culture
Loving Yourself Unconditionally
The first person any of us learns to love is our self. And that’s how it should be, even if many of us forget how to do that somewhere along the way.
We live in a culture which is often harsh, judgmental, and narrow-minded, causing many of us to stop loving ourselves. Everyone has had a time when they felt “less than”, or imperfect. This becomes a snowball effect where we gradually put ourselves down all the time. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
How can we expect to show love for anyone else if we do not first love ourselves? So many of us think of love as an abstract “thing.” Love is not a thing; it’s an action. We need to make it a part of our conscious thought. Unconditional love of self is the basis of all healthy relationships. Continue reading
What If The ‘Mark Of The Beast’ Has A Ringtone?
I had an inspirational moment recently when I was waiting at a traffic light. I had a fleeting impression that everyone around me was busy praying. Heads bowed in silent, solemn worship. Then I realized, they were all just looking down at their phones.
We’ve all heard the rumors about microchips being installed in people’s hands, arms or foreheads. We are already doing it with our pets. Taking the next step to humans is not all that far-fetched.
There has also been many prophecies and predictions about this from a diverse spectrum of people, including spiritual leaders and conspiracy theorists. We have even heard it being called the “Mark of the Beast,” as described in Revelations in the Bible. Continue reading
Begin By Loving Yourself Unconditionally
The first person any of us learns to love is ourself. And that’s how it should be, even if many of us forget how to do that somewhere along the way. Yet, how can we expect to show love for anyone else if we do not first love ourselves?
So many of us think of love as an abstract “thing.” Love is not a thing; it’s an action! We need to make it a part of our conscious thought.
Also, we live in a culture which is harsh, judgmental, and narrow-minded, which causes so many of us to stop loving ourselves. Everyone has had a time when he or she felt less than, or imperfect. This becomes a snowball effect where we gradually put ourselves down all the time. But it doesn’t have to be this way, and unconditional love of self is the basis of all healthy relationships. Continue reading
Text Messages From God – Part 1
I love to meditate, I do it often. It’s one of my favorite pass times. I also like to set an intention before meditating. This afternoon my intention was to get a ‘text message’ from God, or rather an answer from God to a certain question.
My intention was to find out why Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is on the increase in our society. It’s uncanny. These day I’m even hearing how teachers are being diagnosed with ADD, as well adults from all walks of life. I wanted to know why there seems to be such a prevalence of this disorder going on, including an array of prescription drugs to medicate it with. It just makes me sad, because I personally feel it’s a symptom of our toxic, information-overloaded society. Continue reading
The Pentacle – Ancient Magical Symbol
Possibly no other spiritual or religious icon in our culture is as misunderstood as the pentacle, or five-pointed star. Many people automatically believe the pentacle is connected to some form of darkness, evil or satanic worship. This could not be further from the truth.
Along with its powerful symbolism in Wicca and other pagan traditions, the pentacle also has roots in Christian and Jewish mysticism, as well as Native American religion.
Over the centuries the symbol has taken on many meanings. Its most lasting symbolism, however, is that of the five classical elements: Earth, Fire, Air, and Water, with Spirit at its head. Continue reading
Nobody Deserves To Be Happy!
Many self-help gurus will espouse the virtues, the sheer righteousness if you will, of deserving to be happy. You deserve to be happy? What does this truly even mean? (meant to be read in a most sarcastic tone of voice with a slight touch of incredulity thrown in for good measure).
I take umbrage, I cry foul to this so called deservedness. What makes you so special? For that matter, what makes me so special? None of us deserve to be happy any more so than the next guy or girl.
People, living breathing people, are being subjected to atrocities all over our planet in ways that some of us cannot even bear to think about, because we’d never sleep cozy in our beds at night if we did. Aren’t these people deserving of this ‘happiness’ also? They often times don’t experience it, because of someone else’s pursuit of happiness. Continue reading
In The Powerful Presence Of The Maiden Goddess
Many centuries have come and gone since the Athenians ascended the Acropolis to seek the guidance and protection of Athena, the maiden goddess of wisdom, war and divine intelligence. Her status as the favorite daughter of Zeus, and powerful patron deity of the city of Athens, remains evident to this day.
Expecting to be mostly drawn to the Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus, when I visited the Acropolis of Athens in Greece*, I was instead keenly aware of the omnipresence of Athena’s legacy. My undergraduate education in literature and drama afforded me a reasonably good understanding of the role of the god Dionysus in ancient Greek culture. I knew about the festivals and plays, and as a student I often imagined visiting the remains of those historic open-air auditoriums. Continue reading