From the beginnings of human civilization, almost all the peoples of the Earth have used some variant of the practices that Romanian anthropologist Mircea Eliade baptized “techniques of ecstasy” to heal themselves, to communicate with spiritual forces and to ask their gods for help.
Tens of thousands of years ago the people of the Earth conceived the world as a place inhabited by spiritual intelligences: the spirits of nature, called, variously, fairies by the Celts, kontomble by the dagaras of West Africa, apus by the Incas; and tribal ancestors and ascended teachers. They communicated with these intelligences through a set of practices universally known as “shamanic.”
As I waded into the cold water, I noticed the body of a blue pond damselfly floating on the surface. I picked her up, and held her gently in my hands…at first to see if she may still be alive, and then, when I realized she was dead, I couldn’t put her down.
As I waded into the cold water, I noticed the body of a blue pond damselfly floating on the surface. I picked her up, and held her gently in my hands…
The terms “heaven” and “hell” have come to mean the place you want to be and the place you don’t want to be. But every good story, including our human journey, includes both. The hero is typically forced to leave his familiar life and plunge into the underworld where he is...
The terms “heaven” and “hell” have come to mean the place you want to be and the place you don’t want to be. But every good story, including our human journey, includes both. The hero is typically forced to leave his familiar life and plunge into the underworld where he is...
An angel letter is a powerful technique that enables you to receive higher spiritual guidance. Writing a letter to your guardian angel will certainly help you to strengthen your communication with each other. The actual process of writing the letter will allow your intuitive mind the space to clearly receive angelic guidance...
An angel letter is a powerful technique that enables you to receive higher spiritual guidance. Writing a letter to your guardian angel will certainly help you to strengthen your communication with each other. The actual process of writing the letter will allow your intuitive mind the space to clearly receive angelic guidance...
- By Tolly Burkan
Generally speaking, humility is a virtue. Foolish pride and ego glorification are pretty much universally recognized as the opposite of spirituality. An effective way to cultivate your spirituality and lessen your ego is to put yourself into the service of another...
Change is ongoing. So, you are finding yourselves energized, mobilized to move beyond the present motion in your lives, beyond the present attachments, beyond the present alienations. The alienation, aloneness, frustrations, resentments, angers, doubts, and fears -- all of this you can leave behind in one swoop...
- By James Allen
Spiritual progress is painfully slow and uncertain until the eyes of discernment are opened. Without discernment, we too often mistake the inward promptings of our small self for the voice of the higher spirit of Truth.
There are many important things we do here in this life, like loving and being loved by others, or finding meaningful ways to help people and the planet. But the most important thing is our spiritual connection, our relationship to our Source, our higher power, divine love, the life-force of the universe.
The instant we release self-judgment we are incapable of judging anyone else. We can only judge ourselves if we have not accepted ourselves unconditionally. Every experience is an equally valid expression of life and as such we cannot judge it. True, justice is the allowance of all that is.
“God” is a loaded word. Can we use it without stirring controversy? I’ve turned it into an acronym: G.O.D. This seems to help.
I have believed all my life that there is a necessary interaction that occurs between a person and the Divine. This interaction does not come only to great spiritual masters, it comes also to us: ordinary people in our ordinary lives...
After being so careful for nine months, my husband Barry mysteriously contracted the Covid-19 virus. Within days, he tested positive and within a few days after that, I tested positive as well.
It has been tremendously helpful for me to understand the difference between consciousness and spirituality. Spirituality is one type of energy — the energy that links us to our deepest essential nature and to the universal source. Consciousness is the awareness of all of the energies within us..
The year 2020 has been no stranger to suffering. In the midst of a global pandemic, widespread financial hardship and violence arising from systemic racism, empathy for others’ suffering has been pushed to the front and center in U.S. society.
- By Tur?ya
Enlightenment does not mean everything in our lives works out. It doesn’t mean all money problems and relationship issues and health challenges suddenly disappear. What it does mean is the human drama does not block the unreasonable joy which is the play of existence.
"I am here for you. Remember, I love you always." Jackie awoke from her dream with a start. However, she could only manage to recall the last few sentences of his long message to her, but how powerful that voice felt! She wrote down as much as she could recall...
We may think that doing God's Will is contrary to our individual will. We might think He wants us to do something that we don't really want to do or wouldn't like doing. Maybe He wills us to change everything in our life as we know it and become selfless like a Mother Teresa. Or even worse, we could be afraid of God's Will.
- By Tur?ya
In our society we have confused liking with loving. We are taught when we really, really like something, we say we love it. Which means if I don’t like something, then there’s no way I can love it. This use of language distorts and limits our view, trapping us in the fallacy of love being equated to pleasure.
- By Alan Cohen
While watching the documentary film Stephen Jobs, Hippy Billionaire, I was tickled to learn that as a young adult Jobs was significantly influenced by Baba Ram Dass and his book Be Here Now. I also credit Ram Dass as one of the most valued mentors in my life. He led millions of spiritual seekers to higher awareness and is considered by many to be the “Father of the New Age.”