Spirituality | Wellness | Happiness

Most people's brains are hard-wired to generate an optimistic outlook on life. Evolution, it seems, has favored an ability to look into the future and see good things happening. Such is the message of TIME magazine's cover story this week, "The Optimism Bias." It's a highly interesting article. Tali Sharot, the author, says that "optimism starts with what may be the most extraordinary of human talents: mental time travel, the ability to move back and forth through time and space in one's mind." This ability was naturally selected for in the course of Homo sapiens ' evolution because it had so many survival advantages, such as planning ahead for a future reward. However, mental time travel comes with a big downside. While mental time travel has clear survival advantages, conscious foresight came to humans at an enormous price the understanding that somewhere in the future, death awaits. Ajit Varki, a biologist at the University of California...

Sunny day on Balcony # 5 Is hanging on my freezer door. A pencil drawing by my little boy Of a big sun, Happy and shining, Huge smile and rays All everywhere Looking at me through a Picture window. And behind it, Frozen steaks, A bag of catfish nuggets, Boxed vegetables all ready for heat and serve And bags of mixed greens, Some Italian ices That taste nothing like what I use to buy On the street corners With my mothers spare change So many hot summers ago, Under the sun. The Incredulous Traveler: Weight, Work and Wonder in the Journey of Everyday Life This began as an intermittent travelogue on WW; intermittent as I don't travel much. Soon it was more than about food and, upon missing a day, emails arrived asking where my posts were. I am amazed at the everyday world around me; the beauty, absurdity, ignorance and joy. In the midst of this wonder and surprise, I work to maintain my weight, creativity, sanity and humor; to be awake, aware and still happy when it would be far easier...

Scientific research has found that one does not have to be a highly trained meditator to benefit from the effects of meditation. Studies have shown that just twenty minutes of daily practice can contribute significantly to the reduction of anxiety, stress and anger, and the risk of relapse in cases of severe depression. Other research shows that thirty minutes a day of meditation over the course of eight weeks results in a considerable strengthening of the immune system and of one's capacity for concentration. Meditation brings clear improvements to our physical, emotional and mental well-being. It is important to underline the degree to which meditation can change our lives. We tend to underestimate the power of our own minds and the transformative effect that this profound and peaceful inner revolution' can have on our quality of life. About the Event At this event participants will hear about recent scientific evidence about meditation generally, and about the meditation pra...

Orange Palm Publications had their first book for children, by Simhananda, won the prestigious 2011 Silver Nautilus Book Award in the Children's Books with Audio' category. The meditative technique outlined in Jyoti for Kids: A Meditative Technique of Purification by the Light, invites the child to explore the wealth and wonder of his inner world, and to discover the pure beauty which naturally exists within and in the world which surrounds him. It is accompanied by a softly narrated CD, so that the child feels that he is guided step-by-step along this active visualization. Practicing the Jyoti helps the child improve his concentration, boost his self-confidence and self-esteem, engendering a calm feeling of well-being. Jyoti can also be of aid to that special child who is experiencing certain academic difficulties, tough relationships, or wearisome health problems. Through this original visual meditation the child will gradually make contact with his friend the Light, which in...

Few who have attempted to release every demon and doubt, every painful memory and negative energy have succeeded without the aid of spirit.Here is something useful to write down as a reminder:Spirit is always with me. It wants to lift my pain. It does this not by abolishing painful memories but by putting me totally in the present, where the past doesnt exist.The spiritual answer to any problem is immediate. Its our own perception that is slow to catch on. Gods ability to love us is limited only by our ability to receive that love here and now. Since our loved ones represent manifested portions of God in our lives, the same could be said for them. To receive Gods love we need only increase our ability to receive the love being reflected back in our intimate relationships.If youre getting stuck in negativity, youre likely to assume that other people feel the same way about you, and mostly thats not true. People who really love you keep on loving you, even when youre not loving yo...

