosnolds spiritual care advisor when it was time for the sermon.

Allenby began by talking about Jesuss temptation in the desert, and then talked about how were all the same; we all face temptations. She cleared up some information commonly held about addiction.

The disease of addiction has a myriad of facets, Allenby said. It is a brain disease. It can be compared to any other disease a human being suffers from. Diabetes. Heart disease. Cancer. If a person has a disease, they seek treatment, and get appropriate medication. They go to the doctor or hospital. The disease of addiction is the same.

More than anything, Allenby talked about everyones humanity and their ability to love and feel compassion, both things that those suffering with addiction need. We all need them.We tend to judge those who abuse drugs or alcohol, she said, thinking that theyve made a choice to live in their addicted state.

How we treat others with a heart of compassion can be tricky when faced with what we perceive as a choice, she said. When we recognize that addiction, because of the brain science, is not truly a choice, we must recognize that only with a heart of compassion is how we live as one.

She talked about a mother she knows who has spent more than $100,000 on treatment for her son. But that mother, through her frustration and anger, still loves her son, and still wants to be supportive. Allenby told the congregation that many of those with substance abuse issues have dual diagnoses, PTSD, health problems, a history of abuse, grief, or loss.Once the brain is addicted, the part of the brain that makes choices has been hijacked, and the person needs treatment. Thats all. Help, support, medication, education, therapy, community, compassion, spirituality, and tender loving care.

When you love someone addicted to drugs or alcohol, or both, the level of frustration is immeasurable. You cant understand the why behind the addiction, let alone fix it for them. Some people tell you to practice tough love, give up on the loved one before their problem takes over your own life. Like most people I know, my family has plenty of experience in this area. As much as you try to love your way through it, understanding something as complicated as another persons addiction is a struggle.How does spirituality fit into all of this?

Many people I work with dont have personal faith; they are not sure what to believe at all, Allenby wrote to me in an email. I speak mostly to spirituality and spiritual practices, the key being practice.

She leads groups on hope, love, connection, self-acceptance, openness, prayer, resilience, honoring the body, forgiveness, and shame, she wrote. Allenby leads something called praying with the body, which incorporates yoga poses and breathing work. She leads guided meditation seven times a week in order to illustrate different ways of practicing spirituality, and finding what opens their hearts or helps them heal.

After more than five years in her role at Gosnold, Allenby feels very blessed to do the work.I see God in everyone, and I know the spirit of God is working through me in my daily practices and teaching, because my tiny, human, ego-based self couldnt possibly do this work without a mystery or a universal love or presence being part of it, Allenby wrote.She shared her understanding, and maybe more important, her view of looking at every person through eyes filled with love. Allenby also shared a poem by Mary Oliver, titled Wild Geese. Im going to share it with you here.

May those who suffer from addiction, and those who love someone who is addicted, find the compassion and love they need to heal and to help each other heal.

Wild Geese

By Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

If you have news for Have Faith, please send it to connie@mvtimes.com.

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Have Faith: Spirituality and addiction - Martha's Vineyard Times

We asked rabbis for their spiritual guidance in handling the coronavirus crisis. Here’s what they said. – JTA News

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(JTA) At this point, we know well how to wash our hands to protect ourselves from the coronavirus. But how do we soothe our souls?

When we recently asked for stories about how local Jewish communities are adapting to the public health threat, we received plenty of examples of changes that are underway, from Spock greetings instead of handshakes to chopsticks as Torah pointers.

We also got a request for spiritual guidance. So we reached out to several rabbis around the world and asked them to offer their advice. Well update this page with additional responses as they come in and if youre a Jewish spiritual leader with words of your own to add, you can email us.

Keep up with the latest on the coronavirus in the Jewish world by following our updates here.

At this moment, we want to protect ourselves and our families; this is human nature. From a Jewish perspective, from a social justice perspective, from a human perspective, we cant descend into pointed tribalism at a time when we need to come together as a collective of mind and soul. The coronavirus is a huge burden placed on humanity, but one that can be handled through shared action, compassion and a desire to see this disease contained before more lives are needlessly lost.

Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz (Read Rabbi Yanklowitzs full op-ed)

Whats a simple daily routine you care about? Every night at about midnight, we learn in the Talmud, King David woke up to study. Every morning, I wake up and make coffee. (Same same, right?) Water in the kettle. Good quality beans into the grinder. Aeropress. Half and half. For you, that simple moment might be washing your hair, texting your sister after work, or listening to The Daily. Keep that up, even if everything else feels off. Good times and bad, some things should stay the same.

Rabbi Emily Cohen (Click here to read Rabbi Cohens full piece on our sister site, Alma)

In response to a 1983 doctors strike in Israel, Rabbi Shlomo Goren, former Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel, emphasized that the responsibility for providing health care ultimately lies with the state. Basing himself on a Talmudic ruling that holds communal leadership liable for any deaths that result from their failure to take care of needed repairs (Moed Katan 5a), he wrote, the responsibility of the court or the communal leadership is not limited to bodily harm that they cause directly the government may not excuse itself from its responsibility toward the sick since they government is responsible for the health of the people. (Assia vol. 5)

This assertion that the communal leadership takes responsibility for the overall health of the citizens is consistent with millennia of Jewish law that insist that the community take responsibility for the health and welfare of its members whether through building necessary infrastructure to care for physical and spiritual needs, through tzedakah and through laws intended to eliminate exploitation. Its also consistent with the lived practice of Jewish communities, which have long established communal welfare and health systems; and of the state of Israel, founded as a social democracy.

Gorens ruling, however, runs counter to one prominent strain in American culture, namely the ethos of every person for themselves, without concern for our responsibility to the broader society, or for the overall impact of our choices.

The novel coronavirus has taught us that its impossible to separate ourselves from the greater world, and that our own personal health and safety depends on the health and safety of the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society. If anything positive comes of this terrifying pandemic, it should be a remaking of the social fabric of our society such that we collectively take responsibility for the health and well-eing of every member of our society. This means ensuring health care, paid sick leave, and increased food assistance; and investing in a stimulus and job creation package that helps middle- and low-income people rather than just bailing out airlines and other major corporations.

The emphasis in Jewish law and lived tradition on collective responsibility for our neighbors and our society is countercultural in a country built on rugged individualism. But the novel coronavirus has taught us the impossibility of fending for ourselves. A recommitment to communal responsibility is the only way to protect ourselves and each other.

Rabbi Jill Jacobs

The news today can be especially spiritually unsettling and alarming in nature. When our community in New York has been struck with a plague that prevents so many of us from gathering in physical contact, how ought we react?

Upholding the cautionary measures decreed by health officials and authorities must be seen then as fulfilling the highest religious commandment: pikuach nefesh, saving human life. If you have symptoms of illness, including fever, coughing, stomach bug or any other sickness, it is a mitzvah to stay in quarantine.

It was Yom Kippur 1846 the cholera epidemic was at its height when Rabbi Yisrael Salanter allegedly rose to the pulpit, washed his hands publicly and made a blessing as he ate bread on our calendars most sacred day. The Jewish community feared trespassing communal and religious norms then, but Rabbi Salanter reminded the Jewish community: In light of life-threatening illness, eating food on Yom Kippur wasnt breaking the Torah law, it was upholding it.

When confronted with life or death, Jews must always emphatically choose life. This has been the Jewish way since the beginning of time.

Furthermore, now, as in times past, will be a period where we will see the most important innovating responses.

We witnessed this just last week when SAR Academy offered online classes for hundreds of students, studying Hebrew, welcoming Shabbat and maintaining semblances of normalcy.

We witnessed this in wartime when Saddam Husseins Scud missile rockets rained on Israel, Jews celebrated Purim in bunkers.

When the AIDS epidemic ravished the gay community, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah still gathered with Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum leading into uncharted territory.

When Rebbe Nachman of Bratzlav wrote, There is no despair in the world, we ought to reflect: What is he talking about? Rebbe Nachman, a depressive, mourned the death of his own son and lived in a time of great political turmoil for the Jewish people. Was Rebbe Nachman unfamiliar with despair or delusional?

Certainly not. He was offering us a life approach and philosophy. The whole world is a narrow bridge; the main principle do not fear.

Safety is sacrosanct. Health is foremost.

And remember the mantra, the trope that has accompanied our people since Passover days: Nevertheless, Jews persisted.

Rabbi Avram Mlotek, co-founder of Base Hillel, director of spiritual life for its international program and rabbi of its Manhattan site

I write this at my kitchen table, covered in yet-to-be-sorted toiletries and food. Im planning to stay in, and you should, too. Because its not necessarily you who will suffer from going out it is probably someone else.

May we observe the next weeks in a period of isolation it will be mournful and hard. But may that period be one that allows the plague to lift. That allows a return to revelry and celebration, a time when we can be deeply and blessedly irresponsible.

Today, hold back, for all of us, so that tomorrow, we can release.

