Dr. Cotton of AWAKEN Higher Brain Living™ will host a presentation at the Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Airport Hotel May 31st to provide new career opportunities to professionals.Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) May 15, 2012 In late May, Indianapolis will welcome Dr. Michael Cotton of AWAKEN Higher Brain Living™ for an informational talk about his innovative transformational program known as Higher Brain ...
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Be Part of a Movement that Is Transforming Medicine, Psychology and Spirituality
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By Jeffrey B. Symynkywicz
[Editor's note: The Rev. Jeffrey B. Symynkywicz is the author of the highly recommended book "The Gospel According to Bruce Springsteen." He recently delivered a sermon based on Bruce Springsteen's "Wrecking Ball," and offered to adapt it for us in the essay below.]
Photo: brucespringsteen.net
The darkness is no longer on the edge of town. It is now at the very heart of our nation.
Almost 30 years ago in My Hometown, Bruce Springsteen wrote about factory closings and jobs heading south. The tone was something of sadness, as a young man and his wife lie in bed at night, discussing whether or not to uproot their young son, in search of (perhaps) better economic prospects elsewhere. The insinuation in the song is that they will stay put. It probably wasnt a good decision.
Now, in the face of the economic devastation that came to a head with the financial meltdown of 2008, the whitewashed windows and empty stores of 1984 seem almost quaint. Thirty years of greed, speculation and unfettered, robber baron capitalism have brought, in Springsteens words, Death to My Hometown.
Even worse, perhaps, is that no one has been called to justice for the devastation. Not a single person has been prosecuted for the crimes that nearly toppled our entire financial system; instead the perpetrators walk the streets as free men now, Springsteen sings. He warns that they and their mayhem will be back unless we unite to Send the robber barons straight to hell.
Springsteens tone isnt one of resignation any longer. Wrecking Ball presents a word of prophecy and judgment, with plenty of blame to go aroundand plenty of work for all of us to do.
There are other allusions to Born in the U.S.A. here, as well. We Take Care of Our Own speaks of the promise from sea to shining sea, with American flags again waving in the breeze. But like the priest and the Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan, we have come answer the question, Who is my neighbor? much too narrowly, Springsteen believes. The years have killed something in us, and the American spirit is circling the wagons and drawing in on ourselves. Almost in desperation, he cries out for eyes that can see, and hearts filled with mercy. But the only answer that comes the refrain, We take care of our own, over and over sounds like the icy sarcasm of a Scrooge, slamming the door in the face of the solicitors ask him for charity.
All higher values seem to have left the field. From Easy Money the shallowness of a life lived for material gain alone were led to being Shackled and Drawn, part of a universal chain gang, cogs in a great neo-feudal economic machine. But while for working people, all notions of the dignity of labor lie buried by the side of the road, Up on Bankers Hill, the partys going strong, Springsteen sings, and again, our memory drifts to earlier times. In Mansion on the Hill from Nebraska, a young boy and his sister also listen to the music coming from a big house on the edge of town. Back in 1982, even amid the grittiness and starkness of Nebraska, there was still some sense of longing and at least a glimpse of hope. Now, 30 years later, it is as though the young boy is again standing at the foot of the rich mans hill, but this time with his legs in irons.
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Anger, faith and rising up: Spirituality in Springsteen’s ‘Wrecking Ball’
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Calcutta News.Net Saturday 12th May, 2012 (IANS)
Books on Indian spiritualism are in great demand in foreign countries, and even the Chinese are impressed, National Book Trust (NBT) director M.A. Sikander said Saturday.
'Books on spiritualism have become the USP (unique selling proposition) of Indian publishing houses. These books are selling like hot cakes in foreign countries,' he said here.
Sikander, here for a six-day book fair that began Saturday, said visitors evinced keen interest in spirituality at the recent Abu Dhabi book fair.
'Even the Chinese are finding linkages between Indian lifestyle and spiritualism. They are keen to know what makes the Indians happy beings.'
Sikander said France had shown interest in translating Hindi books into French. 'NBT will have special focus on France in the next international book fair in Delhi (in 2013).'
India is the third largest publisher of English books after Britain and the US.
'With sufficient manpower and good command over English, publishing houses across the world are outsourcing work to India,' he said.