Judy is now In her forties she works a bit In a shop full of silk from Bali Bags from a Womens collective in Southern Mexico, Incense Gum carefully liberated from trees Who, Im sure, happily gave it up Knowing just how trendy it would be. I saw her again after so many years Said hello, was greeted in a way That left me feeling emptied, But I didnt say anything about that, I just asked her how she was. Her voice now cracks, gurgles, croaks The effect on her of too many cigarettes But thats ok, says Judy. The more we smoke the fewer people She explains, smoking is a way to eradicate The plague she calls human beings. One fewer person, she explains Is good for the Earth, Even if that person is her. And I dont mention the greater drain The ill are to the world Or the damage tobacco crops do To the land, the waters, and, ultimately To Judy. We use to sit, she and I, Naked in the water, A lake or a pond, Sometimes a puddle would do, Staring up at the reflected blue Or at a moon whose bright ...

Kind of fitting. It's Memorial Day here in the United States. And today this blog passed a memorable milestone: one million pageviews. Feels good. Thanks for the good feeling, blog visitors. There's something about a million that's, well, substantial . Not that my ego cares about this meaningless stuff, of course. My many years of meditation have brought me enlightenment and ego-loss. Also, delusions.

Try to see the possibilities in whatever happens. If you dont get what you expected or wished for, ask yourself, Where am I supposed to look? This is a very freeing attitude. On some dimension or other, every event in life can be causing only one of two things: Either it is good for you, or it is bringing up what you need to look at in order to create good for you.Evolution is a win-win, which we can say not out of blind optimism but once again by referring back to the body. Anything happening inside a cell is either part of its healthy operation or a sign that a correction should take place. Energy is not expended randomly or on a whim to see how it turns out.Life is self-correcting in just this way. As the choice-maker you can act on a whim; you can follow arbitrary or irrational paths. But the underlying machinery of consciousness doesnt alter. It keeps following the same principles, which are:To adapt to your desires; to keep everything in balance; to harmonize your individ...

Ooh, I love good questions. Here's four . Nice! Marina offered them up in a comment to a recent blog post . Is there anyone here on this blog who is looking to realise the truth or are we more interested in realising how right we are, how wrong others are? Are we into defending our beliefs and condemning others for theirs? Are we more interested in getting 'facts' about others then finding out 'facts' about ourselves? Are we so much enjoying the 'dramas' that we don't care about the truth, the real truth about ourselves and realising that? Just wondering........ I found these thoughts fascinating, mostly because at first read they surprised me. My reaction was, "Well, of course I and regular visitors to this blog are seeking what's true about ourselves." Speaking for myself, and I'm pretty sure this holds generally for churchless folk, I gave up blind faith because I wanted a clearer view of reality. My motivation for ditching dogma wa...

Well, I shouldn't have made fun of Harold Camping, Christian evangelical, after his prediction that the Rapture (basically, the second coming of Jesus) would happen a week ago, on May 21. It turns out that Camping was right about the Rapture. But it was an invisible judgment day , not physical. So says Harold Camping, a seemingly reliable source about all things Camping'ish. I have to believe him, in the same sense that I have to believe the Bible, because it says in the Bible "believe the Bible." Anyway, I'm not worried about the Rapture. I was baptized Catholic and had my first communion. Shouldn't that guarantee me a seat on the Rapture Express, notwithstanding a minor theological detail? Namely, that I don't have faith in Jesus and never have been a practicing Christian, aside from being forced as a kid to briefly study catechism in preparation for that first communion (which I choked on and could barely swallow -- really). Camping says there will st...

I got an email message from a friend recently. He keeps up on media reports of what's going on in the life of Gurinder Singh Dhillon, a.k.a. "Baba Ji," the guru of Radha Soami Satsang Beas in India. Devotees believe that the guru appears to his disciples at the time of their death. So I appreciated the clever one line message -- which included a link to a news story . Who says Baba ji doesn't appear when someone dies?

