Among the most stimulating series of events at this year's Festival of Spirituality and Peace in Edinburgh will be the provocative 'Scottish Six' talks by broadcaster Lesley Riddoch and land reformer Andy Wightman.

"After much talk about the need to debate Scotlands future, and the prospect of a Scottish debate-free zone on the Fringe, Andy and myself have decided to join forces and stick our heids oer the parapet," says Lesley.

"So well have a show on at six oclock most weekday nights from August 14-17 and 20-24 as part of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace

"Its called The Scottish Six - debates you dont get on TV. But the BBC and Scottish media will figure only fleetingly in the first gig. Our much bigger concern is the way that inequality, entitlement and disempowerment disfigure Scotland and limit the ways most Scots can imagine the future.

"Each night, land campaigner Andy Wightman (Who Owns Scotland and The Poor Had no Lawyers) will kick off The Scottish Six with a characteristically hard-hitting look at how the nexus of money, politics and property has created an unequal society in which too many people are powerless to make a positive contribution."

14-17th and 20-24th August in the Hall at St John's Church (Venue 127, corner of Princes Street and Lothian Road, Edinburgh). Tickets on the door or via the Hub (http://t.co/4aF8TOM8). 6 (4).

* The Scottish Six: http://www.scottishsix.com/

Ekklesia is a sponsor and media partner of the Festival

* Follow regular updates from the Festival on Spirituality and Peace News: http://festivalofspirituality.blogspot.co.uk/

* Follow the Festival of Spirituality and Peace on Ekklesia: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/festivalofspirituality

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Beliefnet, the comprehensive multi-faith online resource for inspiration and spirituality, has hired Tara MacLaren as Director of Sales. MacLaren will be responsible for new business acquisitions and advertisement sales.Norfolk, VA (PRWEB) August 14, 2012 Beliefnet, the comprehensive multi-faith online resource for inspiration and spirituality, has hired Tara MacLaren as Director of Sales ...

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Beliefnet Appoints Tara MacLaren As New Director of Sales

Refugee communities in Christchurch have received little support after the city's earthquakes, but coped thanks to spirituality, a study has found. 13 August 2012

Former refugees living in Christchurch coped well throughout the city's earthquakes despite most of them having no help from authorities and struggling to get information, a study has found.

Former refugees from Afghanistan, Kurdistan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Bhutan living in Christchurch at the time of the September 4, 2010, earthquake took part in the University of Canterbury study, headed by health science graduate Mohamud Osman - a Somali refugee.

The study found more than 80 per cent of the 105 participants received no help or support from the Christchurch City Council or Earthquake Commission following the earthquakes.

More than two-thirds said they had difficulty accessing help and information.

None of the participants had ever experienced a major earthquake before, yet three-quarters of participants said they had coped well, with spirituality and religious practice an important support for many of them.

Mr Osman said more support and engagement from local services is needed to build trust and co-operation between refugees and local communities.

Older participants, women and married couples with children were more likely to worry about the earthquakes and their impact than single individuals, while those who completed the study questionnaire after the February 22 earthquake last year were more worried overall than those interviewed beforehand.

More than 85 per cent of Kurdish, Bhutanese, Ethiopian and Somali refugees were very worried after experiencing constant aftershocks, whereas only 33 per cent of Afghans - who often experience earthquakes back home - were very worried.

Mr Osman said a lack of support from mainstream relief agencies could be an added factor influencing the level of anxiety among refugees, while some were also not confident enough to seek help due to the language barrier.

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Quake-hit refugees without help: study

Invited to write an essay on spirituality in Ramadan, I felt hard-pressed to capture the breadth of Ramadans transcendent lessons or portray its significance to those unfamiliar with the religious tradition.

Beloved in the collective consciousness of Muslims around the world, fasting the month of Ramadan remains a consistently adhered to religious practice in Islam today.

A 2011 survey on work productivity by Dinar Standard found that 98 percent of a sample of more than 1,500 Muslims from Muslim majority countries and Muslim minority countries, including the United States said they planned to fast the whole month.