He said the habit of reading had grown more in rural and semi-urban areas. 'There has been a 20 percent growth in the sale of NBT publications in the country in the past few years.'
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This week, as same-sex marriage has been much in the news, Ive been considering the way that people of faith have, and havent, been part of the national conversation. I was, with many friends from the fine state of North Carolina, disappointed by the decision of the voters to amend their constitution with the discriminatory Amendment One prohibiting any relationships outside of heterosexual marriage from having any legal standing. Hours later, I was delighted by President Obamas declaration of support for same sex marriage, even more so thankful for the fact that he shared that his Christian faith was behind his change.
My Christian faith is the reason I support same sex marriage as well: not only because of the golden rule and not only because all people are equally children of God and deserve the same legal privileges. I support it for a bit more of a personal reason: because it enables me to do my job as a priest in the Church. Some people may say that the separation of church and state means that Christians cant practice their faith. In this case, it means that I can.
When I was ordained, I promised to love and serve the people among whom you work, caring alike for young and old, strong and weak, rich and poor. I promised to administer the sacraments, to teach, to preach. Those promises are made without qualification. There are no exceptions to the love of God.
I am in support of same-sex marriage because as a pastor, I believe it is my duty to bless and honor the relationships of all people who might come through the doors of my church seeking that blessing. I regret that the clergy of North Carolina do not have that ability as I do in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.
This past Sunday at my church, we heard the words of the first Epistle of John: Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God (4:7). I recently had the honor of officiating at a burial of someone who died at age 84. A World War II veteran, at the burial the honor guard gave the flag to the man with whom he had shared his life for more than 50 years: On behalf of the President of the United States and a grateful nation, thank you for your sacrifice. Their sacrifice was not only in that he risked death on behalf of this country. Their sacrifice was not only decades of care and concern for each other. They offered another sacrifice: a partnership that was, for much of its duration, legally invisible. Fifty years before, as young men not much younger than I, would they have anticipated the power of that moment, one receiving the flag at the others graveside? I wonder.
In the ministry of Jesus Christ, the circle of inclusion is cast ever wider. This was not easy for the early church, those early disciples who sought to follow God in Christ. Did new believers have to convert to Judaism first? Did they have to follow the dietary laws? Did they have to be circumcised? Again and again, the barriers were lowered. Would my daughters transgender godfather have been included? Yes. Would my high school friend and her wife and son be included? Yes. Would someone who was unsure about what they believed be included? Yes. Would two 80-something vets be included? Yes, yes, yes.
So, President Obama, thank you. Thank you for taking the stand that supports my church in our work. I know that not everyone in our pews agrees with my stance. I know that not everyone in our state agrees with our law, and that not everyone will appreciate your evolution. But I also believe that the God who animates love can also animate respect, and journeying together, persons of all faiths and no faith, can continue to work for our more perfect union.
The Rev. Sara Irwin is the rector at Christ Church Episcopal in Waltham. Send feedback to Waltham@wickedlocal.com.
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May 12, 2012|10:33 am
What's true of New York is true of large cities all around the country. The number of Americans practicing yoga quintupled between 2001 and 2011: from four to twenty million.
Yoga has become so commonplace that the "U.K. Telegraph" recently ran a story that, only a few years ago, would have only run in the satirical publication "The Onion." The link to the story read "How yoga with snakes cured my phobia." In it, a woman told readers about a "Kumara Serpent Healing Class," which she summed up as being "a bit like traditional yoga but . . . you get to handle real snakes at the end of the class."
As the "Weekly Standard" likes to say: "not a parody."
Between stories like this one and a recent "New York Times" article about the rising number of yoga-related emergency room visits, there's plenty of comic fodder in the West's love affair with Yoga.
But you know who isn't smiling: the Hindu American Foundation. A year or so ago, the group launched a "Take Yoga Back" campaign. Its leaders got tired of seeing advertisers and business use words like "yoga," "Vedic," and other Hindu words in yoga publications without any acknowledgement that they were, well, Hindu.
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One of the publications justified the omission by saying that the word "Hindu" has "a lot of baggage." The understandable reply was "Excuse me?"
It is isn't only Hindus: Many Buddhists are also fed up with the way their religion is being "dumbed down" and marketed as a lifestyle. They are especially annoyed at the way the word "Zen" has been transformed into an interior decorating concept.
