Spirituality - Is it Religion? Spirituality extends beyond an expression of religion or practice of religion. There is a pursuit for a spiritual dimension that not only inspires, but creates harmony with the universe. That relationship between ourselves and something greater compels us to seek answers about the infinite. During times of intense emotional, mental, or physical stress, man searches for transcendent meaning, oftentimes through nature, music, the arts, or a set of philosophical beliefs. This often results in a broad set of principles that transcends all religions.

While spirituality and religion remain different, sometimes the terms are used interchangeably. This lack of clarity in their definitions frequently leads to debates. Suppose ones spirituality leads to the formation of a religion? Is it necessary for a spiritual person to be religious? Through certain actions, an individual may appear outwardly religious, and yet lack any underlying principles of spirituality. In its broadest sense, spirituality may include religion for some, but still stands alone without a connection to any specific faith.

Spirituality - What is it? The search for spirituality, mans connection to something beyond the temporal, sends him wandering down paths that offer unsatisfactory results. The Far East offers shrines that contain hundreds of statues. Worshippers choose a statue that most resembles an ancestor and pray to it. A piece of stone or rock represents ones personal and intimate relationship with the spiritual realm. During the 4th and 5th centuries B.C., Athens was a vital culture center with a world-famous university. The Athenians were firm and rigid in their spirituality as well as their reverencing of their deities (i.e. religion). Yet the meeting place of the Council of the Areopagus, the supreme body for judicial and legislative matters, contained an altar with the inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.

Whether spirituality is sought through pagan religious experiences, psychic experiments, or tapping the hidden capabilities of man the results are disastrous. In addition to the overtly religious cults, there is a pursuit into the cosmic spiritual realm where man attempts to establish contact with actual spiritual beings. Ironically, in an effort to acquire tranquility and inspiration, man surrenders his soul to astrology, mediators, meditation, mind control, and demonic spirits (Isaiah 47:1215).

Spirituality - What is True Spirituality True spirituality involves a daily trust in the One that created us. [Jesus Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or power or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:1517).

It is not a religion that holds us to a set of rules or traditions. It is not attained through any human worthiness. It is about a relationship that God offers us, an eternal life with Him.

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Spirituality What is spirituality?

In the beginning nothing existed but the Fertile Darkness, floating on the invisible River of Time. There was no sun, there were no stars, nor the light of the moon; no earth, no brooks or rivers, no animals, no people. Nothing existed but nothingness and a darkness that overspread all. But there was a trouble, a stirring in the darkness, a desire arose in the River of Time, a desire for something, for the Fertile Darkness to give birth to something out of nothing. It was a strange mating between Time and Nothing, but from it came one tiny spark of Living Fire. And the Living Fire was consciousness

This story from Zulu Shaman by Credo Mutwa describes how this single instance of consciousness felt a great loneliness in this vast empty darkness. This is the origin of that loneliness all creatures feel when confronting the vastness of everything. Existential angst, if you will.

This spark, fought back this loneliness by acknowledging itself: I am, the spark wailed, I AM! Nothingness felt this Something, and did not like it, for Something negates Nothing, and Nothing wished to destroy it.

It continues to observe that this eternal battle between Something and Nothing, between Light and Dark, Heat and Cold, is the nature of existence It is the Great Struggle on which all Life depends. Unkulunkulu (the Great Spirit) watches over this battle that must always be fought but can never be won.

The people of ancient Africa had cosmologies that were their very own. They told each other stories of where we came from. The ancient Zulus saw the Earth as a mother and cows were a gift from the gods. They sang to the crops while they were tending to them to encourage growth. They even had a contingency plan for when the fire visitors came by.

These may read like naive tales and superstitions but there are discoveries that tell us that these beliefs arent entirely unfounded: for example, researchers in Australia found that plants exhibit chemical changes when stimulated by touch and sound. This study confirms what Africa has known for centuries.

Physical and metaphysical

Spirituality for Africans was a holistic system that was used to explain and understand everything about the world. When a person became ill, it was as much the result of an infection as it was an imbalance in their life or a breakdown with one of their ancestors. African spirituality doesnt subscribe to a theocratic system. It is more about cosmologies; the origins of the universe and ways of living both the physical and metaphysical.

Family is an important institution. There was no distinction between extended family and the nuclear family. Everyone had a role to play when it came to raising children. In the Zulu family, uGogo (grandmother) was given the duty of entertaining children with ancient fairytales and myths. The malume(mothers brother) taught them about the history of their tribe and family. He also gave them the sex talk.

The arrival of the colonisers to the shores of Africa naturally meant that the immigrants brought along with them their own worldviews, religions, and cultures. Professor of indigenous African religions at Harvard Divinity School, Jacob Olupona, explains that African spirituality has always been adaptive. He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice. Unlike the Judaic religions in their traditionalist attitude, wisdom for Africans was wisdom regardless of whence it came. Naturally, the immigrants ways became part of the African way.

This factor, coupled with the ideological hegemony that is colonialism, is what led to the almost successful colonisation of Africas spirituality.

Land and prayer

Throughout Africas ancient past, there were foreign groups that claimed territories, but no group was more pervasive and damaging than the Europeans. They lay unfounded claim to not only to the land, its people, and resources, but also to her peoples metaphysical and spiritual worldview.

Missionaries were tasked the foot soldiers of European ideology and culture. When a missionary arrived in an untouched area, they were welcomed by the people living there, bestowing the settler with land to build their church, school, and clinic.

The missionary clinics provided modern healthcare, improving infant mortality, and the schools were where most of Africas resistance activists were educated. But their motives were impure: in order for them to have access to these resources, Africans had to barter their faith and culture.

The Christian missionaries held mistaken beliefs that in order to become Christian, one had to denounce ones culture. They instilled in their lessons the notion that what was African was heathen and inferior. Some common adjectives used by missionaries to describe African spirituality include vile, abomination, and witchcraft.

The Bible was used to legitimise the oppression of Africans to Africans; missionaries preached that colonial rule was ordained by God. One missionary in Sudan, Jan H Boer, wrote: Colonialism is a form of imperialism based on a divine mandate and designed to bring liberation spiritual, cultural, economic and political by sharing the blessings of the Christ-inspired civilisation of the West.

The people they were liberating, he believed, were suffering under satanic oppression.

While some of the tribes of South Africa readily accepted the presence of the missionaries, others resisted. The Zulu, Pedi, and Pondo would move away from missionary settlements, and converts were either given medicine to purge their bodies, or were ostracised to living in those settlements.

Despite the continuing spread of missionary presence into southern Africa, by the time of the Anglo-Zulu conflict of 1879, very few converts had moved over to Christianity. What helped the missionaries cause was the leveraging of the colonised arable land.

Some African spiritual knowledge and practices in combination with Christianity were allowed by the missionaries. When they had trouble increasing the numbers, they would, for example, allow them to pray to the Christian God through their ancestors. Those that successfully resisted being proselytised were forced to to continue their practices in secret.

Dual identities

Christianity and Islam have grown exponentially across Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa 57% of the population are Christian, while 29% practice Islam. Only 13% follow African spirituality.