Rabbi Eric Woodward (Click here to read his full Facebook post)

When I landed in Israel and found out that because I attended the AIPAC Policy Conference Id have to be quarantined, I was surprised to learn the Hebrew word for quarantine was bidud. The word immediately triggered my obsession with the sad Megillat Eichah (Lamentations) that we read on the Ninth of Av.

For an unknown reason, whenever Im chazzan and I have to choose a tune, my brain automatically chooses the morbid dirge of Eichah. This can lead to a comical or embarrassing scene. The first words of Eichah, Lonely sits the city once great with people! She that was great among nations has become like a widow, speak to the loneliness of destroyed Jerusalem. The word lonely in Hebrew is badad, the same word used for quarantine in modern Hebrew.

Being alone in quarantine, devoid of friends, family, co-workers and community, a person is truly lonely. Talking on the phone, messaging and even video chatting is no substitute for being in the physical presence of others. There is no replacement for the hug, kiss or even the handshake. Just having others around gives a person a sense of security and comfort. Quarantine forces a painful loneliness. For the Jew who loves the mitzvot and rituals of their religion, especially the communal ones, the loneliness is compounded.

Yet the loneliness of companionship can also create an opportunity. The loneliness of others creates the solitude of the person with God. All alone, a person is able to commune with God as never before. God is eternally listening to our voices, and God awaits our prayers. The silence of bidud provides a person the opportunity to connect to God on the deepest of levels. Without the pressures of work, a schedule or family chores, a person can turn to God, pour their heart out and deepen their relationship with the Creator. The gaping hole of spirituality left by the absence of ritual can be filled with a more unique connection to God.

Our Rabbis tell us that if we are homebound we can still pray with the community by praying at the same time as the community. The internet allows us to listen to shiurim (Torah classes) with others, and many of us even listened to live streams of Megillah.

Quarantine is a challenge previously unthought of by our Sages. It is lonely and depressing. Those feelings are natural and valid. All of us in quarantine are feeling them. But taken in the right way, it can provide time and opportunity to connect with God, rethink values and recommit to the priorities that are important to us.

Rabbi Uri Pilichowski

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

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We asked rabbis for their spiritual guidance in handling the coronavirus crisis. Here's what they said. - JTA News

Spiritual Well-Being in Times of Crisis – My Jewish Learning

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Human beings are fashioned with many profound capacities: for acts of profound love and service, the ability to heal and recover from terrible brokenness, the imagination and intuition that can create a world of profound creativity and possibility. And yet, most often, we ignore our own gifts. We choose simple pleasures, food and money, over the hard work of meditation, self-sacrifice, and social repair.

The following seven states are postures for the spirit. Just as the body strikes a pose, the flow of blood modulates, the organs and muscles are transformed by the heart opener or the back bend, so too when the spirit takes a posture, various aspects of our being are exercised and rejuvenated. Reside in each posture for three minutes per day. Extend the duration of the posture as your skillset grows.

One more thing, and its important. Every emotion and feeling, even the ones we deem uncomfortable, even painful when we welcome them into our being, like messengers riding the wind, when we meet them with grace every feeling can be a posture of prayer. When we shun and avoid and refuse prostration, the opportunity for prayer turns into suffering.

We are beings composed of water. As the moon moves the tides, so too we are affected by forces outside ourselves. We are connected by a network of wireless wires and phones. In an instant, millions of us have seen the same image, heard the same story how could we possibly be immune to the anxiety of our species shaking?

When the anxiety comes to you, welcome it into your being with peace. If you flee from it, you will be chased. Feel its shaking quality, its fine disturbance of your halo. Now shake out your arms, and your legs and your toes, and roll your head around. Put the vibrations into song. Let the feeling which is causing your heart to tremble go out through your lips, your vocal chords. Shout if you need to.

Fear is a posture of humility. You are a tiny nothing, and there is little you have control over. Give language to your fear. Share it with a friend. Im afraid of getting sick. Im afraid of my parents getting sick. Im afraid of dying. Im afraid of being in the hospital. Im afraid of not receiving care. Im afraid well turn on each other. Im afraid it will not end.

When fear is welcomed, it is transmuted into awe. The God that creates all the beauties of the world is made whole by the aspect of God that is in death, disease, destruction, regeneration. Can we look upon the that power with the feeling of awe? Sickness and healing, death and life we cant praise only the good. To be whole is to face God with love (for the good) and awe (for the next to good).

There is profound suffering in the world. We go about most days by forgetting the suffering of these distant and near others. But this weighs on our spirit, and contributes to our general anxiety and unhappiness.

Feel into the suffering of those who your heart goes out to. Those who are sick, those with loved ones who are sick. Let your compassion extend to those you dont know, those who are far from you. Let your compassion swell. A cave beside the ocean overflowing. As you breathe in, take their suffering into you. As you breathe out give them your light and love.

Do what brings you joy. The work that takes your mind away from you: watercolors, violins, mobiles, pies, books. Youll have some time to yourself. Strike up a new hobby.

Spirit is not a casual or homogeneous substance. In some of the saddest moments, at a shiva after someone has died, joy and laughter can be the best medicine. Joy rises up out of rootedness and gratitude. Do things that root you, and shout your thank yous for the little pleasures that abound. Let joy surprise you. When she comes, run with her.

Trust that we are in good hands. The world is composed in twos: light and dark, life and death, love and fear, sickness and healing but the good outweighs the next to good by just a little bit. The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. We evolve, we heal, we grow. These are signs of the inherent goodness of the world.

Relinquish your sense of control, and allow yourself to reside in the heart of a divinity that is good, cares for you and loves you, blesses you in ways you cant see or imagine. Stop holding it all together. Youre not the one holding it all together any way. Be in the bosom of the beloved. Rest there a while.

This too shall pass. Everything. Like a mandala made of painted sand, millions and millions of grains, wrecked by a child, blown by a breath. The first time Moses meets God at the burning bush he asks, what is your name? God answers, I will be what I will be. Ehyeh. The four letters of the name composed of an imbalanced jumble of was, is, will be. God is the all, nothing more or less, composed of all of us, within her, through her, our living and dying, her life.

Breathe in, breathe out. Let go of everything you know. None of it will remain for very long. This is not the mindset we inhabit most of our lives. But its a part of us, at our core. Stalks of grain blowing in the wind. The bed of reeds in still water.

Though the spiritual figures and traditions harp on it all the time, theres nothing like a crisis to teach you were connected. What if we chose to live our lives, move through the world, make our decisions as if we were representatives, servants of something far larger than our individual bodies?

Feel how connected you are to all the people of the world, your friends, the people you dont like, the plants and animals and stars and planets. You are Gods magic trick. A spark, a shard, a soul, something planted at the core of your being that connects you eternally to every living thing. Feel the beauty of that ineffable thing we are, that cannot help but invite love, and peace, and joy.

Empower your Jewish discovery, daily

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Spiritual Well-Being in Times of Crisis - My Jewish Learning

Out & About: NAACP prayer breakfast focuses on spiritual weapons – TribLIVE

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Out & About: NAACP prayer breakfast focuses on spiritual weapons - TribLIVE

Local author comments on writing, spirituality and tying them together – Left Hand Valley Courier

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If you lived in Boston in the 1980s, you probably saw an episode or two of "We Don't Knock," a guerilla television show where the team would show up to various places around the city just to see what was happening there.

"We would go to the IRS unannounced and get thrown out, it was fun," explained collaborator Jim Ringel.

However, even considering as much fun as Ringel had while working in television, part of him always wanted to write stories. As a child, the artform interested him, but upon graduating college, Ringel's television job became his creative outlet. Then, about 12 years ago, he considered writing once more and has since published two books.

His first novel, Wolf, is a "moody noir" novel set in a world without dogs. But more than that, it is a dystopian story that considers alternate realities through a unique lens.

In his recent book 49 Buddhas, which is the first in a six-part series, Ringel again slips into the noir, mystery realm, but one that is heavily influenced by mysticism and spirituality.

"I think my writing style is very sparse and noir-ish in the language I use," said Ringel. "That made me always think about mysteries. It's a mystery for sure, but with a subgenre of Buddhist or spiritual."

Ringel was inspired by his own faith--he is a practicing Buddhist and was interested in exploring and sharing the belief system with others. Rather than discussing Buddhism in an academic sense, Ringel saw fiction, and more specifically a fiction series, as a vehicle to expose his readers to new ways of reading mysteries, but also to a new way of thinking.

"This is the first book in a six-part series, each will take place in the six Buddhist realms, and each one represents a specific lesson," Ringel said. "It's all about your spiritual growth and I thought it would be interesting to explore that by looking at it with an entertaining genre."

In both the book and the interview, Ringel often came back to the idea of questioning ideas and self reflection--two things that appear to be central to the Buddhist practice. He said that he hopes to push readers to consider self-revelation but also to consider the book itself from different points of view. Essentially, Ringel hopes that each reader has a very personal experience while reading the book, that it impacts them on some level and opens up their perspectives.

