Lee Davy catches up with 888Poker Ambassador Bruno Politano at 888Live Barcelona to talk about his coaching business in Brazil, the importance of mindset, and the role spirituality has had in his life.

I will always remember the sight of Falcao in 82; arms outstretched; veins trying to reach the moon, mouth wide open like some yuppie who has been snowballing coke all night.

Its the one defining memory I have of Brazil.

And thats what Im thinking about as I take a sip from my green juice, quietly observing the Brazilian 888Poker Ambassadors like a pack of wolves at the opening night party as part of 888Live Barcelona.

Bruno Kawauti.

Nicolau Villa-Lobos.

Bruno Politano

The World Cup winner, Denilson.

I decide to ask Politano.

I cruise over, secretly thinking Im Falcao, and tap him on the shoulder.

Fancy a chat?

Of course, he says with a smile that would give the Cheshire cat a run for his money.

Who is Bruno Foster Politano?

I am a normal guy. I grew up in the North West part of Brazil.

Hang on; you cant be a normal guy, you have just been laughing and joking with a World Cup winner {Denilson} and are good friends with Neymar Jr.

But I am still a normal, calm guy. My life is poker. I travel a lot playing poker, coaching poker I have a school called Line Up, in Brazil. We have 500 students and are growing. I have also been representing 888Poker since my November Nine appearance in 2014.

Cardrunners and The Ivey League have closed down in the US this year, but your business is growing well in Brazil.

After I made the final table we had our boom. The market in Brazil is good for players, media, live tournaments, and training schools. The Brazilian market is a good place to invest in poker. The market has been growing these past five years, and we have lots of recreational players.

Talk about Neymar Jr.

Hes a big name in soccer, but hes just a normal guy. A very human, funny, happy guy. I met him after the November Nine. My friend who plays for Valencia is good friends with him, and thats how we met. He is a multi-millionaire, but he is just like you and me.

Do you have children?

No, but thats my plan, in 1-2 years. I have a fiancee in Brazil.

What do you value in life?

The most important thing for me is my mind. What I think about is everything to me. Every action is a result of thought in my mind my soul. I believe in energy; good vibrations and positivity. The things that have value in this life come from your soul. Its not just helping people; its how you think about people thats the most important thing for me. For me, thinking this way is the best part of life. It allows me to feel good with who I am, my soul, my family, and my future kids.

This must help you with your poker game.

I think this is the best part of me playing poker, not technically, but the way I control my mind.

Its one thing to intellectually know that your thoughts create your feelings, which in turn create your actions, but its another to implement the theory.

Its very hard. Meditation is not for this. Its like levels of life. I have thought like this since I was 15. I have had a lot of contact with people who think this way. I have learned a lot. Its my religion. I am spiritual. I believe in God, but God for me is not a person, it is energy. But its the same God for everyone.

Believing like this changed everything in my life. Its how I work, and conduct my relationships with my fiancee and friends. I feel an energy between us and I have never seen you in my life. I feel this adds value to my life. I see the world, the people, and I see my soul.

How did you go from a 14-year old not thinking like this to a 15-year old that did?

Its a process. It doesnt happen in one day. My Mum and my Dad are spiritual, but they never forced anything on me. They would tell me to follow my heart and choose a religion because its important for my life. I chose spirituality because its easy. I love what I do, how I feel, and I how my family raised me. We are a strong family: me, my Dad, my Mum and my two sisters always had lunch and dinner the same time together. If my Dad were running 30-minutes late, we wouldnt eat until he got home.

They also taught me other values such as the importance of hard work and money. But spirituality has helped me in life the most, and I practice and live like this all the time.

There is good energy here today, but at times, like in the Rio, for example, there is also a bad energy, how do you handle the changes in energy?

I feel the same as you. Its clear for everyone. This bad energy needs to be here because this guy needs to learn that if his energy is bad, its not good for him. He will learn. If not, he will spend all of his life putting out bad energy for him and others. Imagine this guy playing all day complaining, and he comes home and complains and moans to his family bad energy for his table, for him, for his wife, for his kids, the next day.

I see this differently. I lose my chips. I go to dinner. I control what I want, what I think, what I feel. When I come into the Rio and feel a bad energy, I understand it needs to happen. If this guy does not learn, he never can touch his good energy side of his soul, always bad energy. He needs to learn through his experiences.

Is this the philosophy you teach your students?

I dont teach them about spirituality because you cannot teach this. You need to feel it and know you need to have faith for everything. I work with the students on their winning mentality. Its similar, but not about faith. Its good vibrations. I have 500 students, and I cant talk about spirituality with them all. If you are a poker student, and I talk to you about this you might think I am crazy. Its easier to talk to you that how to play AK. I dont have permission to introduce this concept into their lives. Its important they learn to choose for themselves.

comments

View post:

888Poker's Bruno Politano on the importance of mindset and spirituality - CalvinAyre.com

Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer, has passed. By now, many have already made their summer travel plans. For those who want to do more than simply lay on the beach, those plans may include destinations and experiences that nurture their spirituality. Its a trend that is expected to continue.

According to Travel-Review.com, The spiritual journey makes it possible to discover a destination in a slower and a more immersive way, and to combine culture, spirituality, and adventure into the same unique experience. While 2017 is considered the year of the spiritual journey, it will be only the beginning, astourists of the future should increasingly take an interest in the religious testimonies of destinations.

Parishioners from parishes throughout Southern California are proof that the trend is real. Several hundred have already booked passage on the first-ever Catholic Cruise to Mexico in July. Theyll be led on this faith-filled pilgrimage by the Dioceses own Bishop Kevin Vann and Auxiliary Bishop Timothy Freyer.

Ryan Lilyengren, director of communications for the Diocese, said: If you are looking for the perfect summer vacation, this is it. Never before have two bishops led a cruise pilgrimage to Mexico that will be filled with special Catholic entertainment on the ship, live performances by our music ministers, charitable outreach in Mexico, Mass on the boat and in Mexico, and all the amazing amenities on a state-of-the-art cruise ship.

The four-day Carnival Cruise will depart from the Port of Long Beach on July 21 and travel to Ensenada Mexico and back.

On the trip, travelers will be entertained by acclaimed musician Francis Cabildo, Director of Christ Cathedral Music Ministries Dr. John Romeri, and others. A special Mass, concelebrated by bishops Vann and Freyer is scheduled at the cathedral in Ensenada, Santuario. There are several day-trip options for travelers, including a service project at a local orphanage.

ITINERARY:

Day 1 Sail to Ensenada Mexico / XLT Praise and Worship with Francis Cabildo

Day 2 Bishops Mass at Santuario / Day Trip Options / Evening Vespers with music by Dr. John Romeri

Day 3 Fun Day at sea / Activities / Evening concert with Francis Cabildo

Day 4 Disembark between 7 - 10 a.m.

Its not too late to book your cruise. Call Travel of Orange for more information: (714) 538-0010

Read the original here:

Spirituality at sea - The Tidings

Marjorie Suchocki, author of a dozen books and jury member at international film festivals from Berlin to Montreal, will be discussing spiritual themes in Chocolat and other movies in Vancouver in July.

One of North Americas leading progressive philosopher-theologians who also happens to be an internationally renowned film specialist will be in Vancouver in July.

Marjorie Suchocki author of a dozen books and jury member at film festivals from Berlin to Montreal will be showing a variety of movies and reflecting on their philosophical, human and spiritual significance.

Before describing more of her work with films, its of note that Suchocki will also be teaching a course at Vancouver School of Theology titled Practicing Gods Presence:A Theology of Prayer. It runs from Monday July 17 to Wednesday, July 19.

This course explores the practical and theological effect of taking the omnipresence of God seriously, says Suchocki. She doesnt accept that God is a kind of divine dictator, with omnipotent power to do whatever He wants.

Instead, as co-director of Californias Center for Process Studies, she talks about how the divine is present in every moment of experience, luring all living things toward creative transformation and the common good.