Many people try to substitute positive thinking for the disturbing thoughts they want to eliminate. On the surface this tactic may lead to some signs of improvement.The mind can be forced into identifying only with pleasant or uplifting things. But in time the feared thoughts will surface again, and until then there is the exhausting effort of trying to maintain constant self-control.Many people, in their well-intended efforts to accent the positive, do not escape their problems but only increase them. They want to put an end to suffering but mistakenly choose the tactic of denying their true feelings, on the grounds that the feelings are too negative to express.Paying attention to ones fear and pain is a great source of guilt in most people because it seems like self-pity, a trait we think of as wrong. But denying pity to yourself, when you would give it willingly to others, is also wrong. We all have hidden pain inside, and trying to suppress it is not a virtue. Its only an imp...

Maykadeh Therapy and Active Meditation Centre will have a Power Shaking Meditation Workshop on the 10th of June from 6 - 8 pm. "Shaking Medicine reintroduces the oldest medicine on earth--the ecstatic shaking of the human body. Most people's worst fear is losing control--of their circumstances, of their emotions, and especially of their bodies. Yet in order to achieve the transcendent state necessary to experience deep healing, we must surrender control. Examining cultural traditions from around the world where shaking has been used as a form of healing--from the Shakers and Quakers of New England to the shaking medicine of Japan, India, the Caribbean, the Kalahari, and the Indian Shakers of the Pacific Northwest show how shaking can bring forth profound therapeutic benefits. Bradford Keeney, Ph.D. The ecstatic shamanic traditions of the world do not rely upon words, books, or understandings to teach their transformative ways. Instead, you become fully awakened through direct...

Vipassana Meditation Practice Benefits of Vipassana (Anmol: It is always great to learn from someone who has real and deep experience of a subject and this is all the more important when it comes to meditation and spirituality. So below I would like to present the following guest post on the profound Vipassana Meditation Technique from Axel, who was an actual Buddhist Monk and now shares his wisdom, knowledge and expertise with you on his great meditation website Axel G . If you would like to be a guest author on Master of Meditation and Yoga, please email me at anmol@anmolmehta.com). The Essentials Of Vipassana Meditation By Axel Gjertsen Most meditators agree that Buddha was the one who developed vipassana meditation, 2500 years ago. Before that, there had been an emphasis on concentration practices. A concentrated mind is deeply relaxed which feels good, but other than that, there are few benefits of concentration meditation. Vipassana on the other hand, doesnt only make the mind ca...

When I sit down to meditate, my inner experience can best be described by what I am not doing: I am not focusing my mind or contemplating any idea. I am not in an introspective or spiritual mood. I do not count, time, or control my breaths. No effort is being made to cause certain thoughts to come or go. There is no particular feeling I try to either induce or avoid. I do not pay attention to my body in a special way or attempt to relax any part of it. If I start to fall asleep, I do not resist the impulse.What am I doing, then? The best answer is that I am just not doing; I am engaged in getting the normal activity of the mind to turn into silence, but without coercing it to do so. I am getting past the inner noise of thoughts and feelings in order to reveal what the silent witness inside me is really like. This is how the mind naturally opens to itself and heals.Not doing sounds like doing nothing at all, but there is a subtle difference. The thinking, feeling mind is in co...

CHICAGO, IL - Research being presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) shows that psychological issues may play a role in the severity of gastrointestinal symptoms. Another study found that just an hour a week of low-intensity exercise decreases the risk for colon polyps, particularly among overweight and obese individuals. DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians and researchers in the field of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. "Research continues to show us how intricately the mind and body work together in patients with gastrointestinal illness and emphasizes how important it is to treat the whole patient, not just the disease," said Robynne Chutkan, MD, FASGE, assistant professor of gastroenterology at Georgetown University Hospital. "Exercise and meditation are just a few of the alternative techniques that health-care providers can introduce to their patients to help prevent and control the pain of disease." T...

