By Floco Tausin
Eye floaters – vitreous opacities or consciousness light? A glimpse into the art and myths of former and non-Western cultures suggests that floaters had a spiritual meaning for many people. This article presents floater motifs and their meaning in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures. (more…)
by Rabbi Allen S. Maller
Her mother once gave her a bag of nails and told her that every time she lost her temper or insulted somebody she must hammer a small nail into large tree in the back of their house.
The first day the girl hit 14 nails into the bark of the tree. Over the next few weeks, as she learned to control her anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled. She discovered it was easier to hold her temper than to drive those nails into the tree.
Finally the day came when the girl didn’t lose her temper at all. She told her mother about it and the mother suggested that the girl now pull out one nail for each day that she was able to hold her temper. The days passed. Finally, she told her mother that all the nails were gone.Â
The mother took her daughter by the hand and led her to the tree. She said, “You have done well, my daughter, but look at all the holes in the tree. This tree will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like these.” You can put a knife in a person and draw it out. It does not matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is almost as bad as a physical one.“How can I fix the tree?†asked the girl. “Will it have to remain damaged forever?†(more…)
by Catherine Auman
The self-improvement business is booming. Videos, books, classes, teleseminars, newsletters, gyms, get-away weekends: the opportunities to improve yourself are endless. Whether it’s diet, fitness, attractiveness, ability to make money, relationships, or sexual skills, there is a myriad of offerings at all price points.
People are caught up in the self-improvement business, but nobody seems to ask what are we improving ourselves for? (more…)
by Catherine Auman
I invented The Egg Meditation after reading Becoming a Woman by Dr. Toni Grant. The book was the first time I encountered the idea that as women, we are losing our yin. Dr. Grant never used that language, but as a Jungian she taught that humans are made up of different components or subpersonalities, and that as modern women; we are emphasizing our active “doing†parts at the expense of our quiet “being†parts. Today, women are busy expressing our assertiveness: becoming CEO’s, stripping for our lovers and being on top. We reject what has classically been considered female: being quiet, receptive, and demure. We’re all yang and no yin. (more…)
By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff
The deep stillness has returned.
Like a gentle wave making its way to shore;
Arriving on the early morning tide
With a sweet sea breeze
As traveling companion. (more…)
By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff
Hesitantly the Traveler told the Blindman about his dream.
“Last night as I slept I was uncertain if I was awake or asleep? I found myself in a Throne Room that was arrayed in Sparkling White Light. I found myself kneeling before a person or Being that I did not know, but felt very comfortable with. Because of the intensity of the White Light with its changing hues, many of the physical details about his appearance were blurred and indistinct.
As I knelt, he stood and placed a kiss upon my forehead and whispered, very softly, “In the Name of God, Most Gracious and Most Merciful.” With these words, the Throne Room grew brighter and brighter, until I was forced to close my eyes. Then I awoke; and when I awoke, I felt a warm gentle sensation, tingling in the center of my forehead, where I had just been caressed. (more…)
Book Excerpts by Tom T. Moore - Copyright 2015
Sixty thousand years ago there existed two additional continents, each about ten to twelve percent larger than the continent of Australia. One was located in the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Africa named Atlantis. The other was located in the Pacific Ocean near present day Japan and named Lemuria or Mu. Why are they no longer there? (more…)
by Catherine Auman
When most people hear the word “meditation,†they envision a serenely calm person sitting blissfully, probably with their legs crossed in the lotus position. What is going on inside that meditator’s head, however, may be a different story. Their mind is most likely struggling and overwhelmed with its many dramas, anxieties, and infatuations. Many people can’t stick with a meditation practice because it is just too darn uncomfortable.
The benefits of meditation have been well documented: reduced stress, better health, concentration, spontaneity and creativity. There are purported psychological and spiritual benefits, such as helping to keep things in perspective, developing intuition, greater tolerance of others and self, and even enlightenment. Nearly everybody who learns about it agrees that meditation is a good thing.
Then why do so few practice it? (more…)
by Catherine Auman
Today we are blessed with a plethora of contemporary women spiritual teachers: Marianne Williamson, Pema Chodron, Gangaji, Gurumayi, Ammachi, Sylvia Boorstein and her many Buddhist colleagues. Accredited graduate programs in Women’s Spirituality have opened, and everywhere women are being ordained as ministers and rabbis.
Such abundance wasn’t available when I started on my spiritual path. All the persons of spiritual attainment offered for study or emulation were men. In fact, many teachers declared that women cannot become enlightened, that we will have to wait to be reborn as men. The so-called “perennial philosophy†and Ken Wilbur’s interpretations privileged male ways of being and worshipping, while placing non-rational, emotional and intuitive spiritual paths at the bottom of their hierarchies. (more…)
By Lt Col R K Langar
Some time back I read a news item in Times Of India(TOI) newspaper under the heading- ‘Role of educators, the way forward’. It was emphasized in this write up that a child’s education should be such that after completing the education, the child passes out as a good human being. I liked this write up immensely since it focused on the inner personality of a child. Today if there is anything which is in acute short supply in India, it is the availability of good human beings. Our newspapers today are telling us that how corruption, murders and rapes have spread in our country since our people lack goodness which is the first hallmark of a human being. Therefore before we become anything else, we must first become good human beings. We are inclined to believe that those who are occupying high posts in the society are good human beings. This is not so. Capability and goodness are two different things. Professional efficiency can take you on top of the ladder even if you lack good inner qualities. A good person is always good from inside wherever he may be. (more…)