(Navigate this website to register for the three-day course on prayer at VST, which is on the UBC campus. Or phone 604-822-9031.)

The more public event with Suchocki offers a chance to watch and discuss films on the evening of Friday, July 21, and during the day of Saturday, July 22.

Suchockis two-day film event is titled Does God go to the movies?

It will take place at St. Andrews Wesley United Church at Burrard and Thurlow in downtown Vancouver, where Rev. Gary Paterson and Dan Chambers often discuss films in their sermons.

Suchocki will show excerpts from and discuss the spiritual themes in three films, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Chocolat and Troubled Waters. (Go here for more information and to sign up.)

The movie, Troubled Waters, will also be shown in part and probed for its spiritual content.

Suchockis most recent book is Through a Lens Darkly: Tracing Redemption in Film. It explores the movies of six directors, including Clint Eastwood, Ang Lee, the Coen brothers and Woody Allen.

Suchockis visit is co-hosted by VST and the West Coast Centre for (r)Evolutionary Theology, which in 2016 brought philosopher-theologians John Cobb, Jay McDaniel and Tripp Fuller to Vancouver.

SIDEBAR 1: Seeing spirituality in the movies

Each spring Paterson, past moderator of the United Church of Canada, and his colleague at St. Andrews Wesley, Rev. Dan Chambers, lead an Oscar series of sermons on movies nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Heres Paterson (who is frequently heard on CBC radio):

Fewer and fewer people are going to church these days, but that doesnt mean theyve stopped asking the big questions about lifes meaning

Instead, I would suggest, they do their theology at the movies. Oh, they wouldnt call it that perhaps, but many films are indeed addressing spiritual questions, and inviting people to do some serious wrestling about purpose, ethical decisions, the good life.

Some films explicitly centre on religious issues like this past years Hacksaw Ridge or The Silence. Other films make use of what I call an alternative spirituality where you catch glimpses of and borrowings from the great faiths, that resonate, perhaps, with people who are spiritual but not religious films like Star Wars,The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter.

But the films that interest me the most arent obviously religious, but rather, films where depth questions emerge out of everyday life.- ordinary humans, facing real dilemmas.

So, in The Dark Knight or No Country for Old Men how do we understand and respond to the challenge of evil?

Or, watch a film like Manchester by the Sea and you have to wrestle with the question of redemption. Is forgiveness possible when youve done something unspeakable?

Incarnational films thats maybe what Im looking for where weighty spiritual issues are embodied, lived; are an integral part of the story; where you care about what happens, with your heart, mind and spirit; where you go deep films that leave you pondering, with questions, sometimes with tears, or compassion or excitement.

SIDEBAR 2: Marjorie Suchockis three-day VST course on prayer

A brief excerpt from her description:

The purpose is to explore the implications that follow when our understanding of God shifts from a centrality of omnipotence to omnipresence, particularly for a theology of prayer.

Students will be expected to become minimally conversant with the historical role of omnipotence in the shaping of spirituality, and the subtle changes that occurred in medieval mysticism when omnipresence took a more central role.

Students will also be expected to understand process theology as part of the shift toward omnipresence in our own time, and to explore its implications for prayer in the Christian tradition.

See more here:

Finding spirituality at the movies, in Vancouver - Vancouver Sun (blog)

Samson is the most Spiritual man in the Old Testament, the most Pentecostal of Israels heroes. Given his reputation for lechery and bravado, my thesis seems counterintuitive to say the least. But its an easy case to make, provided we insist on the capital S in Spirituality.

Early in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit is active as the wind of the Creator (Gen. 1:2) and as muse of the sacred craftsman Bezalel (Ex. 31:3). He comes into his own during the time of judges and early kings. He empowers Othniel (Judg. 3:10), Gideon (Judg. 6:34), and Jephthah (Judg. 11:29). Saul fights in the power of the Spirit (1 Sam. 11:16) until the Spirit abandons him to help David (1 Sam. 16:13).

No one in the Hebrew Bible, though, encounters the Spirit as often or as dramatically as Samson. The Spirit of Yahweh stirs (Judg. 13:25), sending Samson down to Timnah to court a Philistine woman who has caught his eye. When a lion attacks, the Spirit rushes on Samson and he kills the lion barehanded (Judg. 14:6). The Spirit comes again and Samson kills thirty Philistines in Ashkelon and plunders their clothes (Judg. 14:19). The Philistines try to bind him, but the Spirit melts the ropes like flax in a fire and drives Samson to kill another thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey (Judg. 15:14). The Spirit leaves him when he breaks his Nazirite vow and allows his hair to be cut, but we can surmise that the Spirit is back when Samson breaks down the house of Dagon, killing more in his death than during his lifetime.

You can put money on it: When the Spirit comes, things get broken and people get hurt.

With pneumatology, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, Christians have an unfortunate tendency to ignore the Old Testament, starting with Matthew rather than Genesis. Older theologians institutionalized this tendency by distinguishing between the Spirits theocratic-official work in Israel and his ethical or soteriological work in the church.

That contrast is semi-heretical or worse, and cant be supported from the New Testament. Jesus is the Spiritual man from the moment of his conception by the Spirit (Lk. 1:35). The Spirit descends on him at his baptism (Lk. 3:22), then drives him out into the wilderness to battle the devil (Lk. 4:1). Anointed by the Spirit, Jesus announces release to captives and freedom to prisoners, opens blind eyes, and drives disease from human bodies (Lk. 4:18). The Spirit is the finger of God by whom Jesus casts out demons (Lk. 11:20).

Jesus receives the Spirit to finish what Samson startedto take out the enemies of God, which are the enemies of the human race. By the Spirit, he follows Samsons path, defeating more enemies by his death than in his life.

The same Spirit who empowers Jesus to fight devils, battle disease, and break chains rushes onto the disciples at Pentecost so they can carry on his mission. Jesus tells his disciples that they will receive power when the Spirit comes (Acts 1:8). Filled with the Spirit, Peter preaches repentance to Israel and confronts Israels leaders (Acts 4:8). Powered by the Spirit, the apostles deliver the demon-oppressed and heal the sick (Acts 5:16). Stephen is so full of the Spirit that he is irrefutable in debate (Acts 6:10), and his success provokes murderous outrage.

When Ananaias baptizes Saul, he becomes Paul, an apostle who carries on his missionary work by the Spirit (Acts 13:24). Filled with the Spirit, Paul blinds the magician Elymas with a rebuke, an act of power that so impresses the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus that he converts on the spot (Acts 13:412). Bound by the Spirit, Paul makes his final journey to Jerusalem (Acts 20:22), where he follows Jesus to arrest and trial and, so tradition has it, a martyrs death.

There is a difference between the Spirits work in ancient Israel and in the church. The church is a company of new Samsons, armed not with jawbones but with weapons that destroy fortresses of speculation and take captives for Christ (2 Cor. 10:36). Samson killed in the power of the Spirit, but at Pentecost, the Spirit of Jesus equips the church with power to raise the dead.

This Sunday, praise the Creator Spiritus. Worship the Spirit as Paraklete, the Spirit of adoption, the Spirit of holiness, life, and peace. Revel in the Spirit who searches all things, gives gifts, and produces fruit in the soil of the church, the Spirit of Jesus and of the living God, the Love and Gift of Father and Son.

But on this Pentecost Sunday, remember that hes also the Spirit of battle, the Passion by whom God is a Warrior.

Peter J. Leithart is President ofTheopolis Institute.

Become a fan ofFirst ThingsonFacebook,subscribe toFirst ThingsviaRSS, and followFirst ThingsonTwitter.

Link:

Samson's Spirituality - First Things

Are chimpanzees spiritual?

It's a question that Jane Goodall made famous by proposing that the rhythmic swaying and rock-throwing by chimpanzees at waterfalls in Gombe, Tanzania, is an expression of awe and wonder of spirituality.

