society
Tree Insights
If you told me a month ago that I would have a conversation with a tree, I would most likely not have believed it. Not that I am closed off to such experiences, but rather because I have never had any kind of engagement with nature on this level.
This weekend I was hiking with some friends, and there was a moment when I was separated from them. One of my friends went ahead of me, and the other two lagged behind. We were on a train, so I was confident that we would eventually meet up. So, I appreciated this time to myself for reflection and contemplation.
I sat down and began to meditate. As I did so, I turned my attention to a very large tree that must have been there for hundreds of years. I recalled something that I had channeled in the book I was writing. I recently wrote about how everything has a spirit, including animals and plants. I had not really thought much about this in the past. Most of my spiritual insights have been associated with interactions with angels, spirit guides, and individuals who have passed on. This said, I am certainly open to interacting with the spirit’s of animals and plants. Continue reading
Your Child Deserves To Be Creative
Part of spiritual parenting is understanding your child’s generation. This is not “The Wonder Years”. The harsh reality is that even if you are protecting your child’s innocence, chances are their friend’s parents aren’t. These days we do need to ask the parents of our child’s friend if there is unsupervised time on the computer, and is there potential access to pornography, or even guns in the home. We need to go online and see if there are any predators in that home, or in the neighborhood. We need to know that there aren’t any drugs or alcohol in the home.
I have been working with children for 30 years and times have certainly changed. Today’s generation of parents cannot afford to be distracted, detached and oblivious. Modern parents text and talk on the phone more than they look at or communicate with their own children. I often hear people talk about how this generation of children seem tuned out, detached and lack imagination and creativity, but how can we ask them to tune in when their parents are not? They learn their coping and survival skills from us. If we tune out, so will they. Continue reading
Spiritual Practices To Promote Alignment
There are many types of spiritual practices that will bring alignment to your life. Spiritual practices are the methods by which we understand the inner world, and learn just how much impact our inner world has on the outer world.
Jesus said, “With faith the size of a mustard seed you could move a mountain.” Faith is a constant, and always brings forth the manifestation of our inner beliefs. Spiritual practice allows the practitioner to gain spiritual awareness, and by doing so shifts negative or useless beliefs into useful beliefs that can have a profound impact on the journey of life. Continue reading
The Seven Signs Of Spiritual Awakening
We live in a world that loves the idea of results. “I lost twenty pounds,” we might say, or “I was chosen as employee of the month at work.”
On the spiritual side of things, though, there is no such thing. The universe does not operate on human terms. Which is why, when it is time for us to experience spiritual awakening (also called Epiphany), it cannot be measured or quantified.
Also, when we do finally awaken, it is only the first step in a much longer journey. Think of it as that little ball of snow that starts rolling down a hill, only to become much larger as it goes.
This process does not have to be a painful or difficult one. In fact, when we do begin to awaken, we will start to see the falsehoods, illusions, and painful truths of our lives within the “real” or physical state, as opposed to those in the spiritual realm. It is like having our eyes opened much wider to a greater truth. Continue reading
Prairie Dog Wisdom
In Native American tradition the “prairie dog” brings with it a special message of retreat when it crosses our path. In times of stress and over-exertion it reminds us to take some time out, withdraw from our busy modern lives and recharge our batteries.
This is what the prairie dog does when it gets into trouble. It withdraws into the safe depths of the earth, with several escape routes waiting in case of emergency. The prairie dog teaches us to pick our battles carefully. Prairie dog medicine is also symbolic of the opposite. In times when we have become too withdrawn and disconnected from family, friends and the world around us, this magical animal encourages us to reach out to others and join in social activities. Continue reading
Get Yourself Connected By Reconnecting With You
Do you sometimes feel disconnected? Is the world you live in too much to handle some days? Do you have a billion things running through your mind? Do you have this voice that is telling you that you’re not smart enough, or attractive enough, or successful enough? Do you constantly compare yourself to others?
You are not alone.
Social media has certainly done a great job of not only connecting us with friends and family we haven’t seen for years, since the high school prom, college graduation or a grandparent’s funeral. But, it also has done a fine job of making us feel utterly Dis-connected. And it can sabotage our self-realization. Continue reading
The Divine Disconnect
The separation between man and his Divine origins is the genesis of all religions, cults and belief systems in our world, and it is also the primary driving force behind all science, art and philosophy.
Searching for metaphysical meaning and life purpose is a natural attribute of the human condition. Exploring the existence of God or Divine Consciousness beyond our current reality is an innate yearning we all have. No amount of scientific or technological advancement will ever extinguish this urge from human awareness. Whether we admit it to ourselves, or not, we all feel the need within to bridge our disconnection from the Divine.
We begin to separate from the Divine Self the moment we are born. At birth we have no sense of ‘self’, and we have no awareness of being separate from Spirit or Source, but in time we quickly begin to identify with our new physical environment and with the human Ego or Material Self that we choose to adopt, based on the feedback we receive from others. We gradually also adopt the social role assigned to us by our family, our peers and our community. Continue reading