A common characteristic among Africans is that they observe a specific faith while, at the same time perform some or other indigenous practice. The ritual of paying lobola to the brides family is an integral part of the marriage process for modern black South Africans. It is also quite normal for weddings to have two ceremonies: the white wedding performed at a church, and a traditional wedding.

Going further in the investigation of ancient African spirituality and metaphysics, there are some similarities that can be found between it and other cultures around the world. Sangomas practice meditation to get in touch with their powers. There is an energetic force called umbilini, which is described as a coiled snake at ascends through the spine when awakened. This is the source of a sangomas powers. Hindu spirituality also observes this energetic force and its described in the very same way. It is called kundalini. The names even sound the same.

The ability of Africans to manoeuvre their spirituality around religions is testament to the strength and dynamic nature of African spirituality. How Africans easily modify their beliefs with the beliefs of others is mistakenly seen as a weakness. This nature and attitude should be celebrated. It considers all faiths and spiritual wisdom equal and adopting those beliefs bolsters existing beliefs. We, as Africans, need to focus on renewing our appreciation of African metaphysical knowledge and remove the perceptions we adopted from European ideology about them.

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From prophets to profit: The colonisation of African spirituality - The Daily Vox (blog)

Paganism What is It? Paganism has been broadly defined as anyone involved in any religious act, practice, or ceremony which is not Christian. Jews and Muslims also use the term to refer to anyone outside their religion. Others define it as religions outside of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism, while some simply define it as being without a religion.

In the strictest sense, paganism refers to the authentic religions of ancient Greece and Rome as well as surrounding areas. It originated from the Neolithic (Stone Age) era. The term, pagan, is derived from the Latin word, paganus, which means a country dweller. The pagan usually has a belief in many gods (polytheistic), but only one is chosen as the one to worship which represents the chief god and supreme godhead.

As Christianity progressed into the present age, a pagan became referred to anyone not being a Christian, and paganism denoted a non-Christian belief or religion. If the religion did not fit into the Judeo-Christian-Islamic or Eastern mould, then one practicing that religion was said to be involved in paganism.

Paganism What is the history? History records that worship of many gods, goddesses, and deities was viewed by people as important in worship. It was thought that everything had a spirit and was polytheistic, so people had gods and goddesses of the forest, sea, and all aspects of nature.

When the civilizations began to change and develop, the gods grew and changed with the people as they began to acquire gods of their occupations, or gods relevant to their village life. The old gods remained, but were changed or conformed to the changing lives of the people. Gods played an important role in every aspect of society influencing everything from laws and customs to general workings of the community. Reincarnation (rebirth of the body into another bodily form) was believed by the people, but they did not believe in the existence of heaven and hell.

Today, Paganism (neo-paganism) celebrates the Earth, living creatures, nature, and so on. Most modern-day pagans believe in more than one god, while others are atheistic.

Paganism What are some pagan systems and religions?

Paganism How does it compare with Christianity? It is difficult to compare paganism with Christianity since the term pagan can be used to identify many different sects and beliefs.

These are the major differences, out of many:

Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another (Romans 1:22-24). Learn More About Jesus!

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Paganism - All About Spirituality

Norris Burkes 6:03 a.m. ET Feb. 16, 2017

Chaplain Norris Burkes.(Photo: Wade Spees / Provided Photo)

Theres a joke that asks, How do you tell difference between Catholics and Baptists in a liquor store? The answer is, The Catholics are the only ones talking to each other.

My father, a good Baptist pastor, didnt like that joke. His strategy toward liquor stores was to avoid them entirely. He was fond of the biblical teaching to Abstain from all appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). The verse is a catchall for those who condemn what the Bible doesnt specifically oppose.

In my fathers case, it was alcohol. No surprise given the fact that our Southern Baptist church covenant encouraged members to abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating drinks. If any member tried reminding my dad, their pastor, that Jesus turned water into wine, they were told that the wine was likely the most excellent grape juice.

My dad made his stance clear to all who knew us by banning his family from shopping at the local liquor store for even so much as a carton of milk. After all, he reasoned, a brown bag filled with milk and bread might be mistaken by the town gossip as restocking our secret liquor cabinet.

Prohibiting our car from the liquor store would not be enough to protect his reputation. Unfortunately, a local Catholic family owned a van identical to our two-toned Dodge. They often parked that van at the local tavern on Saturday night and at the Catholic church on Sunday morning. I dont know which was worse for my Baptist father being mistaken for a drinker or a Catholic.

While my dad was always sober, his driving made some think otherwise. One afternoon, he was backing out of a parking space when he hit another car. He saw this accident as an opportunity to repaint his van in three new tones a true reversal of colors. No more mistaken identity.

My fathers battle took a new venue when he brought us to the grand opening of the new Safeway in our small town. Overwhelmed by variety, each of us packed the cart with our choice of cereals, meat, chocolate milk and three pounds of candy from the bins.

After we pushed our groceries through the checkout line, my dad wrote a check for the whopping $100 total. The clerk told him hed need to get manager approval for the check and directed my dad to go to the man standing at the liquor counter.

My father said no. He engaged the clerk in a contest of the wills, telling him that hed not risk his reputation being seen at the liquor counter. No one blinked. The manager kept his post, and the clerk kept his. In the end, the loser was the poor clerk, who had to restock our groceries while my father marched his empty-handed family from the store.

Honestly, I have few complaints that my father steered his children away from any desire to drink alcohol. However, I do find some sadness around religious teaching that is too focused on what we are supposed to abstain from, rather than what we are supposed to be drawn toward.

Over the years, Ive found more value in verses that teach positive action, like Psalm 34:14: do good; seek peace and pursue it. I suppose that means, if you spend your time looking for good, you wont have time for evil.

Some years later, I joined the Air Force, where I was fortunate enough to meet some Catholic priests who taught me to appreciate a good wine. These days, I still dont consider myself a drinker, but I will say I can enjoy a nice glass of wine but usually only in a darkened tavern with priests or poets.

Contact Norris Burkes atthechaplain.netor write him via P.O. Box 247, Elk Grove, CA, 95759.

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Spirituality: Abstaining from a negative focus - Elmira Star-Gazette

William Paul Young, best known as the author of The Shack, will discuss the difference between being spiritual and being religious in a filmed interview at Lifetree Caf

William Paul Young, best known as the author of The Shack, will discuss the difference between being spiritual and being religious in a filmed interview at Lifetree Cafat 7 p.m. CT on Monday, Feb. 20.

Nearly 30 percent of Americans identify themselves as spiritual but not religious, and the trend is growing. Youngs best-seller has prompted a national discussion of the difference between spirituality and religion.

I make a distinction between the church as an organization and the church as people, says Young. Biblically speaking, the church is people. Its only people. They didnt have the buildings, the structures, or platforms. Its simply people.

The Lifetree event, titled Spiritual but Not Religious, offers participants the opportunity to explore the issue in a safe, open environment.

Admission to the 60-minute event is free. Snacks and beverages are available. Lifetree Caf is located at 1602 U.S. Highway 98 in Mexico Beach across from El Governor Motel.

Lifetree Caf is a place where people gather for conversation about life and faith in a casual coffeehouse-type setting. Questions about Lifetree may be directed to Gary Grubb at 334-806-5667 or livingwater@livingwateratthebeach.com.