It's a question, too, that takes on new twists and turns as new data come in. In 2016, a group of 80 scientists reported in Scientific Reports that chimpanzees at four sites across West Africa cache stones and throw them repeatedly at trees. One of those scientists, Laura Kehoe, who is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Baum Lab at the University of Victoria, earned global media headlines for a passage she included when writing a post at The Conversation:

"Maybe we found the first evidence of chimpanzees creating a kind of shrine that could indicate sacred trees. Indigenous West African people have stone collections at 'sacred' trees and such man-made stone collections are commonly observed across the world and look eerily similar to what we have discovered here."

My response to this passage was skepticism, both at The Atlantic and here at 13.7, because the leap from "potential chimpanzee stone-throwing ritual" to "sacred trees" is just too great for me.

Fast forward to last month, when Wisconsin Public Radio's Steve Paulson aired an interview with Kehoe at To the Best of Our Knowledge. Kehoe described the basics for Paulson's audience: how chimpanzees in Guinea, often but not exclusively adult males, throw large (8 kg. to 9 kg.) stones at selected trees repeatedly, and sometimes place the stones in a tree cavity instead of hurling them. Could this be a ritual with a spiritual dimension? Could the trees be shrines? "Plausibility shouldn't be mistaken for proof," Kehoe replied to Paulson. "I do think that it's a possibility some things can seem unlikely until they are discovered."

In the same segment, Paulson also interviewed me and primatologist Frans de Waal. We each suggested simpler explanations like apes wishing to impress an audience of other apes, or pure pleasure in aimed throwing at trees.

But then an interesting thing happened. Kehoe reached out to me by email to express her regret about how her views on stone-throwing have been presented in the media, including in Paulson's interview, which, she felt, focused disproportionately on the spirituality angle at the expense of other possible explanations that she offered.

When I communicated this with Kehoe's permission to Paulson, he pointed out that he had "left in [the interview] her comments about this being a highly speculative possibility something worth considering and her dislike of the newspaper headline about chimps finding God."

But here's the main point, and a surprising one: Kehoe told me that she doesn't, in fact, really think that the spirituality explanation is the most likely one at all.

I followed up by asking questions of Kehoe, who started by noting that her own observations in Guinea at a site part of the Pan African Program with 34 chimpanzee field locations across Africa came about through collaborative research:

"Our field guide, Mamadou Alioh Bah, first spotted the marks on a hollow tree. Lucy D'Auvergne (an experienced primatologist) and I decided to set-up a motion-activated camera and caught the elusive behavior on tape a few weeks later."

What range of explanations, I asked, does she think are reasonable to consider for the stone-throwing behavior, and which does she find most likely? She answered:

"This is the first time we have found chimpanzees repeatedly using stones at specific sites with no relation to finding food. I think it most likely came about as part of a male display and could be related to long-distance communication as there aren't many roots with large buttresses for drumming in this area and the sound of a stone hitting a hollow tree may carry better in a savannah ecosystem.

It is also possible that the stone accumulations may serve as some kind of territorial landmarks. However, both of these theories are tricky to test given that many of these sites are outside of protected areas and undergoing local habitat loss."

The notion of chimpanzee spirituality, Kehoe thinks, "simply makes for a more riveting story" than the other more pedestrian explanations. She continued:

"Of course, it is partly my fault for alluding to the possibility that this mysterious behavior could be linked to something sacred this is because these sites are superficially very similar to human stone accumulations at 'sacred' trees. While I do think this aspect is worth pondering, it is a highly speculative remark that is by far one of the least likely explanations to this behavior. It has no concrete evidence."

So, if a person closely associated with the idea of chimpanzee spirituality doesn't after all think it's likely, where does that leave us? Well, with several things:

With Goodall's enduring view, of course.

With the remark of James Harrod, also interviewed by Paulson, that chimpanzees "of course" have an experience of religion (not just spirituality) because they experience reverence, awe, and wonder in the ways Goodall described.

With the fascinating scholarship of Donovan Schaefer, that claims also full-on religion for chimpanzees, and which I described in my piece for The Atlantic:

"Religion is something we feel in and express with our whole bodies, Schaefer insists, and once we realize this, we are free to see religion in other animals in certain instances of their embodied and emotional practices."

And for that matter, with Paulson's own view. (Yes, I turned the tables and interviewed the interviewer). Paulson told me this by email on Monday:

"While science can tell us a great deal about the evolutionary benefits of religion and even certain brain functions that happen during spiritual experiences it has little to tell us about the nature of the experience itself. Consciousness remains a huge mystery, and spiritual experience is part of that mystery. So if spiritual experience among humans is largely beyond the capacity of science to explain, why do we assume that chimpanzee spirituality is strictly a science question?

None of [the points raised in discussion] proves that chimpanzees have spiritual experiences or a sense of the sacred. But given all that we've learned about chimpanzees over the last 50 years and how they keep surprising us why should we assume that they don't also have transcendent experiences? That would seem to be a tantalizing possibility that's worth considering."

Can chimpanzee spirituality be productively explored outside the realm of science? As I told Paulson on the air, an insistence on delving into chimpanzees and the sacred, in my view, says a lot more about us than it does about chimpanzees.

Barbara J. King is an anthropology professor emerita at the College of William and Mary. She often writes about the cognition, emotion and welfare of animals, and about biological anthropology, human evolution and gender issues. Barbara's new book is Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat. You can keep up with what she is thinking on Twitter: @bjkingape

Read more from the original source:

A Twist In Discussions Of Chimpanzee Spirituality : 13.7: Cosmos ... - NPR

The Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls invite you to attend a week-long retreat entitled, The Spirituality of Presence: The Franciscan Way of Being Present to Life and Death, on Friday, July 21 (7 p.m.) Thursday, July 27 (12:30 p.m.), at St. Francis Convent, Little Falls. Darleen Pryds, retreat presenter, will use teachings from the Franciscan traditionespecially from lay Franciscansand experiential meditations to explore the rich teachings about finding joy in life by looking closely at dying and death. By facing the transition from this life to the next, participants will discover the tender joy that is inherent in the Franciscan way of life. Pryds is Associate Professor of Spirituality and History at the Franciscan School of Theology, Oceanside, Calif. Her research focuses on lay Franciscans who led her to explore Franciscan spirituality of preaching, caregiving, suffering and presence. She has been a volunteer caregiver in hospice, training originally at Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco, and presently serving at Elizabeth Hospice in San Diego County. Retreat cost of $490 includes room and board, three meals a day, snacks and the presenters fee. The commuter rate is $130. For more information, or to register by July 13 with a $50 non-refundable deposit, contact (320)632-0668 or email: [emailprotected]; http://www.fslf.org.

See the original post:

Week-long retreat The Spirituality of Presence - Morrison County Record

PORTLAND, Oregon Beside the makeshift memorial that has sprung up outside the light-railstation where three men were stabbedon a train, Bernal Cruz knelt, holding a bunch of flowers and his toddler son.As I get older and as my kids get older, I feel a different impact as these things happen, Cruz said, as he added his bouquetto the de facto secular altars that have sprung up in the form of candles, images of deities of Eastern religions and handwritten notes.Portland may be theleast religious city in the U.S.Butits residents are drawing on a deep sense of personal spirituality and shared values to unite in the face of hate, for comfort in the wake of tragedy.Cruz grew up Catholic but, like 42 percent of Portland residents, he no longer identifies with organized religion. Thats more nones than any other city in the United States, according to a2015 PRRI survey of American cities.

Theres a certain pride in how weird Portland can be, and I think that encompasses the feeling of inclusiveness its like to each their own, try to live your life, dont hurt anybody else and well probably just love you the same, Cruz said.

Bernal Cruz of Portland brought his 1-year-old son, Joaquin, to lay flowers on May 31, 2017, at a makeshift memorial that has sprung up outside the Hollywood Transit Station in Portland, Oregon, where three men were stabbed on a train. (Credit: RNS photo by Emily McFarlan Miller.)