Ringel described the writing process as very personal. "You're kind of interacting with yourself." So he enjoys when readers come up to him with insights he hasn't yet considered. "With art, there's the book and the person reading it, and the interaction between the two...I'm always intrigued when people come up and have thoughts that are very personal to them. That's when I feel like it's been a success."

It certainly seems as though 49 Buddhas has been a success thus far for Ringel, and much of that success comes from the fact that he is enjoying the process himself. For him, the writing process is always evolving. So, as he creates Rinzen's world, he is able to better understand and expand it. He particularly seems to enjoy the parallels between this book, writing more broadly, and Buddhism.

"It's a mystery because you're really trying to figure out what happened. I think there's a lot of false clues, but that's kind of the way that figuring out our spiritual path unfolds too," Ringel said. "Writing is an exploration of the mind, that's very similar to Buddhism...It's a constant flow, it's a real dynamo, and that's what I really like about writing, it doesn't get dull, it just keeps asking a different question. I'm not using this [book] to proselytize, but we're at our best when we're questioning."

You can keep up to date with Ringel and his work at his website jimringel.com where you can also sign up for his newsletter or even download a meditation. He also has a website called writinglikeabuddha.com that's more focused on helping writers develop their skills.

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Local author comments on writing, spirituality and tying them together - Left Hand Valley Courier

Social Distancing and Spiritual Dirction in the Age of COVID-19 – Patheos

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The novel coronavirus COVID-19 is changing how we have meaningful conversations and gatherings yes, even spiritual direction sessions for a while. Leading experts in the fields of immunology and medicine are advising us to practice social distancing, which merely means you are very careful about getting physically close to people when in groups or crowds. It does slow down the spread of the virus, which is great, but we still need to be able to communicate with one another, especially with anxiety running so high. We need our therapists, doctors, teachers, pastors, and spiritual directors.

For my practice of spiritual direction, I offer a modified form of social distancing: I meet individuals in direction sessions or in the few tiny groups that I lead at my office in Phoenix (provided were all feeling fine) and honor all peoples physical space by not touching them (which I dont ordinarily do anyway). And for anyone I work with face-to-face who wants to instead meet with me by phone or online, Im offering that as an option.

Of course, for those of who already meet with me online, this is not really an issue! Weve been doing the work at a social distance for several years.

To ensure that I stay as healthy as possible, I am choosing to stay away from large crowded places, even church worship, for the time being. I confess the anxiety I feel is a mix of reasonable self-care when I get even garden variety viruses, I seem to stay sick for a long time and recognizing that I or any of us could unknowingly be a carrier of a bug and I dont want to put anyone at risk.

I share this with you because I dont think its healthy for anyone to feel shame about social distancing, especially with a pandemic upon us. So, Im going to stay weird! We all have different needs. If you are feeling similar pressure to pass the peace or grant hugs, just know you are not alone.

Stay close to home when you can and do that whole hand-washing-and not-touching-your-face thing youve heard so much about. Thats about as much control as we have. The rest we must simply accept.

I wish you good health and low anxiety in this very unusual time of a pandemic. I hope you feel the comfort of Gods presence in the midst of the storm. And if you need spiritual direction, theres no time like the present to contact one of the many spiritual directors who do online sessions you can find them in Spiritual Director Internationals Seek and Find Guide at http://www.sdiworld.org.

Looking for More?

Want to try spiritual direction? I have openings in my schedule for new directees regardless of where you live. I can work by phone, Skype or if you live in the Phoenix metro area we can meet in person. Contact me atteresa@teresablythe.netor visitwww.teresablythe.net.

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Social Distancing and Spiritual Dirction in the Age of COVID-19 - Patheos

A nation confronting its own mortality needs spiritual leadership. So where is Justin Welby? – Telegraph.co.uk

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With an absence of word-mincing unusual in his office, the Prime Minister has warned that some of our loved ones will die because of the coronavirus. He has urged individuals to rally round and do what the state cannot, and ensure those in isolation are looked after. Our political leadership has not concealed just how fundamentally life could change for all of us.

It amounts to little less than a recalibration of our existence. Things we have taken for granted all our lives ease of movement and of assembly, freedom from pestilence, indeed the relative salubrity of life itself are threatened. Apart from the profound consequence that many will die before what was expected to be their time, we shall be forced back on resources of character we did not know we had, and made to change patterns of behaviour for the common good.

Mr Johnson began to articulate this;but the crisis takes us into philosophical questions about the nature of society and our place in it that go beyond the training or experience of a politician. They border on spiritual matters. The Prime Minister would presumably be the first to admit he lacks the authority required of a divine spokesman. When faced with matters of life and death, especially on this potential scale, our culture even if we are not religious ourselves demands something more elevated. And that brings us to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

As deaths rose and coronavirus cases multiplied last week, the Primate of All England, spiritual leader of the Established Church, was notably silent. Given we were being warned of a possible death toll that would remove a higher proportion of our population than at any time since the Great War, did the Almightys Anglicanvicar on earth have something to say? He did not. Perhaps Justin Welby has been saving up a grand pronouncement for the Lords Day. If so, it may prove welcome, but would have come far too late.

At the top, the church he leads has been compliant with the bureaucracy of health and safety, but done little else. It has warned communicants against using the same chalice. Hygiene recommendations, it has said, should be observed. And if people went hungry because of the virus, a reinforcement of food banks would be useful.

But we await the Archbishops advice on how the Bible might (or, indeed, might not) teach us how to cope and proceed in these alarming times. Or does he feel we face such an apocalypse that even religion, or at least his conception of it, is an inadequate tool with which to confront it?

If the expectations of scientists and clinicians are correct, then our people like those all over Christendom and beyond will have to think themselves out of the comfortable mindset that progress, peace and prosperity had secured ever since the end of the Second World War. The rights we assumed we had acquired, to consistent good health and far longer life, are under threat.

We are about to discover that the state does not after all, for all the wonders of the NHS, scientific research and welfarism, have a magic wand it can wave to restore certainty. All our assumptions about every aspect of existence are being challenged by the very forces of nature many thought progress had made subservient to humankind.

We are, above all, being asked to contemplate the sudden greater immediacy of death. The elderly, who have to do that, pandemic or no pandemic, every day, are far better at it than the young. That, not least, is where the spiritual lead is required; if the young do not themselves die, they may be about to be bereaved in staggering numbers.

The stock market may have crashed, but this is a great buying opportunity for the Church of England, an institution that, thanks to insipid leadership by the likes of Mr Welby, becomes emptier each Sunday. Soon, in a country pummelled by death, disease and uncertainty, religion may discover an army of potential recruits among those disorientated by change. Mr Welbys reticence suggests the Church of England is unprepared for this, and therefore failing.

Perhaps his inability to lead his flockin this crisis is the ultimate admission of the triumph of secularism, a creed more suited to an era when man believed he controlled the world: in which case he should go. It would be an ironic turn if it were left to the overtly godless of which I am one to form a new philosophy to console our people in a crisis whose most terrible impact is probably yet tocome.

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A nation confronting its own mortality needs spiritual leadership. So where is Justin Welby? - Telegraph.co.uk

Spiritually Speaking: Rancor spreads faster than the virus – Enterprise News

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One reality scares me more than any other about the growing coronavirus epidemic.

Rough waters are truer tests of leadership. In calm waters, every ship has a good captain. Swedish proverb

One reality scares me more than any other about the growing coronavirus epidemic, the virus that, as I write this column, has spread to 65 countries, infected more than 90,000 people and killed at least 3,056, including two victims in the United States.

Yes, a part of me fears contracting it myself, a pretty normal response to a virus the likes of which our world has not seen since 2002, and which some fear may echo the worldwide 1918 flu pandemic.

And yes, I worry that as cases increase in our country, the effects may hit closer and closer to home, and so I am concerned for the older folks in my life and children too, those who might be most threatened by it. I worry about the potential disruption it might cause in my little world: will the church I serve have to temporarily suspend worship and other public gatherings? Will the run on hand sanitizer and surgical masks that has caused shortages extend to more and more consumer goods: food, gas and other essential supplies?

All those things definitely register on my anxiety index and yet, here is what scares me the most right now: that the people we have elected to lead us are ill prepared to move us through this epidemic, with competency and care. I fear that the people at the top the politicians, not the scientists, not the doctors and researchers, not the first responders no, the pols; they seem to be kind of winging it right now. Making it up as they go along.

I made the mistake of watching a recent White House news conference at which the assembled elected officials from the top on down looked, well kind of confused and they seemed to speak with a false confidence and now they are going around the country scolding the American public for our fears, telling us, All will be well! acting as if they say this enough times, it will actually come true.

I worry more angst is being expressed by these folks about the drop in the stock market than the emerging public health emergency. I worry that the proposed 2021 budget for the main government agency to deal with the epidemic the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls for a 16 percent reduction in funding; and that in 2018, the team within the White House responsible for coordinating our nations response to a worldwide pandemic, it was fired, and has not been replaced. I worry that although new funds to fight the coronavirus have been requested by the White House, nothing, absolutely nothing, has been done in Congress, as the Democrats and the Republicans bicker with each other. Blame. Point fingers.