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Author of The Shack talks spirituality at Lifetree Caf - Port St. Joe Star

The Rev. Cal Lord For The Bulletin

I looked out the window of the exercise room at the gym and thought to myself, Someone else has a car just like ours. I did a double take wondering if Lori had come by looking for me. Then I realized she didnt know where I was.

The fact that our van is 14 years old makes it stand out. There is no mistaking it. There just arent too many of them left on the road. So what were the chances that there would be a similar one out in the parking lot?

Still puzzled by the mystery, I looked out about a half an hour later. It was still there. I glanced over to where I had parked the Prius and I couldnt find it. Thats when it dawned on me that the mysterious van was ours. I had the van today.

Call it a senior moment. I was glad I hadnt mentioned it to anyone. How could I forget something like that? Seems so silly. Thats when it hit me that this wasnt the first time I jumped to a wrong conclusion on something I had seen.

I think a lot of us are prone to do that. Whether it is something weve seen on Facebook or some event we witnessed first-hand, we make a lot of assumptions about what we are seeing. We develop motives, see rationales and assess guilt.

It is easy to make snap judgments. The problem is that they are often wrong. We dont have all the facts. We only know part of the equation. We fill in the blanks with information that helps define our own narrative.

God tells to be slow to anger. He tells us to hold our tongues. He says not to judge. He calls on us to forgive and turn the other cheek. He challenges us to have humility. I wonder what would happen if we approached life like that?

I think there would be more room for conversation, for true understanding and for the peace and love of God to filter through all of our relationships. The world needs that now, more than ever. So hop in. Ive got a van. Lets change the world together by embracing Gods way.

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.

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Banner night as Woodstock Academy wins 8th straight ECC gymnastics title - Norwich Bulletin

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I had never met a Native American or been to a reservation when I was asked to teach Native American spirituality more than 20 years ago at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. The class included a two-week camping trip to Montana, and although I had never camped without my husband and three sons, I said yes. One of my sons participated in a previous class trip to Montana and it had such a positive impact on him that I wanted other students to have that experience, too.

I made that 4,300-mile journey 15 times with Dominican students and each trip was not only unique, but also a laboratory for learning. These experiences convinced me that getting students out of the classroom, at least for part of a course, gives them the opportunity to grasp what they are reading and studying in a profound way. The Oglala Lakota people in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, the Blackfoot people in Browning, Montana, and the Cree-Chippewa people on the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation in Montana welcomed us, shared with us and deepened our understanding of history, spirituality and the challenges that face them. And I have been able to connect with my Native American heritage thatas an adopted person raised in the New York suburbsI hadnt known about until 12 years ago, when I wrote to the adoption agency from which I was placed and discovered that my lineage includes Lumbee and Navajo.

I have carried on the practice of community-based learning at Edgewood College, where I teach a course in Native American spirituality. I invite elders and teachers from some of Wisconsins 11 federally recognized tribes to come to my class to share their traditions, and I get the students out into nature. Our trips to tribal communities in Wisconsin allow my students to meet and interact with people, in particular the grandmothers of the tribes, to learn about the differences in the worldviews of the dominant culture and native people. One critical difference is the way we look at the earth. For many tribes, the earth is our mother. You dont own her and she provides all that we need. We are to treat the land with respect, and so another essential piece of the course is for the students to research and develop a project on protecting the environment, and, in particular, how native people are working for change in government policies.

Since moving to the Madison area three years ago, my husband, Neil, and I have become involved with Madison 350, a group working against the proposed Enbridge pipeline through Wisconsin. Enbridge is the Canadian company responsible for the oil spill in Michigans Kalamazoo River in 2010, and its existing pipeline travels through 14 waterways in Wisconsin and traverses reservation lands. I work with people in Madison and on the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe reservation in northern Wisconsin to try to prevent the parallel pipeline that is now under construction. I use this effort as an example of an environmental issue that intersects with native values.

Such issues rarely get widespread media attention. However, the ongoing protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in North Dakota has drawn national media coverage in recent months. In light of the gathering of people at Standing Rock, we are renewing our efforts here, and some of my students have become involved in this work, and some have also gone to North Dakota to support the people there. I see great commitment from the students to engage in this struggle, both in the projects they develop and in their actions. In November, we traveled to the Lac du Flambeau and Lac Courte Oreilles reservations. One of the women whose home we visited was Tinker Schuman at Lac du Flambeau. Schuman is a teacher, a pipe carrier and leader of ceremonies for her people. She shared a ceremony with my students that included prayer and song. The experience was profoundsomething the students will long remember. The next day we drove to Lac Courte Oreilles and visited tribal elder Maryellen Baker, who gathered us around her kitchen table and told us stories. She talked about why Native American tobacco is sacred to the Anishinaabe people, and she gave each student some tobacco to offer their own prayer to the Creator.

Baker has been my teacher for many years. She is one of the water walkersgrandmothers, women and men who have walked the circumference of the Great Lakes, offering prayers for the waters so they will remain pure for future generations. Last summer, I was on a committee that worked with Baker to plan a symposium at Lac Courte Oreilles called Women and Water Coming Together. It was five days filled with prayer, teachings from the water walkers and ceremonies, as well as incredible music and tribal songs. Many of the women who attended have since traveled to North Dakota to stand with the water protectors there. The response to the women and water symposium was so great that we will be hosting another gathering at the reservation next summer, Aug. 5-10, called Women and Men Together for Water. It will be open to the public.

I consider it an incredible gift to teach and learn from my students. As they present their discoveries, my own knowledge deepens. My Anishinaabe name is Baswewekwe, which means Resounding Echo Woman. I asked about the meaning and was told that as a teacher, my words would live long after my spirit walked on. I want those words to be good and true.

Kathy Heskin is a theologian and adjunct professor at Edgewood College.

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Sacred Teachings: A professor's journey in Native American spirituality - Channel3000.com - WISC-TV3