The suspect, Jeremy Christian, has been charged withmurder and other offenses.

Many people who paused to pay their respects this week outside the Hollywood/NE 42nd Avenue Station, where the attack occurred, talked about the spiritual, but not religious, values and practices helping them process the horrific event. They emphasized responding with love, echoing stabbing victim Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Mecheslast words, according to The Oregonian: Tell everyone on this train I love them.

Stephanie Kye, a certified nurse assistantwho lives near the train station, said she came to the memorial to unite with everybody.

I think that theres evil, but theres also goodness, and there are people who will put themselves on the line to help someone else. I dont think those men expected that, but I feel like as a person of color, I go out into the world and I think that I am alone, she said. It was a reminder that people care enough to intervene and that hates not going to win.

Kye said she said a prayer after the attack not to any particular deity, but because it helped her overcome her fear and get her feelings out.

People pause to take photos or leave messages, flowers or other items on May 31, 2017, at a makeshift memorial that has sprung up outside the Hollywood Transit Station in Portland, Oregon, where three men were stabbed on a train. (Credit: RNS photo by Emily McFarlan Miller.)

At the train station where the attack occurred, secular altars have sprung upreflecting a collection of spiritual traditions that Portlanders appear to draw on: a Virgin of Guadalupe candle alongside a candle depicting a feline-faced figure labeled Pietro, faerie saint of passage; bottles of water, considered sacred by many Native American tribes; pictures of Hindu deities; a letter written in purple crayon and a childs handwriting illustrated with hearts, stars and smiley faces: I am Muslim and I thank you.

Some hinted at simmering tensions.

On the pillars of a neighboring sushi restaurant, Respect Islam was written in chalk. In a different color chalk, the word Islam had been crossed out and replaced with including everyone.

Betsy Toll returned to the memorial a few days after attending a large vigil for the victims outside the train station last weekend. Wearing a strand of mala prayer beads around her wrist, she described a deep spirituality of my own that she had come to after 40 years, after growing up Presbyterian, marrying a Jewish man, sitting with Quakers and studying Buddhism and Hinduism.

Betsy Toll of Portland pays her respects on May 31, 2017, at a makeshift memorial that has sprung up outside the Hollywood Transit Station in Portland, Oregon, where three men were stabbed on a train. (Credit: RNS photo by Emily McFarlan Miller.)

Its beautiful to see that these altars are still here and growing and changing, Toll said.

My hope is that, everyone whose heart was broken by this terrible event, if we reflect on the goodness and the decency and the kind and courageous impulse that motivated these guys they were just everyday guys that we let more of that shine in ourselves. We cannot keep hating each other.

While fewer Portlanders are affiliated with organized religion, many who are have turned to those traditions in the aftermath of the attack.

An online fundraiserlaunched by the Muslim Educational Trust and CelebrateMercy, another Muslim group, collected nearly$600,000 to help the families of the victims.

Muslims usually give overly and generously during the month of Ramadan, so now that I think about it, Im not surprised that this fundraiser went really quickly, really fast,said Rania Ayoub of the Muslim Educational Trust.

On a weekday evening, about two dozen people gathered inside the wood-paneled walls and geometric stained-glass windows of First Covenant Church, about a mile from the Hollywood station, where lead pastor Kent Place said the church hoped to give people space and language for prayer.

That included lighting candles, singing the old hymn It Is Well With My Soul and reading Scriptures such asJesus words, Greater love has no one than this: to lay down ones life for ones friends. It also included spoken prayers for the victims and their families, for the two girls the assailanthad targeted even for the assailant himself.

Lizabeth Norton of Portland, a nurse educator for a drug company and a member of the Madeleine Catholic Parish, said the church felt like a safe environment to come and be hurt and angry and try to understand.

For me, the real takeaway is: Where can we have compassion and understanding? And its really through a faith-based understanding of forgiveness and mercy and understanding and love.

Read more:

Portlanders respond to killings with prayer and eclectic spirituality - Crux: Covering all things Catholic

The Hindu

'Spirituality, humour to playgreater role in journalism' - The Hindu The Hindu The global trends in journalism indicate a greater role for spirituality and humour in journalism in the future. Some countries such as the U.S. already have ... and more »

Go here to see the original:

'Spirituality, humour to playgreater role in journalism' - The Hindu - The Hindu

Logan arrives on DVD and Blu-Ray this week after its cinema run. As Hugh Jackman faces up to a life without his most famous alter ego Wolverine Jackman talks conclusions, inspirations, faith and contemplating his future

Though many actors have turned in a career-defining performance of sorts, few thespians can look to a character that not only has given them their break but has continued to shape their entire cinematic legacy for nearly 20 years. For Hugh Jackman, that story has just come to an end in the shape of Logan, his ninth and final outing as the animalistic mutant Wolverine.

Having seen his rise to Hollywood super-stardom kick-started by his original appearance in Bryan Singers 2000 mutant bonanza X-Men, Jackmans subsequent career has seen him tackle everything from epic sweeping westerns (Australia) to iconic 19th Century-set Parisian musicals (Les Miserables). But the one role that has defined that career is Wolverine.

Logan is a love letter to Wolverine fans, the 48-year-old says. This character has been within me for 17 years, but it wasnt until this film that I felt I really got to the core of the character. When Im 80 and my grandkids ask me, Which one of these films should I watch? I want to say that this is the movie that defines the character.There was a lot at stake for me and my love for the character.

Jackmans commitment has been repaid in the form of rave reviews from audiences and critics alike, and while the decision to hang up his claws after all this time was by no means an easy one, the Sydney-born star knew it was the right time to let go.

What I liken it to is asking my wife to marry me, he explains. Youre terrified of doing it, terrified of the response, but as soon as you do it you know in your heart its the right thing and nothing has ever felt more right.

I had the same feeling shooting the last scene with Logan. Im happy Im done, and I mean that in the best possible way. Im happy that Im done because Ive arrived at a place where mine and Logans paths are meant to veer in different directions and its time. In my gut, I know its the right move for both of us. I know because this movie, to me, is perfect. It was a calming feeling, because there was every possibility that I would have very opposing, conflicting emotions of poignancy and bittersweet pining. None of that was there.

This sense of calm hints at Jacksons mentality off-camera. Known as the nicest man in Hollywood a moniker he dismisses with the words its amazing how common politeness is deemed to be extraordinary Jackman, whose parents were Christian, has long since followed the School of Practical Philosophy and applied its teachings to his everyday life.

I meditate, he reveals. I keep it spiritual because I think it connects you better to life. There are things driving me that arent all healthy[needing] approval and respect to fill some hole who-knows-where in me, he said. Am I worthy? All those fears. Through acting, Im able to find a level of bliss and peace and calm and joy. And it feels natural.

When he performs he says he can feel what everyones searching for, the feeling that unites us all. Call it God. Before I go onstage every night, I pause and dedicate the performance to God, in the sense of Allow me to surrender.

When you allow yourself to surrender to the story, to the character, to the night, to the audience, transcendence happens, says Jackman. And when that happens, there is nothing like it on the planet. Its the moment people experience when they fall in love, which is equally frightening and exciting. Thats what it feels like.

One way in which Jackman is using his status to give back to those less fortunate than him is through the Laughing Man Foundation. Launched in 2011 with former criminal prosecutor David Steingard, the Foundation was born out of a 1999 trip to Ethiopia where Jackman met Dukale, a young coffee farmer who was working to lift his family out of poverty a struggle captured in the 2014 documentary Dukales Dream.

After being inspired by Dukales story, Jackman returned to New York and set up Laughing Man Coffee, through which farmers in developing countries could use his status in order to ply their caffeinated wares. All the profits of this venture are in turn used by the Foundation to support educational programmes and burgeoning entrepreneurs in the developing world.

