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A Conversation With...
Master Stephen Co
by Guy Spiro
Guy Spiro: I always like to start by asking people to briefly tell their story. What was the evolution of coming to be who you are and coming to do what you do?
Stephen Co: I started in 1988. I wasn’t interested in doing healing, spiritual work or anything like that. However, my wife fell from fourteen feet and broke her hip bone and the doctor said it would be three and a half months before she could put any weight on it.
GS: What kind of work were you doing?
SC: I was an engineer, doing part time sales.
Guy Spiro: I always like to start by asking people to briefly tell their story. What was the evolution of coming to be who you are and coming to do what you do?Stephen Co: I started in 1988. I wasn’t interested in doing healing, spiritual work or anything like that. However, my wife fell from fourteen feet and broke her hip bone and the doctor said it would be three and a half months before she could put any weight on it.
GS: What kind of work were you doing?
SC: I was an engineer, doing part time sales.
Bill Arrott
by Guy Spiro
Guy Spiro: Bill, please talk a little about what New Thought is and the history of it.
Bill Arrott: New Thought is not really new thought, it’s been around for thousands of years. It goes back to ancient Egypt. Aldous Huxley referred to it as the perennial wisdom. William James, the father of American psychology, in his book The Varieties of Religious Experience called it the religion of healthy mindedness. It has its antecedents in many religious persuasions. Much more recently, the Dalai Lama called New Thought “the religion of the 21st Century.” He also called The Science...
Guy Spiro: Bill, please talk a little about what New Thought is and the history of it.Bill Arrott: New Thought is not really new thought, it’s been around for thousands of years. It goes back to ancient Egypt. Aldous Huxley referred to it as the perennial wisdom. William James, the father of American psychology, in his book The Varieties of Religious Experience called it the religion of healthy mindedness. It has its antecedents in many religious persuasions. Much more recently, the Dalai Lama called New Thought “the religion of the 21st Century.” He also called The Science...
Glenn Perry
by Guy Spiro
Guy Spiro: Glenn, I like to begin by having you tell your story. How did you start out and how did you get to where you are?
Glenn Perry: I came to California back in 1972 wanting to write screenplays. I was doing a lot of reading in metaphysics, comparative religion and spirituality in general like a lot of other people in that era. I had been interested in astrology even in high school. Once I got out of college, I had the time to really study it, and the more I studied it, the more I fell in love with it. After I began doing readings professionally, I decided that I was...
Guy Spiro: Glenn, I like to begin by having you tell your story. How did you start out and how did you get to where you are?Glenn Perry: I came to California back in 1972 wanting to write screenplays. I was doing a lot of reading in metaphysics, comparative religion and spirituality in general like a lot of other people in that era. I had been interested in astrology even in high school. Once I got out of college, I had the time to really study it, and the more I studied it, the more I fell in love with it. After I began doing readings professionally, I decided that I was...
Linda Williamson
by Guy Spiro
Guy Spiro: Linda, please tell us how your good work around Chicago evolved; how did you come to be who you are?
Linda Wwilliamson: About ten years ago, I got interested in hypnosis again, after having a long real estate management career. I retired from that and decided that I wanted to help people with the life skills that I had learned, primarily through my own self healings that I had needed for myself. My husband saw an ad that a hypnotist was needed. I wasn’t certified at the time but I replied to the ad and they helped me get certification.
Guy Spiro: Linda, please tell us how your good work around Chicago evolved; how did you come to be who you are?Linda Wwilliamson: About ten years ago, I got interested in hypnosis again, after having a long real estate management career. I retired from that and decided that I wanted to help people with the life skills that I had learned, primarily through my own self healings that I had needed for myself. My husband saw an ad that a hypnotist was needed. I wasn’t certified at the time but I replied to the ad and they helped me get certification.
Features
Faith: The Common Thread in a Diverse World
by Carole Lynne
These days, many of us have more worries on our minds than we did two years ago. Most people are concerned about their jobs and their bank accounts. And if you are not personally concerned, you are most likely close to someone who is more anxious than usual. This is a time when all of us must remember that Faith is Power.
Faith is the belief that things will get better and that which seems impossible is possible. It has often been said, “thoughts are things and they change our lives.” If we have thoughts that life will get better, then our creative imaginations are...
These days, many of us have more worries on our minds than we did two years ago. Most people are concerned about their jobs and their bank accounts. And if you are not personally concerned, you are most likely close to someone who is more anxious than usual. This is a time when all of us must remember that Faith is Power.Faith is the belief that things will get better and that which seems impossible is possible. It has often been said, “thoughts are things and they change our lives.” If we have thoughts that life will get better, then our creative imaginations are...
Connections
Green Chicago
by Kathleen Ellis
Bike takeover! It's happening in August—the big, beautiful diverse community of cyclists—commuters, couriers, racers, environmentalists, survivalists, people from every point along the political spectrum—are all taking responsibility, calorie-for-calorie, for getting themselves around town. Burning dead dinosaurs is certainly no way to roll, not in this fine weather! Slowly the worldwide trend is turning around, fewer people are idolizing the internal combustion engine as a symbol of freedom and are getting back to that sweet, beautiful formula, the most efficient...
Bike takeover! It's happening in August—the big, beautiful diverse community of cyclists—commuters, couriers, racers, environmentalists, survivalists, people from every point along the political spectrum—are all taking responsibility, calorie-for-calorie, for getting themselves around town. Burning dead dinosaurs is certainly no way to roll, not in this fine weather! Slowly the worldwide trend is turning around, fewer people are idolizing the internal combustion engine as a symbol of freedom and are getting back to that sweet, beautiful formula, the most efficient...Columns
Sound Perspectives
by Steven Halpern
Sleep, Stress and Sound
The shock and tragedy of Michael Jackson's death are still very much in the news as I write this. As reports continue to disclose additional contributory factors to the continual stress and pain that Michael lived with, one of the key factors is his difficulty with falling asleep. It may turn out that he had an array of uppers and downers that rivaled the original King, Elvis himself.
I'm wondering if you noticed, however, a possible source of irritating noise that certainly didn't make it any easier to fall sleep. According the live footage shot from overhead, his rented...
Sleep, Stress and Sound
The shock and tragedy of Michael Jackson's death are still very much in the news as I write this. As reports continue to disclose additional contributory factors to the continual stress and pain that Michael lived with, one of the key factors is his difficulty with falling asleep. It may turn out that he had an array of uppers and downers that rivaled the original King, Elvis himself.I'm wondering if you noticed, however, a possible source of irritating noise that certainly didn't make it any easier to fall sleep. According the live footage shot from overhead, his rented...
Everyday Matters
by Jeanne Spiro
A Good & Interesting Time
With this August issue, we wrap up thirty years of publishing The Monthly Aspectarian. It’s almost impossible to believe, but Guy and I have been at this for more than half our lives, and longer than the entire lives of our three kids. It’s not unusual for us to meet people who say they grew up with the magazine, their parents were readers.
Much has happened over these years, one of the most obvious to us magazine-wise is the changes in technology. In 1979, desktop publishing was nonexistent. In fact, personal computers were just coming into general use. We bought our first...
A Good & Interesting Time
With this August issue, we wrap up thirty years of publishing The Monthly Aspectarian. It’s almost impossible to believe, but Guy and I have been at this for more than half our lives, and longer than the entire lives of our three kids. It’s not unusual for us to meet people who say they grew up with the magazine, their parents were readers.Much has happened over these years, one of the most obvious to us magazine-wise is the changes in technology. In 1979, desktop publishing was nonexistent. In fact, personal computers were just coming into general use. We bought our first...
Reviews
In Print
New Books of Interest
The Leader’s Way: The Art of Making the Right Decisions in Our Careers, Our Companies, and the World at Large by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Laurens van den Muyzenberg. (Broadway Books, $27.58, hardcover.)
Born out of a decade of discussions between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and international management consultant Laurens van den Muyzenberg, The Leader’s Way is the unique meeting of two worlds, the global business landscape and Buddhism. At first glance, these seem to be an unlikely pairing. A closer look...
New Books of Interest
The Leader’s Way: The Art of Making the Right Decisions in Our Careers, Our Companies, and the World at Large by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Laurens van den Muyzenberg. (Broadway Books, $27.58, hardcover.)Born out of a decade of discussions between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and international management consultant Laurens van den Muyzenberg, The Leader’s Way is the unique meeting of two worlds, the global business landscape and Buddhism. At first glance, these seem to be an unlikely pairing. A closer look...
Science Fiction & The Art of Storytelling
The Mystery of Magic Part I: Arm of The Law by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
The Musketeer’s Seamstress by Sarah D’Almeida. (Berkley Prime Crime, April, 2007.)
The Musketeer’s Apprentice by Sarah D’Almeida. (Berkley Prime Crime, September, 2007.)
A Death in Gascony by Sarah D’Almeida. (Berkley Prime Crime, April, 2008)
The Mercedes Coffin by Faye Kellerman. (William Morrow, 2008.)
Flipping Out by Marshall Karp. (Minotaur Books, April, 2009.)
The Increment by David Ignatius. (WW Norton, May, 2009.)
The Mystery of Magic Part I: Arm of The Law by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
The Musketeer’s Seamstress by Sarah D’Almeida. (Berkley Prime Crime, April, 2007.)The Musketeer’s Apprentice by Sarah D’Almeida. (Berkley Prime Crime, September, 2007.)
A Death in Gascony by Sarah D’Almeida. (Berkley Prime Crime, April, 2008)
The Mercedes Coffin by Faye Kellerman. (William Morrow, 2008.)
Flipping Out by Marshall Karp. (Minotaur Books, April, 2009.)
The Increment by David Ignatius. (WW Norton, May, 2009.)
A Conversation With...
Earl Pearl
by Guy Spiro
Guy Spiro: Eric, we last talked in 2004, 2005. What’s new since then?
Eric Pearl: We’ve expanded quite a deal. The Reconnection is now in thirty languages, we’ve trained over 60,000 practitioners. We have some new programs that are spreading very rapidly called Reconnecting Kids, working with children. I recently got back from working with the Maori children in New Zealand on their Marai, which are the lands specially designated for them; it’s sacred land. You have to be brought on by invitation and through a special ceremony.
Guy Spiro: Eric, we last talked in 2004, 2005. What’s new since then?Eric Pearl: We’ve expanded quite a deal. The Reconnection is now in thirty languages, we’ve trained over 60,000 practitioners. We have some new programs that are spreading very rapidly called Reconnecting Kids, working with children. I recently got back from working with the Maori children in New Zealand on their Marai, which are the lands specially designated for them; it’s sacred land. You have to be brought on by invitation and through a special ceremony.
