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. As we have said many, many times before, that which you turn your attention to is that which you draw unto yourself...

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 reunite with our own Divinity, an Age when transformation would occur at an atomic, cellular level, and...

One of the most startling developments of the late twentieth century has been the emergence within every major religious tradition of a militant piety popularly known as "fundamentalism." Its manifestations are sometimes shocking. Fundamentalists have gunned down worshippers in a mosque, have killed doctors and nurses who work in abortion clinics, have shot their presidents, and have even toppled a powerful government. It is only a small minority...

by Del Kyger. Since childhood, Mildred "Billie" Steves has felt the loving presence of God. So when Billie began to receive communications from God following her morning meditations, she was quite at ease and did not see these events as out of the ordinary...

And on the eighth day, man created God. Who else but man would donate only a mere three letters of the alphabet to the power behind the universe? Three letters do not bear much weight in light of a God who is attributed with creating a world, saving its people, and providing a life everlasting. Many would profess to say that God in fact is not the name they would use at all to depict their own conception of a higher being. Nature, the Great Spirit, Allah, Buddha, Goddess, Jesus Christ, no Christ, the earth, so many names...

Like many people on their spiritual path, it was some time before my spirit guide revealed his name to me. I must admit I thought it rather curious when he told me his name was Joe. I asked if he were an angelic being, or perhaps a saint, but he said I could just address him as Joe. Being a no-nonsense, down-to-earth kind of a person myself, I reasoned that was the type of guide I would attract. As you may have noticed, many metaphysical people tend to ask one another...

I've heard people say that they learned the truth of health and wholeness by being sick, the reality of abundance by suffering lack, the beauty of harmonious relationships by witnessing first hand the ugliness of discord. If that's the game plan they have chosen, fine, but doesn't it remind you of the old joke about someone who hit himself on the head with a hammer so it would feel good when he stopped? Many of us...

A paradox is a statement that seems to say opposite things: 'She was strong because of her weakness.' Life is full of paradoxes. Sometimes when I am asked what my theological position is, I often -- and paradoxically -- call myself a faithful agnostic. I say it quite seriously, though I enjoy the consternation it sometimes produces. The agnostic does not know whether God exists...

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 aware that there is no one to blame for the dark times we went through -- not even ourselves. These are simply the processes of life, the changing seasons as it were.

Zen is a kind of uneducation. Zen is a kind of unlearning. It teaches you how to drop that which you have learned, how to become unskillful again, how to become a child again, how to start existing without mind again, how to be here without any mind.

You can use random sounds (such as sirens, the neighbor's lawn mower, etc.) as reminders to return to the present moment. This technique encourages us to transcend our mood.

Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Mohammedanism -- these are only ideologies, dogmas, creeds; they are only cults. The true religion has no name, it cannot have any name. Buddha lived it, Jesus lived it -- but remember, Jesus was not a Christian and Buddha was not a Buddhist, he had never heard of the word.

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...

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...