I am religious and I was brought up with a sense of giving back, Jackman reveals. I am given opportunities, more money than I could ever need. If you see money or fame as energy, then use it to help others. Paul Newman did that. Thats what inspired me to start Laughing Man.

People recognise me more for the coffee shop than they do for my movies! Jackman laughs. But when I saw Dukale working so hard to supply for his family, having to use the trees that other farmers were using to shelter their plants from the sun as firewood to keep his family warm, I knew that I could use my fortunate position to give these farmers a way of reaching a wider consumer base.

Jackman continues: What I have always considered with faith is that its the most personal thing, but the element of our lives we maybe share the most. And if it leads us to go good things for others then why not.

But with Logans release leaving a Wolverine-sized hole in his life, and having had to deal with a persistent if not immediately life-threatening form of skin cancer for which he has undergone five small surgeries, the level-headed star is looking to a future where his wife, Deborra-Lee, and their two adopted children Oscar and Ava always come first.

I think the older that you get you think, One day, Im not going to be here, he admits. It cant help but creep into your mind, and its a terrifying thought. I want to be there for my kids, I want to be there for my wife, and probably in the last few years Ive educated myself to not always be so hung up on scheduling and goals and whats coming next. I like to walk, appreciate my surroundings and take a moment to give thanks for what I have in my life because I know Ive been very lucky in so many ways. You just hope that continues for as long as possible.

Jackman is currently in pre-production for his role in a surprising new project about the Apostle Paul, a film he notes is about Pauls conversion, ministry and imprisonment which he will produce with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

Life after Wolverine will be interesting indeed.

Jake Taylor

See the article here:

Spirituality connects me better to life Hugh Jackman | Insights ... - Insights News

In Latin, there are two words for education, but they have very different meanings and different worldviews. One word is "educare," which means to bring up. The other word is "educere," which means to bring forth.

Most of American society sees the purpose of education as "bringing up" our children and young people. The educare worldview is that young people are blank slates (tabula rasa) and that the teacher's job is to write knowledge on that slate. This leads to a "memorize and regurgitate" form of education, which has its purpose, but it doesn't lead to "spiritually and developmentally mature leaders" my friend and mentor, Andre Delbecq, described as needed in today's complex and challenging environment. Rather, it leads to an "expert" model of teaching, in which the teacher is the expert and the role is to assure this knowledge is transferred to the student.

Spirituality in the Workplace

What: Leadership, Spirituality and Education conference

Who: International Association of Management, Spirituality and Religion

When: May 18-20

Where: University of Arkansas

Host: Tyson Center of Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace

Information: eventmobi.com/iamsr2017info

I find myself more drawn to the educere form of education, that of "bringing forth" the wisdom that already exists in the person. This worldview assumes the teacher is on a journey of discovery with the student and his role is to serve as a guide rather than an expert. The teacher gets to know the student's dreams and talents, and they co-create a curriculum that "brings forth" the essence or soul of the student. An important part of this learning journey is getting clearer about one's faith and spirituality -- both for the student and the teacher. When we can bring our complete selves -- body, mind, heart, and spirit -- to the learning process, we have the potential to transform into what we are meant to be.

We are each put on Earth with unique gifts and with special callings that only we can answer. Life is richer, and we have a more positive impact on others when we develop our gifts and respond to our calling. This is a very important aspect of living in alignment with our faith and spirituality.

Half my career has been in university settings and the other half in the corporate world, but all my work was -- and still is -- about education. When I worked for Honeywell, I once had a boss who told me I needed to run a training session for employees, to teach them not to speed on the military base where our ammunition plant was operating. I asked him, "If you put a gun to their heads, would they know how to stop speeding?" Shocked at my question, he nodded his head, "Yes." I responded, "Well, then it is not a training issue, it is a motivational issue. They already know how to do what you want them to do, they are just choosing not to." All too often, we train or teach people to do what they already know how to do.

In organizational life, it is completely appropriate to train people in various skills required by their jobs. This is educare, "bringing up" -- that is, bringing them up to the level of performance required by the organization to serve customers. I ran training sessions on statistical process control to improve productivity and quality, and I taught sessions on team building and conflict resolution, but we never did any kind of development work that tapped into something deeper and more transformational.

What is missing is educere, "bringing forth" the dreams, passions, visions and spirit that energize and enliven a person to make his contribution to the workplace. Somehow, those kinds of things have become undiscussable at work. They also are undiscussable in the classroom and often undiscussable in our places of worship -- which are also places that have the potential to "bring forth" our wisdom and our gifts.

John Tyson, chairman of the board of Tyson Foods, and benefactor of the Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace at the University of Arkansas, likes to say, "When you come to work on Monday, why is it OK to talk about the football game on Sunday, but not what you heard at church?" Tyson is attempting to "bring forth" the expression of our whole selves in the classroom and workplaces, where it ought to be OK to talk about our faith and our spirituality without worrying about someone judging us or trying to convert us.

What would schools and workplaces be like if we were free to express our beliefs, our spiritual practices, our doubts and our questions about our faith journey? What would they be like if people felt free to be kinder, more compassionate, more forgiving? How can we bring this forth? That is the role of the spiritually and developmentally mature leader described by Delbeq. What are we doing to support the development of these kinds of leaders?

The educere approach to education is Socractic in its method. The Greek philosopher Socrates was the child of a midwife and a sculptor, and he compared his teaching to midwifery rather than sculpting. He helped his students give birth to their true selves, as all spiritual teachers do. There is a new movement in academia called "transformative teaching" that is finding educators developing methods and curriculum that support learners in a deeper journey of self-exploration and truth. This gives me hope.

I'm very excited these kinds of questions will be explored in Fayetteville at an international gathering I'm helping to coordinate, taking place May 18-20. Participants will include scholars, change agents, chaplains, faith leaders and business leaders. Dan Harris, director of the Tyson Center of Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace, is hosting the International Association of Management, Spirituality and Religion conference on "Leadership, Spirituality and Education." You can find details at eventmobi.com/iamsr2017info. We hope you will, and you will join us on this spiritual journey of bringing forth what wants to emerge through us and our Higher Power.

NAN Religion on 04/08/2017

Continue reading here:

Workplace missing spirituality - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Posted April 6, 2017

By: Karen Holford, Trans-European Division

The basement of the Central Riga Seventh-day Adventist Church was recently transformed into a colorful hub of activity, during a series of workshops on Creative Family Spirituality on March 18-19.

The workshop became a follow-up program led by Karen Holford, Trans-European Division Family Ministries director. A year ago, she had left a set of her 100 Ideas books[*] at a regional advisory for Womens, Childrens, and Family Ministries directors. The book is packed with creative activities for Sabbath and family worship times. It also includes tips on how to teach and learn memory verses, and pray together.

After the 2016 workshop, Marite Lipska, Childrens Ministry director for Latvia, felt inspired. She asked for permission to translate the books into Latvian, and planned a special weekend to introduce the materials to families and church members from all over Latvia.

Lipskas dream finally came true. All five books have been translated into text documents that we shared with every family by email, said Lipska. The creative activity instruction cardswhich Holford uses to introduce people to some of the ideas in her bookswere also translated for churches to use.

Lipska prepared and organized the materials for dozens of activities, so they were ready for the participants to use and explore.

These seminars were Gods answer to my prayers.

About 50 people attended the workshops over the weekend. They learned how to integrate creativity into their everyday family spirituality and church communities. A handful of children came with their parents. They became totally absorbed in different activities, as they wonderfully showed the difference and delight that creativity can make in a childs relationship with God.

I have been searching online for ways to make family worships more interesting and special for my 3-year-old daughter, said one participant in her feedback form. These seminars were Gods answer to my prayers. The young mother said her goal is to find ways to introduce her daughter to God and His big love through family worships. Now I found wonderful ideas, answers to questions, practical examples, and an opportunity to explore some of the activities for myself, she said.

Another lady said that the activities significantly developed my creative thinking, so that I can now look at spirituality through the eyes of a child. She added that she discovered fresh ways to tell children about God through our everyday lives together, so that they can get to know Him even better.