While I sympathize with their complaints, it's not hard to understand why this is happening. First of all, contrary to what some noisy atheists would have you believe, America is not becoming a more "disbelieving" society, at least not as many define "disbelieving."
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Mitt Romney tried to win over thousands of far-right voters who could sweep him into the White House by appealing directly to 6,000 graduates at Liberty University today in Lynchburg, Va.
The likely Republican presidential candidate a Mormon delivered a deeply spiritual, respectful commencement speech at the staunchly conservative school founded on Baptist values.
Culture what you believe, what you value, how you live matters, Romney said, according to the Washington Post. As fundamental as these principles are, they may become topics of democratic debate from time to time. So it is today with the enduring institution of marriage. Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman.
Romneys appearance at Liberty was a calculated move.
Until todays speech, he tried to keep his focus on the economy to avoid hot-button social issues that featured prominently in election campaigning this week.
More from GlobalPost: Romney attempts to shift focus back on economy
First, President Barack Obama came out in support of gay marriage.
Then, Romney had to deflect criticism he bullied a supposedly gay classmate in high school.
Furthermore, many students expressed dismay when the school announced his appearance.
According to Reuters, Liberty teaches that Mormonism is a cult and had to remove a Facebook page littered with hundreds of angry comments about Romney.
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Share your prom photos by uploading your snapshots at the Star-Gazette's web site. - 2:10 pm
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Spirituality column: Hospitals are the certain place of uncertainty
The 15th annual All Saints Parish Spirituality and Justice Award was presented to Bishop Roy F. Cederholm on Sunday, April 22, during the 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist. The award was presented to Cederholm, recent Suffragan Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, in recognition of his leadership in environmental stewardship.
He was instrumental in establishing the Green Grants program of the diocese that provides start-up funds for congregations to conserve energy and lessen their carbon footprint. He was tireless in organizing the diocesan commitment to relief and development work in the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and made numerous mission work trips to Mississippi and Louisiana. His example inspired parish and student groups to similar service. His 2006 holiday radio campaign appealing for volunteers and donations to help hurricane-affected families was recognized by the national Religion Communicators Council with a DeRose-Hinkhouse Award of Merit.
The Spirituality and Justice Award is given to persons whose notable commitment to justice for all of Gods people is grounded in a deep spiritual life. Nominees are persons from all faith traditions who have significantly contributed to the furtherance of justice and whose work has been informed by their own deep spirituality.
In past years the award was presented to Bishop Barbara C. Harris (1998); Bishop Simon E. Chiwanga (1999); Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE (2000); Bishop Steven Charleston (2001); Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu (2002); Dr. Yang Jianli and Christina Fu (2003); The Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas (2004); Bishop V. Gene Robinson (2005); The Honorable Byron Rushing (2006); Peter Stringham, M.D. (2007); Paul Farmer, M.D. (2008); Marian Wright Edelman (2009); the Rev. Dr. Deborah Little Wyman (2010); and James Carroll (2011).
At a reception following the worship service, Cederholm and his wife, Ruth Ann, greeted the congregation. For the rectors sermon at the worship service honoring Cederholm, go to the parishs website, http://www.allsaintsbrookline.org.
All Saints Parish is at 1773 Beacon St. (at Dean Road) in Brookline.
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All Saints Parish in Brookline presents annual Spirituality and Justice Award
A few months ago, I returned to work as a hospital chaplain and I have rediscovered what it's like to straddle the chasm between certainty and uncertainty, between clarity and obscurity.
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R/Evolutionary Theologian Matthew Fox (http://www.matthewfox.org) will keynote, teach at a July weekend of leading-edge spiritual experience, learning, growth and Cosmic Celebration, announce co-hosts Evolve Chesapeake (http://www.evolvechesapeake.com) and Creation Spirituality Communities (http://originalblessing.ning.com). ...
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Dances with Dragons Climax DC-Area Creation Spirituality Gathering
Public release date: 9-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Line Nybro Petersen linenp@hum.ku.dk 01-145-519-27803 University of Copenhagen
Danish teenagers are not looking for answers to life's big questions in established religious institutions. Instead, they engage in intense idolisation of American films and TV shows about vampires, angels and other supernatural beings. A new PhD thesis from the University of Copenhagen shows that a series like Twilight for some young Danes replace traditional religion and enhance their interest in spiritual and religious issues.