Features
Hoods and Masks
by Barbara Redcay
It’s 5:15 p.m. in Chicago. Beneath the evening traffic on State Street, I’m waiting for the CTA Red Line. I look down the tunnel and see the light of an oncoming train. The commuters on the platform begin to shift positions. Ranks tighten and we all stand where we think we might be close to an opening door. Standing next to me is a woman with white hair whom I guess to be in her late fifties.
My luck is running, the door opens before me and I step into the car. In my best commuter posture, I walk to an empty seat with a determined step...
It’s 5:15 p.m. in Chicago. Beneath the evening traffic on State Street, I’m waiting for the CTA Red Line. I look down the tunnel and see the light of an oncoming train. The commuters on the platform begin to shift positions. Ranks tighten and we all stand where we think we might be close to an opening door. Standing next to me is a woman with white hair whom I guess to be in her late fifties. My luck is running, the door opens before me and I step into the car. In my best commuter posture, I walk to an empty seat with a determined step...
Finding Possibility in the Midst of Adversity
by Alison Bonds Shapiro
What do we do when adversity hits? Is there a way to work with adversity that makes a difference and is it something we have influence over? The answer is yes. The way we approach whatever happens to us can have a profound affect on the outcome. Call it the power of positive thinking. Call it finding the good in any situation. Call it making lemonade out of lemons. Call it any cliché you like, but the truth is, our approach makes a difference.
When I was growing up, I thought these clichés were ridiculous. I thought they simply meant taking a dismal picture and pretending it...
What do we do when adversity hits? Is there a way to work with adversity that makes a difference and is it something we have influence over? The answer is yes. The way we approach whatever happens to us can have a profound affect on the outcome. Call it the power of positive thinking. Call it finding the good in any situation. Call it making lemonade out of lemons. Call it any cliché you like, but the truth is, our approach makes a difference.When I was growing up, I thought these clichés were ridiculous. I thought they simply meant taking a dismal picture and pretending it...
Veggie Fest Chicago 2009
The Chicago Tribune called it the “best bet for the weekend.” Healthy Dining wrote, “I can’t say enough good things about it ... If you missed it, mark your calendars for next year’s event.” Or how about: “10,000 people and it never felt crowded.” This was Veggie Fest 2008.
This August, Naperville will again host Chicagoland’s fourth annual Veggie Fest Chicago 2009, on Saturday, August 8, 11 a.m.–8 p.m., and Sunday, August 9, 11 a.m.–7 p.m., on the grounds of the Science of Spirituality Meditation Center, 4S 175 Naperville-Wheaton Rd...
The Chicago Tribune called it the “best bet for the weekend.” Healthy Dining wrote, “I can’t say enough good things about it ... If you missed it, mark your calendars for next year’s event.” Or how about: “10,000 people and it never felt crowded.” This was Veggie Fest 2008.This August, Naperville will again host Chicagoland’s fourth annual Veggie Fest Chicago 2009, on Saturday, August 8, 11 a.m.–8 p.m., and Sunday, August 9, 11 a.m.–7 p.m., on the grounds of the Science of Spirituality Meditation Center, 4S 175 Naperville-Wheaton Rd...
Connections
Green Chicago
by Kathleen Ellis
Whew! Seems like we went straight from winter to summer this year and we skipped spring entirely. As of this writing in late June, the forecast is in the nineties every day, and while today was pretty darn hot, still, I’m making an effort to keep the air conditioning switched off, and I hope you’ll consider doing it, too.
I know, I know—this is never a very popular suggestion, and it’s with no amount of trepidation that I offer it, but even if you’re sure you won’t do it, I invite you to think about it for a moment.
Whew! Seems like we went straight from winter to summer this year and we skipped spring entirely. As of this writing in late June, the forecast is in the nineties every day, and while today was pretty darn hot, still, I’m making an effort to keep the air conditioning switched off, and I hope you’ll consider doing it, too.I know, I know—this is never a very popular suggestion, and it’s with no amount of trepidation that I offer it, but even if you’re sure you won’t do it, I invite you to think about it for a moment.
Columns
From the Heart
by Alan Cohen
We Have to Let You Go
I have a new favorite cartoon. It’s a rendering by James True (www.jtrue.com) that’s both humorous and profound. The cartoon shows a tomato stalk with several tomatoes growing on it, at various stages of development. One tomato is large and ripe. The tomato stalk says to the ripe tomato, “We have to let you go.” The title of the cartoon is Layoffs at the Plant.
The profound nature of the cartoon is that the large tomato is ripe to be picked. Of course the plant has to let it go because it has no further purpose on the stalk. If it stays it will rot and die. If it leaves, it will...
We Have to Let You Go
I have a new favorite cartoon. It’s a rendering by James True (www.jtrue.com) that’s both humorous and profound. The cartoon shows a tomato stalk with several tomatoes growing on it, at various stages of development. One tomato is large and ripe. The tomato stalk says to the ripe tomato, “We have to let you go.” The title of the cartoon is Layoffs at the Plant.
The profound nature of the cartoon is that the large tomato is ripe to be picked. Of course the plant has to let it go because it has no further purpose on the stalk. If it stays it will rot and die. If it leaves, it will...
Sound Perspectives
by Steven Halpern
Smoky Mountain Magic, Hi-Tech Meditation™, Subliminals in the News and Noise
I’ve just returned from a week in the uplifting energetic field of the Smoky Mountains outside of Asheville , North Carolina . I’ve found a special vortex that always makes it easy to get into a deep meditative state. Being there, sitting on the small rock in the middle of the babbling mountain stream, the concept of “earth energy” is a palpable reality.
If you’ve never been to that area of the country, I highly recommend it. And I also can recommend some great places to stay. Motels on the main streets just don’t do justice to a day hike...
Smoky Mountain Magic, Hi-Tech Meditation™, Subliminals in the News and Noise
I’ve just returned from a week in the uplifting energetic field of the Smoky Mountains outside of Asheville , North Carolina . I’ve found a special vortex that always makes it easy to get into a deep meditative state. Being there, sitting on the small rock in the middle of the babbling mountain stream, the concept of “earth energy” is a palpable reality.If you’ve never been to that area of the country, I highly recommend it. And I also can recommend some great places to stay. Motels on the main streets just don’t do justice to a day hike...
Dear Swami
by Swami Beyondananda
Dear Swami:
I have impulses and habits that wreck my will power—the one thing I need to overcome the bad habits. What do you recommend?
— Malik E. Fawcett,
Detroit , Michigan
Dear Malik,
Hopefully one of your bad habits is procrastinating. If so, then next time you have the urge to turn an impulse into an out-pulse, call on the positive power of procrastination, and simply put it off.
Dear Swami:I have impulses and habits that wreck my will power—the one thing I need to overcome the bad habits. What do you recommend?
— Malik E. Fawcett,
Detroit , Michigan
Dear Malik,
Hopefully one of your bad habits is procrastinating. If so, then next time you have the urge to turn an impulse into an out-pulse, call on the positive power of procrastination, and simply put it off.
Reviews
In Print
New Books of Interest
Happiness from the Inside Out: The Art and Science of Fulfillment by Robert Mack. (New World Library, $14.95, Paperback.)
It used to be that good advice about how to be happy came mostly from poets, philosophers, and clergymen, but within the last ten years, scientists have begun studying happiness. In the fields of psychology and cognitive science, researchers have been focusing less on the treatment of mental illness and more on what it takes for psychologically “normal” people to feel satisfied, fulfilled, and genuinely happy. What they...
New Books of Interest
Happiness from the Inside Out: The Art and Science of Fulfillment by Robert Mack. (New World Library, $14.95, Paperback.)It used to be that good advice about how to be happy came mostly from poets, philosophers, and clergymen, but within the last ten years, scientists have begun studying happiness. In the fields of psychology and cognitive science, researchers have been focusing less on the treatment of mental illness and more on what it takes for psychologically “normal” people to feel satisfied, fulfilled, and genuinely happy. What they...
Science Fiction & The Art of Storytelling
Why Do You Pull Your Magical Punches?
by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Fortune and Fate by Sharon Shinn. (Ace Hardcover, November, 2008.)
Reader and the Raelynx by Sharon Shinn. (Ace Hardcover, November, 2007.)
Spell Sword of Darkover by Marion Zimmer Bradley. (1974.)
The Fetch by Laura Whitcomb. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.)
Sex on the Altar, Vol. 1, by Wencke Braathen, wenckebraathen@gmail.com.
Black Ship by Diana Pharaoh Francis. (RoC Paperback, November, 2008.)
Why Do You Pull Your Magical Punches?
by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Fortune and Fate by Sharon Shinn. (Ace Hardcover, November, 2008.)Reader and the Raelynx by Sharon Shinn. (Ace Hardcover, November, 2007.)
Spell Sword of Darkover by Marion Zimmer Bradley. (1974.)
The Fetch by Laura Whitcomb. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.)
Sex on the Altar, Vol. 1, by Wencke Braathen, wenckebraathen@gmail.com.
Black Ship by Diana Pharaoh Francis. (RoC Paperback, November, 2008.)
Cyberweave: Spirituality and the Internet
Messages from Indigenous People that We Need to Hear
by Mary Montgomery-Clifford
As promised, this month’s column dovetails with June’s Cyberweave column, “The Vision of Spiritual Entrepreneurship and Management.” Last month I focused on the idea that the global survival depends on a business model that is grounded in spirituality. The idea of spiritual entrepreneurship and management is being promoted by Alfredo Sfeir-Younis, president and founder of the Zambuling Institute for Human Transformation (http://silentpeacemeditation.com) and a retired World Bank environmental economist.
As a World Bank official, Sfeir-Younis gleaned...
As promised, this month’s column dovetails with June’s Cyberweave column, “The Vision of Spiritual Entrepreneurship and Management.” Last month I focused on the idea that the global survival depends on a business model that is grounded in spirituality. The idea of spiritual entrepreneurship and management is being promoted by Alfredo Sfeir-Younis, president and founder of the Zambuling Institute for Human Transformation (http://silentpeacemeditation.com) and a retired World Bank environmental economist.As a World Bank official, Sfeir-Younis gleaned...
A Conversation With...
Marian Oscar Miro Quesada
by Guy Spiro
Guy Spiro: Oscar, what’s new since we last spoke in 2005?
Oscar Miro-Quesada: There have been numerous opportunities that have coalesced around our service work through the Heart of the Healer Foundation that have resulted in partnerships with various indigenous communities as well as social justice and environmental activists both in the U.S. and in Peru, that are quite exciting. This has manifested in becoming the custodians of almost 15,000 acres of primary rainforest in the most bio-diverse area of the southeastern Peruvian...
by Guy Spiro
Guy Spiro: Oscar, what’s new since we last spoke in 2005?Oscar Miro-Quesada: There have been numerous opportunities that have coalesced around our service work through the Heart of the Healer Foundation that have resulted in partnerships with various indigenous communities as well as social justice and environmental activists both in the U.S. and in Peru, that are quite exciting. This has manifested in becoming the custodians of almost 15,000 acres of primary rainforest in the most bio-diverse area of the southeastern Peruvian...
