A Time To Grow In God’s Grace
Growing up as a Roman Catholic, I experienced Lent as a strong discipline to better my life. “What are you giving up for Lent?” The answers from my non-believer friends were “homework” or “obey the parents” or “saving money for rainy days.” Lent is one of those practices demanded of Roman Catholics to which non-Catholic believers may say, “Another great reason to be Protestant!” It never really occurred to my friends that Lent was something interesting, or beneficial, to a better understand our connection with God.
One day, I sat thinking of the many reason and faces of this season, and upon doing some research I discovered that Lent is in fact also recognized by millions of Protestant Christians, in addition to Catholic and Orthodox believers. The Eastern Orthodox Lent is longer than the Catholic or Protestant Lent, and it begins before Ash Wednesday. Continue reading
Life After Life (Part 6 of 7) – Love
When it comes to near-death and shared-death experiences, they may have different qualities to them for different people. It is clear that the experiences we have in this life do influence the experience we have when we transition into the next.
I believe that the reason for these differing experiences is to make our transition into the next life as gentle and meaningful as possible. Spirit orchestrates the passing experience in such a way that it is as unique as the person that is transitioning.
There are some cultural and ancestral qualities that are fairly consistent in the individuals experiencing the transition. For example, if you have a specific religious icon that is meaningful to you, it is very likely that will be a part of your transition experience. Continue reading
Aries – Always Number One…Or Maybe Not?
The Sun moves into Aries upon the Spring Equinox, at the beginning of the astrological year, making March 21st to April 20th the approximate astrological dates for this first sign of the zodiac. Appropriate, considering the Ram’s motto might be “me first!”
Aries, the Ram, is not only the first sign of the zodiac, it is also number one in many other ways. People with a strong Aries influence in their chart are likely to be forthcoming, pioneering, and independent spirits. Just look at the sign’s glyph (symbol), which looks like a ram with its head lowered. It says it all.
Perhaps the most traditionally masculine sign in the zodiac, Aries is ruled by Mars (the god of war), its corresponding color is red, and it is a cardinal (leading) Fire sign. That’s some heady symbolism! No wonder that even the women born under Aries (think warrior types like Sarah Michelle “Buffy” Gellar, Lucy “Xena” Lawless, and pioneering feminist Gloria Steinem) are likely to have nerves of steel… or perhaps of diamond, another Arian symbol. Continue reading
Born To Be Psychic
What is it like to be born a psychic? The easy thing to say, that most will indeed say, is that it is both a gift and a curse. But that is such a broad statement. Personally, I have always loved being psychic.
I remember being three years old, when I knew that I saw and heard things which were not there. I would look at people and I would know things. I would know how they felt, in all senses of the word, and I would see colors around them, which told me how they were feeling physically.
I did not know what this was at the time. I just knew that when I saw a person with a certain color around them it meant they were feeling a certain way. I would try my best to avoid being around people that made me feel what they were feeling. But as an empath, I could not prevent these experiences. Continue reading
Grief As A Spiritual Life Lesson
Just under a decade ago, a decision I made to let my eight and a half year old Rottweiler Sophie go, was one of the hardest things I have ever been faced with. Sophie had suddenly become ill over the course of four days and nothing could have prepared me for the subsequent grief. Although time heals, I still recall the way it felt when she was gone – like my heart was being ripped from my chest.
Grief can be described as the universal response to loss, and a very natural, yet terribly painful internal process. When there is a significant change, or loss in one’s life, grief is both a physical and emotional response to that change. Grief brings its own stresses, and continued grief actually compromises our immune system, because all cells in our bodies are affected by intense emotions. Continue reading
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