Feb 14 Features 122

Health care is essential in all our lives, but does your doctor understand that you may want to pray before a surgery or read scripture before getting the results of your tests? On Saturday, senior occupational therapy majors held an educational spiritual retreat open to all health care majors to take part in. The retreat focused on teaching students about integrating spirituality in health care. Approximately 20 students participated. Ashley Mann, Jackie Curtz, Emily Cornelius and Sam Favret wanted to do their group thesis project on a topic that they found was relevant to health care providers, but is not addressed often. The benefits of addressing spirituality in a health care setting are well-researched and documented, which led us to our question: if the research is there that it is beneficial, why arent people addressing it? Mann said. The most common answer we could find was that health care providers did not feel that they were educated enough to address spirituality in practice. Mann, Curtz, Cornelius and Favre wanted to see if more education would help make spirituality a common topic that is addressed in health care. Mann said that spiritual awareness in health care professions is necessary across the board. We dont feel that spirituality and health care are related in different degrees across professions because that implies it is quantifiable, its more a variation in the way it is connected, Mann said. For example, a physician does not necessarily need to address spirituality in treatment the same way a nurse or occupational therapist does, but he or she still needs to have an awareness that the clients spirituality would have impact on their treatment. At the retreat, there were various case studies and role playing activities for students to take part in. The significance of these activities was to provide students with experience on addressing spirituality as well as education. Also, guest lecturers were there to share their insights on the subject. Jeffrey L. Boss, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the occupational therapy program, was one of the guest lecturers. He addressed specifically how to guide health care providers using the proper methods to approach clients about spirituality. Its a model designed to approach another topic that providers and clients both have difficulty discussing sexuality but seems appropriate for any topic which is perhaps considered sensitive in nature, Boss said. By exposing the students to the model approach and various tools, Boss explained that they are expecting this educational information would help participants to be more prepared to address spirituality and religion in the clinic. Spirituality in health care is a fairly new topic that is still being delved into. Boss said that it only been overtly considered part of occupational therapys domain since about 2000. We are still coming to terms with just what it means and how it applies clinically, as are most other health care professions, Boss said. But, the research showing the health benefits of spirituality and religion is strong, and so health care accreditation bodies are starting to require spiritualitys inclusion in plans of care. Since the retreat is part of a thesis project, it is not yet known if there were any benefits. However, learning about spirituality in any career, especially one that predominantly works with a wide range of people, can be beneficial. Spirituality itself may seem vague because people interpret it differently. Moreover, Boss expressed that spirituality is not something that can be taught, for it is experienced. Boss acknowledged that experience can come in many forms. From my Christian perspective, [spirituality is a] relationship you have with God, Boss said. I believe that relationship, that experience, to be important. So yes, I believe all students should learn to strengthen that experience and understand how others see that experience. Boss said that this acknowledgement and awareness of the spiritual aspect of health care can only benefit health care students in their future careers. For health care students, having a good grasp on your own spirituality is going to be necessary to help clients with theirs as it impacts the clients health, Boss said. For other students, a deeper understanding of their own and others spirituality is going to be important in any profession in this multicultural society.

HEBA ALSAHLANI alsahlan001@knights.gannon.edu

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Retreat focuses on spirituality in health care - Gannonknight

Yitro

Exodus 18:1-20:23

Isaiah 6:1-7:6; 9:5-6

The most popular portion of parsha Yitro is probably the placement of the Ten Commandments. An interesting idea can also be learned from the very first sentence of the parsha. The first sentence introduces us to Yitro as the father in law of Moshe and then continues to say that Yitro heard all of the things that Hashem did for Moshe and the nation of Israel.

Why did the Torah single out Moshe from the rest of the nation of Israel? Rashi tells us that this wording teaches that Moshe was equal to the entire nation of Israel. In other words, if we had a scale and put the entire Jewish people on one side and Moshe on the opposite side, they would be balanced and weigh the same. How are we to understand this?

Perhaps an illustration of this can be seen from the world of sports. On May 6, 1954, a miraculous event occurred in the world of track and field when Roger Bannister ran a mile in under 4 minutes. Reporters claimed that Bannister must have had a lucky day and that is was just a fluke that would never be able to be repeated. But just 46 days later, his record was broken and the original record was broken many times. What will the fastest time be? No one knows, but everyone agrees there is a clear constraint of how fast a human can run. Physical acts and characteristics have restrictions.

In contrast, our spiritual capabilities are boundless. Our souls have indefinite capability. The more we connect to spiritual matters and focus on spiritual progress, the more we can grow and the more greatness we can bring into the world.

A famous example of this was Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, better known as the Chofetz Chaim. The Chofetz Chaim was one of the leaders of the Jewish people in the early 20th century. He was physically very short, yet one of the greatest spiritual giants of his time.

Perhaps what Rashi is saying is that our physical capacities to accomplish have inherent limitations. Moshe, however, perfected himself spiritually and, therefore, his spiritual completeness was so comprehensive that he was able to be equal to an entire nation.

Developing ourselves physically is crucial for a healthy lifestyle, but the more we focus on developing ourselves spiritually, the more we can tap into the limitless potential that is within each of us.

Meir Schwartz of University Heights is a freshman at the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland's Yeshiva High School.

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Let spirituality guide your potential - Cleveland Jewish News

In this months Vital Signs with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN explores the convergence between science and spirituality. At a monastery in a remote part of southern India, a unique partnership is taking shape between scientists and Tibetan Buddhist monks. It is a convergence between science and spirituality, forming insights into mindfulness, meditation, even happiness, and the impact all of that can have on our physical health.

The champion of this cause is none other than the Dalai Lama himself. CNNs Dr. Gupta sits down with His Holiness for a special one-on-one interview exploring the science of our emotions. What can Buddhism learn from science? And perhaps more importantly, what can science learn from Buddhism? Plus, experience an event rarely seen on camera, as the Dalai Lama shares his private meditation practice with Dr. Gupta at the monastery.

Vital Signs is a 30-minute monthly program on CNN bringing viewers health stories from around the world. It is hosted by CNNs Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

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Science and spirituality with the Dalai Lama - The Standard

Im not a yoga, sit-on-a-mat cross-legged kind of gal. I want to be; Im just not. And because I am not, I tell myself that I am not a mystic. I like mystics, some of my best friends are mystics. I admire them!

Me? I am always in motion. I pray walking around Manhattan. I meditate jumping through waves, thanking God for the saltiness. I restore my soul up on my feet listening to the choirs sing, rocking, clapping. When I am out on the street, joyfully jostled by the crowd, enjoying friendly anonymity, I feel God there; She is marching, dancing, singing, chanting with us.

My rabbi, Jesus, was also in motion. Calling disciples, healing and feeding folk, preaching the good news, kicking it with the outsiders at supper. In a hot-mess time, a time when the Roman empire crushed the spirits of the people; in a time of oppression and domination, Jesus was a movement-builder.

And my friend, the late Marcus Borg, says Jesus was a mystic as well. Jesus knew God deeply; he called God, Abba, daddy. He was grounded in God, located in God, conversant with Gods vision for a healed and whole world. Jesus was merged with the heart of God, connected to the dream of God.

Jesus saw visions; he saw God as a dove and heard God say, This is my son, the Beloved. Jesus, like other mystics, could see the world not just as it was, but as it could be. Jesus could see that we are all one.

Once at temple, Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free. (Luke 4:18)

Grounded in Gods Spirit, Jesus began a movement of preaching and healing designed to liberate the captives, and bring good news to the poor. He sustained that movement with spiritual practices: With time for celebration (Jesus seemed to like a party!), time in temple, and time alone in prayer.

Make no mistake about it, these are hot-mess times, as well. We are in culture wars: Will the values of empire, domination and oppression prevail? Or will the values of revolutionary love, compassion and justice claim our allegiance?

For our interfaith, multiracial movement for justice to be sustained, all of us those in motion and those who are mystics need to care for our mortal flesh with Spirit.

It might be helpful to imitate the spiritual practices of Rabbi Jesus.

I am a Christian pastor who follows Rabbi Jesus into a movement for love and justice. These hot-mess times call us to stand with our neighborsour refugee, Muslim, LGBTQ, Black and immigrant sisters and brothersas an act of solidarity and love. This is how we non-violently resist oppression. And these times also demand that we resist violence to our own bodies and souls, and give them tender care as an act of love.