Betty Sue Flowers
by Guy Spiro
Guy Spiro: Betty Sue, I usually begin my interviews having people tell their stories. A little bit of research shows that you have a wide and varied background.
Betty Sue Flowers: I’ve always been interested in how things are designed and how they could be designed better. It’s one reason I’m in poetry. When you come to talking about how human beings could design themselves towards a better world, that is design conversation, design systems, and even understand the implicit design they’re caught in when they talk to each other...
Guy Spiro: Betty Sue, I usually begin my interviews having people tell their stories. A little bit of research shows that you have a wide and varied background.Betty Sue Flowers: I’ve always been interested in how things are designed and how they could be designed better. It’s one reason I’m in poetry. When you come to talking about how human beings could design themselves towards a better world, that is design conversation, design systems, and even understand the implicit design they’re caught in when they talk to each other...
Features
Change Arises From Within
by Bhashkar Perinchery
“We need to see that each one of us is like a world in itself"
Nobody is unwanted in this existence. You are not just accidentally in this life-process. Rather, you are part of this alive, dynamic, celebrative process of life: wanted and welcomed. Like in the Upanishad*, there is a saying: “Even if a blade of grass is missing, the whole existence will thirst for it.”
Become aware that your own happiness and future is your individual responsibility. Aliveness means being in touch with the “new” in each...
“We need to see that each one of us is like a world in itself"Nobody is unwanted in this existence. You are not just accidentally in this life-process. Rather, you are part of this alive, dynamic, celebrative process of life: wanted and welcomed. Like in the Upanishad*, there is a saying: “Even if a blade of grass is missing, the whole existence will thirst for it.”
Become aware that your own happiness and future is your individual responsibility. Aliveness means being in touch with the “new” in each...
Hands of Peace Builds Future Leaders
by Maggie Cain, Adam Heffez
and Julie Kanak
We can do what politicians can't.” - Mohammed (West Bank Palestinian Hands of Peace participant 2007)
If you see a sea of purple shirts in the northern suburbs or downtown Chicago , you’ll know that Hands of Peace is back in session! From July 17 to August 2, Hands of Peace, a small, local non-profit organization dedicated to fostering peace in the Middle East person by person, will bring in students from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to learn about peaceful coexistence. Jewish Israeli, Arab-Citizens-of-Israel and West Bank...
and Julie Kanak
We can do what politicians can't.” - Mohammed (West Bank Palestinian Hands of Peace participant 2007)If you see a sea of purple shirts in the northern suburbs or downtown Chicago , you’ll know that Hands of Peace is back in session! From July 17 to August 2, Hands of Peace, a small, local non-profit organization dedicated to fostering peace in the Middle East person by person, will bring in students from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to learn about peaceful coexistence. Jewish Israeli, Arab-Citizens-of-Israel and West Bank...
Connections
Green Chicago
by Kathleen Ellis
Here it is, the dawn of summer has arrived and the the midwest is blossoming in all its succulent abundance! Accordingly, farmers’ markets are back in full force. Your local park, farmstand, town plaza or even vacant lot may have a market. The Chicago Sun-Times has put together a great directory of city and suburban markets: http://tinyurl.com/chicagofarmersmarkets
Keeping in mind that the producers at the market don’t operate with the same kind of everything-in-massive-bulk model that your supermarket does, it helps the hardworking vendors if you...
Here it is, the dawn of summer has arrived and the the midwest is blossoming in all its succulent abundance! Accordingly, farmers’ markets are back in full force. Your local park, farmstand, town plaza or even vacant lot may have a market. The Chicago Sun-Times has put together a great directory of city and suburban markets: http://tinyurl.com/chicagofarmersmarketsKeeping in mind that the producers at the market don’t operate with the same kind of everything-in-massive-bulk model that your supermarket does, it helps the hardworking vendors if you...
Columns
From the Heart
by Alan Cohen
The Sin that Never Happened
Country musician Butch Hancock noted, “Life in Lubbock, Texas, taught me two things: One is that God loves you and you’re going to burn in hell. The other is that sex is the most awful, filthy thing on earth and you should save it for someone you love.”
We have all received confusing and contradictory messages from religion and other authority figures about sin and forgiveness. We have been told that we have sinned terribly and we need to do all kinds of things to avoid burning in hell or inheriting devastating karma. Yet there is another way to...
The Sin that Never Happened
Country musician Butch Hancock noted, “Life in Lubbock, Texas, taught me two things: One is that God loves you and you’re going to burn in hell. The other is that sex is the most awful, filthy thing on earth and you should save it for someone you love.”We have all received confusing and contradictory messages from religion and other authority figures about sin and forgiveness. We have been told that we have sinned terribly and we need to do all kinds of things to avoid burning in hell or inheriting devastating karma. Yet there is another way to...
Sound Perspectives
by Steven Halpern
Sound Suggestions About Swine Flu and Programming Your Mind
Just when we thought the economy couldn’t get any worse, along comes swine flu. If this were a movie script, it would require the willing suspension of disbelief.
But whatever the cause, as I write this newsletter on May 1, what is clear so far is that FDR was right, at least partially: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
Indeed, it seems that at this juncture, there is more havoc wreaked by fear of swine flu than the actual virus itself. Some authorities are calling this an “infodemic” rather than just a pandemic...
Sound Suggestions About Swine Flu and Programming Your Mind
Just when we thought the economy couldn’t get any worse, along comes swine flu. If this were a movie script, it would require the willing suspension of disbelief.But whatever the cause, as I write this newsletter on May 1, what is clear so far is that FDR was right, at least partially: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
Indeed, it seems that at this juncture, there is more havoc wreaked by fear of swine flu than the actual virus itself. Some authorities are calling this an “infodemic” rather than just a pandemic...
Everyday Matters
by Jeanne Spiro
Restoring Wholeness
Do you ever wonder if there are two of you? I don’t mean in the multiple personality sense, but in the sense that we have the way we’d like to be and then the way that we are. We’d like to eat healthy, lose weight, exercise, be more creative, study some new thing, make repairs to the home or just redecorate some. Or learn a new language or take that trip, do that volunteer work or, or, or. We’re continually getting through one day, and then the next, without making those changes that we’d like to make, those improvements we’d like to see. Before we know it, months have gone by...
Restoring Wholeness
Do you ever wonder if there are two of you? I don’t mean in the multiple personality sense, but in the sense that we have the way we’d like to be and then the way that we are. We’d like to eat healthy, lose weight, exercise, be more creative, study some new thing, make repairs to the home or just redecorate some. Or learn a new language or take that trip, do that volunteer work or, or, or. We’re continually getting through one day, and then the next, without making those changes that we’d like to make, those improvements we’d like to see. Before we know it, months have gone by...Reviews
In Print
New Books of Interest
No Enemy to Conquer: Forgiveness in an Unforgiving World by Michael Henderson, foreword by the Dalai Lama. (Baylor Press, $19.95, Paperback.)
Forgiveness has an image problem, says British journalist Michael Henderson. The perception that it is a soft subject has obscured the significance of forgiveness in public life. In No Enemy to Conquer, Henderson reports true stories that demonstrate that forgiving and asking for forgiveness are not merely personal or religious actions, but can influence national and international affairs. In...
New Books of Interest
No Enemy to Conquer: Forgiveness in an Unforgiving World by Michael Henderson, foreword by the Dalai Lama. (Baylor Press, $19.95, Paperback.)Forgiveness has an image problem, says British journalist Michael Henderson. The perception that it is a soft subject has obscured the significance of forgiveness in public life. In No Enemy to Conquer, Henderson reports true stories that demonstrate that forgiving and asking for forgiveness are not merely personal or religious actions, but can influence national and international affairs. In...
Science Fiction & The Art of Storytelling
Language And Magic by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Draw One In The Dark by Sarah A. Hoyt. (Baen Fantasy Paperback, May, 2008.)
Reserved For The Cat by Mercedes Lackey. (DAW Hardcover, November, 2007.)
The Shenandoah Spy by Francis Hamit. (Brass Cannon Books, Trade Paperback, 2008.)
Dawn Keepers by Jessica Andersen. (Signet Eclipse Paranormal Romance, January, 2009.)
Teach Me Everyday Spanish and Teach Me Everyday German. (Book and CD from www.teachmetapes.com.)
Some people think magic is all about casting...
Language And Magic by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Draw One In The Dark by Sarah A. Hoyt. (Baen Fantasy Paperback, May, 2008.)Reserved For The Cat by Mercedes Lackey. (DAW Hardcover, November, 2007.)
The Shenandoah Spy by Francis Hamit. (Brass Cannon Books, Trade Paperback, 2008.)
Dawn Keepers by Jessica Andersen. (Signet Eclipse Paranormal Romance, January, 2009.)
Teach Me Everyday Spanish and Teach Me Everyday German. (Book and CD from www.teachmetapes.com.)
Some people think magic is all about casting...
Cyberweave: Spirituality and the Internet
by Mary Montgomery-Clifford
The Vision of Spiritual Entrepreneurship and Managment
I had heard of social entrepreneurship. In fact, one of my good friends has just completed her dissertation on the subject. But, the first time I heard the term spiritual entrepreneurship was on April 30th when I tuned into Worldview, Chicago Public Radio’s global affairs program hosted by Jerome McDonnell (www.wbez.org/Program_WV.aspx). The guest that day was Alfredo Sfeir-Younis, president and founder of the Zambuling Institute for Human Transformation (http://silentpeacemeditation.com).
The Vision of Spiritual Entrepreneurship and Managment
I had heard of social entrepreneurship. In fact, one of my good friends has just completed her dissertation on the subject. But, the first time I heard the term spiritual entrepreneurship was on April 30th when I tuned into Worldview, Chicago Public Radio’s global affairs program hosted by Jerome McDonnell (www.wbez.org/Program_WV.aspx). The guest that day was Alfredo Sfeir-Younis, president and founder of the Zambuling Institute for Human Transformation (http://silentpeacemeditation.com).
A Conversation With...
Marian McNair
by Guy Spiro
Guy Spiro: Marianne, I always like to start by asking how did you start and what was the path you took to the work that you do?
Marian McNair: I was given a book when I was sixteen on the Hunza Yoga way of life and longevity, and I was fascinated with the yogis and how they could live past 100 to 120 years of age. I’d been doing yoga and that led me to all sorts of other things. Along with all of my reading and exploring breathwork, I’ve been a part of several different spiritual groups. I worked with the Ramtha School of Enlightenment for four or...
