49 results for tag: Spiritual Growth
Do We Have To Make Meditation Entertaining?
I have to admit that when I first saw the headline, David Romanelli set out to make meditation entertaining, and I cringed. I really did. The last few years have challenged me, observing many of our Sacred and Venerable rituals and practices become watered-down and made cute or sexy by Mother Culture. My immediate thought was simple, "Oh no, not meditation; please do not do this to meditation." This phenomenon has manifested in Reiki, Hatha Yoga, Qi Gong, Acupuncture, and many other traditional healing practices. Isn't it enough that almost every image of meditation has a very thin, white female with perfect hair and skin with no pores? Please, not meditation too!...
I Am Not a Healer
It’s now been forty minutes in an altered brain rhythm, slipping from below ordinary consciousness, even below psychic, all the way down to spiritual healing. It is a state where the ego does not completely rule words, thoughts, and actions. The shadow has quieted enough to allow the True Self to speak and be present. The answers are usually simple: a word, a phrase, or maybe even just a syllable. In this case, very simple: “Yes”. This is my life as a Reiki Practitioner.
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Should Spiritual Teachers Be Paid?
Whether Spiritual Teachers should accept payment is an issue that's been a point of inner conflict for me for many years. I have shifted from a firm "No"; I then adopted the principle that "I need to get paid, and my work is incredibly worthwhile". Most recently, I have shifted to somewhere in the middle, accepting that I am very valuable as a resource to the community at large and that work is important. With that said, there is some work for which I will not accept payment. Of course, anyone who has done any real spiritual work knows that there is always some form of payment that the student "pays". Payment may be in the form of servitude, Karma, or a sense of responsibility to others. The payment may not be directed to the Teacher, but a karmic exchange must take place....
Tibetan Buddhist Anyen Rinpoche to Visit Rhode Island
Tibetan Buddhist Anyen Rinpoche to Visit Rhode Island at the Westminster Unitarian Church in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, will host the Tibetan Buddhist Tulku, Anyen Rinpoche, on Friday, April 4th, and Saturday, April 5th....
Meditation Retreat at Portsmouth Abbey
Last week, I participated in a solo, two-day meditation retreat at Portsmouth Abbey in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, just north of Newport. I was grateful for the opportunity to pray, meditate, sit, and chant with the monks at Portsmouth Abbey.
Meditation Retreat at Portsmouth Abbey - The Chapel
Is Life A Series of Important Events or Processes?
I was reflecting the other morning on how we tend to think of life as a series of important events that mold and shape our world. As I sat with this thought for a while, it occurred to me that events are rarely events. They tend to be a process that has culminated with a defining experience; the “event” was just a larger experience in a longer, more defined process.
What Is An Important Event?
Let’s begin this exploration by looking at major life events like weddings, births, deaths, divorces, graduations, retirements, and birthdays. We can then see if we can discover where the process began and if it really was an actual event....Can Success and Sex Sell Mindfulness?
I found this article so entertaining and well-written: Can Success and Sex Sell Mindfulness? I hope you find it as riveting as I did. She has raised some excellent questions for further reflection.
The first thing that bothered me in the article was that I actually knew what the expression "side-boob" meant. I wish I didn't but I do, enough exposure to pop culture through Facebook and online research has me more mainstream slang-friendly than I would like. The other part that caught my attention was the author's surprise that mindfulness is being promoted through "success." I thought that was something common in the last decade or so. I sense that it is probably the most common vehicle for motivating and exposing mainstream people to mindfulness....