When reduced to its rules, Ramadan may sound unusually harsh to an observer. Able-bodied adult Muslims are required to abstain from all eating, drinking and marital sexual relations between dawn and sunset each day for a full month.

Recommended night prayers and charitable acts further tax ones sleep and primary focus. Yet by altering daily schedules and adopting these ascetic practices for 30 days, Muslims collectively seek to control physical appetites in order to review and improve their spiritual condition, an exercise in faith.

Interestingly, a similar psychology and timeline are used for quitting bad habits or adopting healthy ones in the popular press today.

Although the purpose of Ramadan is to cultivate and review ones faith annually, the scope of its impact is as diverse as its practitioners.

Sampling the popular social media network Twitter illustrates this neatly. Under the topic #Ramadan- Reflection the following tweets were sent between July 20 and 28:

aayloush _@aayloush:

One may think food is extremely important but its amazing how little food we need for living and how grateful we become.

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Column | Twitter captures the spirit of Ramadan

Published: Saturday, August 11, 2012, 12:01 a.m.

That's the vision of the Institute for Spirituality and the Arts.

The institute is a ministry at Edmonds United Methodist Church that offers classes aimed at blending spirituality and creativity.

"Our mission is about putting these things together in interesting ways and acknowledging that they are very closely connected," said Andrew Ryder, the program's director.

Ryder, of Lynnwood, teaches theater at Seattle Pacific University.

One of the institute's key tenets is that there is a spiritual dimension to all human experiences, Ryder said. For example, one of the classes taught computer skills to older adults to give them the opportunity to be more connected to the church and community. A class this past spring talked about sacred gardens within the Islamic and Christian traditions. Another class, in development right now, will explore astronomy and the scientific and spiritual aspects of the universe.

People usually have to pay a fee for classes, though organizers hope to recruit instructors who'd be willing to donate their time.

Ryder said he hopes participants will give back to the community by creating art or using new skills learned at the institute.

The goal of the program is to make many of the classes accessible to children and adults of all abilities.

The ministry took root about two years ago, when church members were hosting classes for children. The institute has since teamed up with the Center for Sacred Arts, a multi-faith organization based in Seattle.

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Institute aims to blend faith, creativity

Exploring Celtic spirituality was the theme of a radio broadcast from the north Northumberland coast, which was aired on Sunday morning.

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Holy Island hosts BBC Radio 4 bishop

Tehran, Aug 9 (IANS) A prominent political analyst has said the US has proposed a bio-weapon that would destroy the part of the human brain associated with spirituality, Iran's Press TV reported Thursday.

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US wants bio-weapon to destroy human brain: Report

Napervilles Veggie Fest started out as an experiment, something organizers thought theyd try out, unsure if it would succeed.

The Science of Spirituality Meditation Center, which sponsors the festival, held roughly 30 classes a month teaching the community about all aspects of spirituality and vegetarianism.

It naturally progressed from there that organizers wanted some way to pull all of the lessons into a single event and so the Veggie Fest was born.

The experiment turned out better than organizers hoped. Now in its seventh year, the festival draws more than 20,000 people over its two days, making it the largest vegetarian food festival in the country.

It was very small and then, all of a sudden, it just grew, event coordinator Jonathan Kruger said. It surpassed our expectations.

Veggie Fest will run this year from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 11 and 12, on the grounds of the Science of Spirituality Meditation Center in Naperville.

Attendees can watch food demonstrations from restaurant and commercial chefs and cookbook authors and coaches. An international food court will feature roughly 30 different selections of vegetarian cuisine from around the world, and 100 vendor booths will provide information, products and services related to vegetarianism and an all-around healthy lifestyle.

Arjan Stephens, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Natures Path, will be at Veggie Fest with the company started by his parents in 1985 that has turned into the largest organic cereal brand in the country. Natures Path will hand out free samples and representatives will talk with attendees about the companys products.

