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The Corruption of Christmas

The Holiday season is fast approaching. That time of year when we remember the birth of Jesus, a worthwhile celebration indeed. For Christians Jesus is God incarnate, but for others this truly enlightened teacher shared a message of love and peace that still has the power to promote a better world if only it were practiced a little more. The first step to that is awareness, and in that sense Christmas remains valuable.

Yet the origins of this season go back way before the birth of Christ, to an era when mankind was far closer to nature. December 21st marks the winter solstice, the shortest day. A day to be in front of a warm fire, with loved ones, looking forward to the lengthening days that immediately followed. (more…)
How Mad Are You?

BBC TV recently broadcast a fascinating 2-part episode of popular science documentary Horizon entitled How Mad Are You?. It featured an experiment in which 10 volunteer strangers – 5 previously diagnosed as mentally ill and 5 “normal” spent some time together in an English castle. The conditions of the mentally ill were social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, bipolar disorder and an eating disorder. (more…)
To Thy Own Self Be True

How to be yourself

Many years ago the English bard William Shakespeare wisely penned the words: “This above all: to thine own self be true.” In these days of celebrity culture and reality TV their relevance has never been greater. (more…)
The Power of Now

Eckhart Tolle’s Power of Now is one of the few contemporary Spiritual classics. Its message is deceptively simple but deeply profound, and for the few who manage to apply it will prove truly life-changing and potentially enlightening.

The Power of Now is all about recognizing the illusions that surround us and replacing them with the underlying truth that is ever-present but nearly always obscured. As hinted by the title the first of these illusions is that of time. Time is a creation of the egoic mind to perpetuate its own existence. The mind frequently either looks to some point in the future when everything will be alright/perfect, or harps back to the good old days of the past or is filled with bitterness/guilt/anger/regret over things that should/shouldn’t have been said or done. This is all utterly futile since the only moment that exists, that can ever exist, is now. (more…)
Candles of Love

Candles are often used as a metaphor for love. We each carry a candle (love) within us, but it’s no use unless we allow it to shine outwards. Here are three such metaphors I’ve heard over the years from those much wiser than myself.

I. There’s a large room with many people. Each carries a candle, but each shields his/her candle with their hands, keeping its light to themselves. Then these individuals remove their hands and the light from each candle is able to illuminate the entire room. Immediately, everyone benefits from the increased light. (more…)
Rememberance

Today, Remembrance Sunday, has seen England and other countries remember their fallen soldiers of two wars and other mass conflicts. This coming Tuesday will see further commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the armistice that ended the “great” war in 1918.

As a kid my father explained the importance of remembering, highlighting the human cost of war and explaining that by remembering the fallen we hopefully ensure it never happens again. Fortunately I have never has direct experience of war in either my countries of citizenship or residence. But sadly I am only too aware that despite the peace I have enjoyed conflicts continue to rage around the globe. (more…)
Barack Obama & The New Dawn

Today saw the election of Barack Obama as the next President of the United States. A remarkable victory for this amazing man, not least because within his lifetime racial segregation was widespread.

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In Tune With the Infinite

or, Fullness of Peace, Power, and Plenty by Ralph Waldo Trine.

Within yourself lies the cause of whatever enters into your life.Â To come into the full realization of our own awakened interior powers, is to be able to condition your life in exact accord with what you would have it.

Read this classic work in full, online, for FREE
Up time, down time

Every moment’s a precious gift to be used to its full potential. But don’t you ever get periods (hours, days, even weeks) when you just want to allow time to pass doing nothing particular at all? We all do, and there’s no need to feel guilty.

As human beings we are creatures of limited energy existing for a while within a universe of infinite potential. We each have to determine how we allocate our time and resources to best serve our particular life path. (more…)
Is Capitalism Dead?

There’s no doubting the success of the capitalist free market approach in delivering material growth. Indeed the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, unable to keep pace in the cold war, signaled its victory over communism, its main rival for much if the 20th century.

Yet capitalism is not utopia. Its greatest achievements are overshadowed by vast inequality. The greed is good philosophy espoused by Michael Douglas’s character in the movie Wall Street is responsible for much human misery, including among its own advocates who bypass the very purpose of living. (more…)