Welcome to the sandbox called Washington, D.C.

I think of past times in our history, when great leaders have risen up to meet whatever the crisis was in their time, and that they did so with courage and wisdom and competence. Think Franklin Delano Roosevelts stirring address the day after Pearl Harbor or John F. Kennedys somber but reassuring TV speech in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis, or George W. Bushs calm resolve after 9/11. If the epidemic turns into a pandemic, do we have leaders with the right stuff to lead us through whatever lies ahead? Will they rise to the call of history?

I worry about the feeding frenzy and journalistic orgy happening around the virus: the blaring and bold headlines in the newspaper, the breathless news reporters falling all over themselves to report worst-case scenarios. Lets be clear; the coronavirus is a threat but it is also a journalists dream, a media companys mecca. In 2020 Americans have more access to more news from more outlets than ever before. Normally, Id say thats a good thing, but now? This flood of news is confusing at best, overwhelming at worst. Who to believe? Who is giving out measured and wise information and who is spreading rumors and fake news to their own advantage or to drive up ratings or even to garner votes?

If our leaders are not doing enough, if the press is as much a part of the epidemic as any medical challenges, what then can we do as citizens? My advice is simple, advice Im trying to follow myself. Go to the best sources for true and dependable information: CDC.gov; and the website of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health at mass.gov/orgs/department-of-public-health. Speak to medical professionals directly: your family doctor or nurse practitioner. Make a commitment to check in on the older people in your life: they are more worried about this than anyone else. Organize in your own local community, in your city or town or your church or mosque or synagogue or your neighborhood association and talk together, about what we can do to help each other as the situation continues to develop.

And pray too, if that is a part of your tradition and life. Id say not so much for a medical miracle as for leaders to guide us through these rocky shoals, leaders who inspire confidence and calm with their wisdom and commitment to serve the common good, above all else.

How great would it be if that kind of political leadership was catching?

Take good care.

The Rev. John F. Hudson is senior pastor of the Pilgrim Church, United Church of Christ, in Sherborn (pilgrimsherborn.org). If you have a word or idea youd like defined in a future column or have comments, please send them to pastorjohn@pilgrimsherborn.org.

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Spiritually Speaking: Rancor spreads faster than the virus - Enterprise News

I tried a spiritual awakening in one of Londons top hotels – and I couldnt believe what happened – Telegraph.co.uk

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The Mandrake Hotel, located a short walk from Oxford Circus, has been known for subversive decadence since its opening in 2018. The vibe is equal parts hedonistic and spiritual, although perhaps those are one in the same. The downstairs bar and restaurant buzz at night and its commonplace to bump into actors, artists or musicians in the dimly lit hallways.

Now, the hotel is launching a new spiritual wellbeing concierge service. This means that guests can pre-book a variety of spiritual wellbeing sessions, such as the Soul Connector - a sound bath which claims to tantalise the senses and clear blockages as you go on a cosmic journey. Fully tailored experiences and group sessions are also available. The Mandrake calls upon Londons top healers to perform these treatments in guests rooms or suites, where a menu card is installed, describing each of the different options. If you are unsure which to book, the spiritual concierge is available for consultation.

This new offering is an opportunity to rest and reinvigorate the soul, not just the body. When you are travelling or in the city, you get caught up with things, says Alex Holbrook, head of spiritual wellbeing at The Mandrake. We have a spiritual spa instead of a classic spa, and its a haven for complete renewal and rebalancing. Spirituality can be another tool in your box alongside the gym, nutrition and therapy.

The spiritual experiences are best takenin one of the hotels suites, which are lavish and comfortable, with plenty of room for your spiritual guide to set-up. Mine was performed in the Penthouse Suite, on the third floor of the hotel. All white and marble with a calming mix of soft and hard materials, there was a massage table with a shaggy, fur-like cover and pillows set up by the bed. A series of pastel-coloured glass and quartz bowls and instruments were laid out on the floor, next to a worn, palm-sizedbook with angels on its cover.

The spiritual guide assigned to treat me with a Spiritual Awakening was Josie Danielle, an intuitive energy healing and sound expert who is usually based in Shoreditch, but on speed dial with The Mandrake for such appointments. Her voice was soft and dream-like and she was swaddled in a snug pale knitted jumper and loose capris.

I was invited to take a seat opposite her and, after asking me a series of personal questions, she explained what I was about to experience: sound therapy to settle my body, reiki to work on it on an energetic level, and 'light language' for healing and to call me into my soul (I will explain this later). As a first-timer, I was told that if my thoughts started to spiral, I must come back to the mantra, I am present. I am ready to receive, recite it in my head and breathe deeply.

She noted, as we sat talking,that my arms were crossed in front of my womb - a sign of protection brought on by past trauma, and diagnosed me with a need for womb work, to heal the energy blockages in that area of my body. This is a concept that was totally foreign to me, but I resolved to be as open to the process as possible, and would advise any other beginners to adopt the same approach.

After this initial briefing and diagnosis, I was ushered onto the table, where Iwas covered with a blanket and a weighted lavender eye mask was placed on my face. Now everything was black and the session began with what I can only describe as an expanding bubble of pure sound - this was the sound therapy portion of the session. It resonated and grew as Josiecircled the crystal singing bowls with a quartz wand, interspersed with the occasional bong-g-g from a gong. I felt slight vibrations through my body. If anything, it was really quite relaxing.

Then the manually-created sound transitioned to a relaxing pre-recorded tune. I smelled incense being wafted over my body - the next stage was reiki, which seeks to redirect energy and clear blockages. I could not see what was happening above me, but I felt Josies presence as she worked on unblocking my energy. Every now and again she would come closer and touch an area of my body with a series of light taps. As all of this happened, I drifted in and out of consciousness. Not asleep, but it felt as if I had floated into another place - something I have never experienced before.

Then I heard Josie speaking in what sounded like an ancient tongue. This turned out to be light language, a cosmic language that is said to distribute sound and energy to convey messages. Instead of knowingly speaking, like you would in English, it is said to be interpreted by the heart - what came out of her mouth is an expression of feeling and has no translation.

With the tinkle of some chimes, the experience came to an end, and I sat up, woozy. I had expected to either feel nothing, or to be subject to some vast spiritual awakening - neither of those things happened. I just felt odd, like something inside me had been moved. I was told that this meant it had worked, that I must drink a lot of water, and that I might experience flu-like symptomsat some point overthe next five days before coming into my full power thereafter.

There is no classic spa to relax in at the Mandrake, but the lavish bathroomsthe suites mean you hardly notice. A huge standalone bathtub was my evening refuge before room service arrived from Yopo, the hotel restaurant. I was extraordinarily hungry after the session and devoured the offering, finally crashing into myfour poster bed for some rest.

That night, my mind was active. I felt troubled and found it hard to sleep, and the next day I started to feel tired and unwell, just like Josie had predicted. This is termed a healing crisis. When the energy is rebalanced within you and it feels like youve got the flu, says Holbrook. Its something you experience when theres a buildup of energy you need to shift, like an emotional blockage.

This is said to be common for first timers, because of the backlog, and less intense going forward. I have no idea really if this was to do with the session or not, and there is no way of really telling, but after one week I was back on top form.

I wont postulate about spirituality and belief systems - each to their own - because thats not the point. As my guide said, all that is required is an openness to the experience. If you are accustomed to such treatments, as I suspect a good portion of the hotels artistic clientele is, then this is an incredibly luxurious environment in which to experience them. If you are not, it feels like a safe place to begin. If you are sceptical, then think of it this way: taking an hour to tune into yourself surely cant be a bad thing.

Private spiritual wellbeing sessions are available in all rooms, starting from 150. Rooms at The Mandrake start at 430, suites from 830 and 4,000 for the Penthouse; themandrake.com

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I tried a spiritual awakening in one of Londons top hotels - and I couldnt believe what happened - Telegraph.co.uk

Getting Spiritual Protection from Coronavirus – Wine-Searcher

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Can washing your hands in vodka help avoid Covid 19? No, but some of these might work better.

Of all the dumb stories to emerge from the increasingly hysterical coverage of the coronavirus outbreak, surely the dumbest is the one about people stocking up on Tito's Vodka for use as hand sanitizer.

Eater.com reported last week that the Austin-based vodka maker's social media has been working overtime trying to explain that the best-selling spirit is unsuitable for use as sanitizer as it is only 40 percent alcohol by volume, and an effective sanitizer needs to be 60 percent in order to kill the virions that make up the Covid-19 novel coronavirus.

Now we don't have anything against Tito's, but using it as hand-wash is like sending a boy to do a woman's job it might be a nice idea, but it will never work out well so we've lined up some much better candidates, some of which might actually work better as a hand sanitizer than they do as a drink.

But let's start with something pleasant Bourbon.

When Jim Beam released its small batch Bourbons back in the late 1980s, there was a lot to like. The Basil Hayden's, Baker's and Knob Creek expressions were all lovely whiskeys, but the Booker's, selected by distiller Booker Noe, was the standout, mostly for its strength. Bottled straight from the barrel, it has never slipped below 62 percent in its various iterations and, once you've given your hands a wipe, you can apply it internally with great relish.

