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The Daily Inspiration is a short message to help set the tone for the day. It is linked to a longer article for additional insights and inspiration.

This weekly astrological overview is based on planetary influences, and offers perspectives and insights to assist you in making the best use of current energies. This column is not intended as...

Recurring communication issues may signal an underlying mental health disorder, especially if tied to social cognition impairment. Understanding the signs can help identify when relationships are...

Materialism can erode personal relationships by fostering unrealistic expectations and prioritizing wealth over connection. Learn about the impact of materialistic values on happiness, well-being,...

Strength training benefits kids by promoting long-term health, reducing injury risks, and fostering fitness habits from an early age. Discover how strength training builds a foundation for youth...

Collective consciousness has a powerful impact on societal peace and conflict resolution. This article explores how shared beliefs and attitudes can influence societal conditions, reducing...

The Daily Inspiration is a short message to help set the tone for the day. It is linked to a longer article for additional insights and inspiration.

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A joyful outdoor scene of children playing in a muddy garden area, hands covered in dirt, with smiles on their faces.

How Mud Play Boosts Your Child's Immune System

Samuel J. White and Philippe B. Wilson, York St John University
Mud play offers more than just messy fun—it strengthens kids' immune systems. Exposure to microbes found in dirt helps children develop…

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Illustration depicting America’s 250th anniversary with symbols of democracy, highlighting the 2024 election as a crucial moment for U.S. values and freedoms.

Is America’s 250th Birthday at Risk?

Robert Jennings, InnerSelf.com
As America approaches its 250th anniversary, the 2024 election poses critical questions about the future of U.S. democracy. Project 2025…

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Many organisms, including humans, undergo developmental changes before reaching adulthood, and these appear to occur in discrete stages on the physical, emotional, and mental dimensions.

For most people today, the zodiac is all there is to astrology and your “sign” (Sun-sign) is your “horoscope.” Of course, a delineation for your Sun sign is not a horoscope...

Animals are always trying to get through to us. They are constantly sending us intuitive messages that we aren't aware of. However, in spite of ourselves, some of those messages are getting through. W...

If you are brave enough to appraise your personality and arrive at some conclusions about what changes you want to make, you will still be faced with the enormous challenge of actually changing your p...

The purpose of the universe is to enable you to learn. Prosperity is the attitude that you can have what you want in this universe. Therefore prosperity is one of the things you are here to learn. Thi...

On the transcendental level, Virgo governs karma yoga, the path of service extended to all beings. By coming to know the needs of others and learning how best to satisfy their natural desires, we expe...

Some of you might be thinking, "I'd love to start dating, but who would want to date someone with four children, a dog, and two parakeets?" Don't assume just because you have children, you're less des...

You can provide your child with several essential ingredients for gaining independence. You must give your child love and respect. These expressions give her the sense of security that allows her to e...

Writing in a journal is a way to discover the answers to your questions, to express yourself creatively, to find the voice of your soul, to strengthen your connection with your open heart, and to face...

Our parents teach us right from wrong, though sometimes our grandparents or an exceptional teacher makes an impact. These values become integrated in all you do and carry into all parts of your life....

Sense ability is the skill to observe your thoughts, your feelings, and your behavior. It also makes you aware of others and provides real-time feedback as to how your feelings and behavior affect oth...

In the U.S., we are conditioned to believe we are separate and fully independent from one another. Many of us do not experience ourselves embedded in a larger community -- instead, we feel we have to...

Honesty is a skill that can be practiced and learned. I feel a deep sadness when I hear people tell me how much they have been hurt in their dating relationships and how this has caused them to approa...

James Bregman, 1964 Olympian, said, "The real courage is what you do on a daily basis, how you conduct yourself to the standards you have set. That will lead to doing the right thing. The more times y...

Any approach that makes peace and happiness dependent on a particular outcome or circumstances is implicitly saying that you are not enough just as you are — that to experience a truly happy and succe...

If you "grew up on Bible stories", you learned the "eye for an eye" concept. How is that to be put into effect in a spiritual practice that focuses on inner peace, forgiveness, and peaceful interactio...

If you grew up in a home where you were either neglected or constantly on the losing end of a win-lose situation, you will be trying to build responsiveness and responsibility in yourself at the same...

"A childless royal couple finally has a baby... Life spins along normally for the next sixteen or so years. One day, the princess discovers..."

When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you f...

It has been so important to connect with my soul, to listen, and respond through the heart and the emerging feelings as I sought some genuine interaction with people and the world around me.

Notice your emotions. What color or colors are they? What shapes do they make? Notice your thoughts. Again, what colors are they? What shapes do they have? Notice your emotions....

Are we relationship material? Boy this sounds like a loaded question. A question that I have been spending quality time asking myself.

I remember feeling unloved, under-appreciated, ignored, and lonely. Lonelier than I ever thought imaginable.

Passion is a very holy thing. You can lose many material things, but if you lose your passion, you're a goner.

Most living things appear to be vitalized by the bright reds, oranges, and yellows of daylight -- and calmed and rejuvenated by the blues, indigos, and violets of the night. The origins of healing wit...

Often we may wake up in the morning believing that we have not had any dreams. But it is more likely that we have not yet remembered the dreams we did indeed have.

Small but insidious dragons lurk to intercept us on our spiritual journey through the land of ecstasies and voids. One of these is the infamous sheltering dragon.

Can a Smart Person Believe in God? is the provocative title of a book by Michael Guillen, theoretical physicist and former science correspondent for ABC News (he has a Ph. D. in three disciplines, phy...

A Taoist seeker was wandering about a mountain range in search of a true teacher. On one occasion he happened upon a small Taoist hermitage high atop a peak on Wu-T'ang Mountain, where a small number...

Having taught meditation for over thirty years to thousands of people, I can really say that it is the sin­gle most important thing you can ever learn in order to expedite and enrich your spiritual li...

In pregnancy and in some cases even before, quite a high proportion of mothers believe they have been in contact with their unborn children. Some of the women studied found their bodies picking up the...

There is a reason why some people choose to dress or groom themselves in ways that are not provocative. Certain ways of dressing, as well as certain uses of things such as makeup, scents, and jewelry,...

Nurturing is not to be confused with smothering. Nurturing helps a child blossom, while smothering leads to behavioral problems. When a parent suffocates a child, the parent's objective is to control....

While they say that "love is blind", one should not enter blindly into marriage or any committed relationship. Here are a few of the questions to consider before marriage (and even for current married...

Here is a program for realizing abundant prosperity in your life and affairs. According to the mystical Christian principles, on which this program is based, it takes 40 days for consciousness to real...

You have no doubt met people whose very presence emanated an indefinable power. Perhaps you persuaded yourself that their influence was due to something perfectly ordinary: physical stature, or good l...

In many marriages, women grow resentful of their husbands when they are expected to work, clean, care for the children, shop, cook, do laundry, and then make love. Mothers feel the burden of expectati...

I like to think that people are at least as smart as dogs, and something inside each of us recognizes and respects wisdom, beauty, and authentic love. When you are connected to higher power, doors ope...

From time to time, spiritual renaissances occur. In the last days of the 20th century, many people opened themselves up to spiritual and/or religious concepts. Many scientists embarked on a study of s...

I now see this product as symbolic of forgiveness. The name acknowledges that you made a mistake ("goof") but also that it can be undone ("off"). If you have been subject to the tyranny of guilt, this...

When my son and I walked into the basement of John's rural ranch house, the room was well lit and warm from the plant growing lights. The air smelled moist and fresh. The plants I saw were healthy and...

Back in the 1980s, NASA reported some research it did on the value of indoor plants in cleaning up air quality. Over the years, researchers looked at more than 30 different plants to find the ones tha...

Think about a bright twelve- or fourteen- or sixteen-year-old. One night she hears, or overhears, that her dad has something called a "gli­oma." What will she do? There's a chance she'll head straight...

When we’re not getting along with our partner, we’ll talk honestly and frankly to our friends about what’s irritating us. But then, when we sit down face-to-face with the person, we’re not communicati...

No one wants to suffer pain or illness, but losing mental capacity is also near the top of most people’s lists of things they’d like to avoid as they age. And many fear their brains will lose hold bec...

The mind is one of your most powerful tools when it clearly receives and interprets the guidance coming from your innermost self. If you want clarity, ask your soul to give it to you. Your soul has th...