Guy Spiro: Marianne, I always like to start by asking how did you start and what was the path you took to the work that you do?Marian McNair: I was given a book when I was sixteen on the Hunza Yoga way of life and longevity, and I was fascinated with the yogis and how they could live past 100 to 120 years of age. I’d been doing yoga and that led me to all sorts of other things. Along with all of my reading and exploring breathwork, I’ve been a part of several different spiritual groups. I worked with the Ramtha School of Enlightenment for four or...
Features
The Color of Wellness
by Laurie Buchanan
Color is simply energy—energy made visible. As human beings, color is the only energy we can actually see. While the speed of light is a constant 186,282 miles per second, the speed of color—its frequency—travels at varying speeds depending on the color and shade. As it meets the rods and cones in our eyes, the frequency sends a signal to our brain that allows us to distinguish one color from another.
Color has always had significance. In prehistoric times human lives were completely governed by day and night, light and dark. Day brings...
Color is simply energy—energy made visible. As human beings, color is the only energy we can actually see. While the speed of light is a constant 186,282 miles per second, the speed of color—its frequency—travels at varying speeds depending on the color and shade. As it meets the rods and cones in our eyes, the frequency sends a signal to our brain that allows us to distinguish one color from another.Color has always had significance. In prehistoric times human lives were completely governed by day and night, light and dark. Day brings...
Modern Technology and Ancient Science
by Ranjan
My travel agent sent me this story, informing me that 99% of people get the wrong answer to the question:
Once there was a loving couple travelling in a bus in a mountainous area. They decided to get down at some place. After the couple got down the bus moved on. As the bus moved on, a huge rock fell on the bus from the mountain and totally crushed the bus. Everybody on board was killed.
The couple upon seeing that, said, “We wish we were on that bus.”
Why do you think they said that?
My travel agent sent me this story, informing me that 99% of people get the wrong answer to the question:Once there was a loving couple travelling in a bus in a mountainous area. They decided to get down at some place. After the couple got down the bus moved on. As the bus moved on, a huge rock fell on the bus from the mountain and totally crushed the bus. Everybody on board was killed.
The couple upon seeing that, said, “We wish we were on that bus.”
Why do you think they said that?
My Mother Packed My Bags for My Life Journey
by Barbara Redcay
I began the journey with an appropriately sized bag for a small child. My suitcase had gray stripes with white trim and a little white leather handle for a little hand. I ran, I jumped, I giggled and hopped.
My mommy packed my bag and I knew I had everything I needed!
As I traveled, I began to notice I wasn’t having so much fun anymore. My bag was getting heavy! How did that happen? I never opened it. I didn’t question what was inside. I knew I would have what I needed in there. I didn’t know what it...
I began the journey with an appropriately sized bag for a small child. My suitcase had gray stripes with white trim and a little white leather handle for a little hand. I ran, I jumped, I giggled and hopped.My mommy packed my bag and I knew I had everything I needed!
As I traveled, I began to notice I wasn’t having so much fun anymore. My bag was getting heavy! How did that happen? I never opened it. I didn’t question what was inside. I knew I would have what I needed in there. I didn’t know what it...
Connections
Green Chicago
by Kathleen Ellis
Huffington Post contributor Bruce Tenenbaum argues that by refusing to invest in the space program, we hinder the human race’s long-term viability (“We Can’t Save the Earth, April 23, 2009).
“Sooner or later,” he writes, “the Earth’s magnetic fields will drastically change, possibly increasing our exposure to the dangers of solar radiation. Another new ice age is coming. You want climate change? You’re going to get it. The continents and ocean floor are moving, so eventually New York might find itself bordering the Sahara Desert.
Huffington Post contributor Bruce Tenenbaum argues that by refusing to invest in the space program, we hinder the human race’s long-term viability (“We Can’t Save the Earth, April 23, 2009).“Sooner or later,” he writes, “the Earth’s magnetic fields will drastically change, possibly increasing our exposure to the dangers of solar radiation. Another new ice age is coming. You want climate change? You’re going to get it. The continents and ocean floor are moving, so eventually New York might find itself bordering the Sahara Desert.
Columns
My Current Opinion
by Guy Spiro
Dear Readers
Did you know that September will be the 30th anniversary of The Monthly Aspectarian? Much has happened over these many years. We’ve witnessed and participated in the tremendous evolution of the consciousness movement; we’ve seen six presidents, and experienced the ebb and flow of economic activity. What we’ve never seen is an economy quite like this. We’re writing you now to encourage you to support our advertisers and the consciousness community.
This has been a time of reduced spending for many of us. While this is mostly good and...
Dear Readers
Did you know that September will be the 30th anniversary of The Monthly Aspectarian? Much has happened over these many years. We’ve witnessed and participated in the tremendous evolution of the consciousness movement; we’ve seen six presidents, and experienced the ebb and flow of economic activity. What we’ve never seen is an economy quite like this. We’re writing you now to encourage you to support our advertisers and the consciousness community.This has been a time of reduced spending for many of us. While this is mostly good and...
From the Heart
by Alan Cohen
The Tide Always Comes Back In
A coaching client told me about a friend of hers who was freaking out because “the economy is never going to recover.” I suggested to her that her friend was suffering not from economic distress, but simple nearsightedness. Of course the economy is going to recover. Thinking that the economy will never return would be like standing on an ocean shore watching a wave break on the beach and anxiously exclaiming, “There will never be another wave!” There is always another wave, and the tide always comes back in.
Everything in the manifest universe functions...
The Tide Always Comes Back In
A coaching client told me about a friend of hers who was freaking out because “the economy is never going to recover.” I suggested to her that her friend was suffering not from economic distress, but simple nearsightedness. Of course the economy is going to recover. Thinking that the economy will never return would be like standing on an ocean shore watching a wave break on the beach and anxiously exclaiming, “There will never be another wave!” There is always another wave, and the tide always comes back in.Everything in the manifest universe functions...
Sound Perspectives
by Steven Halpern
titleDrive Time Rx
It is rare that the topic of subliminal audio self-help CDs gets covered in the mainstream media. It's even rarer when the coverage is even-handed, much less positive. Yet that's exactly what happened on March 17, 2009, when a feature story about my latest release, Drive Time Rx, ran on ABCNews.com. You can view the article here:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=7095615
If you're on my mailing list, you already know about this article. And if you're not, I invite...
titleDrive Time Rx
It is rare that the topic of subliminal audio self-help CDs gets covered in the mainstream media. It's even rarer when the coverage is even-handed, much less positive. Yet that's exactly what happened on March 17, 2009, when a feature story about my latest release, Drive Time Rx, ran on ABCNews.com. You can view the article here:http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=7095615
If you're on my mailing list, you already know about this article. And if you're not, I invite...
Everyday Matters
by Jeanne Spiro
Restoring Wholeness
My mom used to tell me that my grandma would cry when she heard that a newborn baby was a girl. It wasn’t that she liked boys better, it was that she felt girls were destined for a hard life. When I think of her, I remember her twinkling blue eyes and a smile that lit up her face. She genuinely liked kids and enjoyed people, but her life, like that of so many women, was tough.
I read all kinds of things; lately I’m reading Women’s Lives in Medieval Europe: A Sourcebook by Emilie Amt. It’s a collection of writings from about 500 through 1500CE that reveals the...
Restoring Wholeness
My mom used to tell me that my grandma would cry when she heard that a newborn baby was a girl. It wasn’t that she liked boys better, it was that she felt girls were destined for a hard life. When I think of her, I remember her twinkling blue eyes and a smile that lit up her face. She genuinely liked kids and enjoyed people, but her life, like that of so many women, was tough.I read all kinds of things; lately I’m reading Women’s Lives in Medieval Europe: A Sourcebook by Emilie Amt. It’s a collection of writings from about 500 through 1500CE that reveals the...
Dear Swami
by Swami Beyondananda
Dear Swami:
More and more, I keep hearing about the health benefits of laughter, but I’m not convinced. Is there any actual scientific proof that laughter is good for us?
— Olaf Moore,
Fargo, North Dakota
Dear Olaf:
Well, I’ll let you decide for yourself. In a now-famous experiment, a group of psychology students were given two hours off to watch comedy movies. Another group was deprived...
by Swami Beyondananda
Dear Swami:More and more, I keep hearing about the health benefits of laughter, but I’m not convinced. Is there any actual scientific proof that laughter is good for us?
— Olaf Moore,
Fargo, North Dakota
Dear Olaf:
Well, I’ll let you decide for yourself. In a now-famous experiment, a group of psychology students were given two hours off to watch comedy movies. Another group was deprived...
Reviews
In Print
New Books of Interest
The Hero and the Goddess: The Oddyssey as Pathway to Personal Transformation by Jean Houston. (Quest Books, $16.95, Paperback.)
After the Trojan War, it takes the hero Odysseus ten years to get home, guided by the goddess Athena. Jean Houston’s experiential retelling leads us to enter Homer’s great epic, The Odyssey, as if it were our own. With Odysseus, we search for the Beloved, endure setbacks, and finally know the joy of homecoming.
By becoming the cunning warrior, the goddess protector, a faithful mother, and endearing...
New Books of Interest
The Hero and the Goddess: The Oddyssey as Pathway to Personal Transformation by Jean Houston. (Quest Books, $16.95, Paperback.)After the Trojan War, it takes the hero Odysseus ten years to get home, guided by the goddess Athena. Jean Houston’s experiential retelling leads us to enter Homer’s great epic, The Odyssey, as if it were our own. With Odysseus, we search for the Beloved, endure setbacks, and finally know the joy of homecoming.
By becoming the cunning warrior, the goddess protector, a faithful mother, and endearing...
Science Fiction & The Art of Storytelling
Life as a Problem Set by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Deja Demon by Julie Kenner (Berkley paperback, July, 2008)
Unquiet Dreams by Mark Del Franco (Ace Fantasy, February, 2008)
Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs (Ace Fantasy, January, 2008)
Heart of Light by Sarah A. Hoyt (Bantam Spectra Fantasy, March, 2008)
Soul of Fire by Sarah A. Hoyt (Bantam Spectra Fantasy, August, 2008)
This column has been running since 1993 (www.simegen.com/reviews/rereadablebooks).
Life as a Problem Set by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Deja Demon by Julie Kenner (Berkley paperback, July, 2008)Unquiet Dreams by Mark Del Franco (Ace Fantasy, February, 2008)
Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs (Ace Fantasy, January, 2008)
Heart of Light by Sarah A. Hoyt (Bantam Spectra Fantasy, March, 2008)
Soul of Fire by Sarah A. Hoyt (Bantam Spectra Fantasy, August, 2008)
This column has been running since 1993 (www.simegen.com/reviews/rereadablebooks).
Cyberweave: Spirituality and the Internet
Hot Off the Press! Larry Dossey's The Power of Premonition
by Mary Montgomery-Clifford
As I write this column, Larry Dossey’s new book, The Power of Premonitions: How Knowing the Future Can Shape Our Lives, is, as they say, “close and yet so far.” I heard about Dossey’s new book from a friend and decided to try to get a sneak preview prior to its April 30th release date by going to www.dosseydossey.com. The official Larry Dossey, M.D., website not only features information about this book, but provides a glimpse of the work of this pioneer in spirituality and health research.
