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Finding Peace and Inspiration Amid the Terror The airwaves and newspapers are saturated with headlines, text and sidebars filled with tales of war and terror. The spaces around us and within us sometimes seem to vibrate with chaos. Finding the peace within and finding inspiration from without can be difficult these days, but not impossible. Over the past couple of months, readers have shared some favorite websites that helped them. Now, I'll share their discoveries with you. Peacebreath (www.peacebreath.com): Before you attempt to visit this site, make sure you have the Macromedia Flash 5 plug-in installed in your web browser folder. If you don't, you can click on a link at the entry page of the site and get the download. Once the technical part is out of the way, enter the site and become part of a soothing and beautiful online interactive meditation experience. You may remember those old commercials where you follow the bouncing ball. At this site, you allow your breath to follow a breathing ball set against a lovely abstract graphic background. As the blue ball slowly grows larger, you breathe in and as it slowly grows smaller, you breathe out. The breathing is coupled with a set of phrases like "Breathing in, I acknowledge my fear; Breathing out, I release my fear" and "Breathing in, I create peace in myself; Breathing out, I create peace in the world." The phrases are repeated over and over again. Your task is to relax into the breathing and participate in a meditation designed to heal yourself and heal the world. Take it from me, this is a worthwhile and refreshing experience. Interview With God (www.interviewwithgod.net): This site poses the possibilities: What if you could interview God? What would that conversation be like? The presentation allows you to feel like you are the one conducting the interview. Your questions and God's answers are part of a dream that is set against a background of stunning nature photos that fade in and out as the experience progresses. There are several questions and answers. For example, the question "What surprises you most about humanity?" is followed by answers like ... "they forget the present, such that they live in neither the present nor the future." If you are on the Windows platform, you might want to send for the Interview With God Screensaver software. According to its creators, with this screensaver you can "discover a peaceful escape from the workday frenzy, and even find hope in uncertain times." The Interview With God site has become extremely popular. Tens of thousands of visitors have caused some traffic and bandwidth problems. For example, when I visited the site I was able to view the presentation (the main reason to visit), but I wasn't able to use the e-Card feature to send a greeting. A note on the site states that the creators are in the process of developing a new site that will address all the technical problems. In the meantime, I urge you to visit. The presentation is the main experience and that is well worth the visit. Conscious Planet (www.ConsciousPla.net): The subhead at this site states that ConsciousPla.net is "Your Guide to Life-Enhancing Media." Looking for programs that enrich, educate and inspire often seems as futile as looking for a needle in a haystack. This site was created by Perry Goldschein, a former lawyer who decided to do something about the problem. In a recent interview with Publishers Weekly's "BookLine," Goldschein pointed out that the mantra of the typical television newscast is "If it bleeds, it leads." As a response to that attitude, Goldschein created ConsciousPla.net, a site that scours airwaves, cable channels and publishing houses to cull resources that both inform and inspire. "The broadcast media seem to be going in the wrong direction," stated Goldschein in his interview. "People who are interested in self-development, social responsibility, and environmental issues are not interested in what is on network TV today. We provide a guide to media that offers programming with those people in mind." At ConsciousPla.net, you can subscribe to a newsletter that will keep you up-to-date about current programming and issues. For example, the sample newsletter at the site contained information about the PBS program LIFE 360, which will explore the emotional and spiritual connections of music, comedy and dramatic performance. It also had information about a New Dimensions Radio offering called "The Wonder of Mysticism." In addition, there was a feature article entitled "The Medium is Not the Message: Media as a Tool for Social and Individual Transformation." The Conscious.TV and Counscious.FM sections of the site introduce you to a multitude of programming that ranges from well-known shows like Oprah to the Worldwide Broadcast Network, which promises to be the most comprehensive streaming media portal on the Internet. Each listing is linked to a home page where you can find out more information. Another section is the Storefront. This contains a short but inspiring selection of recommended videos, DVDs, audio books and regular books. My advice is to subscribe to the newsletter and bookmark this site. It is an important resource that should be used over and over again. Chun Do Sun Bup (www.cdsb.org): The physical ramifications of chaos must be considered during stressful times like these. Energy healing is one method of transforming the stress. One reader recommended this site and it might be just the right energy technique for some folks. The reader pointed out that he found the Chun Do Sun Bup technique to be powerful and intriguing since it contains a method of healing inherited family energy based on the principle that our dead ancestors are still connected to us through our energy patterns. According to the information at the site, Chun Do Sun Bup is a 6000-year-old ancient healing method that uses the power of the original ki energy to heal body, mind, and spirit. It is deeply rooted on the Taoist principles of creation of life, and on the understanding and obedience of the laws of nature. You can't actually learn the technique on line. However, you can explore the technique and learn about how you can receive training. Quantum-Touch (www.quantumtouch.com): I took the Quantum Touch workshop after reading Guy Spiro's interview with Richard Gordon in The Monthly Aspectarian. I was not disappointed. Gordon is the author of Quantum-Touch: The Power to Heal. The Quantum-Touch method has been called "a significant breakthrough in hands-on healing" by Alternative Medicine Magazine and Dr. C. Norman Shealy, M.D., states that the technique "may truly allow us all to become healers." I've had others do energy healing work on me many times. However, I'm a newbie when it comes to actually practicing energy healing. I can tell you that I'm finding the techniques from the workshop and the subsequent Supercharging Quantum-Touch workshop very powerful. I was also impressed by the basic humility of the instructors. Quantum-Touch is not being heralded as the technique, but as a technique that can be used in tandem with or to heighten the effectiveness of other techniques. You can find out more about the technique, as well as about upcoming workshops at their website. An astrological view of the conflict: The events on and since September 11, 2001 have left a lot of us wondering what the heck is going on. Some insight on that may be obtained by going to The Monthly Aspectarian website (www.lightworks.com) and clicking on the AstroWeather section. That section contains another link entitled "Astrological Views of the Conflict." Here is an excerpt from that section: "No birth time of this movement is available and so no chart for it can be erected. But the attack on the World Trade Center did occur at a moment in time, so it serves as a birth of sorts for the war. The timing of the attack tells us much about the course of the war and the outcome we can expect." Check the section out for a glimpse at present and future realities and possibilities. Do you have a favorite spiritual or personal growth Web site that you'd like me to review? Please drop me an e-mail at Monty764@aol.com. And remember, I also want to hear your story about how the Internet and the World Wide Web have impacted your journey toward self-realization. A short e-mail questionnaire is available by contacting Monty764@aol.com. Just fill it out and e-mail it back. Your contribution will help me complete my Spirituality & the Internet Research Project and, in turn. Will help others who are undertaking a similar pilgrimage. Mary Montgomery-Clifford is a certified web author and developer. Her company, Montgomery Media Enterprises ("Freelancing with Finesse!"), specializes in public relations, events, promotions, writing project and web authoring, development and publicity. Ms. Montgomery-Clifford is currently studying for a Master's Degree with an emphasis on inter-religious studies at the Chicago Theological Seminary and is in the process of completing the Morris Pratt Institute Course on Modern Spiritualism. Contact her via e-mail at Monty764@aol.com, by phone at 773-235-8821 or at her web site at www.montymedia.com Next Article |
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