Climate change is not the number one issue of our time. The number one issue would be facing, addressing, and changing the aspect of humanity that would allow such a thing to occur! Regardless of what...

It’s a wonderful gift to have caring family and friends to listen to you. When life gets turbulent, they can be a safe haven where you feel protected and embraced. However, when we internalize other p...

The neck is the forgotten area of the spine, especially during travel. And although many people have accepted neck soreness as normal, it’s not. If you ignore the pain, you may be setting yourself up...

As we grow spiritually and the more we work with the information we receive in dreams, we accept the idea that our parents represent parts of our soul. One day, with the concept that our life is like...

Every morning, I would awake early and anxiously look in on my husband. I needed to know he was still breathing. Would I lose him? Survival instincts began to kick in. I started praying and calling up...

The Great Healing is a time of huge paradigm shift: "... shaped by the feminine paths of cooperation, nonaggression, inclusiveness, noncompetitiveness, service rather than dominance, use of psychic an...

It is not money that makes a person wealthy. It is wealth consciousness. Several studies show that many people who win over $1 mil­lion in lotteries end up worse off financially than they were before...

Parents are often at a loss at how to explain the death of a loved one to a child. Some of the common explanations may create more harm than not...

"The truth is, we don’t know that the cancer just might come bearing gifts... and that this last year of her life might very well be the best..." Life changes after diagnosis...

It is becoming clear to me that the way most of us have lived our lives has not been in harmony with the way the universe intended. It seems that we have somehow lost touch with the loving flow of lif...

Self-criticism takes the form of blaming yourself ( It’s all my fault ), labeling yourself ( I can’t believe how stupid I am ), hating yourself ( I can’t stand myself at times ), doubting yourself......

Yawning may be better than meditation! Despite the fact that we yawn spontaneously five to ten times a day, and that it is a highly pleasurable event, comparatively little effort has gone into underst...

For parents, cycling with their children opens up a range of possibilities. A bicycle can bring out the kid in a grown-up — and give a kid a chance to show resilience and strength. When those things h...

You already know how to make your body tense and rigid by becoming mentally stressed. Tight neck and shoulders, headaches, digestive problems, constipation, and hypertension are all manners of physica...

Making cars consumes huge amounts of resources and produces large quantities of waste and pollutants. So does scrapping the car at the end of its life...

Natural therapies all have their place in the treatment of pets with arthritis. Often one of them can serve as the sole therapy. When needed, lower doses of conventional medications can be combined wi...

by Diana Cooper. A forecast is the likely outcome based on the situation and mindset of the people at a given time. There are many influences on the world that we are not aware of. A forecast, therefo...

by Louisa L. Williams, M.S., D.C., N.D. Nuts have numerous enzyme inhibitors and are best soaked or partially sprouted to make their nutrients most nontoxic and assimilable before eating. Therefore, r...

by Dr. Caron Goode. If we knew that our children were our planetary and societal salvation and held the answer to the questions of how to survive and thrive into the next century, how would we treat t...

A common thread in recent events is the increased use of the power of the people. After years of people sitting back and saying there was nothing they could do to stop the "powers that be", we are see...

Back here on earth, the human comedy has been renewed for yet another season. Maybe 2012 will be the year a critical mass of the heretofore-uncritical masses wake up and hear the laugh track. That’s r...

Based upon commonly available modern foods, the Paleolithic or caveman diet is a diet that seeks to mimic the diet of the hunter-gatherer. The diet consists of foods that can be hunted and fished and...

by Margo Anand. In launching yourself into this adventure, your first question is likely to be "Where do I begin?" Many of my clients, when they come to work with me, assume that the answer is, "by fi...

by Sarah Stillman. What role has religion played in your life up until now? Most of us tend to adhere to the religion of our parents, but some girls choose to venture on their own spiritual paths. I'm...

by John Randolph Price. The universe of infinite plenty assures us that enjoying wealth on the material plane is not only our right and duty, but is the law. In other words, we must be rich -- not as...

by Jerral Hicks, Ed.D. If a parent wants to raise a child who is self-centered, uncaring, unable to take care of himself, and most likely to fail as an adult, just do the following...

Just as you thought life couldn't get any weirder - it did! You don't have to be a super psychic to feel that the energy has accelerated with a strange new twist. Many are feeling a little dizzy or ou...

by Alan Cohen. In the years to come , many social systems and institutions will likely disintegrate. They will be replaced by new systems rooted in truth, vision, and service rather than fear, greed,...

by John Robbins. The dairy industry has been waging war against soy milk, suing the manufacturers of soy beverages for using the word milk and claiming that the dairy industry alone has a right to use...

by Tom Sturges. Here’s the problem: If you ever do become unhinged for a moment and say something unkind to your adolescent child, you can never take it back. Once said, it can never be unsaid. Althou...

by Barbara Hand Clow. Many people who were born since 1965 seek ways to live in a less material world. They know this is the only possible next step, since Earth can’t sustain the current level of tec...

What should be done about prisoners? Should society lock them up and throw away the key? Or should we try to rehabilitate them (indeed, is it possible to do so)? Balancing the safety of society with t...

We have created a culture where technology is eating us up and eating the attention of our brains. If you’re feeling overloaded by emails, text messages, websites, social media, computer programs, and...

When I'm talking with my guy, especially if it looks like we're heading toward an argument, it's really important that I remember to listen carefully to what he is really saying, and not just his word...

In European mythology, this specific process of self-discovery (meeting the shadow) is usually depicted as the hero literally descending into the underworld and meeting the dead. Whether it’s in The O...

by Debra Lynn Dadd . Life After Toxics. I know that sounds like there is some toxic-free land over the rainbow somewhere or a new era when toxics are a thing of the past. Well, there is. There is actu...

The very basic idea of plant-as-medicine dates back to before recorded history. Cannabis has been a medicine since at least 2800 BCE, and until the 1940s, it was listed in America’s pharmacopeia. In t...

Women show more susceptibility to toxins. On one hand, women’s bodies have more fat, where toxins accumulate, so women are four times more likely to exhibit symptoms of chemical sensitivity than men.

Whether or not your own job is in jeopardy in the near future, at some point in your career, you may become a victim of downsizing (if you haven’t already). Being laid off is one of the most traumatic...

The Moon rules your basic sense of security, which early parenting influences in a crucial but unconscious way. It comes from the way the infant is held, how it is fed, and how it is responded to when...

The Moon in our chart shows our emotions and how we deal with them, as well as how we respond to the emotions of people around us. This relates back to the nurturing we had as a very young child. How...

Since the 1800s astronomers have noted that there is an eleven and a twenty-two-year sunspot cycle; that is, for some years there would be hardly any sunspots, and then for some years the sun's face w...

Like the moon, the sun exerts a cyclic pull on us, but the pull is much stronger -- it's what keeps the earth in orbit, determines the seasons, and keeps us all alive. The sun's cycle, 365+ days, serv...

by John Robbins. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Nutrition and Health says that two-thirds of U.S. mortality is diet-related. At a certain point, one decides that the evidence is sufficiently com...

When was the last time you thanked your body for all it does for you on a daily basis? The “inward smile” is an ancient practice, a way to deeply honor the body by acknowledging it and sending it grat...

We often consider feelings as existing with only positive or negative values. Besides positive and negative feelings, there are neutral feelings. We want pleasure, we don’t want pain, and we relax whe...

One day, while lying in his hospital bed at Walter Reed, a Golden Retriever in a therapy dog vest entered his room with his trainer. Although Raymond could barely speak, the connection that he felt wi...

Sweet basil’s many herbal uses include culinary, landscaping, medicinal, and spiritual, and the essential oil can be found in fragrances and insect repellents. Cultivated largely as a culinary herb an...

The following list of reasons to cut your carbs is adapted from The Carnitine Miracle: The Supernutrient Program That Promotes High Energy, Fat Burning, Heart Health, Brain Wellness and Longevity , by...

Think about how we normally consume. We usually choose to fill our shopping cart full of the foods we habitually buy. To choose new foods, even for a day, is to design a different sort of experience:...

In Buddhist literature, the ox is likened to one's own True Nature. To Find yourself. the search for the ox is to investigate this True Nature.

