Christine Valters Paintner describes the ancient and accessible contemplative practice of walking or moving slowly through the natural world as a way of connecting with God. This is clearly the “road not taken” by too many of us in the modern world, even though it shaped and sustained the faith of our ancestors for millennia.…
by Philip Goldberg Below are a few excerpts from this article, which you can read in its entirety here. https://www.spiritualityhealth.com/articles/2021/04/27/namaste-lets-keep-it-after-the-pandemic …Thanks to the popularity of yoga, the presence of gurus and swamis, increased travel to India, and the assimilation of citizens of Indian descent, Americans have learned that the hands-at-chest greeting is traditionally accompanied by the…
According to WHO (January 2020) globally, more than 264 million people of all ages suffer from depression. Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease. Before giving this blessing, take the time to really enter your heart and from that holiest of shrines allow…
Be on the lookout for symptoms of inner peace. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to inner peace and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. 1. A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences. 2. An…
by James O’Dea “I consider this an extremely important and and exceptionally lucid analysis of the contemporary spiritual/personal development scene. Many years ago, Byron Katie, one of the genuinely great figures of the world-wide field of personal development, stated that the number one problem of the world was not issues like hunger, war, etc. but…
October 19, 2020, Indianapolis Star (A leading newspaper of Indianapolis)https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/indianapolis/2020/10/19/cats-inmates-rehabilitate… Cats are unable to distinguish between street clothes and prison uniforms – and that’s exactly what makes the relationship between the men at Pendleton Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison outside of Indianapolis, and the cats that live there, so special. For six hours a day, seven days…
On Bastoy, an island 46 miles south of Oslo, [125] residents live in brightly colored wooden chalets, spread over one square mile of forest and gently sloping hills. They go horseback riding and throw barbecues, and have access to a movie theater, tanning bed and, during winter, two ski jumps. Despite all its trappings, Bastoy…
There are so many extraordinary texts around people just run through them without it impacting them. But a story, it stays with you. which is why Jesus and other spiritual masters spoke in parables. Pierre Pradervand There once was a farmer who had some puppies he needed to sell, so he painted a sign advertising his 4…
May you letyour thought sweetly reston whomever comes to consciousness,without the slightest judgment,or need for them to be differentin any way. May you findthe quiet humilityto love them as they are right now,and just for this moment,may you feelthat this is enough. May you includeIn this Christlike embrace,The one for you right nowThat may be…
Jinja, Uganda By Caleb Okereke Contributor to the CS Monitor Shadia and Imran Nakueira rented the space for a restaurant in the dreamy, lakeside town of Jinja, Uganda, before they knew exactly what they were going to do with it. They knew one thing though: They wanted to work alongside people with disabilities. When customers first enter…
Fr Richard Rohr, OFM from his October 8, 2020 meditation – used by permission We can summarize the transformative gifts of a truly Franciscan simple life in these ways: When we agree to live simply, we put ourselves outside of others’ ability to buy us off, reward us falsely, or control us by money, status,…
“Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. “John Lewis Tolstoy wrote to Gandhi that “love is the only way to rescue humanity from all ills” ……
It is my deep conviction that any meaningful religious or spiritual approach must also really address the key issue of today – and that is a world that works for all. Disparities and inequalities in income and opportunities are become so huge, environmental degradation is advancing so rapidly, that unless we create a world that…
Excerpt from The Top 60 Love Skills You Were Never Taught by Dr. Scott Peck and Shannon Peck – by permission There is a great love awakening taking place and this awakening is both personal and global. Quite simply, we are all being called by Love, the highest power in the universe, to usher in…
What a powerful message of hope that the Covid 19 lesson has brought even some of the most entrenched defenders of the System to start questioning its existence! After all, is it not incredible that a little beastie (virus) so minuscule that one needs a microscope to just see it has just brought the most…
Around the globe, as uncertainty still looms over us, people are continuing to step up their compassion — in unprecedented ways. This story is one of many in the Karunavirus.org newsletter of April 23 (Karuna is Sanskrit for Compassion) Warring gangs in South Africa are working together in an unprecedented truce to deliver much-needed food…
To love one another you must try to understand one another, and to understand you have to be able to communicate. Whether that communications is done in words or in silent action matters not as long as it is done in love, your heart is open and the love flows freely. Where there is love…
“The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others. Only then have we ourselves become true human beings. I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought…
The great Irish poet and writer remains a rare master of the English language. His use of words is unique. This month we quote from the introduction to that magical book of blessings of his, To Bless the Space Between Us. PP “It would be infinitely lonely to live in a world without blessings. The word blessing invokes…