Now I can suggest new ideas in church, for teaching children and teenagers, said another participant. This seminar has inspired me.

[*] The titles of Karen Holfords collection are 100 Creative Activities for Sabbath; 100 Creative Prayer Ideas for Kids; 100 Creative Worship Ideas for Busy Families; 100 Quick and Easy Worship Ideas for Kids; and 100 Creative Ways to Learn Memory Verses.

Continued here:

Creative Family Spirituality Workshop, a Big Success in Latvia - Adventist Review

Aleteia posed six questions to authors, educators, and parents-of-teens Tim and Sue Muldoon about their newly-released book, The Discerning Parent: An Ignatian Guide to Raising Your Teen.

1) What inspired the book?

Two things: our professional lives and our parenting teens. Tim is a theologian who has taught Ignatian spirituality for years at Boston College, and Sue is a therapist and religious educator who has counseled many young adults over the years. We saw a need as parents to reflect intelligently on how we parent our teens, and drew inspiration from the same Ignatian tradition that gave rise to our first book, Six Sacred Rules for Families.

2) What story or anecdote (or piece of advice) in this book most personally resonated with you?

We wanted to write this because we thought that thinking about this topic would spill over into prayer and practical considerations for our parenting style. One key fruit of that time has been a greater sense of intention in really parenting our teens, not just assuming that since they are older they dont need us anymore. Taking the long view of our oldest daughters well-being in the midst of a college search, for example, has yielded greater patience and compassion for what is a stressful time of life.

3) Did writing this book teach you anything?

Absolutelyand its related to the above point. Teens need careful love and attention just as much as toddlers do, though of course in very different ways. We have to make time for them, be thoughtful and positive. We made the comparison with marriage research, which suggests (to use one example) that a successful relationship involves five positive interactions for every negative one. We carry that same logic into our interactions with our teens now.

4) If there is one person you want to reach with this book, who would that be?

The mom or dad who is becoming frustrated at how poorly they and their teens communicate. Weve experienced that.

5) What is the ideal beverage to have in hand while reading your book?

Sweet tea, with caffeine. You lose a lot of sleep when you have teens.

More here:

How can Ignatian spirituality help you with your teen? - Aleteia EN

The Jesuit scholar Philip Endean asks a profound and beautiful question that highlights the relevance of Christian spirituality for contemporary men and women: What does it mean for the human person to be confronted by an unknown, lovely power that transforms us into its own loveliness?

Endeans question points to the heart of Christian spirituality: the progressive transformation of the human person in God. All the great Christian mystics, including Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, Thomas Merton, and Henri Nouwen, have witnessed to this possibility of human transformation in God in both their lives and their writings.

The insights and practices of these Christian mystics and spiritual virtuosi are needed now more than ever. Twenty-first-century society is undergoing massive and accelerated change and dislocation at all levels social, economic, political, cultural, and religious. In this rapidly changing world, the pace and pressures of everyday life can lead to feelings of anxiety, futility, and social isolation.

In response, many of us hunger for a deeper intimacy with God and a more meaningful connection with fellow seekers on the spiritual path and with the natural world. It is this hunger that led Oblate School of Theology to launch a new ATS (Association of Theological Schools) accredited Master of Arts in Spirituality in 2006. In Summer 2012, Oblate secured full ATS accreditation to offer the entire Master of Arts in Spirituality online as well. Now students from all over the world can study with Oblates world-class faculty led by Fr. Ron Rolheiser, Dr. Philip Sheldrake, Dr. Steven Chase, and Dr. Wendy Wright.

Oblates Master of Arts in Spirituality is a graduate level academic program designed to help students from a variety of Christian religious traditions deepen their understanding of Christian spirituality. As Oblates current President, Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, notes: The purpose of our Master of Arts in Spirituality is to immerse the student in the deep wells of the Christian mystical tradition as well as have him or her conversant with contemporary developments within Spirituality.

Students at Oblate School of Theology can take courses on Desert Spirituality, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Ignatian Spirituality, Spiritual Direction, Julian of Norwich, the Integration of Psychology and Spirituality, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, and others. All Oblate spirituality courses seek to help students integrate their own spirituality with fundamental principles and insights from the Christian spiritual tradition.

Oblates student body is a diverse group of men and women from all over the world. Some of Oblates students are training for professional ministry or further academic study; some are seeking to prepare for various lay ministries including faith formation, retreat work, or spiritual direction. All our students are seeking to deepen their own spiritual life and practice.

Our graduates will be equipped to better understand their own spiritual journey and the mystery of human transformation in God. They will also be prepared to be valuable resources for spirituality and renewal centers, parish and retreat work, as well as other spirituality-related faith formation and educational programs in a culturally diverse and globalized world.

Oblate School of Theology (OST) was founded in San Antonio, Texas in 1903 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Since then OST has served South Texas, the United States, and the world by preparing persons for pastoral ministry. Over the last quarter of a century, OSTs mission has expanded to include the education and formation of pastoral and lay students within an ecumenical milieu.

The Institute for the Study of Contemporary Spirituality (ISCS)at Oblate School of Theology was founded in Fall 2013 in response to the growing awareness of the need for spirituality scholarship in both the academy as well as theological and religious institutions. Today the ISCS is the only concentrated, integrative program of its kind in the United States offering ATS accredited PhD, DMin, and MA degrees in Contemporary Spirituality. The mission of the ISCS is to serve as an international center of study to connect the contemporary quest for spirituality with the deep wells of the Christian spiritual and mystical traditions.

Cliff Knightenis Director of the MA in Spirituality at Oblate School of Theology

See more here:

Christian Spirituality in a Rapidly Changing World - Crux: Covering all things Catholic

The Franciscan Spirituality Center invites the public to join in its 8th annual Justice and Peace Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, April 14.

This form of the Way of the Cross is a two-mile silent prayer walk from the heart of the city to the Mississippi River, stopping at 10 stations along the route to sing, pray and reflect on injustices and suffering in our community and the world. Prayer leaders at each station will include people who work at or are otherwise affiliated with those stops.

The walk, which recalls the journey of Jesus as he carried his cross to Calvary, will take about two hours. People of all ages and faith backgrounds are invited to participate.

Participants will meet at 10 a.m. in front of the St. Rose Convent sign at the corner of Market Street and Franciscan Way (near Ninth Street). This first station recognizes a community dedicated to peace and welcoming of immigrants.

St. Clare Health Mission, 916 Ferry St.affordable, accessible health care for all people

Lincoln Middle School, 510 Ninth St. S.racial harmony and justice in accessing a good education

Our Saviors Lutheran Church, 612 Division St.a Reconciling in Christ congregation offering free weekly community meals

Cameron Park, King and Fifth streetshuman trafficking and respect for life

Franciscan Hospitality House, 114 Sixth St. N.hospitality to the homeless

Salvation Army, State and Eighth streetsshelter and services to end homelessness

La Crosse County Jail, Vine and Fourth streetsrestorative justice, mental health and addiction care for offenders

Riverside Park (near cannon on north side)full employment and supportive care for our returning veterans

Mississippi River (Riverside Park, near roundabout at south end)water protection and care of the earth, our common home

Original post:

Spirituality center marks Good Friday with walk - La Crosse Tribune

An Tairseach is the Dominican Sisters Farm and Ecology Center in Wicklow, an area known as the garden of Ireland. The small town lies on the east coast, south of the Irish capital, Dublin. Perched on a hill overlooking the main street of the town of 10,000 inhabitants, the convent has a splendid view of Wicklow harbor and its expansive bay.

The sizeable red-brick Dominican convent evokes times past when the building served as a boarding school established in 1870 and had a thriving community of 50 sisters. Today, the boarders are long gone, and the community of sisters has shrunk to seven, but education is still very much at the heart of the mission. A busy day school serves the local community, while some of the convent buildings are now used by An Tairseach, an ecology and spirituality center with an organic farm that was established in 1998 on the 70-acre property.