At Natures Path, we firmly believe in a vegetarian diet, Stephens said. Its the healthiest diet you can eat. We only market and launch products that are vegetarian because we believe in that philosophy.

Kruger said there was a greater effort this year to ensure vendor booths were related to the vegetarian way of life.

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Veggie Fest returns to Naperville

People Find Inspiration through Popular Top Hits(PRWEB) August 06, 2012 Music acts as a conduit for different purposes but most notably as a source of inspiration. Beliefnet, the comprehensive multi-faith online resource for inspiration and spirituality, recently released its list of top 100 inspiring songs, based on data gathered by its writers and editors. No.1 on the list is “Somewhere over ...

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Beliefnet Announces Top 100 Most Inspiring Songs

Mumbai, Aug 4 (IANS) The fashion of the retro era; a collection inspired by virtues of spirituality; and an ode to modern women - the second day of Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2012 saw three designers Nimish Shah, Payal Khandwala and Roma Narsinghani presenting contrasting clothing lines on the runway together Saturday.

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Designers recreate yesteryear, spiritual charm on ramp

Newswise WASHINGTON (July 30, 2012) Christina M. Puchalski, M.D., founder and director of the George Washington University Institute for Spirituality and Health (GWish) and professor at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, authored the first comprehensive reference text to examine the growing area of spirituality in healthcare. Titled the Oxford Textbook of Spirituality and Healthcare, the textbook will serve as a guide to multidisciplinary practitioners and professionals in the healthcare community on this emerging field.

Over the last few years, there has been a growing amount of articles in medical and healthcare journals on spirituality, as well as a wide range of literature, but there has been no attempt to publish a standard text on the subject. As a pioneer and leader in the movement to integrate spirituality into healthcare in both the clinical setting and in medical education, Dr. Puchalski saw the need for a textbook on spirituality and healthcare. The Oxford Textbook of Spirituality in Healthcare is poised to be the authoritative reference on this focus, providing unequalled coverage, critical depth and an integrated source of key topics. Divided into six sections including practice, research, policy and training, the book brings together international contributions from scholars in the field to provide a unique and stimulating resource.

As the founder and director of GWish, Dr. Puchalski has contributed groundbreaking work in the clinical, academic, and pastoral understanding of spiritual care as an essential element of healthcare. In 2009 she received the George Washington University Distinguished Alumni Award and in 2011, the Outstanding Colleague Award from the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. She is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and is also a member of the contemplative Carmelite lay community. Dr. Puchalski has authored many publications and been featured in numerous print and television media.

For more information, please visit the Oxford Textbook of Spirituality in Healthcare homepage at Oxford University Press: http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199571390.do#.UBBjqGGXQ0N. To arrange an interview with Dr. Puchalski, please contact Lisa Anderson at lisama2@gwu.edu or 202-994-3121 or Anne Banner at abanner@gwu.edu or 202-994-2261.

###

About the School of Medicine and Health Sciences Founded in 1825, the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) was the first medical school in the nations capital and is the 11th oldest in the country. Working together in our nations capital, with integrity and resolve, the GW SMHS is committed to improving the health and well-being of our local, national and global communities. http://www.smhs.gwumc.edu

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GWish Director Writes the First Comprehensive Textbook on Spirituality in Healthcare

This week's online religious reads raise questions about "biblical standards for marriage" (they might surprise some readers), whether the Internet is a blessing or curse when it comes to spirituality, the growth in the global middle class and its implications for social justice.

Esther J. Hamori, an associate professor of Hebrew Bible at Union Theological Seminary in New York, argues that a careful reading of what's often called the Old Testament yields some surprises about marriages and divine attitudes toward them.

"While the traditional view is that the Bible sets standards, and cultures either follow these standards or don't, the Bible itself shows us that cultural norms and biblical positions shifted in tandem," she writes in The Huffington Post.