Yesterday I finished listening to a Philosophy Talk podcast on "Worship." As always, I enjoyed the intelligent insights of the discussants, hosts John Taylor and Ken Perry of Stanford University, plus guest Daniel Speak of Loyola Marymount. This Philosophy Talk program had a different feel, though. Usually religion takes a backseat to secular humanism on the show, as befits the emphasis on philosophy (literally, from the Greek, "love of wisdom"). In this case, while Speak didn't broadcast his Christianity at full volume it was an obvious murmur that could be heard to some degree in just about every statement that he made. This put him at odds with almost all of the audience commenters and questioners, as well as Taylor and Perry. Me too. Much of the discussion revolved around Speak's definition of worship. Which was, essentially: Praising the excellence of something, with a view toward making it a fundamental organizing principle of your life. So what is ...

Any ability to command nature is called a siddhi in Sanskrit. The word means power, and it refers to powers that have been perfected in consciousness.Healing the sick is a siddhi, and like the supernatural feats that yogis are supposed to be able to perform flying through the air, turning invisible, reading the past and future the key to mastery is a shift in awareness. A person suddenly knows how to do something impossible, as simply and easily as I know how to life my arm.A shift in awareness does not require force. A person who has achieved the level of consciousness where siddhis are natural can breathe change into things as softly as you or I wish and dream, using no more energy than it takes to stir a thought.If I see a tree in my dreams, I can jump over it or make it turn blue or fly over it into the sky. What gives me such powers is the dream state. If I had no other state of awareness to compare it to, the dream state would constitute the only reality I know and accept ...

On June 4th, 1-4pm Alice McCall brings her popular Chakra Revitalization Retreat to Hendersonville, NC. Chakras are believed to be components within our bodes that constantly radiate and receive energy. In order for them to function properly, practitioners like Alice McCall offer services like those featured at her upcoming retreat. "Doing this work in a retreat setting offers a cost conscious way to energetically clear, tune and balance your energy filters, boosting your sense of bliss and vitality, says Ms McCall. McCall attributes a lack of motivation, a sense of heaviness, a dulling of mental abilities, a pattern of illness, and more as the symptoms of improperly functioning chakras. McCall says that, "My hope is to help others have a better understanding on what chakras are and experience the difference that cleansing and tuning can make to their well being. The Chakra Revitalization Retreat will take place Saturday June 4th, 1-4pm in Hendersonville, NC. Alice McCall...

The belief that the self has an untouchable core plays a crucial part in modern psychology, particularly in the setting of psychotherapy.In therapy, a patient will at best undergo superficial change as long as he confronts only the superficial layers of himself. To break through and accomplish major change, he has to unveil the central nucleus that whorl of the self which possesses absolute wisdom and self-knowledge.At first, only the therapist realizes that a core of wisdom and self-knowledge exists. The patient himself, under the influence of his mental distress, is alienated from this part of his psyche. Therefore the therapists role (I am speaking here of classic couch therapy) is to give the patient the courage and freedom to bring his deepest self to light.In almost every case, the first step is to convince him that the deeper self is real. The patient must be shown and then made to experience that part of his mind which transcends crises, which registers life with crystal c...

Lindsay Wagner will hold the three-day "Quiet the Mind & Open the Heart" workshop from August 12-14 at Hilton Hotel in Palm Springs, CA. "The study and sharing of the integration of Body, Mind and Spirit to awaken our amazing human potential has always been my greatest passion. One of the most empowering realizations I've had is that our experience of any life circumstance is a function of personal perspective, more than the circumstance itself; that as our perspective changes so does our experience. Lindsay Wagner In a safe and loving environment participants will explore how life is perceived through the stencil of the mind. Participants will learn a system of tapping the acupuncture points with the fingers and other techniques for easily releasing negative emotions and breaking through undesirable patterns that affect family dynamics, intimate relations, friendships, the work place and yes, even your golf game. Woven throughout the program are beautiful music,...