An Tairseach is the Gaelic word for threshold. The sisters who founded the project wanted a name that would suggest a new beginning linked to a more sustainable way of working with the land and a renewed relationship with the whole community of life, human and non-human.

At the Dominican Sisters general chapter in 1992, the order chose care of the Earth as a priority for their life and mission. Arising from this, the Irish region decided to establish an initiative that would be a practical expression of this commitment.

Dominican Sr. Miriam Therese MacGillis, who founded Genesis Farm in New Jersey in 1980 as a center where people could learn about more authentic ways of living in harmony with the natural world, was invited to visit Ireland. A devotee of eco-theologian Passionist Fr. Thomas Berry, she was pivotal in the Dominican Sisters decision to use land they inherited in New Jersey to establish a farm promoting sustainable living, rather than selling it for real estate development.

Read the original here:

Sisters in Ireland foster practical way of living out spirituality in an evolving universe - National Catholic Reporter (blog)

Surrender wholly to the Guruit is the easiest way for the disciple to accelerate his spiritual progress. Obey every word of the Guru without harbouring the least doubt. Cultivate a mind that enables this. After that, everything will be much easier.

No matter what the Guru advises, the first thing that arises in the disciples mind is his personal desire, and he is likely to act accordingly.

As a result, he makes mistakes, which cause sorrow and suffering. That is when he realises that he had acted according to his own desires and not according to the Gurus will. This understanding enables him in due course to act in accordance with the Gurus will.

The peace and bliss that the disciple stands to gain through surrender further inspires him to strengthen his surrender to the Guru. Eventually, the disciple becomes ready to defer all his wishes to the Gurus will. Thus, through sincere effort, the disciples inner Guru awakens. But before this can happen, the disciple must cultivate shraddha, patience, the attitude of surrender and optimism.

It is natural for seekers to make mistakes on the spiritual path. However, one must never waver, because it is from error that one moves to rightness.

The lotus blossoms in mire. If one is innocent, one can correct oneself and move ahead. The biggest mistake is not trying to correct oneself. When toddlers try to walk, they fall. They get us and try to walk again. They fall again.

The faith that is she falls, her mother will be there to help inspires the toddler to keep trying. Similarly, the faith that the Almighty will save us from all dangers is the seekers inspiration and strength. Owing to his egoism, the disciple might not experience this inspiration or strength initially. However, if he is innocent and bent on reaching the goal, all these will manifest in due course.

Our bodies have grown, but our minds havent. If the mind is to grow, it must become child-like. In order to be child-like, we must learn to remain a beginner. If we think we know everything, we will never learn anything. If a vessel is full, what can you possibly pour into it? Only when the bucket is lowered into the well does it get filled with water.

Even a Nobel Prize-winning scientist must humbly submit to a teacher if he wants to learn how to play the flute. If he continues dwelling on his status as a Nobel laureate, he will never learn how to play the flute. One might be very knowledgeable in many fields of the material world but an utter novice in spirituality. To gain spiritual knowledge, one must bow down; theres no other way.

One cannot open all the locks with one key. For as long as we cannot bow down, we will not be able to advance an inch.

If we approach a Guru with innocence and show eagerness to learn, we will not face any difficulty in understanding the true import of his words. The key to open the treasure-chest of spirituality is made of innocence and surrender to the Guru.

What a disciple needs are the sincere desire to realise the God, and humility before others. Awaken these. We will then become capable of receiving everything, and thus become fulfilled. Self-knowledge is ever filling us, though we are unaware of it. The writer is a world-renowned spiritual leader

Read more here:

Guru holds key to spirituality - The New Indian Express

Eminent Scholars Dr. Judith Plaskow and Dr. Carol Christ will lead the four part series, "Interfaith Conversations on Women's Spirituality," March 28 April 4, on the UAH campus. The event is sponsored by the UAH Womens and Gender Studies Program.

The University of Alabama in Huntsville's (UAH) Womens and Gender Studies Program is sponsoring a new series this spring, Interfaith Conversations on Womens Spirituality."

Eminent Scholars Dr. Judith Plaskow and Dr. Carol Christ will lead the four-part spirituality event March 28 through April 4.

The series showcases womens voices, honor the role spirituality plays in womens lives, contemplate the complexity of womens experiences of spirituality, and celebrate the religious diversity of Huntsville and North Alabama. All events are free and open to the public, but reservations are required for the Interfaith Panel and Community Conversation. The event is co-sponsored by the UAH Humanities Center and the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.

While on campus, Dr. Judith Plaskow and Dr. Carol Christ will visit several classes. The two scholars will give a keynote lecture, Goddess and God in the World: Conversations on Womens Spirituality, on Tuesday, March 28, at 7:30 p.m., in Chan Auditorium located in the College of Business Administration.

On Wednesday, March 29, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., in the Wilson Hall Art Gallery, Plaskow and Christ will also hold a Coffeehouse event, Conversations about the Divine in the Modern World. This event will provide an opportunity for informal interaction and conversation with the UAH community.

Plaskow and Christ are leading theologians in feminist spirituality and particularly examine the continuities between their own very different faith traditions: Plaskows Judaism and Christs goddess-centered spiritual practice. They have recently co-written their third book together, Goddess and God in the World: Conversations in Embodied Theology (2016), from which their UAH lectures will be drawn. Plaskow is Professor Emerita of Religious Studies, Manhattan College, and Christ was a tenured full professor at San Jose State University, before moving to Greece to direct the Ariadne Institute for the Study of Myth and Ritual. Plaskow and Christ met and began their scholarly collaborations as Ph.D. students at Yale University in the 1970s.

The Huntsville Feminist Chorus annual spring concert also explores womens spirituality. The concert, titled All of Us, will be on Saturday, April 1, at 7:30 p.m. in Roberts Recital Hall.

The womens spirituality series concludes with an Interfaith Panel and Community Conversation. This event, which will focus on Experience, Identity, and Action in womens spirituality, will be on Tuesday, April 4, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., in the UAH Conference Training Center Exhibit Hall (formerly the University Center).

The panel will feature local women of diverse faith traditions sharing their experiences of how their spirituality shapes their lives. The event includes heavy hors doeuvres (vegetarian). This event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required by Tuesday, March 28. RSVP at http://www.uah.edu/wgs.

For more information, please contact the WGS office at 256.824.6190.

Read more here:

UAH Women's and Gender Studies presents Interfaith Conversations on Women's Spirituality - UAH News (press release)

The Rev. Cal Lord For The Bulletin

Last weekend, a group of us from church went to see The Shack, the new movie based on W. Paul Youngs best selling book. I knew the movie would elicit some questions so I invited everyone back to the house afterwards.

It was Sunday night. The show finished up just after 6 p.m., so Lori and I decided to order pizza for everyone. Everyone started arriving and we put out some chips, crackers, fruits and veggies. Fifteen minutes later the food arrived.

Lori met the driver at the door and said, Just bring it into the kitchen. Without missing a beat, the driver walked in and headed around the corner with the pizzas. One friend said, He seems to know his way around here.

Another friend recognized the driver as the owner of the pizza restaurant. He said to me, Wow! How do you rate having the boss deliver your order? I smiled and said, Its all in who you know.

The truth is that if you live anywhere for any length of time you get to know people. Over time you build up relationships. Those relationships become friendships. Sometimes you get to know the boss, and that has perks.

It is like what happens with our faith. Once you start spending time with God, in Bible study, in prayer and worship, your relationship deepens. Before you know it, God shows up wherever you go. He is no longer a stranger at your house.

As you walk through Lent, make it a point to spend a little more time with Jesus. Get to know him up close and personal. When it comes to the important stuff in life, you can count on him to show up. Take it from me: he always delivers.

God bless. See you in church.