One of my first awakenings to the myriad benefits of community gardens was when the community police officer in a troubled neighborhood in Vancouver helped get one started. She wanted a project for th...

BPA is in many of the products we eat and drink regularly. It is so common that the CDC estimates that 93% of Americans have BPA in their bloodstream. One of the most common products containing BPA an...

People who eat baked or broiled fish at least once a week may be protecting their brains from Alzheimer’s disease and other brain problems. Cyrus Raji of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center an...

Many on the right and on the left are arguing that the signing of National Defense Authorization Act, which provides funding for 2012, contains provisions that put the civil liberties of Americans at...

Bathing in ice water is good for you? OK, if you say so! There is an ongoing tradition of people bathing in the sea or ocean throughout the winter or on New Year's Day. Here is...

A tempest in a tea pot? The English town of Todmorden mixes politics and growing lunch. Its guerrilla gardening group has reached a certain notoriety that transcends borders and continents.

As we look back on 2011, we are grateful for the blessings as well as the challenges. We thank all the authors, publicists and publishers we work with to bring you, our readers, inspiring and enlighte...

The 186,000 residents of the island of Samoa will go to bed on December 29th and wake up on December 31st. They will have missed a whole day! No, they won't have slept 24 hours, they will simply be ex...

Oil, gas, coal, and other industries would have you believe that renewable energy is just not practical. One remarkable German city of 2600, Wildpoldsried, Germany, proves this notion wrong.

In the tradition of making a list for Santa, InnerSelf has decided to make a list of what it wants for Christmas and the New Year. We are writing our list, and yes, we've been good! Very good! Happily...

It doesn’t take an expert to see that things are very wrong with the current legal status of cannabis. Our government says there is no accepted medical use for it, yet it holds a patent (#6630507) for...

Not long ago, nuclear war was possible between Pakistan and India. Yet interviews with both societies indicated they did not fear nuclear war. First of all, many of them don’t even know what a nuclear...

Patriotic Millionaires for Fiscal Strength: "...put our country ahead of politics....increase taxes on incomes over $1,000,000. We make this request as loyal citizens who now or in the past earned an...

When the pain is too much to handle, then some relief gives us space to rest and recuperate. But if we choose to numb our pain all the time, we can end up in a closed and lonely world. If we choose to...

Several years ago I discovered something powerful about the dogs who share many of our lives. While all dogs provide love, comfort, joy, and support, for some people, dogs actually have the ability to...

A father’s relationship with his daughter is the most important relationship that she will have in her life. It is, in my opinion, the basis and template for all the relationships that she will have w...

Toxic chemicals have become so pervasive in our society that trying to decide exactly where to begin and what treatments to undertake for these chemicals can feel rather overwhelming. However, several...

There are apps for many things these days, and one assumes that apps are created by computer programmers whose job it is to do this. But some apps are being created by a 12 year old boy and his apps c...

November 21st, 2013 is the Great American SmokeOut day. The SmokeOut is always the third Thursday of November, one week before Thanksgiving.

A massive AWAKENING is occurring. Millions of people all over the world are gathering together in peaceful but vehement protest... The timely event of 11.11.11 illuminates the conviction of this globa...

According to a statement released to the press Tuesday, the planet Earth has "just about run out of ways" to let its roughly 6.9 billion human inhabitants know it wants them all to leave.

A study released in January 2011 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives revealed that essentially 100 percent of the 268 pregnant women tested were contaminated with highly toxic synthetic c...

Buddhism has become very popular in the West, however, the "western" practice of buddhism is no doubt very different from Eastern traditional Buddhism. Yet, as with Christianity which has also evolved...

Once upon a time there was this young person who had such great hopes for an exciting life filled with adventures and love. Then one day she heard a voice inside her. It was as if someone was whisperi...

The person that was convicted of the murder is ultimately proven to be innocent. Our modern DNA sampling proves that the person who was tried and convicted is not the murderer. Then all these people s...

I’m often asked if there is anything that can be done to prevent arthritis in dogs and cats. Here are my tips to “prevent,” “minimize the chance of,” or “delay the onset of” arthritis in your dog or c...

Your heart will always lead you to where you are meant to be. Now, there are times when it becomes difficult to listen – especially when your heart feels like a tomato that has just been pulverized in...

Quiet Time Programs have clearly succeeded in inner-city schools and “the most noticeable benefits from TM are that the kids are more eager to learn". I suggest that we consider expanding their reach...

Our forebears began eating grains only about 10,000 years ago with the advent of agriculture. Grain had several clear advantages: You could store it for those times when animal food and seafood were i...

There are so many diets out there -- and everyone suggests that their way is the best! It may be that each diet has something that makes sense, but is one better than the other? And is that "one" the...

On January 15, 2009, a jet taking off from New York City suddenly plummeted into the Hudson River. What would your thoughts, feelings, desires, regrets, and heartfelt prayers be if you, like these pas...

Successful living can only occur when we are able to establish harmonious relations with all whom we encounter, whether it be in the home, the office, or on the street corner. The nature of our relati...

The time has come to write a new story for our lives and to let go of those handed down to us by our families and our cultures. These are not our stories; they do not belong to us. We must hand them b...

Before moving to Taos, I owned a townhouse that was almost two thousand square feet and had a two-car garage, plus lots of closet space, all of it full. It was filled with the stuff accumulated after...

My stepfather, Claude, had been in ICU for several days already. He suddenly sat straight up in bed. I was shocked. Without a pause, Claude began one of the most amazing sermons I had ever heard. His...

Is any process more natural and, at the same time, more fearfully loathed than aging? Witness the booming anti-aging industry, a cornucopia of cosmetics, supplements, and treatments designed more to c...

by Dayna Macy. “You’ll fast for three days”. I’ve run from hunger my whole life, and now I’m going to turn and face it. Dayna Macy shares her experience and insights during a three day fast and reveal...

by Priscilla Short. The Greatest Generation (whatever that means) made personal short-term sacrifices for the good of the country and emerged victorious. In the name of patriotism, citizens of the Uni...

by Dayna Macy. "Am I fat?" I’ve never actually asked this question of another human being — until now. I’m sitting in the office of Dr. Linda Bacon, a nutrition professor in the Biology Department at...

by J. Donald Walters. Everyone in the world is on the spiritual path. By no means everyone, however, is aware of being on a path at all. Most people see their efforts to avoid sorrow and find happines...

Between 1996 and 2000 I was a telephone hot line volunteer for an organization that put survivors in touch with people newly diagnosed with cancer. The sharing of dreams on the cancer hot line became...

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaks of counteracting forces for the disturbing emotions. These counteracting forces are specific mental states that we cultivate to oppose the ones that are not realisti...

Many of us have a well-practiced habit of talking about the faults of others. In fact, sometimes doing this is so habitual that we don't realize we've done it until afterward. Yet, when we examine its...

There are various herbal medicines on sale that claim to alleviate hay fever and perennial allergic rhinitis. The following ones have been tested: Butterbur (Petasites hybridus); Stinging nettle ( Urt...

The traditional treatment used for colds—inhaling steam—can be very effective in hay fever. Use a mixing bowl from the kitchen, pour in boiling water, put a towel over your head and shoulders, and sit...

You will, no doubt, meet people who have "found the cure" for hay fever. There are two things to bear in mind when considering such claims. One is that most people grow out of hay fever as they get ol...

Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of natural aromatic substances — essential oils. The "aroma" in "aromatherapy" refers to the fact that all essential oils have a characteristic smell, while the "th...

Close your eyes and feel the whole universe filled with sound. Feel as if every sound is moving toward you and you are the center. This feeling that you are the center will give you a very deep peace.

Whoa! Hold on a minute, you may be thinking as you look at that headline. Yes, I know the objections, but come with me as I show you how the statement does hold up under spiritual scrutiny. As many of...

by Gail E. Neumann. Sometimes a new way of thinking is required to effectively address old problems which have seemed hopeless, unsolvable. In the Bible it says the poor will always be with us. Maybe....

by Dean Van Leuven. In dealing with another person's anger, it's important to be aware of the fact that the other person wants something to come out of their relationship with you. The key is to under...

Intensive interviews with people who have made personal and spiritual transformations show several dimensions as being important to their healing. People with miraculous healings show: A belief that h...