The home page features Dossey’s biography...
As I write this column, Larry Dossey’s new book, The Power of Premonitions: How Knowing the Future Can Shape Our Lives, is, as they say, “close and yet so far.” I heard about Dossey’s new book from a friend and decided to try to get a sneak preview prior to its April 30th release date by going to www.dosseydossey.com. The official Larry Dossey, M.D., website not only features information about this book, but provides a glimpse of the work of this pioneer in spirituality and health research.The home page features Dossey’s biography...
A Conversation With...
James Van Praagh
by Guy Spiro
Guy Spiro: James, I usually like to start by asking people to briefly tell their story. Of course, almost everybody knows who you are, but how did all of this start and what was your progression?
James Van Praagh: When I was a little boy, I used to see spirits and lights and colors around people. I didn’t know what that was and I asked my mother and she said, “Oh, those are spirits, you can see them too?” My mother, also, was very clairvoyant. The fondest memory I have was when I was about seven, I was kneeling down, saying my night prayers with my mother and these...
Guy Spiro: James, I usually like to start by asking people to briefly tell their story. Of course, almost everybody knows who you are, but how did all of this start and what was your progression?James Van Praagh: When I was a little boy, I used to see spirits and lights and colors around people. I didn’t know what that was and I asked my mother and she said, “Oh, those are spirits, you can see them too?” My mother, also, was very clairvoyant. The fondest memory I have was when I was about seven, I was kneeling down, saying my night prayers with my mother and these...
Features
Abiding in Silence with The Divine Mystery
by Mirabai Starr
St. Teresa Prayer:
Nada te turbe,
Nada te espante.
Todo se pasa.
Dios no se muda.
La paciencia todo lo alcanza.
Quien Dios tiene nada le falta.
Solo Dios basta.
Let nothing upset you.
Let nothing frighten you.
Everything changes.
St. Teresa Prayer:Nada te turbe,
Nada te espante.
Todo se pasa.
Dios no se muda.
La paciencia todo lo alcanza.
Quien Dios tiene nada le falta.
Solo Dios basta.
Let nothing upset you.
Let nothing frighten you.
Everything changes.
Suffering is Optional
by Byron Katie
I came to see was that my suffering wasn’t a result of not having control; it was a result of arguing with reality.
How I learned to stop arguing with reality and leave my children’s socks on the floor.
Before I woke up to reality, I had a symbol for all my frustration: my children’s socks. Every morning they would be on the floor, and every morning I would think, “My children should pick up their socks.” It was my religion. You could say my world was accelerating out of control—in my mind, there were socks everywhere. And I would be...
I came to see was that my suffering wasn’t a result of not having control; it was a result of arguing with reality.How I learned to stop arguing with reality and leave my children’s socks on the floor.
Before I woke up to reality, I had a symbol for all my frustration: my children’s socks. Every morning they would be on the floor, and every morning I would think, “My children should pick up their socks.” It was my religion. You could say my world was accelerating out of control—in my mind, there were socks everywhere. And I would be...
Connections
Green Chicago
by Kathleen Ellis
Spring cleaning has hit me hard this year, leading me to want to clean my two temples—my body and my home. Taking a cue from Jeanne Spiro’s column last year, I’m not only cleaning house but becoming more conscious and selective of what I bring in.
To that end, I’m signing up for the Tonic MailStopper service (http://mailstopper.tonic.com). For $20.00 per year, MailStopper removes you from all major direct mail company lists, helps you limit the catalogs you receive to only the ones you want, and provides constant monitoring to...
Spring cleaning has hit me hard this year, leading me to want to clean my two temples—my body and my home. Taking a cue from Jeanne Spiro’s column last year, I’m not only cleaning house but becoming more conscious and selective of what I bring in.To that end, I’m signing up for the Tonic MailStopper service (http://mailstopper.tonic.com). For $20.00 per year, MailStopper removes you from all major direct mail company lists, helps you limit the catalogs you receive to only the ones you want, and provides constant monitoring to...
Columns
From the Heart
by Alan Cohen
The Best Time to be Rich
An ancient Chinese blessing suggests, “May you live in interesting times.” We sure do. Actually, all times are interesting, as they offer unique opportunities for awakening and growth.
Our most interesting opportunity at the moment proceeds from the economy. As you well know, lots of people are talking lack. While you may be tempted to go there with them, or judge, resent, or resist them, you can make far better use of the moment. The best time to practice wealth is in the face of the appearance of lack. It’s easy to feel prosperous when the outer world appears...
The Best Time to be Rich
An ancient Chinese blessing suggests, “May you live in interesting times.” We sure do. Actually, all times are interesting, as they offer unique opportunities for awakening and growth.Our most interesting opportunity at the moment proceeds from the economy. As you well know, lots of people are talking lack. While you may be tempted to go there with them, or judge, resent, or resist them, you can make far better use of the moment. The best time to practice wealth is in the face of the appearance of lack. It’s easy to feel prosperous when the outer world appears...
Sound Perspectives
by Steven Halpern
Aural Literacy and The Sound of Music (Instruments). Do You Hear What I Hear?
I’d like to begin by thanking all of you who answered the quiz in my last column. We had three almost simultaneous winners, who will each be receiving the CD of their choice. By the way, the correct answer was Whitney Houston.
During my workshop at the recent Conscious Life Expo in Los Angeles, I asked the same question, and only one person got it right. But in the process, I was reminded of how much variation there is in our perception of sound and tone color.
This seems to be more than just a frequency-specific factor, such as what is measured in...
Aural Literacy and The Sound of Music (Instruments). Do You Hear What I Hear?
I’d like to begin by thanking all of you who answered the quiz in my last column. We had three almost simultaneous winners, who will each be receiving the CD of their choice. By the way, the correct answer was Whitney Houston.During my workshop at the recent Conscious Life Expo in Los Angeles, I asked the same question, and only one person got it right. But in the process, I was reminded of how much variation there is in our perception of sound and tone color.
This seems to be more than just a frequency-specific factor, such as what is measured in...
Everyday Matters
by Jeanne Spiro
Better for Having Known You
I am struck by the number of otherwise very civilized people who are in favor of violence when answers to the world’s conflicts aren’t readily apparent. Many who wouldn’t resort to physical force in their own lives freely suggest the answer is to bomb them back to the Stone Age or let one side obliterate the other. It’s as if we can hit a button, situation’s gone, don’t give it another thought.
All of us, to some extent, are self centered. We’re miserable when we’re sick and can be overcome by the weight of our sorrows. When we’re happy...
Better for Having Known You
I am struck by the number of otherwise very civilized people who are in favor of violence when answers to the world’s conflicts aren’t readily apparent. Many who wouldn’t resort to physical force in their own lives freely suggest the answer is to bomb them back to the Stone Age or let one side obliterate the other. It’s as if we can hit a button, situation’s gone, don’t give it another thought.All of us, to some extent, are self centered. We’re miserable when we’re sick and can be overcome by the weight of our sorrows. When we’re happy...
Reviews
In Print
New Books of Interest
The Book of Love by Kathleen McGowan. (Touchstone Books, $25.95 Hardcover.)
Author of The Expected One, Kathleen McGowan continues to illuminate the fascinating world of Christian esoterica with a new spiritual thriller, The Book of Love. Continuing the quest of journalist Maureen Pascal, it leads us through a labyrinthine plot with clues hidden in renowned art and architecture, historical legends, and Christian texts.
Fresh from her successful hunt for the long-hidden scrolls written by Mary Magdalene...
New Books of Interest
The Book of Love by Kathleen McGowan. (Touchstone Books, $25.95 Hardcover.)Author of The Expected One, Kathleen McGowan continues to illuminate the fascinating world of Christian esoterica with a new spiritual thriller, The Book of Love. Continuing the quest of journalist Maureen Pascal, it leads us through a labyrinthine plot with clues hidden in renowned art and architecture, historical legends, and Christian texts.
Fresh from her successful hunt for the long-hidden scrolls written by Mary Magdalene...
Science Fiction & The Art of Storytelling
Soldier and Warrior by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Valor’s Trial by Tanya Huff (DAW Hardcover, June, 2008)
Kris Longknife: Intrepid by Mike Shepherd (Ace Paperback, November, 2008)
The Lost Fleet Series: Dauntless, Fearless, Courageous, Valiant, Relentless by Jack Campbell (Ace SF Paperback, June, 2006, to April, 2009)
The Hidden City, A Novel Of The House War by Michelle West (DAW Hardcover, March, 2008)
Last month we looked at Valor’s Trial by Tanya Huff, an interstellar war story featuring a Gunnery Sergeant. This month we look at a similar...
Soldier and Warrior by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Valor’s Trial by Tanya Huff (DAW Hardcover, June, 2008)Kris Longknife: Intrepid by Mike Shepherd (Ace Paperback, November, 2008)
The Lost Fleet Series: Dauntless, Fearless, Courageous, Valiant, Relentless by Jack Campbell (Ace SF Paperback, June, 2006, to April, 2009)
The Hidden City, A Novel Of The House War by Michelle West (DAW Hardcover, March, 2008)
Last month we looked at Valor’s Trial by Tanya Huff, an interstellar war story featuring a Gunnery Sergeant. This month we look at a similar...
Cyberweave: Spirituality and the Internet
Being with Dying: Buddhist Practices for You and the Ones You Love
by Mary Montgomery-Clifford
This semester, I’m the Teaching Assistant in Dr. Robert Moore’s Theories of Change class at Chicago Theological Seminary. As I write this column, I have just finished preparing the presentation I am going to give on Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death by Joan Halifax, a Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, Abbot, and Head Teacher at the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico (www.upaya.org). My readers know that I have a done a lot of research on information and practices that relate to death and dying. Joan...
This semester, I’m the Teaching Assistant in Dr. Robert Moore’s Theories of Change class at Chicago Theological Seminary. As I write this column, I have just finished preparing the presentation I am going to give on Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death by Joan Halifax, a Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, Abbot, and Head Teacher at the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico (www.upaya.org). My readers know that I have a done a lot of research on information and practices that relate to death and dying. Joan...
A Conversation With...
Peter Kime
by Guy Spiro
As they trace that line or move along the circle, it becomes a circle within them that they are moving along and rejoining parts of themselves.
Guy Spiro: Peter, I always like to start by asking people to briefly tell their story. How did you get to where you are now?
Peter Kime: Well, I got here the honest, hard way. I never really thought I would become a healer, therapist and life coach. I thought I would grow up to be a skier or tennis player when I was fifteen or sixteen. But when I trace it back, in my teens I had a lot of depression, and I was seeking ways...