The Rev. Cal Lord, of Norwich, is the pastor of Central Baptist Church of Westerly. Reach him at calstigers@gmail.com.

Read more:

SPIRITUALITY: During Lent, build your relationship with God - Norwich Bulletin

Patricia Hudson and her daughter, Alexis, spent part of Valentine's Day evening together in a Christian meditation and yoga class.

Hudson, 42, amped up her workouts last year after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She added yoga classes when her church parish, St. Mary of the Assumption in Lancaster, began offering them last fall in the St. Mary's Elementary School gym.

"I look forward to this," she said after a class last month. "It centers me."

That's the whole idea, said Jane Schmitt, the certified yoga instructor and fellow parishioner who leads the bimonthly classes.

"I feel like this is my ministry for the church," said Schmitt, 62, who also teaches yoga at community education sites in Lancaster and East Aurora, as well as Joy Wheel yoga studio in East Aurora.

The hourlong Meditation & Yoga as Christian Spiritual Practice classes differ. Two dozen people who took her Valentine's Vinyasa class moved through their poses to songs that included "Come Thou Font of Every Blessing," "Prayer for Peace," and "When My Mind Becomes Still."

The classes start at 7 p.m. two Tuesdays each month, including next week. All are welcome free, though most who attend give a small donation to the parish.

For more information, call parish communications coordinator Diane Zwirecki 683-6445, Ext. 24 or email dianez@stmarysonthehill.org.

Alexis Hudson, 9, has attended several hourlong Meditation & Yoga as Christian Spiritual Practice classes at St. Mary's Elementary School with her mother, Patricia. "It's really fun," she says, especially the balancing poses.

Hudson began to bring her daughter to classes a few weeks ago because Alexis, 9, takes dance and was interested.

"It's really fun," Alexis said.

Her favorite poses? Those that test balance.

"Mom always tries to hold on to me," she said.

Schmitt first thought about teaching yoga on the parish campus when church members were asked to consider what gifts they could offer to the church. The idea solidified after she attended a religious retreat for Christian yoga teachers last summer at the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center in the Hudson River Valley. The Rev. Thomas Ryan author of "Heart and Body" and a leader of an ecumenical group called Christians Practicing Yoga led the gathering.

"He is a Catholic priest and certified Kripalu yoga instructor," Schmitt said. "I thought, 'This has to happen now because he's doing both of my worlds.'"

Schmitt and her husband, Jerry, owner of Schmitt's Audi, have three children and five grandchildren.

She leads her Tuesday evening classes from a pair of mats laid out in a cross shape.

Q. How did you come to yoga?

As a student. It really called to me. I loved it so much and really felt it. I had to go into teaching (eight years ago) and learn more about it.

Q. Can you talk about the benefits of combining yoga and spirituality?

The reflection and the meditation drew me toward a deeper connection to my faith. It felt more authentic and meaningful than it ever had before. It was great. When you're a kid and you get trained in whatever religion you're in, it's very real to you. Then you become more skeptical. You go because you have to go. Yoga gets you into a place where you can feel a bit more open and receptive. You also learn to slow it all down and you can take it in. You go to church and all of a sudden you're listening better, you're hearing different things. I love to see in church when people have their heads bowed in prayer. There are good feelings that you get.

Q. What are the classes like?

We start with some breath work. We do slow movement to music we do postures; the asanas and we end with traditional relaxation, or the savasana pose, and a short meditation. We sometimes include scripture, prayers or inspiration from the weekly readings and sermon at Mass.

Q. What are the movement and meditation like?

It's gentle. So many people are brand new to yoga that sometimes I'll demonstrate and then we'll do it to music together. There's a lot more teaching involved. Sometimes the music is a prayer or a hymn. It's kind of neat. It's almost like the prayer and the music are a moving meditation.

Q. Can the movement be modified?

Yes. If someone has difficulty doing things on the floor, they can go into a chair. Diane, who is helping me, often goes into a chair and demonstrates.

Q. What music do you use?

It's inspirational music with some hymns. It's not strictly Christian music.

Q. Should you bring your own mat? but we have extras.

Yes, but we do have a couple of extras if they're needed.

Q. Would all feel welcome and comfortable?

Yoga is not a religion but it can draw you closer to your already established belief system. All yoga aims to produce tranquility, calm the body, still the mind. All spiritual seekers are welcome.

Q. Can you talk about the folks who have been attending classes?

They're great. They've really embraced it. There are always new people showing up. It's mostly women but some men. It's all age groups. We might have a 13-year-old and a gentleman who might be in his 70s. We've been getting 20 to 40 people for each class. I feel like I'm starting to get to know people a little bit better, including those from church.

Q. How has your faith, married with your yoga, instructed your living?

When people start to get into yoga, it kind of becomes a way of life. You become a little bit more peaceful, a little bit more joyous. Maybe it starts to reflect to the people around you and maybe they want to see what it's all about. It's definitely made me happier in my faith life.

Q. What do you envision for the future?

I want to start taking it more into the meditation. I always run out of time. I always try to squeeze all this stuff in and want to leave a bit more time for meditation.

email: refresh@buffnews.com

Twitter: @BNrefresh, @ScottBScanlon

View post:

Lancaster parish yoga classes mix spirituality with Vinyasa - The ... - Buffalo News

Nyle Fort presented a lecture on the black body and religion onMarch 8. The talkfocused on the importance of spirituality in activism, including the Black Lives Matter movement. The lecture was hosted by the Griot Institute for Africana studies and co-hosted by the Department of Religious Studies as part of the Black Body (Re)Considered series.

Fort focused on the moral and spiritual sides of the Black Lives Matter movement, emphasizing questions concerning the role of the Black Church, the politics of Black spirituality, and the sacredness of Black life, as stated on the Black Body (Re)Considered webpage.

We are not simply the sum of our oppression, we are more than that, Fort said.

Fort, a minister, organizer, and scholar, is currently working toward a Ph.D. in religion and African-American studies at Princeton University. As an activist, Fort is known for advocating the Black Lives Matter movement in Ferguson, Miss.as well as creating programs to serve his community.

I think theres an idea that some of us younger activists have sort of rejected the church or rejected religion altogether, so I want to complicate some of that and sort of give a different understanding of whats actually happening on the ground with some of us, Fort said.

Fort described how his lectures on religion have been a learning experience for both his audience and for himself.

Im coming to have a good conversationabout what we can do in this moment and how religion can play into both how people are being oppressed and how people are resisting that oppression, Fort said.

Forts studies focuson topics including black liberation theology, a tradition centered on understanding how faith and justice work in conjunction, as well as to evaluate how Christianity and other religions can fit into current activism. His goal is to not only determine how young activists critique Christianity, but also how they can benefit from it.

What we want to do is push back against this narrative, against this story that these young activists are somehow anti-religious, Fort said. I also want to talk about how young people are not just articulating different versions of religious experience but theyre critiquing the institution of the church and many of them are doing so from a place of faith, so theyre trying to call the church to be what they think it can become.

Fort feels that religion can be a vital part of activism, providing an explanation to the stories he wants to address.

A lot of the stories, which are really stereotypes, that we tell about these oppressed people are flat narratives, theyre narrow narratives. I want to talk about the complexity and the vitality, the dynamism of black life, Fort said.

Fort also hopes to demonstrate the commonalities between different subsections of the African American community.

Black people are not just Christian. Black people are Muslim, black people are atheist, black people are five-percenters, so we have a very complex religious expression. I try to talk about the gospel and the Christian faith in a way that shows that its actually central to our liberation struggle. Its not something thats antagonistic, Fort said.

Fort echoed Dr.Martin Luther King Jr., encouraging people to take action rather than spectate.

Wherever you find yourself, I encourage people to organize. You dont have to go to Ferguson, but you can, but you dont have to. You can right in your community, right in your context, do organizing work with your talents and your gifts, Fort said.

Go here to read the rest:

Guest speaker focuses on spirituality in the Black Lives Matter movement - The Bucknellian