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A Spirituality For Hot-Mess Times #LoveIsResistance - Huffington Post

Posted February 14, 2017 13:15:35

A lifelong obsession with Catholicism is one of the main themes in Martin Scorsese's latest film, as he continues what he calls a search for the spiritual human condition.

Silence is a period drama, starring Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver, about Portuguese Jesuit and Christian martyrs in 17th century Japan.

In an interview with The Final Cut, Scorsese said he had been wanting to make the film since the late 80s, when he first read the novel of the same name by Shusaki Endo.

"I knew immediately that I wanted to make it into a film," he said.

"I think my instinct was because elements that I was researching for The Last Temptation of Christ, Mean Streets, Raging Bull and all these other movies seemed to be crystallised or synthesised into this one story."

Catholicism has been present in many of Scorsese's films. He says what he saw in Silence was "the essence of faith, the struggle for faith, to understand what it is or maybe not understand what it is but just have it".

"I'm not trying to convert anyone or change anybody's minds," he said.

"I just feel that for me, this has been something from when I first remember, at seven or eight years old, searching for a way to come to terms with that part of the human being or the human condition that is spiritual, especially in a material world."

In Raging Bull, Scorsese was influenced by the 1951 French film by Robert Bresson, Diary of a Country Priest. In Bresson's film the pastor says: "God is not a torturer, he wants us to be merciful with ourselves."

"And so you had that in Raging Bull, whereby at the end of the story he's sitting in front of a mirror and he's talking to himself and the lines from On the Waterfront," Scorsese said.

"He's saying: 'It's you, Charlie.' And he seems to be comfortable with himself for the first time in the story.

"When I made the movie that's where I wanted to go, but after making the film I hadn't reached that; I didn't know I was saying that ... that's one of the reasons there was sort of a crazed passion to make [Raging Bull] that way, to get to that point.

"If he could forgive himself, he would be less punishing on himself and therefore the people around him."

The story puts the modern viewer in a complicated position when it comes to empathising with the priests, especially Rodrigues Garfield's character and his unswerving belief.

While the priests could be seen as agents of colonialism, Scorsese says he wanted to get past that and dig into the essence of what they believed.

But as an Asian Jesuit told the director in Rome: "the Asian culture may have perceived this Western truth as arrogance".

"Therefore, what they had to do was break that arrogance down particularly because it meant the undoing of their entire culture and who they are," Scorsese said.

"It's interesting to think you're with Rodrigues, but then to watch him learn. And maybe we learn from what he learns, which is the real essence of the true Christianity.

"Do we have to emphasise with Rodrigues? I'm taking you through a maze in a way. You think you're going Rodrigues's way, but by the time Rodrigues has to make his choice and how he winds up at the end of the story, it becomes a different kind of journey.

"I'm not asking you to really emphasise with the people who may have the best of intentions, but may have caused some damage."

When it came to shooting in Taiwan, the film took on a life of its own, at times moving in an entirely new direction to Scorsese's original concept.

He says much of that had to do with the rhythm of life in Asia, and Taiwan's landscape.

"I didn't expect the green, the lushness and I certainly didn't expect the mist," he said.

"And minute by minute or every 30 seconds it would change.

Scorsese said it was a great experience for him as an "urban" director, best known for films that take place in cities like New York.

"The landscape itself dictated very often the visual approach to a film that I had planned in the hotel room in a different way," he said.

"When I got to the location and the location scouting I planned it another way and then when it came to shoot the location looked different.

"So I went with what we had that day and it was constant issue of juggling possibilities and taking advantage."

Listen to the full interview on the Final Cut on Friday, or subscribe to the podcast now on iTunes, the ABC Radio app or your favourite podcasting app.

Topics: film-movies, arts-and-entertainment, religion-and-beliefs, catholic, united-states, taiwan, japan

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Martin Scorsese's lifelong obsession with spirituality surfaces once more in Silence - ABC Online

HYDERABAD:Mysticism is another synonym associated with poet-editor Arundhathi Subramaniam. It radiates and covers the listener as she talks about the images that sway around seeping in her poetry: compact, terse, evocative blended with rain-washed clarity that stay with you long after you have finished reading her poetry collection When God is a Traveller. Her works leave you on a trail of an eternal search bringing you closer to yourself. As a translator of Bhakti poetry she makes the reader arrive to a better understanding of himself, an indescribable enrichment. The Bombay-based poet was in city recently. Excerpts from the interview:

The Book of Buddha and Sadhguru: More Than A Life, these two books are on spiritualism. What drew you closer to spirituality? (Smiles). One one level, poetry in itself is a way to understand yourself. It is a way of making sense in the world you live in. To me, the spiritual journey is also not so different; it is also a way of trying to understand universe that you suddenly find yourself hurled into and trying to find your own personal way of making sense of that. In some fundamental way, both are deeply connected. They start with the same questions. They start with the same sense of wonder about the world into which we are born and which makes no sense to us at all. The excitement about poetry started very early. When I look back at my teens and the time I was in college, the excitement about philosophy was just as intense. I think, it was a preoccupation with philosophy because there seemed to be a place you can ask questions about: why, what is it all about? That question why perhaps drew me fundamentally to spirituality.

How do you as a translator bridge the gap of centuries when translating the works of Medieval saint-poets? One of the poets that I have translated into this book called Eating God is Abirami Pattar, an eighteenth century Tamil poet, and ardent devotee of the Devi. So, I chose to translate him. There are many other poets in this country, who have also chosen to translate other mystic poets. In my book Eating God which is a celebration of Bhakti poetry, I actually invited many poets to undertake translation of those mystics, who I thought deserved a wider hearing Some of these already were already existent and others were commissioned.

Why did you name the book as Eating God? Interesting question. (Smiles) Actually, it is a line from a poem of Nammalvar, the mystic, who actually tells it to God in an address. He says: Vishnu, if I see you anywhere, I will catch you and eat you up. And this idea of eating, to me, was a fascinating image because of two reasons. One is because there is God, sublime, exalted, unfathomable and profound and yet there is this very sensual act of eating bringing the two together, the suddenness of eating God works fabulously as an image for me. It is an image which stays with you because of its unexpectedness. But it is also a reminder of the fact that the finest Bhakti poetry is as sensual as it is sacred. The two are not separate. So, you are not being invited to deny the physical to move towards the metaphysical. You are being invited to this great celebration of the mystery of the simultaneous existence of the metaphysical and the physical. The two exist simultaneously. You are being invited to be a part of that mystery in a way.

Is this something like a mortal consumed in too-powerful Godly splendour? What was interesting about Bhakti Movement in this country is that it actually sought to say that God is wonderful, beyond our comprehension, but we also retain the license to invoke Him as deeply familiar as someone who can be treated as the habitual disobedient member of the family. And He is loved for no less reason. Theres a tone of deep intimacy in the works of such poets you have the license to get angry with this God, make love to Him, eat this God; there is a totality of deep intimacy in this God.