Suzanne Foxton, author of " The Ultimate Twist ," is an occasional commenter on this blog. She has her own nonduality-oriented blog, Nothing Exists, Despite Appearances . (Tagline: "All there is, is this, exactly as it is") That last sentiment sums up how I felt about her book after I finished reading it. I liked Suzanne's honesty and creativity. Yet my attitude toward nonduality was unchanged by her 116 well-written pages. Knowing that she'd written a novella based on her own life, I was eager to learn about Suzanne's struggle with addiction and other problems that come with being human. However, I also was afraid that this would be one of those A Book About Me treatises which I find annoyingly self-centered. My fear was misguided. "The Ultimate Twist" doesn't have the feel of an autobiography thinly disguised as fiction. Rather, I was drawn into an engrossing story of a woman, Lucy, who is trying to defeat her inner demons, the therapist...

Having an intention is enough to accomplish a result. When properly focusedwhich means easily and without strainawareness has the ability to carry out quite specific commands. An intention doesnt have to be verbally expressed thought; in fact, our deepest intentions are body-centered.Our most fundamental needsfor love, understanding, encouragement, supportpermeate every cell. The desires that arise in your mind are often clouded by ego motives, which are not true needs; people get caught up in the pursuit of money, career goals, and political ambitions in ways that are disconnected from the fundamental need for comfort and well-being that every healthy organism must fulfill.Many of us are so alienated from our basic needs, so programmed to run after what the ego wants, that we have to relearn the basic mechanics of how attention and intention actually work.There are many ways to get fulfillment besides the outward-orientated ones our culture teaches us. The most valuable lesson in ...

During this 2-day workshop on Saturday, May 28 and Sunday May 29, Lynne Forrest, professional mentor and author of the newly published book, Guiding Principles for Life Beyond Victim Consciousness, will introduce her life changing formula for learning how to identify and reframe the negative belief patterns (core beliefs) we hold. Lynne Forrest says, "There is nothing more important than discovering peace of mind. Peace of mind comes from realizing and clearing the life-limiting stories that hold us prisoner to our own mind-made misery. That is exactly what this weekend is all about - liberating our minds from the painful stories we believe about ourselves and the world. Through her work with clients, Lynne has developed a unique understanding of how the mind works and explores ways to liberate us from the throes of what she calls "victim consciousness. Lynne teaches that we react to life in one of two ways - we're either reacting out of victim consciousness, or we see li...

Rocking chairs creak At the Boone Tavern Hotel . Two rows across the wide Inviting veranda. Rails, boards, seats all Singing smoothly in the Kentucky July. We were simply passing by, My friend and I, In the impossibly bright light Of afternoon. Walking Far too industriously. Inviting and comforting Like an old black and white movie Of Southern days gone by The veranda calls us Though we are not guests Of this hotel. I think of sitting Among the paying customers As illicit; theft of comfort. Still, I am a traveler, same as they, though who knows how many are registered at the desk. I am a traveler, Same as they, Looking for a way out of The summer heat On my way to where I am going Why not stop and have a seat On the broad chairs In the cooler light? Two empty chairs together We take our places And begin the slow, rhythmic function Dictated by form. If the air will not move against us, We can move against the air. We are our own easy breeze In the thick, tepid quiet. Soon, silence turns...

OshoRobbins has put up an interesting series of three videos that explain the difference between Sant Mat 1.0 and Sant Mat 2.0. I've blogged about this in " Sant Mat, version 2.0 " and " Has Gurinder Singh revised to Sant Mat to v. 3.0 ?" Whatever the version number, these YouTube presentations do a good job of making clear how the Radha Soami Satsang Beas version of the Sant Mat philosophy has evolved to become a far different creature from the traditional teachings. More broadly, OshoRobbins points out how a dualistic view of God, heaven, soul, and such can't co-exist with a monistic perception. If the heart of reality is indeed one, no amount of journeying on a dualistic vehicle will get you there. Have a look and listen. The three videos total about 15 minutes. They're worth your time if you're at all interested in this sort of stuff. (Watch below or go here , here , and here .)