How do you know when to trust someone? When people you know do something out of character or unusual, do you ridicule them or explore with them their new interest or behavior? If you're curious rather...

When we arrive back home after a mountaintop experience, often we are required to deal with the maddening routines of life. Laundry has to be done, dishes have to be washed, professional work needs ou...

Relationships don't just fall apart overnight. There are warning signs to look for, signs that your levels of emotional tension are rising and that the relationship is in trouble. I call these warning...

Once when I was at a lecture, a woman approached me during the break and said, "One of our problems is we don't cultivate wise elders in this culture. People are surrounded all their lives by the beli...

Self-mutilation is a big problem facing teens today. This affliction is the result of fear instilled by trauma. It is as though the brain contains a computer chip, which has been programmed, because o...

I was taught when I was a little boy that it was good to be unselfish and loving, and I used to think that I should grow up to serve other people.

by Stuart Wilde. Our life's journey of self-discovery is not a straight line rising from one level of consciousness to another. Instead, it is a series of steep climbs and flat plateaus that take plac...

by Robert Moss. When have you said to yourself, "It's only my imagination"? I've said it at a moment of strong intuition — intuition that subsequently proved to be correct — that lacked supporting evi...

Heart disease is the single leading cause of death in the United States, claiming more lives than the combined next four causes of mortality. Fifty-eight percent of all deaths are directly or indirect...

by Patricia Monaghan. The lore and love and specificity associated with Irish places grow directly from Ireland's residual paganism. But that paganism does not conflict with a devout Catholicism that...

When it comes to socializing, is your philosophy "The more, the merrier?" If so, you definitely show qualities associated with the trait known as extroversion...

by Gregg Braden. Without a doubt, we do live in a world of opposites. In theology, these opposites take on names and appearances that translate into the forces of light and dark, good and evil. While...

by Adele von Rüst McCormick, Ph.D., Marlena Deborah McCormick, Ph.D. and Thomas E. McCormick, M.D. When our journey with horses and healing began, more than twenty-five years ago, we never imagined th...

Meditation is simple and practical. In a curious way, it is as ordinary as it gets. Many people who try it at first don't think they are doing it right; it's so simple and unextraordinary, they think...

by Phil Cousineau. According to H. A. Harris, the ancient Olympic Games were an integrated preparation for a life of quality. "Players fifty years ago wanted to win just as much as players today," wri...

by O.C. Smith & James Shaw. God's little green apples are yours for the picking. Whether you reach above your head for the green apples, or whether they fall at your feet, you must do the picking. It...

by Francesca Cappucci Fordyce. Parents, single or not, might consider co-sharing, i.e. families helping each other out. Co-sharing works in principle like the adage "it takes a village to raise a chil...

If a tree fell in the woods and someone was there to yell TIMBER, there is no doubt that the tree would make a noise, and when it hit the ground, someone would be there to hear it. But how about the c...

An organic garden is not a machine. It is a living system of balanced forces between, for example, predator and prey, and these forces are always in flux. Soil composition, air quality, water, birds,...

by Patty Sachs. As the holidays approach and calendars fill with socializing commitments, that all-too-familiar feeling of stress may appear in our lives. The accelerated social "whirl" can be loaded...

The majority of those who practice tai chi do so mainly for the benefits it gives as an exercise. Tai chi is suitable for people of all ages, particularly those on the wrong side of thirty. The very n...

Qigong, through mind, breathing, and posture regulation, aids in the prevention and treatment of diseases and preserves and lengthens life. Qigong cultivates intrinsic energy (genuine Qi) which is fou...

by John Payne. The time has come for you to realize that you are always in safety. The reason why you fear such things is that you do not yet believe that you are the creator of your own experience. A...

What geniuses do is straightforward enough — they recognize their gifts, and then they fully and completely embrace their craft. These people have achieved success because they surrendered fully and c...

Perennial non-conformists, the natives of winter's second astrological month are reform minded, protective of individual liberties, and in search of the truth no matter what consequences await them at...

A practical earth sign, Capricorn (December 22 to January 19) is the month when fanciful dreams become well-plotted schemes. It took Benjamin Franklin (born Jan. 17, 1706) to proffer the adage that a...

As the twelfth and final spoke in the astrological wheel, it is up to Pisces to break things down into their subtlest forms. Governed by cloud-enshrouded Neptune, the sign of the Fish is associated wi...

The three most influential factors in a horoscope are generally the Sun, Moon, and Ascendant. Thus they are a good place to begin analyzing a chart. While their weights may be nearly identical in term...

As the sun illuminates each sign in turn, we can boldly express the unique genius of that sign. The sun represents vitality, pride, creative energy, and the outward expression of self-knowledge.

If a client wants me to time an event that only affects them, like a surgery date, well that's fine with me. I get requests for this work from time to time and have developed a methodology that gets g...

Although it seems to be human nature to want to see into the future, most of us don't have the ability to do so. And since there are no reliable scientific methods for predicting the future, people of...

Mother Earth breathes, just as we do. Among Native Americans and Tibetan cultures, the process is known as her lunar (night) and solar (day) breaths. Tibet is known as the region where the Mother inha...

It became apparent that the way of life to which we had become accustomed was polluting and exhausting the natural environment; that the rich were continually growing richer and the poor poorer. What...

by Betsy Thompson. When I was a kid, I remember being fascinated by animal crackers. Not only did I love how they tasted, but I loved how they felt, how they looked, and how they were packaged.

by Nancy B. Stewart Suggestions as to how we can help the planet in our daily lives, not just on Earth Day. Very easy and simple things we can all do. Why not let Earth Day serve as an inspiration to...

The levels of consciousness...we are now going through as a nation. The first is a shocked numbness, the next rage and anger, and this followed by a great sorrow that seems so unbearable that sometime...

Are you disheartened by the continued violence in the world among nations and individuals? What can you do to assist in the creation of peace on earth? Mahatma Gandhi provided the world with an exampl...

by Marie T. Russell. Summer has gone... and Winter will be arriving... yet Spring will return. The seasons pass in nature, as in our own lives. The winter of doubt and fear does pass away as we become...

by Daniel Pharr This article by Daniel Pharr discusses the waxing moon phase, the waning moon phase, and the dark moon phase and their influence on us.

The ability to see your own anger is critically important. Anger takes many forms: irritation, lack of patience, refusal to communicate, holding a grudge, making fun of someone, manipulation of anothe...

The greatest discovery of the (previous) millennium happened near its very end. It was the discovery -- when we looked back from outer space -- of Planet Earth. A shining jewel in the vast darkness. I...

by Partners For Planetary Recovery. Today, we are facing a life-threatening condition: the destruction of the environmental life-support systems of our planet. Like alcoholism, this destructiveness is...

by Matthew Fox. Compassion is the way we treat all there is in life -- ourselves, our bodies, our imaginations and dreams, our neighbors, our enemies, our air, our water, our earth, our animals, our d...

by Gary Reiss, LCSW. Traditional approaches to addiction emphasize stopping use of the substance. Process work emphasizes saying "no" to the substance, but also emphasizes saying "yes" to the part of...

All religion, whether Western or Eastern, forms a bridge between the absolute and the relative, between the apparently real, and the truly real, between what we perceive as secular and what we know as...

We all have the deep-seated belief that if we practice long and hard enough, our problems will disappear. And beneath that hidden belief lies an even deeper one: that life should be free from pain. Bu...

Science delineates animals by their predominant habitat. Aquatic creatures live in the water, for example. Since human beings live on the land, we might be regarded as Terrestrial. Yet, despite our in...

Investigations into the therapeutic use of color were carried out in Europe during the early twentieth century, notably by Rudolph Steiner, who related color to form, shape, and sound. He suggested th...

To enter the silence of absolute samadhi is to shake off what we call the habitual way of consciousness -- in an old phrase, 'topsy-turvy delusive thought.' By doing so we purify body and mind. Then,...

People who are not familiar with fasting may imagine that it entails sitting around getting bored and depressed, and not eating anything. It is difficult to imagine the powerful effects that fasts, us...

Picture two Brownie Girl Scouts in uniform. One is holding a small tree, a two-year-old seedling, and the other is trying valiantly to dig a hole for the tree to live in. It seems like slow planting,...

We are all familiar with the persona of the stereotypical mother-in-law -- a woman bedeviled with an intrusive and critical nature. Mothers-in-law are derided in comedy sketches, in soap operas, in bo...