Next up is another Bourbon, the glorious George T Stagg, a Bourbon so utterly delightful that the first time I ever tried it I burst out laughing in sheer pleasure. I would, however, have reservations around using it as a hand-wash, especially given its $712 average price tag.

Moving away from the joys of Bourbon (and we should also mention the 60-percent Glenfarclas 105 single malt in passing), we enter the world of rum.

Let's start relatively gently, with the Bacardi 151, which weighs in at 75.5 percent ABV, with a relatively affordable $48. That level of alcohol will kill anything within six inches of the open bottle, so a little dab'll do you. Also it might pay to use the rest of this to make mixed drinks, as there is a distinctly combustible note on the nose.

It pales beside our next offering, however, an Austrian rum called Stroh 80 (Austria, of course, being famous for its acres of sugar cane plantations and its proud naval traditions). The first time I tried a shot of this I couldn't taste anything else for an hour afterwards, just the lingering notes of disbelief and regret. At 80 percent ABV it works out at around 160 proof, which isn't really proof anymore, rather it's circumstantial evidence.

We now leave the world of brown spirits altogether and enter the cold, crystal realm of vodka and we start with Devil's Spring, an 80-percent ABV monster from New Jersey, a bottle that comes with a warning that it is flammable, so it will certainly take care of any bugs that may be lingering on your hands. It may well also take care of any hope you have of going to work in the foreseeable future.

Next up is Balkan vodka, a Bulgarian brute that packs an 88-percent ABV punch, although it only appears to be on sale in Europe, so unless you are already there, it would seem counterproductive to any efforts to avoid contracting the virus.

Just pipping the Bulgarians are the Scots, with a special version of a brand called Pincer vodka. The standard version is 38 percent alcohol, but there is a version that packs in 88.8 percent ABV. You'll be glad to hear that both versions contain an infusion of milk thistle, a plant reputed to aid liver health, which is either a stroke of genius or a cruel joke.

We now move into the upper echelons of drinking, the sort of product only attempted by the most aspirational self-punishers. First up is Hapsburg Absinthe, a stand-out in a category that only gets started at the 60 percent mark. At a fraction less than 90 percent alcohol, this is exactly the sort of spirit that helps you see both why absinthe was called the green fairy and several actual green fairies, possibly alongside a few pink elephants and flying pigs.

Next, we drag ourselves across the 90 percent barrier to the level where we are at the very edges of what distillation can produce.

When a drink is banned in 10 states, you know it is the heavy drinker's heavy drink Everclear. The 190 version (the one that is banned in 10 states) is 92.4 percent which is an astonishing level, especially given that the process of distillation can only effectively hit 97 percent before the alcohol levels between the liquid and vapor states equalizes, a process known as azeotropy.

And top of our list, with a claimed alcohol content of 96 percent, is Spirytus, or Wratislava 96 Rectified Spirit, a Polish spirit that will easily fulfill your hygiene needs and possibly remove all sense of concern about coronavirus as well, along with any other worries, memories and, indeed, thoughts you might still have floating around in there. Good night and good luck.

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Getting Spiritual Protection from Coronavirus - Wine-Searcher

Should Coronavirus Stop Us from Going to Church? – Crosswalk.com

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The Perspective of Team Stay-Home-From-Church During a Pandemic

A wise man (my Dad) once said: never use faith when you should use wisdom." It's a powerful reminder that you have been given the right tools to make the right decisions. Some are pure faith, others will be made from the wisdom God has instilled in you through His Holy Spirit.

Going out in faith may not be the answer if staying home in wisdom is the more appropriate decision. God has given you the ability to discern!

In Luke 4, Peters mother-in-law had fallen very ill with a fever, back in the days when there wasnt any ibuprofen to help her out and she did not attend any church gatherings. In fact, Luke, a physician, noted that she was at home.

In Acts 28:8 when Paul had shipwrecked on the island of Malta he visited the home of a sick man: It happened that the father of Publius lay at home sick with a fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and, placing his hands on him, prayed and healed him. In John 11, Lazarus fell deathly ill and stayed in his home.

Psalm 41:3 says, The Lord will sustain them on the sickbed;You will restore all his lying down in his illness.

The point is this: If youre sick,stay home in bed. But, while your body may be weak, your spirit can be strengthened through listening to the Word of God via an audiobook and through sermons about faith and healing and Gods faithfulness.

And your soul can be refreshed and uplifted by tuning in to your own church online.

There are plenty of options to squeeze in some preaching and teaching if you decide to stay home from church. Plenty of people use those options liberally (even when coronavirus isnt an issue). And while watching church online is all right, it really should be seen as more of a spiritual stop-gap until you can get back to church.

There are numerous reasons why the Word of God impresses upon Christians the necessity of meeting together. So unless you have a communicable illness, an emergency, a physical handicap, or are taking care of the poor/widow/orphan, its very wise and fulfilling to get to church.

If youre home because you dont want to get sick, then build others up by posting encouraging Scriptures on your social media. Exhort. Write out a prayer and share it. Send texts. Share your churchs broadcast with others. Post a favorite worship song. Go live and share some thoughts with your friends and family. Speak faith. Share a testimony.

If youre at home because you are sick, ask for help and ask for people to pray with you. James wrote that the effective, fervent prayer of the righteous produces powerful results. (James 5:16)

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Should Coronavirus Stop Us from Going to Church? - Crosswalk.com

Checking In: Progress of Mariners top prospects in spring training, part 2 – MyNorthwest.com

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Jake Fraley has a pair of home runs in Cactus League play this spring. (Getty)

A lot has changed in the six days since we last checked in on the Mariners prospects. Obviously baseball, like the rest of the country, has taken a backseat to the COVID-19 pandemic, and theres no telling when MLB or any of the other major sports leagues will be back.

Part 1: What the Mariners top 4 prospects are doing in spring training

Before everything came to a standstill, we looked at what the Mariners top four prospects (as ranked by MLB.com) had done in 2020 Cactus League play and promised to do the same at a later date with the other prospects that are in Seattles top 10 and have seen time in major league spring training action. So thats what were going to do.

At the end of the post, well also identify a few other young standouts for the Mariners who either arent in the top 10 or no longer fit the definition of prospect.

Cactus League stats: Three appearances, 6.2 innings, 10 strikeouts, two earned runs, three walks, four hits, 2.70 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, .160 average against.

Notable highlight: Dunn struck out three over 1.2 innings against the Angels on March 4, including a punchout of Albert Pujols where he fooled the three-time MVP with a breaking ball that broke out of the zone.

A quick word: He had a couple of mechanical adjustments to make, Mariners manager Scott Servais said of Dunn before his first Cactus League start. When I saw him in January I thought it looked a little bit better; it looks way better now. Just trying to be more consistent on-line, hes kind of always fighting mechanically to get the ball to the glove side consistently. So far its looked pretty good this spring. I like where hes at right now, the balls coming out really good, hes got a lot of confidence, hes carrying himself really well around here.

2020 outlook: For a while during the offseason, the fifth spot in the Mariners initial five-man starting rotation appeared to be Dunns to lose. Then the Ms added Taijuan Walker as spring training began, which seemed to nudge the 24-year-old Dunn back to Triple-A, a level he skipped on his way to making four starts as a September call-up from Double-A in 2019. As Mariners insider Shannon Drayer put it, Dunn would have the chance to force the issue with his appearances in the spring, and you have to think what he did in his three Cactus League games were at least a step in the right direction. Considering command was an issue in his MLB outings last year, almost assuredly due to jitters in his first promotion to the big leagues, his 1.05 WHIP this spring is a welcome sight. The 10 strikeouts in just under seven innings are also quite impressive. It doesnt look like the 2016 Mets first-round pick is planning to spend much of his 2020 season in the minors, and hell be the first man up should an opportunity arise in Seattles rotation.

Cactus League stats: Eight games, 16 plate appearances, .188 average, .625 OPS, one home run, one double, three RBIs, no walks, five strikeouts.

Notable highlight: This is why hes the metaphorical lead singer of the Beef Boys group from the 2019 Double-A Arkansas Travelers team.

A quick word: If 2020 is his chance to play in the big leagues whether that is midseason or late season, we are going to let that happen because we think the development of our young core of players is the single most important thing we are doing, Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said of Raleigh in December.

2020 outlook: Raleigh, a 23-year-old backstop who Seattle selected in the third round in 2018, is believed to be the Mariners catcher of the future. If that comes to fruition, hell have some time to settle into that role as the Ms have a pair of catchers in their prime years currently on their MLB roster in Tom Murphy (turns 29 next month) and Austin Nola (30). The switch-hitting Raleigh has the makeup of a baseball lifer, and his combination of skills behind the plate and power in the batters box could take him a long way. The Cactus League homer was a nice appetizer, but the rest of his spring numbers signal that hell need some extra seasoning in the minors before assuming his place on the MLB roster.