At a garage sale last Sunday I purchased an erector set. Not an ordinary erector set but one in a sky blue box and in it everything I need to build angels. Its an angel building kit. Not the kind of angels made of plastic and wire and glue makes your head hurt and the world dizzy spin. Not like a model set. Not like the kind of angels who blow a horn and my living room walls come tumbling down or talk in my brain and I go off to fight the English, but the kind of angels who open rain clouds, tug at grass blades until theyre long, lift up the corners of a babys mouth. The kind of angels who pull open irises and make it so you can see the chest of your loved one sleeping next to you rise and fall with each inspiration even though its completely dark, but you know you see it. Its my angel building kit. So far, since I took my kit home and opened it, It has rained, my grass grew, my irises bloomed and I can see my loved ones chest rise and fall in the night even though I have the shades dr...

Walking meditation is a form of deep relaxation practice and connection with the present moment. Gentle walking and mindful breathing slow down the mind: the focus on breath keeps the rush of everyday thoughts at bay. Walking meditation is about silent communication with the earth, nature and our companions. There is no aim or destination, no need to arrive or achieve, only to BE PRESENT. Breathing deeply, being attuned to our senses and appreciating the beauty of nature are the keys to living in the present moment. Walking meditation is a positive experience, a chance to relax, to enjoy the company of others and to feel close to the gifts of Nature. A Walking Meditation is set on May 24th at the House of the Menhir in the hamlet of Le Cloitre near Huelgoat at 2:30 pm. There will be two parts each lasting about 20-30 minutes of the Walking Meditation: An infinity' walk around a large standing stone (menhir) A short linear woodland walk For more information, visit www.brittanywalks....

So you don't believe in God, but you want the benefits that come with being religious: feeling special, not being afraid of dying, embraced by a loving divine power, and such. No problem. You can keep your atheism or agnosticism and have your Godly presence also. This is the message that I draw from a fascinating study about placebos, which found they can be medically effective even when people know they're getting a fake drug. Patients can benefit from being treated with sham drugs even if they are told they contain no active ingredient, scientists have found. The finding suggests that the placebo effect could work without the need for any deception on the part of the doctor, as had been previously thought. ...To investigate the limits of placebo, Prof Ted Kaptchuk of Harvard Medical School's Osher Research Center divided 80 patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) into two groups: one received no treatment and the other was given dummy pills to take twic...

My wife and I barely survived watching Survivor: Redemption Island . There was so much irritating God-talk from Matt Elrod and his fellow Christians, we felt like we were going to overdose on religious absurdity. Our greatest fear was that some "Praise God, it's all His will!" contestant would win this reality show. Thankfully, pleasingly duplicious (and seemingly non-religious) Boston Rob came through, finally becoming the Sole Survivor after four tries. Not surprisingly, the Christian Post loved Matt . The guy kept saying that God was keeping him going during his extended stay on Redemption Island, where he had to win duel after duel to stay in the game. Well, you're welcome to your beliefs, Matt, ridiculous though they are. I just wish you'd kept them to yourself, as they grated on my irreligious sensibilities. Hey, I'm a vegetarian, but I don't go around giving speeches about how wonderful it is to not eat meat. Matt's faith would have been more c...

Ken Mellor's award-winning new release, Urban Mystic: Discovering the Transcendent Through Everyday Life, is an account of his life-long search for direct experience of a spirituality that many of us seek. A life-changing moment of awakening at the age of 13 started Mellor on his path to realising his goal. In the process, he learnt valuable life lessons from many different teachersall masters of what they taught and livedincluding practitioners of Siddha Yoga, Tantric Yoga and Vedic Yoga, and a Divine Mother. Eventually, he was recognised as a master of meditation and a spiritual teacher, too. As Mellor draws the reader into sharing his life experiences, he gently nudges them toward expanded understanding, awakening, and an appreciation of their unique destiny. He takes the reader through his life in Australia and his travels in the United States, India, England, Switzerland and Germany, doing so with the light touch of an experienced story-teller. The reader lives his experience ...