If there is a problem you have on your mind, you can ask yourself or a higher power to dream a solution. Here's how it works: first you write out your problem, formulated as a question. In this note,...

We were both only twenty-one when we began our relationship, and quite immature. Each of us was looking for someone to provide us with emotional security, since neither of us had developed any real se...

When Clare was young, he and his mother would spend long afternoons walking through the neighboring lands. For the most part, she walked in silence speaking only when there was something to say. He lo...

The world's favorite pastime is not football, soccer, or baseball but gossip. People love to gossip about one another. The next time you are at the check out line in your grocery store notice all the...

It is the actions and technological productions of one species -- the human being -- that are bringing about the biosphere meltdown. Increasing numbers of people have come to the conclusion that it is...

In this time of high unemployment, many people will turn to starting their own small business. Statistics show that 8 out of 10 new businesses fail within the first three years. However, following the...

What are the causes of acne? There are many theories and myths about the causes of acne -- some are based on facts and some on hearsay. However there are several specific things to avoid (no, it's not...

Aries is known as the pioneer of the Zodiac, and Ariens like to be first. Those who have this as their Sun-sign are generally uncomplicated in their attitude to life. They plan straightforwardly, and...

Challenge, and a need to feel free to express themselves in their own individual way, are the two most important requisites for those who have this sign emphasized in their birth-charts. They cannot f...

by Celeste B. Longacre. Ah, love! Who among us hasn't dreamed of the real thing; soul mates together for all time? Happiness and joy with ease for eternity? Some day, somewhere, my Prince (or Princess...

Here the Moon shines with a clear brilliance, as on a frosty winter's night. There is real glamour and dynamic power of attraction, and those coming into contact with a Moon in Aquarius type

The inherent need for independence, and the Aquarius flair and originality, will be present but may not be immediately apparent. As far as general impressions are concerned, the qualities that make th...

Aquarius is the individualist of the Zodiac. Show two people with this sign prominent in their birth-charts a list of characteristics of the sign, and the only thing they will agree on is the fact tha...

The instinctive reaction to all situations when the Moon is in Aries will be a fast one, leading to immediate action. This may or may not be a good thing, and it is very much up to the Moon in Aries t...

Those with Aries rising will make a considerable impact on others. They will instigate large, successful projects, and will devote much of their time and energy to the achievement of horrendously ambi...

Because the Moon rules Cancer and has such a powerful bearing on our instincts, intuition, and emotions, the Cancerian characteristics will be very strong indeed in someone with the Moon in this sign.

The powerful Cancer characteristics will be primarily directed towards the partner and family, and apart from the strong self-defensive system, may well not be at all obvious to those who come into co...

Challenge a Cancerian and at once you will see his or her natural self-defensive system come into play. The need to protect themselves and their loved ones is an extremely basic instinct with people o...

Those with the Moon in Capricorn will react to situations and people very coolly and calmly indeed, perhaps to the point where an element of remoteness surrounds them.

Capricorn is the sign of the Goat. Here we have someone who is sure-footed and negotiates every obstacle with care but with a lively step. Only getting to the top will do, and a great deal of determin...

Capricorn rising gives considerable stability, and practical common sense second to none. According to the Sun-sign, however, there is often conflict between the positive expression of emotion, and it...

Reactions to situations will be remarkably quick. Short, relevant answers to questions, witty responses, and a straight-to-the-point directness will do much to put the Moon-in-Gemini type way out in f...

Someone with Gemini rising will find that the Geminian characteristics will marry in an interesting way with their Sun-sign characteristics. Should you, for instance, have Gemini rising but a "strong...

Perhaps the most dominant Geminian characteristic is versatility. Gemini will never only be involved in one specialist area of one subject and will never get stuck in a rut. If, of necessity, he or sh...

The immediate response of anyone with the Moon in Leo will be to take situations into their own hands, and to cope very well, becoming a good source of inspiration to others.

The well-known British astrologer Margaret Hone (who had Leo rising) used to say that the only thing to do when Leo rises is to keep it down. There does seem to be quite an element of truth in this st...

Leo, the lion, the king of the jungle, must of necessity have his or her own individual kingdom whether it is large or small. The ability of people with this Sun-sign to organize their own lives and t...

The immediate response could well appear to be lackadaisical. There will be no rushing into sudden action, and the appearance of calm will be notable.

The need for a good, rewarding, and permanent relationship is paramount when Libra rises, and achieving this becomes an important part of the Libran's psychological motivation. But the need to express...

Perhaps more than with any of the other signs of the Zodiac, the symbol for this sign the balance sums up very accurately the basic motivation and needs of the individual who has it emphasized in his...

Because the Moon has a powerful effect on our emotions and intuitions, and because Pisces is a sign denoting a high level of both, the sign and the planet complement each other very well.

When Pisces rises, there seems to be no question that the characteristics of the sign will work at the deepest level of the personality. Here, perhaps more than in any other case, the Sun-sign will do...

Pisces is the poet of the Zodiac. With signs of the Water element, emotion is plentifully expressed at a moment's notice: the dilating pupils of the Piscean eyes will at once tell us when the individu...

There will be a quick, enthusiastic response to all situations; here is someone who will never "beat about the bush", and will come up with a ready and understandable answer. If suggestions are needed...

Many Sagittarian qualities complement and enhance the characteristics of the individual's Sun-sign. They will, for instance, counter the somewhat heavier, practical side of the Earth signs, and give a...

Sudden outbursts of emotion and the expression of powerful feelings occur when the Moon is in Scorpio. Certainly this creates an immediate impression, but it is one that can be very different indeed f...

When Scorpio rises, drive, energy and dedication are still very much present and energy resources will give terrific force to the individual's mode of expression, whatever that might be.

This, the eighth sign of the Zodiac, is the strongest, offering the greatest resources of both emotional and physical energy. Those born with Scorpio prominently placed in their birth chart must find...

When the Moon is in Taurus, its influence is of even greater strength and importance than in most other cases. Immediate reactions to situations will be slow, but once an opinion is formed the individ...

Although the individual with Taurus rising may not give the impression that he or she needs to feel more than usually secure, the underlying need will be very much present, and, as is the case with Su...

Taurus, to function properly, need to live their lives in the knowledge that they have the security of a regular income and a stable emotional relationship. When this is achieved they are in the right...

The Moon works well from Virgo, since it intensifies the speed at which the individual reacts to all situations. That reaction is practical, helpful, and extremely logical. This makes them sharp in de...

The Mercurial need to communicate will be particularly important to people with Virgo rising, and although because of their Sun-sign they may not be especially talkative, once a good relationship has...

Of all 12 signs, Virgo is the busiest. Those who have it as their Sun- or Rising-sign will surround themselves with a great many tasks, so that their day is full of activity. It is very difficult inde...

If you are in love with an Aquarius, give him or her a very long leash and your respect. This is one of the most freedom-oriented of all the signs and this individual will not tolerate nagging or any...

If you are in love with an Aries man or woman, give this person flattery and firmness. Aries like to be noticed and will bask in the glow of your affection and attention.

If you are in love with a Cancer man or woman, give him or her your understanding. This is a sensitive soul who needs to be brought out of the shell with attention and discussion. Patience is importan...

If you are in love with a Capricorn man or woman, give him or her encouragement and support. This is one honey who will work diligently to provide you with the best that money can buy and all you have...

If you are in love with a Gemini man or woman, give him or her elusivity and a lot of space alone. This individual needs a great deal of stimulation to stay interested and you will be much more appeal...

If you are in love with a Leo man or woman, the most important thing you can give him or her is your attention. This is one mate who will charm and caress you, make passionate love with you, dance wit...

If you are in love with a Libra man or woman, give him or her your attention and your company. This is one individual who truly wants to share as much as possible in life and will be a faithful and de...

If you are in love with a Pisces man or woman, give him or her attention and sympathy. You have met here an individual who will quietly listen to the tales of your days -- good and bad -- and desires...

If you are in love with a Sagittarius man or woman, give him or her freedom and honesty. This is one honey who will resist any and all efforts to be pinned down too definitively and you would do best...

If you are in love with a Scorpio man or woman, give him or her your full attention and devotion. Sharp as a tack, this person definitely notices everything. You will be able to keep no secrets here;...