As they trace that line or move along the circle, it becomes a circle within them that they are moving along and rejoining parts of themselves.Guy Spiro: Peter, I always like to start by asking people to briefly tell their story. How did you get to where you are now?
Peter Kime: Well, I got here the honest, hard way. I never really thought I would become a healer, therapist and life coach. I thought I would grow up to be a skier or tennis player when I was fifteen or sixteen. But when I trace it back, in my teens I had a lot of depression, and I was seeking ways...
Features
Tapping the Root of Happiness
by Michael Bernard Beckwith
A person of true inner wealth and happiness is one who has captured a vision for his or her life that is beyond the “me and mine” consciousness.
Who among us does not yearn for happiness? Philosophy, religion and psychology reveal humanity’s efforts to define the meaning of happiness, how to experience it, and how sustain it. It may sound like a bold statement, but even a thief is convinced that by possessing the object of desire his life will somehow be happier. No matter what part we find ourselves playing on the stage of life, we cannot escape our sense of...
A person of true inner wealth and happiness is one who has captured a vision for his or her life that is beyond the “me and mine” consciousness.Who among us does not yearn for happiness? Philosophy, religion and psychology reveal humanity’s efforts to define the meaning of happiness, how to experience it, and how sustain it. It may sound like a bold statement, but even a thief is convinced that by possessing the object of desire his life will somehow be happier. No matter what part we find ourselves playing on the stage of life, we cannot escape our sense of...
The Frequency's Rising: A Shift Update
by Jack Allis
The Mayan prophecies were just one of innumerable others, which came from indigenous people all over the planet.
The frequency is rising.That’s the report, and yes, it is that simple.
Here’s the slightly longer version: the Earth has reached a point in its 26,000 year cyclical journey through the galaxy where it has entered a vast cosmic energy field. This field consists of energy of a higher frequency, and as the Earth continues on its course into this field, the frequency will continue to rise. This is what is meant by “the...
The Mayan prophecies were just one of innumerable others, which came from indigenous people all over the planet.The frequency is rising.That’s the report, and yes, it is that simple.
Here’s the slightly longer version: the Earth has reached a point in its 26,000 year cyclical journey through the galaxy where it has entered a vast cosmic energy field. This field consists of energy of a higher frequency, and as the Earth continues on its course into this field, the frequency will continue to rise. This is what is meant by “the...
Yoga, Mathematics, and Human Evolution
by Jonathan Berman
Releasing emotions takes time, courage and compassion, but the benefits are definitely worth the effort.
Most people are unaware of how much tension they have in their bodies, or how much better life would be without it. Better physical and emotional health, greater clarity of thought, and more compassion for ourselves and others are some of the benefits of getting the tension out of our bodies.
When I was twenty, I was so tight I felt I would die from the tension in three or four days. My...
Releasing emotions takes time, courage and compassion, but the benefits are definitely worth the effort.Most people are unaware of how much tension they have in their bodies, or how much better life would be without it. Better physical and emotional health, greater clarity of thought, and more compassion for ourselves and others are some of the benefits of getting the tension out of our bodies.
When I was twenty, I was so tight I felt I would die from the tension in three or four days. My...
Connection
by Barbara Redcay
I went to bed. The air was cool, the covers were heavy and Sam (the aforementioned cat) was at my feet. “Alone” was by my side.
I am a sixty year old woman who lives alone with her cat.
How has this happened? I get the sixty—time passes. After all these years, the “alone” is still a surprise to me—and thank God for the cat!
This is one of those endless winters—day after day of temperatures below zero outside and piles of snow and ice creating an alien landscape. I am feeling isolated and alone—you know, one of...
I went to bed. The air was cool, the covers were heavy and Sam (the aforementioned cat) was at my feet. “Alone” was by my side.I am a sixty year old woman who lives alone with her cat.
How has this happened? I get the sixty—time passes. After all these years, the “alone” is still a surprise to me—and thank God for the cat!
This is one of those endless winters—day after day of temperatures below zero outside and piles of snow and ice creating an alien landscape. I am feeling isolated and alone—you know, one of...
Connections
Green Chicago
by Kathleen Ellis
Don't look now, but here comes the equinox, on March 20th! Daylight Savings Time starts earlier this year, on March 8th. The days are getting longer, we're over the winter hump, and in no time at all we'll barely remember what cold feels like! Just like the crocus buds I spied on a walk to work the other day, many activities for this month's calendar are harbingers of the coming spring. If you're a gardener, it's a good time to get those seedlings going.
Volunteer Bike Building for West Town Bikes
Sundays starting March 1, 12pm-6pm, 2418...
Don't look now, but here comes the equinox, on March 20th! Daylight Savings Time starts earlier this year, on March 8th. The days are getting longer, we're over the winter hump, and in no time at all we'll barely remember what cold feels like! Just like the crocus buds I spied on a walk to work the other day, many activities for this month's calendar are harbingers of the coming spring. If you're a gardener, it's a good time to get those seedlings going.Volunteer Bike Building for West Town Bikes
Sundays starting March 1, 12pm-6pm, 2418...
Columns
From the Heart
by Alan Cohen
The Law of the Vital Few
Do you feel like you are wasting time and energy spinning your wheels with little or no results? Do you wonder why some people just keep winning while others can’t get onto the boards? Would you like to maximize your social, financial, and spiritual returns while minimizing your effort?
If so, your answer may lie in understanding the 80-20 Rule. This principle states that, for most events, 80% of the effects proceed from 20% of the causes. The rule is also known as “The Law of the Vital Few,” and “The Pareto Principle,” named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who...
The Law of the Vital Few
Do you feel like you are wasting time and energy spinning your wheels with little or no results? Do you wonder why some people just keep winning while others can’t get onto the boards? Would you like to maximize your social, financial, and spiritual returns while minimizing your effort?If so, your answer may lie in understanding the 80-20 Rule. This principle states that, for most events, 80% of the effects proceed from 20% of the causes. The rule is also known as “The Law of the Vital Few,” and “The Pareto Principle,” named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who...
Sound Perspectives
by Steven Halpern
The Psychic Side of the Super Bowl
Did you watch or listen to the Super Bowl this year? If so, did you pick up on two magnificent manifestations of spirit in action?
This is not as far out a concept as you might imagine. In fact, one of the founders of what used to be called the human potential movement, and co-founder of the world-famous Esalen Institute, wrote a best-selling book about this topic years ago. Michael Murphy’s The Psychic Side of Sports was one of the first comprehensive examinations of similarities in what mystics, psychics and world-class athletes had to say about their...
The Psychic Side of the Super Bowl
Did you watch or listen to the Super Bowl this year? If so, did you pick up on two magnificent manifestations of spirit in action?This is not as far out a concept as you might imagine. In fact, one of the founders of what used to be called the human potential movement, and co-founder of the world-famous Esalen Institute, wrote a best-selling book about this topic years ago. Michael Murphy’s The Psychic Side of Sports was one of the first comprehensive examinations of similarities in what mystics, psychics and world-class athletes had to say about their...
Dear Swami
by Swami Beyondananda 2009 Swami's State of the Universe
The Shift Has Hit the Fan: Welcome to the Sane Asylum
The shift has hit the fan! Humanity has shifted its karma into surpassing gear, and political climate change has come to America. Thanks to a grassroots up-wising, we the people huffed and puffed together in the same direction and the winds of change blew in a breath of fresh air. And we can all breathe easier.
The vote in November was more than a vote for a new President. It was a vote for a new precedent—to overgrow the “lowest common...
by Swami Beyondananda 2009 Swami's State of the Universe
The Shift Has Hit the Fan: Welcome to the Sane Asylum The shift has hit the fan! Humanity has shifted its karma into surpassing gear, and political climate change has come to America. Thanks to a grassroots up-wising, we the people huffed and puffed together in the same direction and the winds of change blew in a breath of fresh air. And we can all breathe easier.
The vote in November was more than a vote for a new President. It was a vote for a new precedent—to overgrow the “lowest common...
Reviews
In Print
New Books of Interest
365 Prescriptions for the Soul: Daily Messages of Inspiration, Hope, and Love by Dr. Bernie S. Siegel. (New World Library, $14.95, Paperback.)
Dr. Bernie Siegel is a well-known proponent of alternative approaches to healing not just for the body, but the mind and soul as well. In 365 Prescriptions for the Soul he prescribes daily doses of inspiration, hope, and love.
This is a practical guide filled with ideas for strengthening the body, mind, and spirit and fully enjoying our lives. A topic is presented for each day of the year, accompanied by an...
New Books of Interest
365 Prescriptions for the Soul: Daily Messages of Inspiration, Hope, and Love by Dr. Bernie S. Siegel. (New World Library, $14.95, Paperback.)Dr. Bernie Siegel is a well-known proponent of alternative approaches to healing not just for the body, but the mind and soul as well. In 365 Prescriptions for the Soul he prescribes daily doses of inspiration, hope, and love.
This is a practical guide filled with ideas for strengthening the body, mind, and spirit and fully enjoying our lives. A topic is presented for each day of the year, accompanied by an...
Science Fiction & The Art of Storytelling
Karma of World Prominence by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Synthesis & Counseling in Astrology by Noel Tyl. (Llewellen, 1994.)
Valor’s Trial by Tanya Huff (DAW Hardcover, June, 2008.)
Key to Redemption by Talia Gryphon. (Ace Fantasy Paperback, October, 2008.)
The Cipher by Diana Pharaoh Francis. (RoC Fantasy Paperback, November, 2007.)
The Excalibur Murders by J. M. C. Blair. (Berkley Prime Crime Historical Mystery, July, 2008.)
How accurate a picture does fiction provide of what it’s like to be rich, famous, infamous...
Karma of World Prominence by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Synthesis & Counseling in Astrology by Noel Tyl. (Llewellen, 1994.)Valor’s Trial by Tanya Huff (DAW Hardcover, June, 2008.)
Key to Redemption by Talia Gryphon. (Ace Fantasy Paperback, October, 2008.)
The Cipher by Diana Pharaoh Francis. (RoC Fantasy Paperback, November, 2007.)
The Excalibur Murders by J. M. C. Blair. (Berkley Prime Crime Historical Mystery, July, 2008.)
How accurate a picture does fiction provide of what it’s like to be rich, famous, infamous...
Cyberweave: Spirituality and the Internet
Spirit Boxes: Haunting Images of Those Who Have Fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan
by Mary Montgomery-Clifford
My first encounter with Artist Andre Ferrella and his work was during a friend’s annual Winter Solstice Party. Ivette is an art collector and some of Ferrella’s artwork was on display and available for purchase. Since December 21st is my birthday and since I resonated with Ferrella’s very spiritual work, I purchased an oil painting. That painting, “Otellus,” one of the many works that Ferrella creates via a process that combines meditation and inspiration, hangs in my dining room.