This does not mean that anything goes; it's simply what we see in the biblical texts themselves. It does not mean that there are no standards; there were always incest taboos, for example, but what counts as incest is culturally dictated, and our society does not embrace many biblical perspectives on this (e.g., the ideal of marrying one's first cousin). It does not mean that God is a pushover; it shows, if anything, a God who will engage people in the world in which they live.

The marriage between the Internet and spirituality looks like it's going to last, according to the Rev. Paul Raushenbush, formerly of Princeton University and now religion editor of The Huffington Post. In a lecture recounted in The Chautauquan Daily, he observed:

In 2000, 21 percent of Internet users went online to find religious or spiritual information; in 2001, the percentage jumped to 25; and by 2004, 64 percent of Internet users were utilizing the Web to discover information about religion.

According to a poll administered by Pew Research Center in 2011, 79 percent of religiously active Americans use the Internet. Ninety-three percent of online community members said the Internet helps them stay informed about social issues.

And speaking of social issues, the middle class, threatened some say in the United States, may be growing from a global standpoint.

The National Intelligence Council projects that poverty "will be virtually eliminated by 2030" and the global middle class will grow to 2 billion people, according to an Associated Press story. What are the implications?

Governance will be increasingly difficult in countries with rising incomes . . . . middle-class people have middle-class values and aspirations for greater individual empowerment and are now armed with social media and other technological tools to bring that about, including the overthrow of repressive governments," an official said.

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Wild Goose, a grassroots festival at the intersection of justice, spirituality, music and art, has found a winning formula: welcome everyone. As their commitment to diversity continues, so has their growth and expansion.CORVALLIS, OREGON (PRWEB) August 01, 2012 By some accounts, it might seem the Wild Goose Festival—which just hosted its 2nd North Carolina event—has found its niche. ...

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Wild Goose's Commitment to Inclusion Has Led to Rapidly Growing Crowds and Demand for a Second Festival Site, Wild ...

By Randall P. Lieberman

For Jim Schuette, spirituality is synonymous with love of nature.

The Loxahatchee resident came by his love of nature as a boy in Wisconsin. His parents raised hunting dogs and his grandfather was a fishing guide. Schuette loved to spend his summers with his grandfather, learning to fish and trap animals.

Schuette went on to earn a bachelors degree in wildlife management from the University of Minnesota and a masters in wildlife ecology from Oklahoma State.

To get experience between his schooling, Schuette took volunteer jobs throughout the world, working for such agencies as the Bureau of Land Management in Montana, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Kentucky, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association in Alaska, the United States Forest Service in Arizona and the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso.

My favorite was identifying prairie falcon nests in Montana, Schuette said. We would go camping and were provided with a place to sleep and $35 a week to buy peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches. It makes for great stories to tell your children when they start complaining.

In 1991, Schuette graduated from Oklahoma State and came to Florida to work as a land manager for the Florida Game and Freshwater Commission, now the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. He worked for that organization for 20 years, assigned to the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area in northwestern Palm Beach County.

We managed everything on the 60,000 acres of land, including trying to achieve a three-year burn rotation, he said.

Six years ago Schuette became a board member of the Florida Wildlife Federation, becoming chairman for a two-year term in September 2010. He says he has grown as a person in that role.

We have 25 very strong personalities on the board, Schuette said. It is a challenge to direct all the energies in the same direction. Ive learned to better communicate, coordinate and organize.

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Love of nature defines Florida Wildlife Federation chairman’s career

Earth, Wind and Fire: Inspired by mythic spirituality, this band blends jazz, soul, gospel, pop, rock n roll, blues and folk into a cohesive sound.

DETAILS >> 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1. Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St. $62.50-$95.50. (480) 644-6500 or http://www.mesaartscenter.com.

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Earth, Wind and Fire to perform Wednesday in Mesa

Psychics Universe regularly discusses issues of personal wellbeing and spirituality. In this new discussion, they address the questions of “why matters of love come so much easier to some people than to others.”Los Angeles, California (PRWEB) July 30, 2012 PsychicsUniverse, a new online network, reveals relationship insights in “Learning to Listen to Love” and is addressing daily issues of ...

