Whenever we bring suffering or negative feelings into our consciousness, we give it less power over us. When we take a mindful, contemplative, and non-resistance stance like Jesus, we discover a new kind of freedom.

Think you don't have an imagination? Here's why Ignatius felt imagination was so important to our prayer. Also, try our new Memory Recollection audio meditation.

What was going on in Ignatius' heart as he gazed up each night at the stars? His cosmology was quite different than ours, but he still understood that love was the force of the universe, the source of all and the ultimate destination.

It feels good to be remembered. Ignatius saw the memory as a gift, one that draws us into a deeper union with God.

The things in our life are all passing. They are gifts to help us in our journey to a union with God. When we accept impermanence, we discover heaven on earth. When we let go of 'shoulds' and illusions and expectations, we find salvation.

The ego is another name for the evil spirit. This is an important truth to understand if you wish to grow in the spiritual life. The evil spirit tries to protect the ego, which is just another word for the masks of self-importance and superiority we wear as individuals and groups. The good spirit, on the other hand, helps us transcend the egoic preoccupation.

A female perspective.

When we listen to the deep desires of our hearts we are in the flow of God's love and God's dream for our lives. But how do we know a desire is 'of God'?

We tend to look for God in the big emotion-filled moments and can feel disappointed when we don't notice God in the everyday. Yet Ignatius says we can find God's presence in the real stuff of everyday life.

Ignatius uses two images for our relationship with God: a friendship and a master-servant relationship. Both of these however are really about a deep intimacy and companionship.