Cactus League stats: 10 games, 30 plate appearances, .231 average, .838 OPS, two home runs, two doubles, four RBIs, three walks, eight strikeouts, one stolen base.

Notable highlight: Dude pulled a 101-mph fastball for a home run.

A quick word: I know hes got some very high goals set for himself, Servais said. Jake is very, very serious. Theres no question how seriously he takes his game. The biggest thing for him and these guys who are so driven like that is to relax a little bit and smile once and awhile.

2020 outlook: Fraley will likely be in the starting outfield whenever the MLB season begins. The ongoing injury problems for Mitch Haniger have opened the door, and the 24 year old will get the chance to show if he can hit consistently against major league pitching. He was a star in 2019 Mariners spring training after coming to the team from the Rays in the trade that sent Mike Zunino to Tampa Bay, and his numbers have been strong this spring as well. Theres no question that Fraley is a great athlete who can cover ground in the outfield, has some pop in his bat (19 homers combined between Double-A and Triple-A in 2019) and can make things happen on the base paths (22 stolen bases in 2019). When the Mariners brass talk about giving the kids a chance to play in 2020 to get reps against MLB competition, Fraley is the exact kind of player theyre talking about.

Cactus League stats: 11 games, 32 plate appearances, .172 average, .733 OPS, three home runs, seven RBIs, three walks, seven strikeouts.

Notable highlight: How does an oppo-taco grand salami sound? (Honestly a salami taco might be worth trying. I mean, taco pizza is available all over the place and personally Im a big fan of a dish know as Mexican lasagna, so I have to believe a salami taco could be yet another success in Mexican-Italian fusion. Theres something for you adventurous cooks to try out while were all shut in at home.)

A quick word: He has power. He controls the strike zone in a different way than people look at. Kyle makes very good decisions on what to swing at, Dipoto said in January. There are empty swings, hes gonna come up empty, and thats part of the trade-off for getting the kind of power he has particularly his power to the opposite field. When you hit the ball as far Kyle Lewis hits it to right-center field, you have to allow the ball to travel deeper in the zone. As a result, you are gonna run a higher strikeout rate more often than not.

2020 outlook: The Mariners are going to take a good, long look at Lewis, who was Seattles initial first-round pick under Dipoto in 2016 and who will turn 25 around midseason. He took the big leagues by storm in 2019, becoming the second player in history to homer in each of his first three MLB games and finishing with six home runs in 18 games after joining the team as a September call-up. He had 75 plate appearances in his time with the Ms, which means every 12.5 times he stepped to the plate, the ball left the yard. Hes kept it up this spring as his three homers lead the team. But as the quote from Dipoto states and .172 average from spring training bears out, Lewis prodigious power does come with a drawback. Hell get all the chances he needs to figure out how to put that power to use in MLB action this year, likely figuring in as Seattles regular left fielder.

J.P. Crawford, shortstop: The key return in the Mariners trade that sent Jean Segura to Philadelphia prior to the 2019 season, Crawford had a few spurts of strong play in 93 games with Seattle last year. He had one of the shiniest web gems of the entire MLB season and at times looked like a prototypical No. 2 hitter. His glove and arm have continued to dazzle this spring, and the bat has been one of the best in camp for Seattle, as he is hitting .400 with a .989 OPS and five RBIs. And watching him run the bases for a triple, something hes done twice in Cactus League play, is about as fun as it gets.

Justus Sheffield, starting pitcher: Sheffield is still considered a prospect, ranking 13th on the Mariners list from MLB.com, but hes appeared in each of the last two MLB seasons and comes into 2020 as one of Seattles expected starting pitchers. Hes been a big bright spot this spring, holding opponents to two runs scored while maintaining a 0.63 WHIP in eight innings over three appearances. Hes also struck out a staggering 12 batters and walked none, and he turned heads by suddenly switching to a two-seam fastball and ditching his four-seamer to great success.

Tim Lopes, utility player: Theres been a lot of talk about the Mariners opting to use a utility player as their fourth outfielder after Braden Bishop was optioned to Triple-A, and Lopes seems like the top candidate if that ends up being the case. He is primarily a second baseman and only played the outfield once in eight seasons in the minors, but he was sent to the outfield 35 times and appeared at second only three times in his 41 games with the Mariners in 2019. The important thing, however, is that he has been hitting the cover off the ball this spring, almost assuredly playing himself into an opening day roster spot. He leads the team with a .440 average, 11 hits and five doubles in 11 games, and hes driven in seven runs, scored five and even has a pair of stolen bases and hasnt been caught stealing, either.

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Drayer: Ms choosing to stick together despite seasons delay Top Ms pitching prospect Logan Gilbert shines again in 2nd spring start Who have been the Mariners most impressive young hitters this spring?

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Checking In: Progress of Mariners top prospects in spring training, part 2 - MyNorthwest.com

Karen Balice-Gregory: A work in progress – The Daily Telegram

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By Karen Balice-GregoryCommunity Columnist

SundayMar15,2020at2:59PM

There are not very many things that stop me in my tracks but this week something did. In the process of carrying out a fun and relaxing day out of town with one of my great nieces, we were literally plowed from behind by a huge truck on a busy road during rush hour. The driver in front of us was trying to get into the turn lane and I was patiently waiting behind her. It was a major jolt that neither of us saw coming. In all the years that Ive been driving there have been a few misses and a couple of bad weather slides but only one big one prior to this and that happened 50 years ago.

When something like this happens, the reaction to it is relative to all the details, ages, circumstances and perspectives. It took both of us a minute or two just to download what had just taken place. In the next minute, after you check each other out for injuries, you have to make a move both physically and mentally to determine what to do next. Can you safely get out of the way? Is your vehicle even drivable? Why didnt the airbags deploy? Is the guy that caused this going to stop or drive away? Why does my head hurt, it didnt hit anything? I waited for traffic to clear and then pulled into a roadside business followed closely by the driver behind me. He was on his phone the minute I looked back in the mirror and I assumed he was contacting the police.

It took quite a while for him to get out of his truck to talk to us and all the while I was more calm than I ever thought Id be under the circumstances. Unlike some other brushes Id had on the road, this time I was more relieved that nothing worse happened. When the other driver finally approached me and saw the damage he had done he said, One minute I looked down (I suspect at his phone) and the next minute, there you were. He didnt apologize, didnt ask if wed been hurt and had no comment about the obliteration of my car.

It wasnt long before the police showed up to take our statements. I gave my story to the officer and when I asked him whether or not hed be ticketed, he stated that he couldnt share that information with me without the other drivers permission. (Lesson No. 2: insist on permission; Lesson No.1: get the other drivers information.) Miraculously, my car was drivable, had operational brake lights and there was just enough daylight to get home. Im still waiting for the report, dealing with insurance, anxious to find out how much this is going to cost me and if it can even be repaired.

Its a relief that I can handle an emergency so calmly but oh, all those little things piling up now thats a work in progress!

Karen Balice-Gregory is a trustee of the Ionia Public Schools Board of Education and can be contacted at kgregory@ioniaschools.org or c/o Ionia Sentinel-Standard, 114 N. Depot St., Ionia, MI 48846.

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Karen Balice-Gregory: A work in progress - The Daily Telegram

Work in progress on oil import from USA to Belarus – Belarus News (BelTA)

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MINSK, 16 March (BelTA) The possibility of importing American oil to Belarus is being worked on, BelTA learned from Aleksandr Tishchenko, Press Secretary of the Belarusian state petrochemical concern Belneftekhim.

Asked about the possibility of importing oil from the USA to Belarus, the spokesman noted the possibility had not been ruled out and work on it is in progress. The format is being worked on, he said. According to the source, work on the negotiation positions is in progress. Speaking about the resumption of oil deliveries from Baltic ports to Belarus by pipeline, the official noted they continue working on it. A working group is being set up in order to fully take care of the matter, he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo visited Belarus on 1 February. After talks with Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko the diplomat said that the USA stands ready to deliver 100% of the energy resources Belarus needs at competitive prices.

An international expert seminar took place at premises of the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research (BISR) on 4 March. The seminar gathered representatives of Latvian and Lithuanian railway administrations, oil transshipment and logistics companies, port administrations, and diplomats. The Belarusian side was represented by top officials and experts of the state petrochemical concern Belneftekhim, Belarusian Railways, and the Association of European Business.

An agreement was reached that specialists will determine an optimal way to resume the operation of the pipeline system that will allow delivering oil from Baltic ports to Belarus. A working group will be set up soon to take care of the technical aspect of the matter and the legal one. Technical information will be used to prepare an agreement and push the project to the intergovernmental level.

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Work in progress on oil import from USA to Belarus - Belarus News (BelTA)

New "Destiny 2" Updates Erased Years Of Progress For Players – Bleeding Cool News

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If you think just because Bungie is no longer working with Activision that Destiny 2 is free of problems, guess again as a new update caused more headaches. The company released an update without any warning to the community that essentially updated the stat tracking function on emblems. Basically, they were trying to make it easier for players to track their progress with a better menu. However, the drawback that no one saw coming until they looked at their stats is that it completely erased progress and achievements from players who had taken on some of the toughest challenges in the game. The community was enraged and showed their distaste on Reddit. The devs followed it up with an explanation in their weekly blog.