If you are in love with a Taurus man or woman, understand that this person is a one-woman man or a one-man woman (unless Gemini predominates elsewhere in the natal chart). Primarily interested in secu...

If you love a Virgo, give him or her attention to detail. Some -- but not all -- Virgos are neatniks and cannot stand living in a mess. Others need for you to acknowledge their ideas or accomplishment...

Money is a symbol of energy and as such it has no real, intrinsic value. It is neither good nor bad, positive nor negative. It is impartial. The guy who wrote that "money is the root of all evil" just...

If values and morals are to be taught in public schools, what should be taught? Are there universals that are worthy of teaching to all children in our multifaceted, democratic society? There has been...

Coiling and hissing at us comes the Chinese Year of the Snake. The Snake, or in Chinese "she" is a cunning and smart animal who is resourceful and has supernatural powers. Traditionally, the Snake has...

A way of preventing worry is to stop being such a perfectionist. You don't have to do everything flawlessly. It's mainly in the mind that you worry about doing everything just right. I've learned to r...

Testing astrology is difficult, in part, because of the constantly changing cosmic environment and, consequently, the individual nature of each astrological chart.

The underwater icicles, or brinicles, are known as the "finger of death". That is a good name for them as you will see as you watch this awesome video footage. Not only does it look like a finger poin...

With all the Republican-candidate nomination hoopla and numerous debates, there needs to be some levity in the process. You might feel that the candidates have already provided a lot of entertainment...

Apple has expanded its outreach. In their search to claim even more of "market share", they have apparently discovered a niche market for iPad games.

It's so much easier not to deal with serious issues like death, taxes, and money. Unfortunately, they're a part of life. When it comes to money, we all make mistakes. And, surely there are more than t...

Although some dreams certainly seem to symbolize life challenges or fears, not all dreams have the same “feel.” Many times the imagery represents something in our waking, conscious state that needs to...

Spirituality is very personal and each person will have their own definition of what it means to them. For some people, spirituality equates religion, for others, spirituality is an internal experienc...

The magnetic field around the Earth feeds the magnetic fields around our brains and within each individual brain cell. Our memory and synaptic functions are dependent on this magnetic field remaining...

It is important to consider how diet can affect the pet with arthritis. Let’s take a look at pet foods first, then we’ll talk about obesity and how controlling this major health problem can help the p...

The lives of our forebears were ravaged by disease, famine, war, childbirth and old age and they had little access to pain relief. The therapeutic and healing art was as important to them as the knowl...

Psychospiritual exploration, soul-searching, communing with the self — these are normal and important c omponents of the human experience. Adolescence is a prime time for this sort of exploration, and...

Before my near-death experience, I thought there was no afterlife and, consequently, no continuation of consciousness. In my view, death was total, complete, and utterly final. Much to my surprise and...

One of the most important weapons to use against your financial bogeyman is tracking . Simply put, tracking involves noting all the money that comes in and all that goes out. Every time you spend or r...

Twenty-seven years ago, I lived at a prestigious address in the exclusive neighborhood of Pacific Heights near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. If you’d seen me then, you may have thought, “Wo...

I grew up in a Christian prayer tradition that was mainly focused on asking God to do things for me and for people I loved: “Please, God, hear my prayer and do such and such.” I no longer experience a...

Do you often see the numbers 11:11, or even various triple digits when you glance at your digital clock such as 4:44, 5:55, etc.? Have you wondered if there was any significance to this or if it was j...

My visit with a palm reader helped me change a lifelong pattern of indecisiveness and a belief that I would have to choose between a career and family. Holding my left hand she explained that my inner...

The other day, while meditating, I happened to be thinking about the people of Japan and those in the Midwest being affected by the flooding . . . many of these people will have limited access to food...

Your aura is filling the space around you with light and energy at this very moment. As your moods and ideas change, new colors and designs of varying intensity and beauty appear around you. Find out...

Your adventure begins with a close look at how you might acquire some, if not all, of your beliefs. I could ask: Are you hypnotized? Imagine that a stage hypnotist has hypnotized you. The experience w...

The following text, "Yesterday's Child" by Janie Bowman, was originally published in The Missing Piece (Winter 1993), the newsletter of the Learning Disabilities Association of Washington State. "Afte...

Few would deny that acupuncture is an effective system of altering bodily responses—its dramatic effects in producing local deadening of the nerves, so that surgeons can operate on a fully conscious p...

Conventional medicine has some powerful weapons against hay fever but many people still turn to other forms of treatment. This chapter looks at all those that we have come across and tries to assess w...

Essential oils are extremely versatile to use. The best-known method involves combining one or more essential oils with a vegetable base or carrier oil to make a "massage oil." Aromatherapists use the...

One hears on all sides that the conflict between science and religion is over. For four centuries the battle has raged: in astronomy over the earth's position in the universe; in geology over the eart...

One of my children brought to my attention a TV program that he was watching. On the program, a scientist was testing individuals who had gifts similar to mine. My child said, "Mommy, you need to call...

Feel the sun brightly shining overhead, warming the atmosphere as if it were noon on the most perfect June day imaginable. Feel the earth underneath, green and rich, soaking up those golden rays of li...

I breathe in light. With each breath in, I feel the light within and around me increasing, until light is radiating from me. I am becoming radiant with light.I draw light into the cells of my body. Th...

My effort is to leave you alone with meditation, with no mediator between you and existence. When you are not in meditation you are separated from existence, and that is your suffering. It's the same...

What are you doing when you are thinking? Talking within. Can you think anything without talking within? You are alone; you are not talking to anyone, you are thinking. What are you doing while you ar...

Every Master has his own special method through which he has attained, and through which he would like to help others. This is Tilopa's specialty: Like a hollow bamboo rest at ease with your body. A b...

I take a deep breath in and relax my body. I imagine a golden light surrounding me. Any thoughts I do not want are leaving. My mind is filled with peace. I am going within and experiencing my thoughts...

Every night before you go to sleep, sit in your bed and start making faces -- just as small children enjoy doing, make all kinds of faces, good, bad, ugly, beautiful, so the whole face and the muscula...

Mind creates limits. If you don't think , you move into the unlimited. The mind cannot co-exist with the unlimited, with the undefined, unbordered, infinite. The mind cannot exist with the unbordered,...

Q: Premaji, is there a diet that can assist me to advance on the spiritual path? I’m overweight and I use smoking and coffee to lose weight. A : There is much confusion in this era about food choices....

A Dictionary of Spiritual terms, or glossary of terms of wholistic (holistic) and alternative medicine as well as spirituality and counseling.

As I breathe in, I breathe in love. I draw in love from everywhere in the universe. Love flows in through my breath. Love flows to every part of my body carried on my breath. I open to receive love.

Whenever you live something consciously it never becomes a loaded thing on you. If you go to the market to purchase something and you move consciously, walk consciously, purchase the thing consciously...

A while back, in the spirit of wanting things to be "better", I rearranged the furniture in the office. The changes were a little unconventional, yet the layout was more efficient and would lead to a...

Over the years, I have read many wonderful books on the subjects of spirituality, philosophy, and personal growth. These books usually paint a beautiful and inspiring picture of reality. But often, af...

In the Eastern view, the dualistic energies of heaven and earth meet within the human body. Many Western traditions say as much: we are soul made flesh. Picture the divine in each of us as a ballerina...

Insofar as we observe illnesses through a watching and a listening that are biological, we realize that they all begin with a shock, a precise, punctual event in space and time. And if without an imme...

People often call to ask me to tell their animal something using my intuitive communication skills. They are surprised when I say that they don't have to hire me to talk to their animal. Animals are m...

According to ayurvedic teaching, starting any form of treatment without first dealing with the toxins in the system that have caused the disease will only make matters worse. Toxins may either be elim...

The issue of soul partnership seems to be in the heart. As you understand more about the energy of soul partnership in you, there will be less and less of aloneness and separateness.

Traditional societies transmitted to the young not only lineage and survival information but also the beliefs and expectations of the culture. This system perpetuated the health, longevity, and surviv...

We have uncovered twelve personality traits that vitally affect all romantic relationships, that either make or break intimacy. This number has been determined both clinically and scientifically. We h...

Do you consider yourself an emotional person? For centuries astute observers of the human condition have noted that people vary remarkably in this dimension. Emotional Intensity clearly plays a major...