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Psychics Universe, New Online Spirituality Network Shares Relationship Insights in “Learning to Listen to Love”

Last summer, young folks involved with SPARK!, a Trinity Episcopal Cathedral service program, constructed a labyrinth in the Chapel Courtyard at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Northwest Portland, hoping it would help patients and their families through the medical and spiritual challenges that can accompany hospitalizations.

Labyrinths are meditative pathways resembling mazes. The idea: Slow down, take deliberate steps, make a spiritual journey. The one at Good Sam was made of interlocking puzzle pieces and patterned after one in Chartres Cathedral, southwest of Paris, though on a far smaller scale.

Next Tuesday, 12- to 14-year-old SPARK! students will be back at Good Sam to set up the labyrinth again and adorn the courtyard with some new plantings.

"It is a very touching and beautiful garden," said Megan Turnell, the hospital's public relations and community relations specialist, "garden and the service and commitment of these middle school students to the garden is also very compelling."

- Katy Muldoon; twitter.com/katymuldoon

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Labyrinth, SPARK! students help with healing at Good Samaritan

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Salzburg to Lincoln Center, Spirituality Is on the Program

An American human rights activist says, by advocating a way of life, devoid of spirituality, the US is producing state-of-the-art Frankensteins, who are incapable of controlling their impulses.

Twelve people were killed and 59 others injured in a shooting rampage in Aurora, Colorado in early Friday.

The bloodshed took place when a masked gunman, later identified as a 24-year-old James Holms, opened fire at viewers during the screening of the new Batman movie, The Dark Night Rises, in Auroras Century Theater Cinema.

Nearly everyone was shot, Aurora police Chief Dan Oates has said, adding that a handful of those taken to the hospital for treatment did not have gunshot wounds, but suffered other injuries in the incident.

The deadly incident has once again raised debate about gun control in the US as it took place only 20 miles from Columbine High School, the scene of a 1999 shooting, in which 13 people were killed and 24 others injured.

Press TV has conducted an interview with human rights advocate Mauri Saalakhan to further discuss the issue.

The video also offers the opinions of two additional guests: Joe Iosbaker with the United National Antiwar Coalition and public interest lawyer William John Cox.

What follows is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Mr. Saalakhan, a lot has been said of course since we saw the first court appearance by the killer himself, the reasons behind what happened, what do you think is the root cause for this tragedy or rather tragedies of this nature?

Saalakhan:

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‘US producing state-of-the-art psychos’

Arturo Francisco Olivas paints traditional retablos for Spanish Market in his Albuquerque studio. Photo Credit Jim Thompson/Journal

Arturo Francisco Olivas will be selling about 40 of his retablos at Traditional Spanish Market in Santa Fe next weekend. But there is a one retablo Olivas has made that will be staying home. Its San Peregrin, the patron saint of cancer victims.

Olivas, an Albuquerque resident, is living with cancer.

He is one of more than 350 Hispanic artists showing such traditional artwork as retablos, bultos, straw appliqu and tinwork at the juried market.

Last July I painted the retablo before I knew I had cancer, the 53-year-old Olivas said.

Three months later, he was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer and hospitalized. He took medical leave from his bilingual teaching position with the Rio Rancho public schools. Then last December he decided, based on his doctors advice, to retire.

The doctor had given me eight to 12 months to live. His advice is Do whatever it is you need to do. I decided I couldnt continue teaching because I needed to use my energy to get well, Olivas said.

The cancerous tumors, he said, had spread to his brain, ribs and spine. Initially, he was given steroid therapy, then radiation treatment. On the advice of an oncologist, Olivas began long-term chemotheraphy treatment via a daily pill.

The chemo has shrunk the tumors and they have not spread to any other part of my body, he said.

Though the treatment leaves him debilitated, his days in retirement allow him more time for his art. He cuts and shapes the wood for the retablos in his backyard patio-workshop and paints them in the santos room inside his welcoming walled home.

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Living Faith