finding purpose in infinite reality
Vacanas are short, informal poems of devotion to Shiva. They originated in South India during the tenth century, a time of social upheaval, and they took the side of poor against the rich, of spontaneous free expression against established orthodoxy, of passion against propriety. Our times are similar to those, so they speak to us across the millennium and are now enjoying a revival by contemporary poets. (more…)
By William T. Hathaway
Humanity has entered a new era, the culmination of a gradual shift of power from negative to positive that has been going on since the 1960s. This intensified into crisis three years ago and is now climaxing as the darkness makes a frantic last stand against the oncoming light. The negative forces are assailing us with war, disease, governmental oppression, economic savagery, environmental catastrophes – truly a time of torture.
We began to exit this purgatory with the five new moons from November to March leading up to the entrance of the transformational planet Pluto into transformational sign Aquarius on March 23. This will reach completion on the new moon at the end of Aries on April 20. (more…)
By William T. Hathaway
Philosophy hasn’t been a popular topic in recent years, but that seems to be changing. Many young people now are interested in exploring the fundamental questions of life. The majority were born between 1995 and 2008, the years when the planet Pluto was transiting the sign Sagittarius. Pluto is the astrological generation marker and represents transformation. Its passage through the zodiac indicates humanity’s gradual, progressive transformation to higher stages. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, representing expansion, benevolence, spirituality, philosophy. Many people born with this combination, now between 15 and 28, are interested in these issues.
This is demonstrated in their environmental and gender activism and in the popularity of a series of video discussions between neuroscientist and philosopher Dr. Tony Nader and other experts in these areas. Nader is the author of One Unbounded Ocean of Consciousness, which integrates Advaita Vedanta (the ancient philosophy of unity, nonduality) with contemporary quantum physics. (more…)
By Rabbi Allen S. Maller
Twelve years ago the U.N. General Assembly proclaimed the first week of February as Interfaith Harmony Week for all religions; with a resolution that recognized “the imperative need for dialogue among faiths and religions in enhancing mutual understanding, harmony, and cooperation among people.”
So this Reform Rabbi offers to the religious public this article about religious TRUTH in the Qur’an.
All wise religions praise modesty; and modesty requires that religious believers do not claim that they or their religious beliefs are the one and only TRUTH. This is why the Qur’an states: “To each of you We (God) proscribed a law and a method. Had Allah so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (God’s plan is) to test you in what He has given you: so compete in all virtues as in a race. The goal of you all is to (please) Allah who will show you (on judgment day) the truth of the matters in which you dispute.” (Qur’an 5:48)
“O Children of Adam! Indeed, We have bestowed upon you from on high [knowledge of making] garments to cover your nakedness, and [clothing] as a thing of beauty; but the garment of God-consciousness [modesty] is the best of all. Herein lies a message from God, so that man might take it to heart. (Qur’an 7:26) (more…)
By William T. Hathaway
In the Vedic tradition of India the feminine side of creation is given equal importance to the masculine. The Divine Mother, Mahashakti, is revered as the primal creative energy who manifests the deities and the physical universe and then sustains all dynamic activity. When portrayed together, the deity pairs – Brahma and Sarasvati, Vishnu and Lakshmi, Shiva and Parvati – are often androgynous and almost identical to show they are fundamentally beyond gender.
Unfortunately, centuries of colonial domination have made Indian society as male dominated as the West is. Fortunately, women in India are now developing a strong feminist movement to change this. (more…)
By William T. Hathaway
Amazing but true: The first European settlers in what is now the USA weren’t English Puritans or French fur trappers but Sephardic Jews. Before the Mayflower sailed to America, Jews had fled the Spanish Inquisition and settled in what is now Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Although they were eventually absorbed into the mainstream culture, they built a real Jewish life here.
Who were these first pioneers? What happened that forced them to flee? What did they encounter in this far land? These questions fascinate me, and as I read what little we know about them and imagine their lives, a story emerges: (more…)
By William T. Hathaway
You can learn to meditate from one of the great spiritual teachers of India, then meditate with him live online and ask him questions – all for free. The first step is to learn his easy technique of Vedic meditation, Jangama Dhyana: https://www.jangama.org/. Then join him Saturdays for a meditation and question-and-answer session: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/en. He transmits a powerful force-field that you access by tuning in with devotion to his voice and picture. Connecting to him will supercharge your spiritual growth and improve your daily life. (more…)