All of us have fond memories of locales we've been to in life, settings where we've felt complete, at peace, and at ease. Often these are places in nature where we feel a strong sense of connection. I...

Let's take a look at the ingredients on the actual label of a dry cat-food product. I examined one of the brands that's quite pricey and sold through veterinarians. I found that it contains poor-quali...

Few of us grasp the wholeness that is love-making. In true love-making, two people come together, open in body, mind, heart, and soul. They are intimate in love , and they join together and become one...

Color therapy is an ancient approach to healing that has been used since the earliest of times. Decades of research show that color influences our thoughts, our actions, our health, and even our relat...

People often ask me how long and often to meditate. No one way suits everyone. Spending more time is better, but it depends on the individual's needs and potential. If you have demands on your time an...

by Wallace D. Wattles & Dr. Judith Powell. When we say that you do not have to drive sharp bargains, we do not mean that you do not have to drive any bargains at all, or that you are above the need to...

For the baby, the world is a terrifying place. It is the vastness, the enormity of the whole experience of being born which so terrifies this little traveler. Blindly, madly, we assume that the newbor...

Our view of health care is changing, and increasing numbers of spiritual seekers and health-care providers alike are reconsidering the role that the mind — and by association, spirituality — plays in...

Sexual energy is nourishment for the totality of ourselves — the body, the mind, and the spirit. Sexual imbalances can cloud the mind with distorted thoughts and skewed desires, but a balanced sexuali...

Recipe for Fried Rice with Wild Nori. Our nori goes excellently with all cooked grains, especially rice. Simply roast it and crumple it on, or sprinkle on our pre-roasted Nori Granules Sea Seasoning....

This recipe came from the Pacific Northwest where the Tsawatainak Indian tribe would harvest their local laver (nori) each year and cook it up with corn. Traditionally they undoubtedly did not use dai...

Recipe for Gunga (Pigeon peas & rice). Let's see how this favorite Bahamian dish can be cooked... without meat! The recipe was excerpted with permission from the book: "The World In Your Kitchen" (out...

Everyday language has two contradictory opinions about relationships. On the one hand it says that "birds of a feather flock together", but then there is also the following expression: "opposites attr...

How you ask your children to listen, and what you choose to see in them will help determine their response to you. Don't allow your ego to make you feel guilty for not doing it perfectly. The myth of...

The first few days of a baby's life can bring a deeply spiritual opening between parent and child. The sheer mystery of birth and the vulnerability of this tiny being you hold in your arms are truly a...

The interesting question is whether those of us who were successful students achieved this success by memorizing an enormous number of words without necessarily understanding them or caring about them...

The story of First Love revolves around two basic themes: separating from our parents and establishing our own identity. These challenges are never totally resolved, and they affect all our love choic...

It's pretty hard dealing with the idea of really being a father. Scary feelings come up about accepting it, getting involved, learning what to do and how to participate in family life. The commitment...

Just because a father lives at home, does not mean he is available to his son or daughter. Fathers often overbusy themselves, so they don't have to deal with their own responsibility and subliminal pa...

The number of children on Ritalin is rising at a truly alarming rate. At the same time, the incidence of clinical depression among adults -- including parents -- is almost epidemic, and continues to r...

When I was little, my mom and I used to have a lot of fun turning old ideas around and changing the meaning into something we enjoyed more. When we heard someone say, "I'm going to kill two birds with...

The most direct way to encourage your children to ask for help is to teach them to pray. Most kids like to pray once they learn how and will do it naturally in some form or another anyway. Whatever ap...

Every generation of parents dreams, works, and saves so that their children experience greater personal prosperity than they. Until the last few years, the steady advances in purchasing power of the a...

Birth can be scary, and it can also be glorious. Fear of the unknown causes anxiety in many expectant parents. Empowering yourself with information, knowledge, and the support of experienced people ca...

How your young children spend their time out of your care will have an enormous impact on how well they perform, both socially and academically, in the future. The following are a few suggestions abou...

A child will learn ethical philosophy by observing how you treat others around you. Severity is sometimes necessary, mercy is sometimes necessary, and mildness is sometimes necessary. Use your head. T...

When parents have a baby, they unwittingly have to deal with their own brittle past. At every new stage, memories sneak up. A parent recalls what happened when they were that age. Just as we cope with...

The most important decision faced by a modern household with children is how to harmonize the time and energy invested in satisfying financial needs, career ambitions, parental responsibilities, sexua...

Unfortunately many girls, in order to look like a supermodel, need to develop an eating disorder and spend a lot of time being concerned with their food and their weight. Bulimia nervosa is a form of...

Each of us as parents must identify the values we have intentionally taught and displayed to our children. But, we must also ask ourselves another question: What values have we as a society taught our...

Parents of teenagers, take heart! There is affection after adolescence. Even friendship. For those of you who’d like to deep-freeze your teen till twenty-one — you’re not alone. It’s a toss-up whether...

Positive role models are critical to a child's development. Girls need adults in their lives who model assertiveness, strength, caring, and responsiveness. We need to empower them to make decisions an...

People with acne may try to stop outbreaks and oil production by scrubbing their skin and using strong detergent soaps. However, scrubbing will not improve acne; in fact, it can make the problem worse...

Who are we really? What is really the meaning of Life? How can we attain lasting happiness in the face of our seemingly endless troubles? These questions are basic to our lives, and it is from these q...

Imagine the presence of a great warmth that feels utterly nurturing, good, and peaceful. See it as the most beautiful color or colors that you can imagine. Feel it as having the texture or sensation o...

The weeds keep multiplying in our garden, which is our mind ruled by fear. Rip them out and call them by name. The illnesses, the rejections, the defamations, the injustices, the aloneness, all the "I...

Hope is an expectation, not always with absolute certainty, but with confidence and assurance that something can or will happen. Hope is a desire accompanied by a belief in fulfillment. Hope is a forc...

I realize the whole universe is at my fingertips, as is my willingness to manifest what is needed in my reality. Every experience of life is God teaching me. As I look in this pure state of awareness,...

Problems do not limit your aliveness or happiness. They are simply challenges that give you opportunities to make choices and grow. As you increasingly open to yourself, happiness wells up from deep i...

The phrase "thy will be done" in the Lord's Prayer is a statement of resignation for many, the calling down of a power to do something that may not be what we had in mind. It's as though we're saying,...

Meditation does work. Millions of learned and loving people have practiced it throughout the ages, because it clears the mind and opens the heart. The current interest in meditation has inspired many...

Relaxation and muscle balance are necessary to the practices of concentration and meditation so that (1) the body may not be injured by the mental efforts and (2) the mental work may not be spoiled by...

Co-meditation is based on the principle that a certain mode of respiration evokes a particular state of mind and vice-versa. The power of the breath and the breath-mind relationship has been recognize...

Take a moment now and find the very center of your energy. Let your focus soften as you become one with your surroundings for the next few moments as we travel together. Ask permission to join with th...

Try not to worry too much if your smoker tries to quit and fails. A study by the University of Ottawa found that most smokers try to quit five times before they finally succeed. If your smoker doesn't...

When conventional drug therapy couldn't help her arthritic collie, Pat Green tried one last option: the pins and needles of veterinary acupuncture. The results were astounding. Twelve-year-old Brandy,...

Most people and animals are usually prescribed drugs -- specifically antibiotics and vitamins -- at times when they are ill. However, antibiotics kill germs and rarely discriminate between good and ba...

Life is basically an energy experience. It is now clear that different aspects, or frequencies, of this energy have different effects on our moods, behaviors, and vital functions. Each separate freque...

Over time, the Tarot cards have had their ups and downs, falling from popular interest only to be once more resurrected by those in search of the deeper meanings behind their complex symbolism. As the...

All living things have a natural self-healing ability, but on occasions this ability is unable to function due to low energy. No one can cure another person; a psychic can give the healing energy, but...

When people realize my specialty is handwriting analysis, the inevitable question is, "What can you tell me about myself?" The answer is everything! Everything your subconscious is silently...

When dealing with the invisible forces people have often used fragrance as a protective shield between them and the perceived negativity. This manipulation of fragrance for spiritual ends binds people...