The popular couplet: Har saans yeh kahti hai, jo hum hain toh khuda bhi hai focuses on the eternal search. Do you think God and mortals are constantly in search of each other? Yes, of course. Theres this beautiful strain in this couplet. Theres almost always the suggestion that the Divine wants to be found as much as you want to find the Divine. That idea of mutuality lies in the heart of mystical traditions across all faiths. I mean, this happens to be Bhakti poetry, but there are ideas across faiths that the Divine is waiting to be discovered. And thats special. How important is it for a poet to belong to a certain genre, place and language? Across history we find that poets have not just belonged, but the finest poets recreated the sense of belonging. They changed the way we belong. They changed the way we looked at it before. Theres one kind of poetry which is merely propagandist echoing the inherited notions of what it means to belong to. But the finest poets have always extended our ideas of culture and belonging. You suddenly realise that you have a deeper sense of citizenship. In that sense, poets are reminders of the citizenship of the world.

In one of the interviews you said that poetry is a dark art. How? Good question. Its dark art because it involves a level of compression like a pressure cooker utterance. Its like compressing language and under great heat the properties of language change. Thats the magic of poetry. So, because of that intense distillation and compression something happens. That something is dark as there is a kind of sorcery in it that even the poets are not fully aware of. They only know that it is an extremely distilled utterance and from that arises a particular kind of sorcery that you do not find in prose.

Fictionalising memory how much do poets use the same as a literary device? Good question again. I use it all the time. I may use the first person singular in my poems, but that doesnt mean I dont fictionalise. I fictionalise a great deal. Your attempt is to arrive at an inner truth of your life, not the external details. This inner truth is an ongoing process of discovery. I am not talking about some state of nirvana, but about a deepening sense of understanding which I hope is reflected in my work.

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Poet: Thy name is spirituality - The New Indian Express

By RikkiLynn Shields, Editor

Michele Saracino, professor and chair of the religious studies department was inspired by her minor knee surgery to conduct a study on the connection between swimming and spirituality. Saracinos research will be published this summer. Along with that, this fall she is also teaching a religious studies majors seminar on Water and Spirituality.

The Quadrangle: Where are you from and where did you go to school?

Michele Saracino: I was born and raised on Long Island. After attending 12 years of public school, I did my undergraduate work at Duke University in English, and earned a Master of Religion from Yale Divinity School, and my doctorate in religious studies from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

TQ: What made you decide to study religion?

MS: I took a class in religious studies my senior year in college and was fascinated by the diversity of perspectives in the field and the many critical approaches to religion, culture, and gender. Professors at Duke encouraged me to apply to graduate school in religious studies. I did and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

TQ: What inspired you to conduct your research on swimming and spirituality?

MS: I began swimming regularly at my local health club several years ago after undergoing minor knee surgery. I was striving to change up my fitness routine and reinvent myself so to speak. The first few times in the lap pool were strange and awkward. I had entered a new community with rules about swim caps, swim times, and lane etiquette. Now, each time I plunge into the water, thankfully, all those distractions fade away. Something spiritual happens. It is not always pleasurable. In fact, most of the time it is unsettling, and that is the frame used in my research for approaching relationships with God and others. These relationships are unsettling because we dwell with others in the middle of things. Like entering a party that is already underway, in which guests already are mingling, the wine is running out, and the inside jokes are established, we are thrust into relationships. We need a strategy to deal with the fluidity and unpredictability of them. The practice of swimming can offer such strategies.

TQ: Can you explain what exactly it was you studied?

MS: I studied by reading a ton on swimming, both in terms of technique and in terms of philosophy. I spoke with friends at health club about what happens to our body with each stroke. And, I paid attention to how it feels to be in the watersubmerged in something radically other that can neither be controlled nor avoided. The water summons us to attention and engagement. Weaving these intellectual threads allowed me to develop an essay which will be published this summer, entitled Into the Blue: Swimming as a Metaphor of Revelation.

In some ways, even more exciting, my research has overflowed into my teaching. This fall I am teaching the Religious Studies Majors Seminar on Water and Spirituality. I am hoping the students find the topic as exciting as I do!

TQ: How has studying religion shaped you as a person?

MS: Studying religion has allowed me to connect with others, meaning students and colleagues, in deep and challenging ways. Everyone goes through life with burdens. We are all broken in some way or another. Religious studies has given me the grammar and vocabulary to communicate the reality of that brokenness, the pervasiveness of it, and together with my students, we are encouraged to find ways to overcome that brokenness and forge life-giving relationships.

As my colleagues and I say, religion matters. All one has to do is pop on any newsfeed to see that reality. Studying religion from an academic perspective with students, asking the big questions, getting to teach that religion matters has been a tremendous gift for me for almost 14 years now here at MC, for which I am beyond grateful.

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Diving Into Spirituality: Michele Saracino Studies The Link Between Water and Religion - The Quadrangle

Daily Mail

At the Grammys, Beyonce paid an epic tribute to African diaspora spirituality Quartz In her Grammy performance on Sunday night, Beyonce styled herself as not one but at least two religious icons: Oshun, a Yoruba deity from West Africa, and the Virgin Mary. Beyonce, draped in yellow, recalled images of the Yoruba goddess of fertility ... Revealed: African goddess of water and fertility that blesses mothers with TWINS who Beyonc paid homage to at last ...Daily Mail all 3 news articles »

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At the Grammys, Beyonce paid an epic tribute to African diaspora spirituality - Quartz

PORT ANGELES An imam, a pastor and a rabbi walked into a church.

We Jews are the chosen people, the rabbi, Ted Falcon, of Seattle told 332 listeners Saturday at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Port Angeles.

Jesus said, I am the way to truth and the life, no one comes to God but by me, Pastor Dave Brown of Tacoma retorted.

Here is the real truth, Sufi Imam Jamal Rahman of Seattle responded. The Koran said whoever chooses a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted of him, and he will be one of the losers in the hereafter.

Falcon, Brown and Rahman collectively embraced their differences in a traveling, humorous, heartfelt lecture as the Pacific Northwest Interfaith Amigos.

They were scheduled to give presentations Sunday at the Port Townsend High School auditorium and at two services at Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Port Townsend.

Rahman, Falcon and Pastor Don Mackenzie wrote Finding Peace Through Spiritual Practice: The Interfaith Amigos Guide to Personal, Social and Environmental Healing, a book that sparked reading groups all over the Peninsula.

The Rev. Barb Laski said that 15 organizations sponsored study groups in East Jefferson County. Following Laskis lead, Marilyn Eash of the Interfaith Community of Clallam County reported 19 study groups formed in Clallam County.

The spiritual study will close in Port Townsend with a Celebration of Our Journey at 2 p.m. March 5 at Unity Spiritual Enrichment Center, 3918 San Juan Ave.

Interfaith Community of Clallam County will host a Celebration of Our Journey at 2 p.m. March 18 at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 510 E. Park Ave., Port Angeles.

Since Mackenzie has moved to Minneapolis, Brown of Tacomas Immanuel Presbyterian Church has stepped in for him creating the Pacific Northwest Interfaith Amigos, who give presentations all over the Northwest.

In their seamless, sometimes scripted repartee, they drew who-has-the-best-religion dividing lines to teach a larger lesson about the importance of inclusivity over exclusivity.

They gave a connected, holistic and historic context to faith as presented in the scriptures of three of the worlds major religions.