Many Danish teenagers reject old-fashioned established religious institutions such as the Danish National Evangelical Lutheran Church and its traditional religious beliefs. The lack of a coherent religious world view will in some cases make TV shows like Twilight and the Vampire Diaries, in which vampires and other religious symbols abound, assume part of the function which the old religious institutions used to have.
"My thesis demonstrates that a film series like Twilight offers young people a playground for exploring life's big questions, moral judgment and to imagine the possibility of the supernatural in a pleasurable and informal fashion. The fictional worlds challenge their presuppositions about themselves and their surroundings," explains PhD Line Nybro Petersen from the Department of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Copenhagen. She adds:
"A number of the teenagers I interviewed did, for example, express their fascination with the fact that vampires that are traditionally portrayed as evil often come across as heroic characters in current TV shows. They see that as an invitation to reconsider their own assumptions about good and evil. But apart from this it is of course important to stress that the TV shows attract the teenagers' attention because they to a great extent deal with the very problems the teenagers grapple with themselves."
Line Nybro Petersen's PhD thesis "Wicked Angels, Adorable Vampires!" consists of a qualitative study of the consumption of TV shows with supernatural and religious content among 72 14- to 18-year-old Danish teenagers, a smaller study among a group of nine teenage Twilight fans as well as a more general analysis of American TV shows' representations of religious themes and issues.
Serial fictions become sacred
According to Line Nybro Petersen, some young fans' idolisation of a film series like Twilight can become so intense that it resembles a new form of religious worship. The film or TV show itself becomes sacred and the fans compare all other supernatural shows to the "canonical" and original show.
"I have observed the Twilight fans at premieres and noted how they through a number of rituals show or perform their affiliation with the series. They cry, shriek, and sing and this performance is central to their sense of belonging to something larger than themselves. They do, in other words, invest a lot of emotion in the fictional universe and the events that form part of it," Line Nybro Petersen points out.
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Having grown up during the cold war, when Russia and the United States were said to be enemies, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see a different side of Russia through a Sister City program. In 1991 when I visited the Russian Far East, I thought it would be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, but I soon found myself hoping that I would have an opportunity to return. I did, and I now spend almost half of every year there.
What kindled my desire to become more intimately acquainted with the Russian people is their innate spirituality. Life was difficult for them in the 1990s. Stores were often empty. The government-provided social services, which had included health care, day care, education, etc., were falling apart as their nation struggled with the implosion of their former government.
Yet their tenacity in hanging on to good; their loyalty, courage, kindness; the value they placed on honor; their sense of humor and compassion; brought a unity and strength to their lives that bolstered them and kept their hope alive. These qualities encouraged them to strive toward building a bright future. Over the past 20 years, a new sense of prosperity has raised the standard of living for most Russians. There is much to be grateful for in the progress made, but as is true throughout our world, there is also a need to be vigilant that our collective quest to obtain a higher material standard of living does not overshadow the value of spirituality.
Monitor founder Mary Baker Eddy, speaking of spirituality, wrote: We cannot build safely on false foundations. Truth makes a new creature, in whom old things pass away and all things are become new. Passions, selfishness, false appetites, hatred, fear, all sensuality, yield to spirituality, and the superabundance of being is on the side of God, good (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 201).
Spiritual qualities are a strong and timeless foundation on which we can safely build a future that is stable yet open to constructive changes. On a material level, change is a constant: technology evolves, politicians come and go, and seasons roll by in unending cycles. Yet beneath the surface, spiritual qualities continue to underpin the development of every worthwhile achievement humanity has reached.
Receptivity opens our eyes to new possibilities and brings innovative ideas into focus. Courage and perseverance motivate us to keep working until we reach our goals. Wisdom guides our progress by tempering excessive ambition and impulsiveness with prudence. Unselfed love teaches us to be inclusive, helping us overcome greed or indifference, which create unhealthy divisions. Compassion impels us to seek understanding, to help one another in times of need, and to forgive. Together, compassion, understanding, and forgiveness create a platform for friendship and form a base for world peace.