But that’s not what this column is about. One of the reasons Ferrella was at the party was...
My first encounter with Artist Andre Ferrella and his work was during a friend’s annual Winter Solstice Party. Ivette is an art collector and some of Ferrella’s artwork was on display and available for purchase. Since December 21st is my birthday and since I resonated with Ferrella’s very spiritual work, I purchased an oil painting. That painting, “Otellus,” one of the many works that Ferrella creates via a process that combines meditation and inspiration, hangs in my dining room.But that’s not what this column is about. One of the reasons Ferrella was at the party was...
Alternative Realities: Creating the New Mythos
Happy Go Lucky
by Stephen Simon, The Movie Mystic
There have been some wonderful films lately that have looked at those of us who present what we might call our “wounded” face to the world. People who seem angry, self-absorbed, and/or unapproachable. As we discussed in last month's column, Gran Torino and Ghost Town both illuminate the pain, sadness, and vulnerability that lie just beneath the surface of those wounded faces and personalities.
Now comes the perfectly titled Happy-Go-Lucky so that we can see the polar opposite of that wounded face.
There have been some wonderful films lately that have looked at those of us who present what we might call our “wounded” face to the world. People who seem angry, self-absorbed, and/or unapproachable. As we discussed in last month's column, Gran Torino and Ghost Town both illuminate the pain, sadness, and vulnerability that lie just beneath the surface of those wounded faces and personalities.Now comes the perfectly titled Happy-Go-Lucky so that we can see the polar opposite of that wounded face.
February
"Winter Landscape"
by
Irina Tischenko
by
Irina Tischenko
A Conversation With...
Richard Smoley
by Guy Spiro
Guy Spiro: Richard, I usually like to start by asking people to briefly tell their stories. Harvard, Oxford, edited Gnosis magazine and now Quest magazine, as well as the several books – you have done a lot already in life.
Richard Smoley: Thank you. Yeah, I have always been interested in spirituality. My father had a lot of books of the occult and that sort of thing around when I was a kid, so I certainly picked them up and got a little bit of his interests. When I was an adolescent I wasn’t that much interested. But when I was at Oxford, in the late 70’s, I...
Guy Spiro: Richard, I usually like to start by asking people to briefly tell their stories. Harvard, Oxford, edited Gnosis magazine and now Quest magazine, as well as the several books – you have done a lot already in life.Richard Smoley: Thank you. Yeah, I have always been interested in spirituality. My father had a lot of books of the occult and that sort of thing around when I was a kid, so I certainly picked them up and got a little bit of his interests. When I was an adolescent I wasn’t that much interested. But when I was at Oxford, in the late 70’s, I...
Ian and Beverly Whal
by Guy Spiro
Guy Spiro: Why don’t we start with both of you just giving us a little bit of background? You know, what did you go through to become who you are now?
Beverly Wahl: Ian, why don’t you go first?
Ian Wahl: I started as a psychotherapist back in the 70’s and shifted away from working with individuals to working with organizations and companies. I had my own company for many years working with other corporations on increasing their productivity. Acupuncture and Asian philosophy was somewhat of a hobby.
Guy Spiro: Why don’t we start with both of you just giving us a little bit of background? You know, what did you go through to become who you are now?Beverly Wahl: Ian, why don’t you go first?
Ian Wahl: I started as a psychotherapist back in the 70’s and shifted away from working with individuals to working with organizations and companies. I had my own company for many years working with other corporations on increasing their productivity. Acupuncture and Asian philosophy was somewhat of a hobby.
Features
Is Your Body a Foe or a Friend? Confusion about your physical body in your spiritual growth
by Masaru Kato
As we can see in recent medical discourse, we have deepened our understating of the mind-body connection. The mind and the body are inseparable. Dr. Ida Rolf, the founder of Rolfing, states, “The physical body is actually the personality, rather than its expression, is the energy unit we call man.” The mind and the body are not two. The mind is the body. The body is the mind. Dr. Alexander Lowen, the founder of Bioenergetics, claims, “You are your body.” Somatologists or existentialists encourage you to tap into a whole-bodied full-minded awareness...
As we can see in recent medical discourse, we have deepened our understating of the mind-body connection. The mind and the body are inseparable. Dr. Ida Rolf, the founder of Rolfing, states, “The physical body is actually the personality, rather than its expression, is the energy unit we call man.” The mind and the body are not two. The mind is the body. The body is the mind. Dr. Alexander Lowen, the founder of Bioenergetics, claims, “You are your body.” Somatologists or existentialists encourage you to tap into a whole-bodied full-minded awareness...
The Six Keys to Spiritual Dating
by Jill Crosby
Conscious dating is more fun than the traditional style of dating, and it yields much better results.
“Spiritual Dating” or “Conscious Dating” is an enlightened way of meeting and dating. There are no rules or expectations, and it’s about being true to oneself and staying in the flow. Conscious dating is more fun than the traditional style of dating, and it yields much better results. As we raise our vibrational frequencies, it’s more and more important to practice Spiritual Dating with respect to meeting a life partner as our thoughts and feelings are manifesting extremely fast.
by Jill Crosby
Conscious dating is more fun than the traditional style of dating, and it yields much better results.“Spiritual Dating” or “Conscious Dating” is an enlightened way of meeting and dating. There are no rules or expectations, and it’s about being true to oneself and staying in the flow. Conscious dating is more fun than the traditional style of dating, and it yields much better results. As we raise our vibrational frequencies, it’s more and more important to practice Spiritual Dating with respect to meeting a life partner as our thoughts and feelings are manifesting extremely fast.
How To Stop Absorbing Other People’s Negative Emotions
by Dr. Judith Orloff
What you’re feeling may be your own; it may be someone else’s; or it may be a combination.
Emotional freedom means learning how to stay centered in a stressful, highly emotionally charged world. Since emotions such as fear, anger, and frustration are energies, you can potentially “catch” them from people without realizing it. If you tend to be an emotional sponge, it’s vital to know how to avoid taking on an individual’s negative emotions or the free-floating kind in crowds. Another twist is that chronic anxiety, depression, or stress can turn you into an...
by Dr. Judith Orloff
What you’re feeling may be your own; it may be someone else’s; or it may be a combination.Emotional freedom means learning how to stay centered in a stressful, highly emotionally charged world. Since emotions such as fear, anger, and frustration are energies, you can potentially “catch” them from people without realizing it. If you tend to be an emotional sponge, it’s vital to know how to avoid taking on an individual’s negative emotions or the free-floating kind in crowds. Another twist is that chronic anxiety, depression, or stress can turn you into an...
Columns
From the Heart
by Alan Cohen
Business for Lovers
Recently I had to telephone my mortgage company to ask them to correct an accounting error they had made. I usually haven’t enjoyed calling the company because they would rather have you talk to a computer than a person. But I was determined, and finally I was connected to a cordial agent named Todd.
Todd cheerfully rectified the error and told me the accounting would be recorded before the end of the next day, when he was scheduled to fly to Beijing.
“What’s in Beijing ?” I asked Todd.
Business for Lovers
Recently I had to telephone my mortgage company to ask them to correct an accounting error they had made. I usually haven’t enjoyed calling the company because they would rather have you talk to a computer than a person. But I was determined, and finally I was connected to a cordial agent named Todd.Todd cheerfully rectified the error and told me the accounting would be recorded before the end of the next day, when he was scheduled to fly to Beijing.
“What’s in Beijing ?” I asked Todd.
Sound Perspectives
by Steven Halpern
Choosing the Right Soundtrack for Your Life
Now that millions have awakened to the healing power of music in their lives, I continue to get many inquiries as to “which music is best for ...” (fill in the blank).
I thought it might therefore be a good way to start off the year with an overview that can help you derive more benefit from the music you listen to. This will not be a “music lesson” in the traditional sense, i.e., I'm not going to discuss how to play an instrument or take you through Music Theory 101.
What I am going to do is to suggest some...
Choosing the Right Soundtrack for Your Life
Now that millions have awakened to the healing power of music in their lives, I continue to get many inquiries as to “which music is best for ...” (fill in the blank).I thought it might therefore be a good way to start off the year with an overview that can help you derive more benefit from the music you listen to. This will not be a “music lesson” in the traditional sense, i.e., I'm not going to discuss how to play an instrument or take you through Music Theory 101.
What I am going to do is to suggest some...
Everyday Matters
by Jeanne Spiro
Appreciating Abundance
The current financial state of the world has many of us feeling pinched, limited, and uncertain. Some of us are reluctant to make long range plans or large purchases because we don’t know what our money will look like in the coming months. Others are just angry. Careful planning has not had the expected result; money has been lost not made. While we know that how we think and feel affects our reality, how can we feel prosperous when we have no certainty of employment, our investments are declining, and it just costs more to live?
As we all know, prosperity encompasses much...
Appreciating Abundance
The current financial state of the world has many of us feeling pinched, limited, and uncertain. Some of us are reluctant to make long range plans or large purchases because we don’t know what our money will look like in the coming months. Others are just angry. Careful planning has not had the expected result; money has been lost not made. While we know that how we think and feel affects our reality, how can we feel prosperous when we have no certainty of employment, our investments are declining, and it just costs more to live?As we all know, prosperity encompasses much...
Reviews
In Print
New Books of Interest
The Pleasure Instinct: Why We Crave Adventure, Chocolate, Pheromones, and Music by Gene Wallenstein, Ph.D. (Wiley, $24.95, Hardcover.)
In The Pleasure Instinct, neuroscientist Gene Wallenstein explores the biological origins and pivotal role of pleasure in our natural development. Using the five human senses as a jumping off point, he takes us on a fascinating tour through the relationship between human beings and pleasure by asking such simple questions such as: What makes sinning so much fun? How does music soothe our souls? What do we love so...
New Books of Interest
The Pleasure Instinct: Why We Crave Adventure, Chocolate, Pheromones, and Music by Gene Wallenstein, Ph.D. (Wiley, $24.95, Hardcover.)In The Pleasure Instinct, neuroscientist Gene Wallenstein explores the biological origins and pivotal role of pleasure in our natural development. Using the five human senses as a jumping off point, he takes us on a fascinating tour through the relationship between human beings and pleasure by asking such simple questions such as: What makes sinning so much fun? How does music soothe our souls? What do we love so...
Science Fiction & The Art of Storytelling
Poetic Justice: The Fragile Universe by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
The Book of Names by Jill Gregory and Karen Tintori. (St. Martin’s, Paperback, February, 2008.)
Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait by K.A. Bedford. (Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy, August, 2008.)
The Reel Stuff, Brian Thomsen and Martin H. Greenberg, eds. (DAW Books, June, 2008.)
Stakeout. Directed by John Badham; starring Richard Dreyfuss, Emilio Estevez. (Silver Screen Partners II, et al, 1987.)