Jews were chosen for the way of the Torah, Falcon explained. More than that, each and every one of us is chosen. We are chosen to be the ones we are. All authentic paths are chosen for the integrity of their paths.

Brown said Jesus was not saying he is the way in an egotistical sense.

He was not speaking about himself, he was speaking about the wisdom that goes beyond ego, Brown said.

At a time of political and religious upheaval, Jesus was saying his way is nonviolence and unconditional love, Brown said.

Rahman said that at Islams core is surrendering to God in peace and a respect for Abraham and Moses.

It does not matter, in the Koran, if you do not practice Islam, he said.

We make no distinction among the prophets, he said.

Islam means surrendering to God in peace, Rahman said.

The critical question is, what am I surrendering? The Koran says your attachment to your ego.

The Interfaith Amigos formed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Their lesson is about the links that can grow between people of different faiths when they lead spiritual lives, drawing from the best of their faiths rather than a path of exclusivity that, as Falcon said, can lead to violence.

The bond grows when people eschew ego and embrace compassion, as taught by Islam, Rahman said.

It blossoms when people show unconditional love to others, as taught by Christianity, Brown said.

After doing presentation after presentation, I understand my own journey as a Christian in a new way because of being open to my brothers, he added.

The trio that appeared Saturday did so at a time of political discord in the U.S. that was alluded to by the participants.

I can think of no time as important as it is at this time to have an interfaith dialogue, Brown said.

Rahman noted that after 9/11, most of those who objected to having a mosque built at Ground Zero did not personally know a Muslim in stark contrast to the majority of those who favored building a mosque, who did know a Muslim.

Falcon said those of different faiths and politics need to create a context for meeting each other as human beings without shouting, name-calling and demonizing each other.

He said people 0f all three faiths go astray from their core teachings when they support exclusivity, violence in the name of that exclusivity, inequality of men and women, homophobia, economic and racial injustice, policies that keep large segments of populations in poverty and the degradation of the environment.

If we talk about where we stray from our core teachings, it gives us a chance to grow and to deepen our faith, our self-understanding and our mutual understanding, Brown said.

A woman during a brief question-and-answer session told Rahman that friends of hers were very concerned and scared about Sharia law.

He urged her to read the writings of Bloomberg View columnist and Harvard law Professor Noah Feldman.

There is no fiqh, or body of Islamic law, that can be introduced into the U.S. that can go against the Constitution, Rahman said.

For Muslims, Sharia means the way to the spring, Rahman said.

To them, Sharia is the overall guidance and justice and love, he said.

He noted how every holy book contains what he called particular verses that have a historical context and universal verses that are timeless and filled with wisdom.

The problem is when you take a particular verse and advocate it as a universal verse, Rahman said.

For example, the Koran contains a verse imploring Muslims to not be friends with Jews and Christians. That was from a time when Muslims were being attacked on all sides.

Some Christian and Jewish tribes had reneged on treaties, hence the distrust, Rahman said.

Eighteen verses down from the warning, the Koran says that having faith in God is what matters beyond a particular religion, and in particular doing righteous deeds, Rahman said.

This is repeated again and again and again and again, he said.

The Amigos ended their presentation with the common thread of spirituality, reminding all of the interconnectedness, as Falcon said, with all humans.

Its all one, and I am as I am, Falcon, Rahman and Brown sang, linking arms.

For more information in East Jefferson County, see http://www.spiritualread.org or call Laski at 360-301-1855.

For more information in Clallam County, email interfaithclallamcounty@gmail.com or call Eash at 360-477-0681.

________

Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.

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Pastor, rabbi, imam speak of interfaith spirituality in 'Amigos' presentation - Peninsula Daily News

Posted February 12, 2017 06:04:46

According to Rose Smith, most people who consult psychics these days are looking for guidance in relationships.

Ms Smith, who runs a phone-in psychic business on the Gold Coast, would know: she gets thousands of calls a year from people having relationship troubles or hoping to find "the one".

Online and telephone readings are all part of being a modern psychic. Though you might think the magic would be lost, Ms Smith believes her readings over the phone are more effective than those she does face to face.

"The voice conveys a lot, and it's a clearer channel of communication than face to face," she told The Spirit of Things.

"It's rather distracting to see what people are wearing or what they look like, so better to have just the information coming through the top of my head, whatever I'm getting from spirit and the person's voice.

"Because I've only got two sources of information then to interpret, so it's actually much easier than face to face."

But if Ms Smith's clients think that she or any of the 70 psychics associated with her website, Absolute Soul Secrets, will solve their problems for them, they've got another thing coming.

"I think this is a point that gets lost sometimes," she said. "A psychic is not going to run your life for you. They're not going to make any decisions for younot good ones anyway."

If that's true, why do people keep consulting them? According to Ms Smith, the desire to take control is a big factor. Despite the clues and suggestions a psychic might offer, clients are free to choose any course of action.

"Lots of people feel that they are not in control, so they go to a psychic to get tips on how to get into control," said Ms Smith.

"Any reasonable psychic is going to give you options and advice, and you're going to make up your own mind which way you're going to go."

But aren't the notions of free will and personal responsibility contradicted by the idea that we're affected by spirits, stars and past lives, and that clairvoyants can access these truths while we cannot?

Ms Smith is tertiary educated and trained as a therapist before becoming a full-time psychic. So how does she reconcile this paradox?

"I've always been a searcher, I've always wanted to know the truth. Having said that, I actually do have an analytical mind," she said.

"I've just recently completed my Masters of business administration in leadership and innovations. I still have that part of me.

"But what I've learnt is to switch between the two, and they're almost like polar opposites. I've done that for many years now, and I can kind of float between the two."

But according to sociology professor Doug Ezzy from the University of Tasmania, young people who become involved in alternative spiritual practices can be somewhat naive, even if the practices can have very positive effects on their emotional wellbeing. Much of Dr Ezzy's research focuses on teenage witches.

"I had one teenager who I interviewed who thought that by doing particular spells she could make herself live forever," he said.

"As an interviewer I wasn't supposed to evaluate her, but as a friend maybe after the interview I would try and help her understand that there is a complex relationship here between magical practice and what is actually achievable."

Dr Ezzy has been documenting witchcraft and paganism in Australia for about 15 years. Together they form a new religious movement of about 0.1 or 0.2 per cent of the population.

Initially he thought the phenomenon of teenage witches, as seen in TV series like Charmed and Buffy, was "just young women, playing around, doing silly things".

But he discovered while researching the book he co-authored with Helen Bergman, Teenage Witches, that these young women are often struggling with real-life issues, including relationship difficulties, health problems, depression, the pressures of school and even sexual abuse.

"People are still looking for a life with soul," he said.

"They're looking for symbols and resources that help them to make sense of the world around them, to deal with difficult situations, cope with loss, find courage and hope.

"These sorts of experiences and practices help them build a life with soul."

In his latest book, Sex, Death and Witchcraft, Dr Ezzy observes similar coping mechanisms at play at the pagan Faunalia festival, which requires individuals to role play their own death.

There's something in that for Ms Smith, who traces her psychic ability back to her difficult childhood.

"I've always had it since being a little girl ... you get psychic really quick if you don't want to get hurt."