Every culture has its own form of government and traditions, but as we look beyond the surface, well begin to see and understand the deeper spiritual qualities that transcend all that seems to divide us, and well discover our native unity as one worldwide family.
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Stacey Lawson is the first-time candidate running with 11 others to take retiring Democratic Rep. Lynn Woolseys North Coast seat. The wealthy tech entrepreneur backed by major Democratic funder Susie Tompkins Buelll is focusing her candidacy on biz background.
But she also has had a longstanding interest in spirituality and meditation and posted regularly on The Huffington Post a blog called Conscious Living. But after launching her Congressional run last year, Lawson pulled down all those posts. But now, she tells The Chronicle that shes ready to start talking about them.
Youd think. Geez, if there was one Congressional district in the country where an appreciation of spirituality and meditation might be an advantage, it would be one where Marin County voters are expected to supply a large chunk of the ballots.
On a different level, the attempted scrubbing has an odd ring, especially for a Democrat. With President Obama promising but not always succeeding to run the most transparent administration in history, it is odd that a candidate would try to scrub a portion of her past. Especially a candidate with a tech background, who knows the difficulty in erasing online history. Some of her posts are archived, like this one.
But these are deeply personal blogs and Lawson told us that as brand-new candidate introducing herself to voters, she didnt want them to distract from her core economic message. Here Lawson tells the San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate.coms Shaky Hand Productions about why she pulled down her posts.and now she sounds like shes ready to talk about them:
Here is a clip of one of those posts:
Todays post is a personal journey. I havent written in several weeks as Ive been in a terrible state lost, confused, despairing. Raw and vulnerable. Shattered. My only small comfort has been knowing this is a well-worn path. Many mystics have written about the Dark Night of the Soul, the narrow passage tread by those seeking freedom and union with the Divine.
I debated whether to write this post, questioning what value I could really offer from a place of such agony and confusion? Yet, some internal voice prodded me forward. Share the process, share the experience
These last months have taken me into a depth of spiritual despair previously unimaginable. The experience has been a ruthless stripping away of my false, idealized sense of self. Having studied with a spiritual master for many years, this process is not new, of coursebut it has never been this ruthless. This has taken me to ground zero a massive deconstruction of the remaining image of who I am. It has mercilessly dissolved my most cherished beliefs, and shattered every assumption about what I thought was true.
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House candidate Stacey Lawson explains why she pulled her online posts about spirituality (VIDEO)
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Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch's Buddhist Spirituality Permeated His Life And Music
19-01-2012 06:56 Jeff Lieberman, an MIT-trained artist, scientist and engineer, makes a scientific argument for mystical experience. He asks us to challenge our perception of what we are, our relationship to the universe, and our relationship to one another. Our minds are "thought-generating machines." What we would happen if we could turn off the machine? If we could transcend our individual experience of the world? This talk was transcribed by Brad Miele. Transcript here: http
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TEDxCambridge - Jeff Lieberman on science and spirituality - Video
27-02-2012 14:21 Spirituality - Out of Body Experiences MP3 Spirituality-out-of-body-experiences Spirituality: Out of Body Experiences (OBE/NDE) In this video-interview, we walk the history, development and manifestations of Out of Body Experiences (OBE) and Near Death Experience (NDE) in how it developed/was programmed into the Mind of the Human-Being -- where OBE's/NDE's is/have become mere dimensional-shifts within one's own Mind and not in fact, actually leaving one's human physical body... For more information with regards to Spirituality: Spirituality - Astral Projections in Detail LINK:
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29-02-2012 18:34 I was highly impressed with his understanding of spirituality and its effect on changing the moral depravity that is so rampant in our world today.
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The Coming Spiritual Revolution - Rainn Wilson (MIRRORED) - Video
11-03-2012 17:50 Lenny's Life Lessons intro to discussions on spirituality - Hold all things Sacred, recognize the Divinity of all things - Awaken to your True Self.
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14-03-2012 15:05 My experience with cutting the cords of addiction and the spiritual side to it. I became a vegetarian a year ago and vegan recently. Lost 15lbs in 3 weeks! You have the power to overcome any addiction or illness. Cassandra Newman Awaken To Life Coaching Spiritual Coach Email me for a free session!!
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