Every night and every morning we go through a death of sorts and a rising from the dead. The state of sleep is very much like dying -- one's soul leaves the body for another place. Whether at night we experience teachings in other realms, or alternate lives in other times and...
- By Dan Joseph
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, they are not always easy to practice. However, I find that they can produce very tangible results.
My mind is racing -- I'm unsettled. At times my mind's stillness is as elusive as the blur of hummingbird wings. Aurora's voice echoes in my head, "Focus, try to focus." I hear him, but instantly my mind returns to scanning my precious past events. Now Aurora is even more emphatic: "One way to focus is to open up and radiate pure love -- of course, this is attempted only after you have affirmed your intentions."
One night many years ago when I was struggling with my spiritual journey -- still a Catholic priest but not at all certain I would remain one -- I realized that I had grown weary of the dryness of conventional prayer. Following that approach, I usually did all the talking but felt little sense of genuine communion. There must be a better way, I thought, and then I just let go and sat still...
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 long history of people discovering God in unexpected, unusual, sometimes even uncomfortable contexts.
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 a creative way of being, expressive of true universality. But it is also a science -- a science of the soul of things..
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 religion?
On November 28, 1989, I was enjoying my early morning walk at dawn in a state of gentle meditatory delight when suddenly an awareness broke in upon my consciousness. I stopped to examine it more clearly, and I seemed to look out upon the earth from a new perspective. I "saw" a golden light presence engloving (fitting like a glove) the earth. I asked within, to whoever was revealing this, "What is this?"
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 meant to be celebrated in solitude as well as in a supportive community of kindred spirits.
by Rev. Dr. Marcus Braybrooke. Over one hundred years ago, Charles Bonney, who presided at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago, ended his closing address like this: "Henceforth the religions of the world will make war, not on each other, but on the giant evils that afflict mankind." Sadly...
When I say that the goal of all my work -- whether writing books or giving workshops and healing services -- is to reinvent Christianity, some people think this is either blasphemous or downright presumptuous. Who am I to reinvent the religion of our forefathers? And yet the truth is that people have been reinventing Christianity for the past 2,000...
- By Jon Mundy
At one point the Course In Miracles says: At no single instant does the body exist at all. (T:362; T-18. VIII. 3:1.) On the surface of things, this sentence does not seem to make sense, for if there is one thing that seems obvious it is our bodies. Let me suggest an analogy that may be helpful...
Souls don't represent all that is pure and good about a body or they wouldn't be incarnating for personal development. Souls come to Earth to work on their own shortcomings.. In terms of self-discovery, a soul may choose to act in conjunction with, or in opposition to, its own character in the selection of a human body. As an example...
People all over the world are having angel experiences. No matter where an angel message is received, or the culture or religion of the one who receives it, the messages are similar. Angels love, teach, comfort, encourage, support, and help you feel safe.
"The times they are a changing", so wrote Bob Dylan in the early '60s. The title had its meaning to the young people of the period, but it has always had a universal meaning. The times have always changed and will continue to do so.
We have not done well with dying. We have denied its reality and considered it an end to life that should be avoided at all costs. We tell our children that Grandma died and went to a beautiful place called Heaven, and then we quit saying her name. Instead of seeing death as the next stage of life and exploring the possibilities of such a belief, we choose to let fear keep us ignorant.
"Looks like this tree could use some water." I looked over at my neighbor, standing 30 feet away, beside the cypress tree my former boyfriend, Denver, had planted the previous spring. His words echoed and rolled slowly across the lawn that divided us. My hands tingled, and I clasped them together to keep them from shaking...
"Is she going to make it?" I asked, throwing my arms around my grandfather's stooped shoulders, enfolding him in a tight embrace. My grandmother was dying of cancer. What does one ask in such a dismal situation? Oma and I had often talked about spiritual ideas. She firmly believed we all have souls...
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 convinced that life did, in fact, continue after "death".
- By Kim Hartman
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 get a glimpse of the phenomenal wonders and magic of life, physical death, life after death, and the transition that takes place during this period.
- By Tom Paugh
After living sixty or sixty-five years people tend to move around a lot. Many buy and use house trailers and motor homes, enduring cramped conditions to seek new horizons. Still others devise various forms of travel to see the world or the country 'while still young enough to enjoy it.' Many, if not most, hike, walk, swim, jog, cycle, climb, swing golf clubs or tennis racquets or fly rods. The shared desire seems to be to achieve a state of almost perpetual motion. Action symbolizes life. Death is such a very long stillness. There seems to be a grim universal blind hope that it will be harder for the death dart to hit a moving target.
One day, I asked my dad if he would be there when God called me home, and he promised he would. He told me he would be watching over me. One evening, many years later, Mom called and said that Dad had just died. It was the first time I had lost anyone close to me. I was devastated! I don't believe anyone is ever prepared for...
- By Dan Joseph
Many times we'll feel that we have 'received' something -- a prompting, a nudge, an idea. However, we're not sure if it's inspired by God's wisdom, or if it's coming from our own personal thoughts. How do we tell the difference? From the discussions I've had with people, there seem to be a vast number of discernment techniques. Some people, for example, feel a "happy glow" around one choice, and...