Topics: spirituality, spiritualism, religion-and-beliefs, community-and-society, witchcraft, qld

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Psychics, witches and pagans: What do people get out of alternative spirituality? - ABC Online

By age 10, Imam Bilal Malik had memorized the Quran.

His desire to earn the highly respected honor of Hafiz the Arabic term for someone who has memorized the Quran stemmed from sibling rivalry. His older brother achieved the same honor when he was 12 years old.

It was more like a competition, Malik recalled in an interview Wednesday. His motivations for study have changed, but the holy book remains an integral part of his life.

His rsum boasts an impressive array of academic and religious accomplishments, knowledge of world religions and fluency in multiple languages. He earned two masters degrees from The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. He taught world religions at universities and colleges in Pakistan and since moving to the United States in 2000. At the same time, hes devoted himself to spirituality as an imam to communities across the country.

Since 2015, Malik has served as the religious leader for the Islamic Society of Frederick. He teaches the messages of the Quran in prayer and sermons at the masjid, Frederick Countys only mosque, as well as in community events throughout the county. He has also continued academic studies and hopes this year to complete his doctorate at the Islamic University of Minnesota.

Malik, a Pakistani native who spent much of his childhood in Saudi Arabia, named his father as the inspiration for his spiritual and scholarly devotion.

I was going into medical life, he recalled of his original career aspirations. [My father] saved a lot of lives, at least physically.

Adopting a more serious tone, Malik explained how his fathers academic background shaped him and his seven siblings. His father, a renowned scholar in Pakistan and across the Middle East, frequently engaged his children in philosophical discussions about daily life and politics.

Literally, we got inspired by him, Malik said. He was to me not just my father, he was my mentor as well.

It was his fathers influence that awakened his desire to study and to share the teachings of the Quran.

His father also guided Maliks exploration of Sufism, the mystical element of Islam. Malik likened Sufism to Buddhism in their shared emphasis on meditation as a way to connect to ones soul and in turn, to higher power.

The sudden death of his father, who was killed by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002, further fueled Maliks pursuit of knowledge for both academic and spiritual purposes. Extremists shot his father as a statement against his fathers plans to open a religious and welfare center in Pakistan.

Their interpretation of Islam was misguided, Malik explained. He described other acts of extreme violence and terrorism committed in the name of Islam as the result of misunderstanding of the religions core teachings.

These extremists are heinous criminals, not true followers of Islam, he said. Islam is a religion of peace and harmony, evidenced in the traditional greeting of peace be upon you, Malik said.

But like any other religion or set of beliefs, it can become misinterpreted when believers stray from the original teachings.

The problem today ... they are not aware of their own message, he said. Most of the time, we are not educated through our books.

Shariah law, for example, is not a horrifying, extremist doctrine, according to the Quran. Shariah law is divine law, brought from God by his messengers prophets like Abraham, Noah, Muhammed and Jesus.

Every good Christian is practicing Shariah of Jesus, he said.

The Abrahamic religions in particular share many similarities, like branches of the same tree, he said.

But there are differences, too. Respect for those differences is equally important, Malik said.

As leader of the Islamic Society of Frederick, he has spoken at churches and participated in interfaith community events. He emphasized that he does not want to impose Islam on anyone, but to lay out its tenets and let people make their own decisions.

Freedoms of religion and speech are liberties he holds dear compared to the more restrictive environment of Saudi Arabia, which he likened to a bigger jail. Even Pakistan, a democratic parliamentary republic, is not truly representative of its people, he said.

His faith in the democratic process has provided solace amid national dialogue and policies targeting the Muslim community.

Asked about his reaction to the November election, he maintained his conviction that democracy will prevail.

He pointed to the temporary restraining order a federal judge issued on President Donald Trumps controversial Muslim ban as evidence of the democratic process at work. He disagreed with the ban, calling it a violation of religious liberties, but felt reassured that the democratic system would not allow it to continue.

Muslims in Frederick and across the country feel afraid, he said, but that should not force them into hiding. We need to be optimistic, he said. There is no other way.

In his experience, the Frederick community has welcomed him and fellow Muslims. He has never been attacked or vilified for his religion here, he said.

He was once the subject of vitriolic comments because of his religion when he lived in Memphis, Tennessee. He handled the situation peacefully, he said. He also began meeting regularly with the person who made the comments. He chalked up the initial attack to fear and misunderstanding.

Once people know the truth, once they are guided, then they are not going to hate you, he said. We must turn on the light, let people be out of the darkness.

Humble, progressive and very smart were among the words Dr. Syed Haque, president of the Frederick County Muslim Council, used to describe Malik.

He was exactly what we were looking for, he said of Maliks leadership for the Muslim community.

It was at the invitation of the Islamic Society that Malik moved to Frederick. Previously, he had served the Muslim community in Memphis, and before that, in Orlando, Florida.

Maliks teachings have been particularly instrumental for Frederick Muslims struggling to reconcile the conservative teachings of their faith with their modern identities as Americans, Haque said. Instead of shying away from these topics, Malik has addressed them head on.

He takes the basic curriculum, but he also tells us how to live in this country, Haque explained. Thats what we need.

Follow Nancy Lavin on Twitter: @NancyKLavin.

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Scholar of spirituality: Frederick imam seeks to educate, learn about religion - Frederick News Post (subscription)

BOYNE CITY William Paul Young, best known as the author of The Shack, will discuss the difference between being spiritual and being religious in a filmed interview, Spiritual but Not Religious, at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, at Lifetree Caf.

Nearly 30 percent of Americans identify themselves as spiritual but not religious, and the trend is growing. Youngs best-seller has prompted a national discussion of the difference between spirituality and religion.

I make a distinction between the church as an organization and the church as people, says Young. Biblically speaking, the church is people. Its only people. They didnt have the buildings, the structures, or platforms. Its simply people.

Admission to the 60-minute event is free. Lifetree Caf is located 401 S. Park St., Boyne City.

Lifetree Caf is a place where people gather for conversation about life and faith in a casual, comfortable setting. Questions about Lifetree may be directed to Julie Hasse at (231) 582-7983 or Lifetree@fpboyne.org.

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"The Shack" author to talk spirituality at Lifetree - Petoskey News-Review

Wisconsin-based artist and pastor Paul Oman will visit the Franciscan Spirituality Center on Saturday, March 18, for a special event, Drawn to the Word: Seeing the Bible Story Come to Life Before Your Eyes.

Oman will journey through Lenten texts from the Gospel of Luke as he paints a large mural before an audience, sharing the stories not only visually and artistically but also scripturally and musically.

People of all faith traditions are welcome.

Oman was serving as a science teacher and then Lutheran pastor when, in 2011, he took up work as an artistic pastor full time. He says he seeks to give new vision to Gods Word by using the process of painting to captivate audiences in our visually oriented culture.

Oman lives near Amery, Wis., with his wife and three children. Highly proficient in both watercolor and acrylic mediums, Oman has earned numerous awards for his work over the years. Learn more about him at http://www.paulomanfineart.com.

Drawn to the Word will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the center, 920 Market St. Cost is $50, and lunch is included. To register, call 608-791-5295 or go to http://www.fscenter.org.

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Spirituality center welcomes artist-pastor - La Crosse Tribune