When designing this system, our overall goal is to provide players more ways and options to show off their accomplishments. Our first selection of stats were determined by prioritizing stats that represented a skill that could be improved week-over-week or Season-over-Season and be an accomplishment that players would want to display that was meaningful to other players. Because of that, some stats that couldn't be completed or improved any longer weren't included.

We believe in these requirements in principle, but strictly applying them retroactively unfairly removed your ability to show off accomplishments that you could flaunt in Seasons prior. It was a change made with good intention, but was the wrong way to roll out a new system. We've identified some stats that can be added back in a future patch, and wanted to share them with you. We are currently planning to add these stat trackers back in an update later in the Season.

If we were a dev working on Destiny 2 right now, we'd be looking for a way to either reinstate those achievements or open them back up for people to do immediately. Especially since we all seem to have extra time on our hands during the coronavirus outbreak. We'll see if the company makes any more changes to restore those to the players or at least gives them a chance to get them back.

Gavin has been a lifelong geek who can chat with you about comics, television, video games, and even pro wrestling. He can also teach you how to play Star Trek chess, be your Mercy on Overwatch, recommend random cool music, and goes rogue in D&D. He also enjoys standup comedy, Let's Play videos and trying new games, along with hundreds of other geeky things that can't be covered in a single paragraph. Follow @TheGavinSheehan on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vero, for random pictures and musings.

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New "Destiny 2" Updates Erased Years Of Progress For Players - Bleeding Cool News

Pete Buttigieg’s coded language shows the limits and promise of LGBTQ progress – The Wilton Bulletin

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(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Nathaniel Frank, Cornell University

(THE CONVERSATION) According to family lore, my father suspected I was gay when I was six because I liked cars with windshield wipers in the rear. (As a shrink, hes always had a penchant for looking under the hood, so to speak.)

There were other clues too. I used to prance around the yard flitting my wrists and waving my arms, chirping in a high-pitched, affected manner: Im a boy! My father would gently take me aside, crinkle his nose and shake his head, saying, Try not to do that thing with your wrists. At other times he asked if my flamboyant declarations that I was a boy reflected some worry that I actually wasnt.

The truth was, I wasnt worried about whether I really was a boy, nor did I want to be a girl. The truth was, I was just being me.

I thought about this painful part of my childhood when Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the presidential race earlier this month. Watching an openly gay candidate advance this far toward the presidency was thrilling for many LGBTQ Americans, including me. Yet I also winced at key moments in his campaign, such as when he struggled poignantly to voice his feelings.

Indeed, at certain moments, hearing Buttigiegs words was excruciating for me both because of the personal resonance of his struggle and because of what it says about where the country is on LGBTQ equality.

Calibrating his words

When Buttigieg was asked by The New York Times editorial board why he didnt embody the anger many Americans feel about the state of the nation, he insisted that his presidential bid was propelled by a level of passion, and added that some people are given more room to be emotive than others.

Pressed on what he meant, he explained that he was sometimes asked to have more of a flourish in displaying my emotions, and it is precisely because I feel very strongly about lots of things that I have learned to master how I might feel about anything and channel that into action. He concluded by saying he is mindful as the new guy that maybe waving my arms is not the best way to convey what I care about.

Most LGBTQ people will find this language familiar, if incomplete. We are used to carefully calibrating how much of a flourish we give off when we express ourselves. Weve spent our lives learning, by necessity, to master our passions and channel them into action that feels safer than acting on them directly. Weve become experts at communicating in code and at decoding communication.

So I did a double take at some of Buttigiegs remarks. What did he mean when he said that, as the new guy, waving his arms may not be the best way to communicate his passions?

Being the new guy isnt particularly relevant to whether waving his arms is an effective way to communicate. But being the gay guy is. If LGBTQ folks have learned that its dangerous to move our bodies in certain ways, that danger is surely magnified for political candidates seeking the support of tens of millions of Americans.

Stigma and discrimination still hurt

Its not clear exactly why little gay boys may be prone to exaggerated performances of effeminacy, why young lesbians may be more likely to be tomboys or why some feel a persistent sense of being a different gender than the one assigned at birth.

What is clear is that, while these identities and behaviors are not harmful themselves, the way family, peers, colleagues and service providers react to them can have a profound impact on the well-being of those who dont conform to expected norms.

Although Americans believe that anti-LGBTQ discrimination has significantly waned in recent years, research shows that its not just political candidates who continue to feel they have to hide their true selves to reach their full potential, as even the openly gay presidential candidate apparently did.

In December, the What We Know Project, a research initiative I oversee at Cornell University, released one of the largest-ever analyses of research on the impact of discrimination on LGBTQ well-being. We identified hundreds of studies that linked anti-LGBTQ discrimination to mental and physical health harms, including depression, anxiety, PTSD and suicidal behavior.

Research also shows that the behavior of family and society can make LGBTQ individuals feel less safe in coming out. Studies show that rejecting behaviors by parents shaming, ostracism and efforts to straighten out atypical youth can increase the likelihood of psychological distress, low self-esteem and the risky behavior that can lead to the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

The damage remained consistent whether the discrimination was actual or perceived, meaning just the fear of being stigmatized or mistreated has a measurable effect. This may help explain why so many sexual and gender minorities strive, at great cost, to repress their true selves.

As a researcher I try to stay dispassionate about the data, but it hit me hard as I watched statistics pile up about the pain I quickly recognized as my own.

Emotional repression

Such repression has its own consequences, as Buttigieg has eloquently described, in a speech last April before an audience of LGBTQ supporters, when he characterized the closet as a kind of war that nearly ended his life.

A 2009 study found that lesbian, gay and bisexual people held their emotions inside when bracing for stigma, leading to a greater likelihood of psychological distress. The authors concluded that suppression may serve a self-protective function in that it prevents retaliation from perpetrators.

Another study, from 2016, identified repressing anger as a common coping mechanism for gay men and lesbians in anticipation of harassment and the need to conceal their identity.

Yet another study looked at the links between gender expression among lesbian, gay and bisexual people and mental health, and found that having a nontraditional gender expression was correlated with greater psychological distress and greater social anxiety.

All this is consistent with the wider body of stigma research, which suggests that large numbers of LGBTQ people remain closeted because, if you perceive a penalty for being honest about who you are, youre more likely to conceal that and such concealment has health consequences.

As Buttigiegs struggle to express himself and mine and millions of others remind us, too many LGBTQ people still feel that they must, but simultaneously cant, wave their arms to truly be seen.

[Like what youve read? Want more? Sign up for The Conversations daily newsletter.]

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/pete-buttigiegs-coded-language-shows-the-limits-and-promise-of-lgbtq-progress-133336.

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Pete Buttigieg's coded language shows the limits and promise of LGBTQ progress - The Wilton Bulletin

Two Companies Are Making Progress on Coronavirus Treatments. The Stocks Arent Responding. – Barron’s

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Gilead Sciences and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals are both making progress in developing treatments for coronavirus, according to a report published Monday by Leerink Research. But the stocks were off more than 4% in afternoon trading, a sign that investors remain skeptical.

Early indications are that Gileads (ticker: GILD) antiviral drug Remdesivir, originally developed to treat Ebola virus, is the most promising treatment for severe cases of coronavirus, analyst Geoffrey Porges writes.

Gilead is moving ahead with two pivotal studies in China, with 233 patients enrolled in a higher risk group with severe pneumonia and 63 patients enrolled in a less severe pneumonia group, as of March 6. The treatment course is five days or 10 days by IV infusion, he writes, and it seems likely that investigators have seen early indications of whether patients are responding.

Porges also notes that early reports from Chinese social media and specialists in the field suggest a more positive clinical course is being seen in patients who receive the drug versus a placebo. And thats consistent with Gileads actions in starting similar trials in South Korea and the U.S. There are now five or six large randomized trials of Remdesivir around the world, he notes, which is highly consistent with positive expectations for the medicine.

Gileads antiviral isnt the only medicine on the market to treat the coronavirus. Anecdotal reports are that Abbvies (ABBV) Kaletra may be effective, along with medicines such as Actemra, made by Roche (RHHBY), Olumiant, made by Eli Lilly (LLY), and other antivirals and anti-infectives, according to Porges.

Regeneron (REGN) is also developing preventive medicines and therapeutic antibodies.

Regeneron believes they have a solid probability of success, Porges writes, and its confidence will likely increase as the company tests various antibodies and scales up manufacturing, with human clinical trials ideally starting by late summer.

Regeneron has three or four treatment strategies in the works, including an antibody cocktail that could work against different viral proteins identified from its VelocImmune mouse technology, according to Porges. Thats the same approach Regeneron successfully used to develop an Ebola vaccine and drug candidates to treat other viruses, such as MERS, Dengue and Zika. The approach could work for both preventing coronavirus-related diseases and in treating the infection.