Most Beautiful English Words Transform Your Life No, I am not referring to the phrase I Love You, although that is perhaps the most beautiful phrase in the English language, I am referring to 3 distinct words, which if you can plan your life around, will turn your life around. Yes, these 3 words are the most beautiful words that exist and they have the power to transform your life in ways you could never have imagined. These 3 great words are awareness , courage and yes, love did make the list too. So how can living these words profoundly change your life? Let me expand on that below. 3 Most Beautiful Words: 1. Awareness: This is your true name. Your name is not Jane, it is not John, it is not Raj, it is not Priya, it is not Vlad, it is not Asad, it is not Mei, it is Awareness. You are not Hindu, you are not Christian, you are not Muslim, you are not Indian, you are not American, you are not Chinese, you are Awareness. You are pure Awareness. You are the energy which lights up all th...

Headspace was set up by Andy Puddicombe and Rich Pierson. Andy is a former Buddhist monk and a registered Clinical Mindfulness Consultant. With a wealth of personal and professional experience, he presents meditation in a unique, humorous and easy-to-learn way. Rich had a successful career in brand marketing before experiencing the benefits of meditation. But once he'd seen the potential there was no going back. He now uses the same passion and creative flair of his former career to help Andy demystify meditation. "Aside from the greater sense of calm and clarity you'll experience, there are lots of scientifically proven benefits to practicing meditation (or 'mindfulness' as it's sometimes known). So, if you or anyone close to you has ever struggled with feelings of anxiety, depression, compulsion, emotional instability, muscle tension, fatigue or insomnia (to name but just a few of the symptoms studied), then you'll be relieved to know that meditation has ...

Some influential Christians are starting to say "Perhaps there is no hell." Others hold firm to a belief in heaven's antithesis. Recently I got together with a friend, Patricia Herron. She's both philosophically and artistically minded. During our chat she gave me a copy of a poem, introduced with some prose, that she wrote. It's a dialogue between a believer and nonbeliever in hell. The nonbeliever gets to say the most, probably because Patricia, like me, doesn't put much stock in all of this hell talk. Have a read. And then, add a comment if you like. As Patricia says in her introduction, open communication is what the world needs more of. ---------------------------------- Prose and poem by Patricia Herron, Salem, Oregon God is an instrument of madness. Also, the idea of God is a symbol of inner sanctity and true being. There's a confusion between these two extremes, ideas swinging back and forth through the centuries. And it is still so. There are no ...

If you live as though money brings the only happiness, clearly something has gone wrong. You have neglected the entire world of spirit, with the implication that the surface of life is enough.Even though we seem to have wandered far from the issue of war and violence, we are actually at the crux, because when people settle for the surface of life they miss the only level that can bring war to an end, which lies beneath the surface.The word Maya, which is usually translated from Sanskrit as illusion, has many wide-spreading meanings (our modern words matter, mother, and measurement are related to this root). I prefer to define Maya as distraction, and without holding moral judgments against money, I must accuse riches of being a terrible distraction. They hold us in the grip of a false self-image, that of being creatures whose purpose on earth is to be prosperous and secure.Our real purpose on earth is very different, as every spiritual tradition recognizes. We are here to evolve an...

It's no surprise that war and conflict can lead to unique and significant mental health challenges for the service men and women protecting our country. An unfortunate and increasing number of military personnel are returning from deployment with conditions such as post-traumatic stress and substance abuse disorders, yet some reports estimate that only half of those who need treatment seek it despite a variety of resources available from the military and other organizations. Historically high suicide rates among active duty service members have also called attention to the mental health challenges that service members face while on duty. "Excellent behavioral health resources are available to members of the military, but we have to do more to raise awareness that help is available and to reduce the stigma around seeking behavioral health support. May is both National Mental Health Awareness Month and National Military Appreciation Month, and Magellan Health Services has launch...