A music teacher helps children living by a Paraguay landfill site to reach stardom with instruments made from rubbish. “To have nothing is not an excuse for doing nothing,” says Favio Chavez. On the edges of the Cateura landfill near Paraguay’s capital, he teaches a group of children to play violins, cellos, saxophones, flutes and…
There was an old man who was admitted in a hospital. A young man was visiting him every day and sat with him for more than one hour. He helped him eat his food and take his shower. Then he would take him for a walk in the garden of the hospital. After that he…
In Lyon, France, “L’Entreprise des possibles” helps the homeless. Some 3,000 people sleep every night in the streets of Lyon. A daily tragedy that a local entrepreneur wants to end. His idea? Mobilize all the companies in the region and pool their resources so that everyone can find a roof over their heads. A powerful…
Note from Pierre “This is one of the most remarkable spiritual texts I have read in a long time.” Mistakenly, some people think that Buddhism condemns all desire. But there is no getting rid of desire. Instead, Buddhist psychology leads us from desire to abundance. The Indian sage Nisargadatta, one of my teachers, challenged his…
What if you could actually train mothers to turn their compassion and connection into the first line of defense against terrorism? In Germany and 15 other countries, it’s happening. Their sons were dropping out of school, joining radical mosques, and breaking off contact. Hundreds of mothers had told Edit Schlaffer such stories when the Austrian…
For one who has discovered the deep, nourishing satisfaction of life lived in a spirit of service, finding opportunities of service becomes one of the joys of life. And there are so, so many such opportunities. For those who may be wondering what kind of service they may render because they have not yet made…
“Love itself can only increase by being shared. Extending love ensures its increase. Every loving thought, or every opportunity we take to think, see, feel or act in loving ways, such as forgiving, listening, allowing, accepting, and giving will manifest as Love in our lives. The more Love we give, the more we receive, and…
This year we expect that sales will break all records! However, we cannot help but think that this anniversary celebrates the coming to earth of one of humanity’s greatest avatars – who, additionally, lived in total poverty according to his own words. But even this simple reminder makes us feel ill at ease in the…
If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things. A human being is a part of the whole, called by us the “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest — a kind…
“Blessings …serve not only those who emit them, and not only those to whom they are addressed, but all people in the human community.” From Dr. Laszlo’s Foreword to 365 Blessings to Heal Myself and the World. After a professional career spanning well over 50 years that took me to over 40 countries of the…
Rev. Bill McDonald I have given much thought and time to contemplate that very question ever since I was a child facing death in the hospital at eight years of age. I had “died” in my hospital bed all alone and unmonitored by medical staff in an isolation ward. In those moments of “death”, I…
by guest Rabbi Rami Shapiro – July 07, 2019 Comment: I love what Rabbi Shapiro writes – it is a major step forward from the rigidified religious practices of the past (and for quite a few, still the present.) However, after having been most of my life as a member of traditional churches, it is my belief…
Tenzin Gyatso; The Fourteenth Dalai Lama The purpose of life I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affect this. From the very core of our being, we simply desire…
A dominant aspect of mystical experiences all round the world is that the mystics very often see the links of all things – not only between all humans, but between humans and nature, and sometimes they feel a total immersion with the Ground of Being that upholds the universe and every living being. And what…
For over 60 years I belonged to forms of organized religion. These still play a useful role for some individuals who need to have verbal formulations of truths and liturgical and cultural forms that reassure and comfort. However, we live in a world where increasingly everything is challenged and each one is called to define…
As our guest blog for this month, we are sharing a Spiritual Teaching and Practice from Paul Ferrini’s online course Journey from Fear to Love. Ferrini is the author of over 40 books on love, healing and forgiveness. His unique blend of spirituality and psychology goes beyond self-help and recovery into the heart of…
To listen is possibly the most beautiful gift we can offer anyone. In a way it is to tell that person: “You are important to me, you are interesting, I am glad you are here. I am here for you; I am touched by who you are and what you are saying.” To listen is…
Israeli government plans last year for a mass deportation of African asylum-seekers created a public outcry and remain on hold. But migrant families and their children live in a painful state of uncertainty. Yet in an impoverished neighborhood in Tel Aviv is a school dedicated to helping migrant children thrive educationally and emotionally, teaching students…
We live in a time of danger. There could never be enough soldiers or police on earth to keep everyone safe and secure. We are in a global crisis in many respects. Never before has the world been in greater need of Love Lights, like you, to shine and bring forth a new age of…
Blessing, in the meaning used on this site and in books* I have written on the practice of blessing, often results in healing. A perusal of the section on healing testimonies shows that numerous healings or resolutions of “impossible” situations have occurred through this practice: including a severe depression; very difficult relationships; being freed from…
“The Infinite is the source of joy!” (Chandogya Upanishad 7.23) There is a mighty rushing river of deep Joy at the center of all life. Oh yes, there is also a roller-coaster ride of pleasure and pain at the surface of human experience. Yet transcending this is a Joy that is the very effervescence of…