One problem could be that antibody treatments may exacerbate the bodys inflammatory response, potentially causing more harm, even as the drug attacks the virus itself.

But if the approach works, Regeneron has the scale to go from initial investigation to human testing quite rapidly. While that can take 12 to 24 months for other drugmakers, it may only be a few weeks at Regeneron, Porges writes. Even with that scale, however, Regenerons capacity would be hundreds of thousands of doses a month, not the millions that might be needed.

What does this mean for the stocks? Gilead has already gained 16% this year, partly on hopes that its coronavirus drug will lift revenue and profit. But RBC analysts downgraded the stock from a top pick rating to Outperform on Monday. We remain less convinced about the potential for success and/or monetization of remdesivir in coronavirus, they wrote, though they see upside coming from Gileads other drugs on the market and in development, and view the stock as a defensive play in the current volatile market.

At nearly 12 times estimated 2020 earnings, though, they see less dramatic a disconnect to fair value. Their price target is $86.

Regenerons coronavirus efforts may not lift the stock either. The company doesnt expect to make a profit from its efforts to prevent or treat Covid-19 (the disease caused by coronavirus), Porges writes. Shares of Regeneron have gained 28% this year.

But some analysts still see upside. Canaccord Genuity upgraded the stock to a Buy with a $550 price target in late February, making a case for Regenerons major product, Eylea, irrespective of coronavirus treatments.

Write to Daren Fonda at daren.fonda@barrons.com

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Two Companies Are Making Progress on Coronavirus Treatments. The Stocks Arent Responding. - Barron's

Southern Gold continues to progress drilling at Beopseongpo; confirms new project discovery – Proactive Investors Australia

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While South Korea has reported a significant number of COVID19 cases, Southern Golds area of operations are currently not materially impacted.

Southern Gold Ltd () is continuing to advance its drilling campaign at the Beopseongpo Project in South Korea, with the Hand of Faith target being the primary focus at this stage.

Diamond drill hole BPDD011 has just been completed for 202.4 metres and the rig has now moved to the next drill site with BPDD012 just commenced.

Hole BPDD011 intersected the target structure, including a deeper intersection of what has been tentatively identified as intermediate sulphidation epithermal veining.

Drilling is progressing at a rate of about 20-25 metres per day and with excellent recovery (>95%).

The drill program is about 1200 metres and will take 4-6 weeks to complete.

A second rig is also in the process of being mobilised to Beopseongpo and is expected on site targeting the Spider Zone with drilling to commence in 2-3 weeks.

This comes several months earlier than originally scheduled and reflects excellent work on the part of the Korean team in terms of securing site access approvals and logistical arrangements with the drilling contractor.

First pass field reconnaissance has identified a new project area called Geum-Mar, which means Golden Horse in Korean.

The new project area is a historical road metal quarry that is now abandoned however it has extensive limonite-kaolinite alteration, possibly associated with a rhyolite dyke intrusive, and extensive quartz veining.

Sulphide mineralisation has been identified in the area from hand specimen.

The area has now been covered by Southern Gold tenement applications and assay results from surface sampling are expected in about 2-3 weeks.

While South Korea has reported a significant number of COVID19 cases, these are largely contained within a small area of the country.

Steps taken by the government have had some impact on activities in the major cities and travel in or out of the affected area, however, Southern Golds area of operations are currently not materially impacted.

Travel and social protocols have been established by Southern Gold for South Korean based staff, particularly in terms of city-based activities. Field operations to this point have not been impacted.

Southern Gold Managing Director, Mr Simon Mitchell: I am very proud of the progress made by the Southern Gold Korean team on several fronts.

Notwithstanding the COVID19 virus issue, the team has been operating very effectively on the ground with good drilling progress at the Hand of Faith target at Beopseongpo, with a further drill rig to commence drilling the Spider Zone shortly and our project generation team uncovering a new and exciting area called Golden Horse, or Geum-Mar in Korean.

This is just the start of what should be a very exciting 2020 as we ramp things up in country.

We await with interest assay results from Geum-Mar in the coming weeks and from the drilling a little later.

However, with 2 rigs going we expect regular market updates as results come in over the coming months.

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Southern Gold continues to progress drilling at Beopseongpo; confirms new project discovery - Proactive Investors Australia

Are You Leveraging Connection And Progress To Become A Go-To Brand Like Amazon, Harley-Davidson And Southwest? – Forbes

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Based on a recent global study of more than 400 brands, Lippincott has uncovered how winning brands leverage meaning to outperform the competition. Meaning is defined as coming from two sources: 1. Connection - the kind that drives personal value and 2. Progress - the kind that drives action. The global creative consultancy has defined [see full report here] what it takes to become a Go-to brand.

Building Brands in a Harsh New World

Creating brands these days is cheap and easy. There are few barriers to entry and reaching your target audience is no longer a daunting challenge. Good customer reviews can catapult a little-known brand to the top of your browser. But creating a winning brand is a different story in a world where 80% of product searches start on Amazon or Google. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Even successful brands today with satisfied customers are being intermediated, says Simon Glynn, Chief Strategy Officer of Lippincott.

The Juice is Worth the Squeeze

Shifts in markets, technology and society are making it tougher than ever to build a winning brand. But it also makes the prize more worthwhile. Becoming a Go-to Brand means you are sought after, cared about, consulted with, and are happy to be seen with by your customers. The juice is worth the squeeze. For example, Southwest Airlines, a Go-to Brand for many of its customers, receives 6x fewer customer complaints according to USDOT for the same operational performance (lost bags or delayed flights) than some of its biggest competitors.

Defining Connection and Progress

Meaning is made up of connection and progress. Each element is defined by two factors:

Connection

1. Be true to me this means you understand the customer as an individual and share their values and aspirations.

2. Show you care this means you instinctively on creating value for the customer and have their interests at heart.

Progress

1. Works like magic this means you manage expectations of how things should work and put the customer in control. Its about designing elegant solutions to achieve the most effective outcome with minimal effort.

2. Advance my world this means you are committed to solve the big problems that your customers face. It allows you to connect meaningfully with others who have the same quest.

Breaking Down the Quadrants

Lippincott has created a matrix based on brand performance using the metrics of connection and progress.

Brand Classification by Quadrant

Go-to Brands are located in the top right of the matrix. They outperform their competition in both connection and progress. The average revenue growth for Go-to Brands in the United States is 11%, compared to just 2% for Transactional Brands. Thats over a 5.5x increase. Go-to Brands in the U.S. include Amazon, Harley Davidson, Samsung, Spotify and Southwest Airlines. One of the younger Go-to Brands is Marcus by Goldman Sachs. The financial brand has quickly established itself as a Go-to Brand for its customers. In just its first three years, theyve accumulated $50 billion in deposits by helping its customers achieve progress in their savings and their debts. Marcus has thoughtfully designed its service model. Using fee free pricing and transparent conditions that support rather than undermine the customers financial objectives.

Comfort Brands occupy the top left of the matrix. These are brands that connect with customers, but they fall short on driving progress. They win the affection of the customer, but they are exposed to disruption. Customers value them and feel attached to them, but they fall short on helping them do things they otherwise couldnt. The research identified U.S. examples such as Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola, Netflix and Patagonia.

Enabling Brands occupy the bottom right of the matrix. They help customers progress, but that dont connect and, as a result, fail to earn our loyalty. We appreciate that they help us do new things, but we often dont love them. This creates a vulnerable position for many tech brands. The research identified U.S. examples such as Facebook, Uber and YouTube.

Transactional Brands occupy the bottom left of the matrix. They underperform on both connection and progress. Because they lack distinction on both fronts, they are in danger of becoming a commodity due to their lack of meaning.

Three Takeaways from the Research

1. More than Marketing - the authority of a Go-to Brand comes less from what it does and more from how it does it. This requires the brand to be managed pervasively within the organization, not just from a marketing perspective. How can you help your customers with what they are struggling to achieve? And, how can you respond in a way thats purposeful and distinctive to drive a deeper connection?

2. Pursue Relentless Innovation evolve from product features to focusing on the lives of your customer. Finding ways to help your customers do things they couldnt do before. Observe how consumers are managing with the products and services they have today, and to look for the non-consumption and the hacks that provide clues to needs that are badly met.

3. Level-Up depending where are you in the Matrix, you have different challenges.

Connection and Progress Chart

Comfort brands need to find ways to aid in the progress of customers. Enabling brands need to connect and show that they care. Transactional brands need to level up by improving both connection and progress. The good news is that if youre currently a Go-to Brand for your target customers, the opportunities are richer than ever before. You have their permission to create and capture more and more value. If you arent a Go-to-Brand, then competition is tougher than ever not just from traditional competitors, but also from digital disruptors and others in your emerging ecosystems. In the words of the research report, Winning customers appreciation has never mattered so much.

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Are You Leveraging Connection And Progress To Become A Go-To Brand Like Amazon, Harley-Davidson And Southwest? - Forbes