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Posts Tagged: health and spirituality
March 11, 2010
Be Heretics
The word “heretic,” like so many other words in the English language, has a rich etymology that is often discarded to make room for whatever popular and immediately available cultural idioms or connotations exist. It’s a sad phenomenon, because some words, like “heretic,” lose all of their positive historical definitions and become purely negative rhetorical weapons wielded by those who never gave things like words much thought anyway. It’s sad, as are the individuals and groups who consciously perpetuate such nonsense. Read more…
March 4, 2010
A Faith Stage Checklist
Tufts University Chaplain Scotty McLennan, in a book titled Finding Your Religion: When the Faith You Grew Up With Has Lost Its Meaning, offers his readers a sort of faith stage checklist. My own evolving religious experience tells me that while lists of this sort are neither exhaustive, nor universal, they are fairly accurate, and at the very least they are good guides that challenge us to practice deeper self-awareness, if nothing else. Practicing more self-awareness is always a good thing. Read more…
December 30, 2009
New Year Resolutions
New Year Resolutions don’t work. Stop it! You are only frustrating yourself with expectations that can’t be met realistically. Your personal frustration and self-loathing will increase exponentially with each and every passing day of the New Year. Come February 15th, you will forget all about your grand New Year resolutions and you will simply revert back to your normal patterns. We do it every year, right? Read more…
December 25, 2009
Spiritual Not Religious
I’m growing less religious by the day. In fact, I think it would be safe to say that I want no part of any one particular religion. My growing hesitation concerning all things religious is not a product of some sort of bitter disdain for any one religion in particular, but rather my growing appreciation for our planet’s colorful compilation of religions and spiritual expressions. In fact, I think it would be proper to say that I am a spiritual person, but not religious. Yes, that might sound like an easy, modern, or perhaps even new age answer, but I assure you it is is not. It took me years to arrive at this conclusion and I can honestly say my arrival was anything but easy, modern, or new age. In fact, it has cost me plenty. It will cost you too, if you decide to chase it. It is worth the cost. Read more…
December 12, 2009
Ride On Two Wheels
Ride on Two Wheels
An incredibly interesting quote accredited to Sufi poet and mystic Jalauddin Rumi is written inside the CD booklet of Enigma’s The Cross of Changes. Read more…
December 4, 2009
Eckhart Tolle’s Concept of Watching The Thinker
Eckhart Tolle and The Power of Now
One of the most fascinating statements in Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now: A guide to Spiritual Enlightenment can be found in his concept of “Watching the Thinker.” Read more…
November 10, 2009
Become Who You Are
Become Who You Are
“Each person’s only hope for improving his lot rests on his recognizing the true nature of his basic personality, surrendering to it, and becoming who he is.” – Psychotherapist and author, Sheldon Kopp (1929 – March 29, 1999) Read more…
October 30, 2009
The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho is an amazing writer. Admittedly, I say this having only discovered him and his books three days ago or so. I also have only read The Pilgrimage (I’m almost finished reading it). Today, I purchased The Alchemist; a dear friend just handed me a copy of By The River Piedra I sat Down and Wept last evening when our paths crossed at a local cafe. So, it’s a very premature statement that I make, but I am confident in its truth nonetheless. I will be spending the next few days working my way through Paulo Coelho’s stories. When I complete my journey through them, I’m sure I’ll repeat my proclamation of Coelho’s gift and talent, especially if The Pilgrimage is any indication of what is to come. Read more…
October 29, 2009
Create Something Beautiful
Create Something Beautiful
A healthy and vibrant spirituality can have beneficial effects upon one’s physical well-being. Spirituality is an aspect of human life and living that can neither be denied, nor ignored. Spirituality is a vital part of the trichotomy that we call “being.” We are all composed of three parts: body, mind and spirit. As is the case with most complex living things in this world, if a single internal component of our trichotomy suffers, then our entire being suffers in some way. We are often urged to care for our bodies and minds, but we ignore our spirits. We would do well to nurture our spirituality, while we care for our minds and bodies. This is holistic being. Read more…
October 27, 2009
A Template for Daily Meditation
Meditation Spirituality
We all need regular, quiet, and tranquil space/time. We all need a sacred spot where we can escape the busyness and clamor of our daily toil, even if only for a moment or two. We all need to make time for deep meditation and inward centering. We need a sacred moment in a sacred space. Most of us have already discovered and laid claim to such a realm and we visit it often. Some of us rarely – if ever – visit this place. The cordoning off of sacred space and time is not a terribly difficult act, but the act of simply doing so — the simple act of starting — can be a huge challenge for a number of reasons. The good news is that there is spatial potential everywhere! It’s all around us! One need only look for it, and be creative. Finding your sacred space is the easy part; knowing what to do once you settle into it is another story. Read more…