Jenny was eager to talk to me about her five-year-old nephew, who she was beginning to believe was the reincarnation of her grandfather. She hadn't known that it was possible for a child to be the rei...

Many people are willing and even longing to believe in the existence of fairies. But, to most of us, they stand as a lost illusion. Not so with everyone, for I, amongst others, have seen all kinds of...

Could any of us watching Peter Pan struggling with his shadow -- to find his shadow, to keep his shadow and, ultimately, to "bind" his shadow to him -- have known that the shadow carries powerful psyc...

The material contained in this article is not for the faint-hearted, and many may find it highly disturbing. These reports concern an alien civilization that perpetuates sinister and barbaric practice...

The lunar cycle has a definite influence upon the human psyche. Scientific psychological studies have demonstrated the powerful effect of this cycle upon human behavior -- the full Moon coinciding wit...

Bellydancing is the last vestige of goddess worship in the Middle East and is in danger of becoming extinct. Bellydancing began as ritual for childbirth preparation in the ancient Middle East. Before...

Have you ever marveled at the amazing flexibility of your cat? Ever felt a warm sense of contentment just watching your dog take a long yawn and then a happy stretch that reaches all the way down to h...

In ancient times, Tai Chi was taught only to members of the Chen family living in a small village in Hopeh Province. One day the grandmaster explained why he had broken one of the strongest family tra...

New research shows that minor excersing is very benefical to a healthy heart and preventing cardiovascular problems and heart disease. Endurance exercises—such as walking, jogging or cycling for 30 mi...

Two out of three senior citizens may lack adequate immunity to tetanus, a life-threatening central nervous system ailment contracted when bacteria invade an open wound, usually a deep puncture or cut...

by Eric Benjamin Lowe. In the past decade, magnets have attracted the interest of many health consumers and have carved out a sizeable iche in the alternative medicine market as a treatment for multip...

Menopause Organizations. Various organizations supply information and other assistance to women experiencing or approaching menopause. Phone numbers and addresses sometimes change. If any of these are...

Menopause Glossary. A definition of various terms associated with pre-menopause, menopause, or the menopausal age group.

A popular myth pictures the menopausal woman shifting from raging, angry moods into depressive, doleful slumps with no apparent reason or warning. However, a study by psychologists at the University o...

Good nutrition and regular physical exercise are thought to improve overall health. Some doctors feel these factors can also affect menopause. Although these areas have not been well studied in women,...

Hot flashes, or flushes, are the most common symptom of menopause, affecting more than 60 percent of menopausal women in the U.S. A hot flash is a sudden sensation of intense heat in the upper part or...

Calcium is essential for blood clotting, nerve transmission, muscle contraction and growth, heart function, general metabolism, and various hormone functions. Lack of enough calcium prevents bone depo...

For eons of time, prophets, seers, religions and Holy Books have foretold the coming of an Age when Heaven would manifest on Earth, an Age in which Humanity would develop the latent powers within and...

If the abundance of books on a specific subject measures the pulse of popular culture, there is a seeming revival of soul as a topic of cultural interest. The immense profusion of these works suggests...

by Phaedron. Astrology examines the microcosm and macrocosm... you and the universe. Contrary to popular belief, the stars and planets have no effect on us. Instead, they are manifestations of hidden,...

As many parts of speech as we have in language, they sometimes do not do justice to what is being described. And so it is in astrology. The word Mars "says" something that cannot compete wit...

None of us ever completely escapes becoming enmeshed in the web of human relationships. Many are the vantages from which we may examine our relating selves, but few are as clear-sighted as the Indian...

by Da Vid. Astrological Events Indicated The Future Is Now, by Da Vid. Scientists today are in agreement that we are living in a multi-dimensional holographic universe, where all is energy, all is lig...

The more people who embrace a belief system, the more power it has. Personal identity is often inextricably connected with the beliefs one embraces, and arguments are consequently infused with emotion...

When Uranus transits itself, we are dealing with life cycles that occur in everyone's chart at relatively the same chronological ages. These can be periods when we receive wake-up calls telling us to...

Vedic astrology is an ancient behavioral analysis and forecasting system. Unless you were born between about the 15th and 20th of the month, you will find your "Western" Sun has most likely...

by Johann Christoph Arnold.I have always been regretting that I was not as wise as the day I was born. Vast numbers of children are endangered by a one-sided approach that sees them solely in terms of...

For generations, every male on my father's side of my family suffered from a similar fate: a premature heart attack that cut their life short decades too early. I knew I couldn't change my genes, but...

'Does this mean I'm really a lesbian?' the woman whispered in a cracked voice. She looked around nervously, afraid that someone would hear, or worse yet, confirm the ominous truth that lay naked in he...

by Diana De Luca. It is important to take time out of the ordinary, everyday routine to create a nurturing, sensual space. As we open our hearts and honor our sexuality, we are nourished and healed on...

A Course in Miracles asks us to keep our priorities in order. Spirit first, matter second. People before stuff. Love before fear. Leo Buscaglia noted, We were born to love people and use things, but w...

If you look in the eyes of a young child, one or two years old, very often it looks as if there is a light on in there. In an adult this light is gone. Where does it go? What happens to it? What is th...

by Charles & Caroline Muir. We believe that as much care, thoughtfulness, and attention should be paid to a relationship as to a career, a family, or a cause. Unfortunately, this is not a popular conc...

It is time for us to rethink our beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors about the use we make of our sexual energies. How and with whom we use these energies are among the most important decisions we shall...

There are sacred spots all over Mother Earth; in fact, all of her is sacred. Ancient cultures, because the people were right-brained (that is to say, they were in touch with their intuition and their...

The idea that people are who and what they say they are is a necessary assumption. It's what some have referred to as the truth bias that operates in society -- an implicit assumption that unless we'r...

There is a three-step process of inner healing that I have found to be very helpful in my life. Although it is a simple process, it can be powerful. Although those three steps are simple in theory, th...

A testimonial of undying love and the presence of life after death... Curiously, my study of metaphysics did not really begin in earnest until the day of my Grandmother's death, when I became convince...

How many times have you prayed for something to happen in your life? Yet, if you think back on some of the prayers you've asked along your journey I?m sure you can come up with at least one that you a...

At the time, I was totally unprepared for the dramatic and extraordinary events that would unfold over the next 21 days. I would see and learn of a few more of the mysteries of the universe. I would g...

Reality can be messy, and it can frequently force us to reduce our expectations and rein in our hopes. Not everyone can find spiritual fulfillment in a place that feels inviting and safe. There is a l...

Esotericism as a way of life is an art. It is the art of living from the inner reaches of one's being. As art it is based on sensitive, intuitive perception, open to inspiration. And as true art it is...

What is enlightenment? How can I experience it? What books should I read? What is transcendence? What is this nirvana? What is enlightenment? Where does Self-inquiry lead? What is the purpose of relig...

God has managed the amazing feat of being worshiped and invisible at the same time. Millions of people would describe him as a white-bearded father figure sitting on a throne in the sky, but none coul...

by Rabbi Shoni Labowitz. Prayers of this season encourage a reconsideration of our lives, as well as a time for recharging our passion and reconnecting with our spiritual roots. The High Holydays are...

Soap operas are full of people who are in love and start withholding from each other. The nostalgia for what used to be, combined with resentment and hope for renewal, produces what we call romantic l...

We humans seem to enjoy making life hard on ourselves. We (ego) often try to force events to take place or to develop in the way that we want them to -- we try to impose our will on the energies of li...

As man becomes initiated into deeper levels of manhood, he is faced with the challenge of rescuing the Inner Lover or Goddess, his Feminine Self. This quest is very risky and a man must be deeply grou...

Whatever challenges Saturn brings are tailor-made to help us fulfill our highest potential. Saturn's not against us, it's for us! If we're willing to work with our Saturn, it ultimately reveals some o...

A guide to herbs, with their natural food sources, content, and uses.

InnerSelf Authors

an older woman standing outside with a very determined expression

Being Bold in the Moments That Matter

Michael Thompson
Explore the transformative power of boldness and how embracing decisive actions in crucial moments can lead to significant personal growth…
a spiral of chakra colors

InnerSelf Magazine: November 11, 2024

InnerSelf Staff
When we think of healing, we usually thing of physical ailments... cancer, arthritis, colds/flus, headaches, backaches, etc. etc. Yet,…