In the January 2009 column, I wrote about how life is art, and art is life. The poetry of karma...
Poetic Justice: The Fragile Universe by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
The Book of Names by Jill Gregory and Karen Tintori. (St. Martin’s, Paperback, February, 2008.)Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait by K.A. Bedford. (Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy, August, 2008.)
The Reel Stuff, Brian Thomsen and Martin H. Greenberg, eds. (DAW Books, June, 2008.)
Stakeout. Directed by John Badham; starring Richard Dreyfuss, Emilio Estevez. (Silver Screen Partners II, et al, 1987.)
In the January 2009 column, I wrote about how life is art, and art is life. The poetry of karma...
Alternative Realities: Creating the New Mythos
My Five Favorite Films in 2008
by Mary Montgomery-Clifford
As I note every year, my favorite films are not the ones that I consider the “best” films of 2008. I do not believe that works of art can or should be ordered from good to best to whatever. How could anyone objectively say that a Rembrandt is a “better” painting than a DaVinci or a Van Gogh?
We only know what we personally like and don’t like.
As a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, I hope that we eventually change the description of the Oscars that we award every year from “best” to “favorite.”
As I note every year, my favorite films are not the ones that I consider the “best” films of 2008. I do not believe that works of art can or should be ordered from good to best to whatever. How could anyone objectively say that a Rembrandt is a “better” painting than a DaVinci or a Van Gogh?We only know what we personally like and don’t like.
As a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, I hope that we eventually change the description of the Oscars that we award every year from “best” to “favorite.”
A Conversation With...
Andrew Harvey
by Guy Spiro
Guy Spiro: Andrew, I usually like to start by asking people to briefly tell us their story. How did you get to be who you are? I know from looking at your website you’re like me in that you do a lot of different things.
Andrew Harvey: Yes. I wear many hats. I’m a mystical teacher, I’m a writer, I’m a speaker, I’m an activist and I am someone struggling to understand my nature and the nature of reality. So I am a Seeker. I am all of those things and I suspect everyone is. I think we are all trying to bring our lives into some deep unity.
Guy Spiro: Andrew, I usually like to start by asking people to briefly tell us their story. How did you get to be who you are? I know from looking at your website you’re like me in that you do a lot of different things.Andrew Harvey: Yes. I wear many hats. I’m a mystical teacher, I’m a writer, I’m a speaker, I’m an activist and I am someone struggling to understand my nature and the nature of reality. So I am a Seeker. I am all of those things and I suspect everyone is. I think we are all trying to bring our lives into some deep unity.
Features
A Winning Resolution—Health for Life
by Laurie Buchanan, PhD, HHP, CHT, RMT
You’ve heard the old adage; “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It’s true! This year make a commitment to carve out “me” time—a proactive step toward personal health and well-being; a holistic approach that encompasses the whole person—body, mind, and spirit. To ignore any aspect of your essence is to deprive yourself of health. The holistic approach emphasizes cooperation with the body’s innate ability to heal itself.
As humans, we are multi-dimensional in nature. We operate from physical, emotional, mental...
by Laurie Buchanan, PhD, HHP, CHT, RMT
You’ve heard the old adage; “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It’s true! This year make a commitment to carve out “me” time—a proactive step toward personal health and well-being; a holistic approach that encompasses the whole person—body, mind, and spirit. To ignore any aspect of your essence is to deprive yourself of health. The holistic approach emphasizes cooperation with the body’s innate ability to heal itself.As humans, we are multi-dimensional in nature. We operate from physical, emotional, mental...
Connections
Green Chicago
by Kathleen Ellis
The solar and lunar new years present a reflective opportunity—not just to embark on shiny new adventures, but to take stock; to recommit to the values that still ring true to you and discard the areas that have stagnated. 2009 promises to be a great year for the environment as humanity matures in its 21st century mentality. Here my two biggies for 2009:
Reduce the amount of plastic I consume. After recycling, composting, and reusing many materials I bring into my home, the bulk of my trash is non recyclable single-use plastic. I plan to bring...
The solar and lunar new years present a reflective opportunity—not just to embark on shiny new adventures, but to take stock; to recommit to the values that still ring true to you and discard the areas that have stagnated. 2009 promises to be a great year for the environment as humanity matures in its 21st century mentality. Here my two biggies for 2009:Reduce the amount of plastic I consume. After recycling, composting, and reusing many materials I bring into my home, the bulk of my trash is non recyclable single-use plastic. I plan to bring...
Columns
From the Heart
by Alan Cohen
What a Difference a Degree Makes
When you set out on a journey, the direction in which you are pointed at its outset makes a huge difference where and when you arrive at your destination. If you alter your course by one degree when you begin, where you end up could be altered by a hundred or a thousand miles.
So it is when we begin a new year. If you are clear on where you want to go, you will get there far more rapidly and efficiently than if you harbor intentions that are mixed or other than your true choices.
To upgrade your year, begin by upgrading...
What a Difference a Degree Makes
When you set out on a journey, the direction in which you are pointed at its outset makes a huge difference where and when you arrive at your destination. If you alter your course by one degree when you begin, where you end up could be altered by a hundred or a thousand miles.So it is when we begin a new year. If you are clear on where you want to go, you will get there far more rapidly and efficiently than if you harbor intentions that are mixed or other than your true choices.
To upgrade your year, begin by upgrading...
Sound Perspectives
by Steven Halpern
Give a New Year Gift to Your Self: Sound Ideas for Treating Yourself Better than Ever
At this time of year, it’s traditional to make plans for the coming year. We may state our visions out loud, silently speak them to ourselves, or write them in a journal or onto a Post-it. By writing our goals as affirmations, research shows that its more likely to bring the change we want into existence in our lives.
For over thirty years, I’ve gone “on the record” to recommend that you add in the powerful component of sound and music to your affirmation/New Year’s resolution program. There are so many inexpensive digital recording...
Give a New Year Gift to Your Self: Sound Ideas for Treating Yourself Better than Ever
At this time of year, it’s traditional to make plans for the coming year. We may state our visions out loud, silently speak them to ourselves, or write them in a journal or onto a Post-it. By writing our goals as affirmations, research shows that its more likely to bring the change we want into existence in our lives.For over thirty years, I’ve gone “on the record” to recommend that you add in the powerful component of sound and music to your affirmation/New Year’s resolution program. There are so many inexpensive digital recording...
The Shared Heart
by Joyce and Barry Vissell
The Greatest Gift
Imagine that you awaken to find a very large present waiting for you. It is wrapped in colorful paper and tied with a lovely bow. There are flowers on top and everything about this present is just beautiful. But you don’t open it. You go about your day, knowing that the gift is there but thinking that the right time to open it has simply not arrived. Days go by and the present remains unopened. You rationalize that you are too busy to open it, or that you probably won’t like it anyway. Soon the present gets put into the closet and is forgotten. A full year goes by and you...
The Greatest Gift
Imagine that you awaken to find a very large present waiting for you. It is wrapped in colorful paper and tied with a lovely bow. There are flowers on top and everything about this present is just beautiful. But you don’t open it. You go about your day, knowing that the gift is there but thinking that the right time to open it has simply not arrived. Days go by and the present remains unopened. You rationalize that you are too busy to open it, or that you probably won’t like it anyway. Soon the present gets put into the closet and is forgotten. A full year goes by and you...
Everyday Matters
by Jeanne Spiro
Better for Having Known You
I think one of the greatest compliments we can give another is to say, “I am a better person for having known you.” We’ve all had people in our lives we can say that about, haven’t we? People who somehow put us more in touch with our possibilities, our greatness? The first person in my life that I remember having had such an effect was my third grade teacher, Sister Maria Goretti. I was very shy and it was easy for me to blend in and not be seen. Somehow she noticed me that year and made me feel special. Toward the end of the year we were making paper daffodils with...
Better for Having Known You
I think one of the greatest compliments we can give another is to say, “I am a better person for having known you.” We’ve all had people in our lives we can say that about, haven’t we? People who somehow put us more in touch with our possibilities, our greatness? The first person in my life that I remember having had such an effect was my third grade teacher, Sister Maria Goretti. I was very shy and it was easy for me to blend in and not be seen. Somehow she noticed me that year and made me feel special. Toward the end of the year we were making paper daffodils with...Reviews
In Print
New Books of Interest
Watermind is an environmental thriller that takes us to the near future and through the infested waters of the Mississippi River.
After dropping out of MIT, C.J. Reilly tries to escape from her troubled past by heading south. Along with her new zydeco musician boyfriend, Max, she signs up to be a contract laborer in charge of cleaning up a toxic chemical spill in the Louisiana delta near Baton Rouge. When the duo arrives at the site, they are taken by surprise when it appears as though the most southern part of the Mississippi River has frozen over.
New Books of Interest
Watermind is an environmental thriller that takes us to the near future and through the infested waters of the Mississippi River.After dropping out of MIT, C.J. Reilly tries to escape from her troubled past by heading south. Along with her new zydeco musician boyfriend, Max, she signs up to be a contract laborer in charge of cleaning up a toxic chemical spill in the Louisiana delta near Baton Rouge. When the duo arrives at the site, they are taken by surprise when it appears as though the most southern part of the Mississippi River has frozen over.
Science Fiction & The Art of Storytelling
Change Can Happen: Setting Goals for Personal—and Global—Transformation by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Mr. Holland’s Opus. Directed by Stephen Herek; starring Richard Dreyfuss (Hollywood Pictures, 1995.)
The Karen Montgomery Series by Jennifer St. Clair. (Writers Exchange E-Publishing, www.writers-exchange.com.)
Foundling and Lamplighter by D.M. Cornish. (Speak, an imprint of Penguin Group USA, April, 2008.)
Once Upon a Spring Morn by Dennis L. McKiernan. (RoC Hardcover, October, 2006.)
Once Upon A Dreadful Time by Dennis...
Change Can Happen: Setting Goals for Personal—and Global—Transformation by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Mr. Holland’s Opus. Directed by Stephen Herek; starring Richard Dreyfuss (Hollywood Pictures, 1995.)The Karen Montgomery Series by Jennifer St. Clair. (Writers Exchange E-Publishing, www.writers-exchange.com.)
Foundling and Lamplighter by D.M. Cornish. (Speak, an imprint of Penguin Group USA, April, 2008.)
Once Upon a Spring Morn by Dennis L. McKiernan. (RoC Hardcover, October, 2006.)
Once Upon A Dreadful Time by Dennis...
Cyberweave: Spirituality and the Internet
Honing Imagination
by Mary Montgomery-Clifford
It’s that time of year again. During the first month of the year, the spotlight is on setting goals for the coming year. They’re called New Year’s resolutions and often these resolutions are done tongue-in-cheek with a just-under-the-radar consciousness that “no one keeps these things anyway.” But in reality, making quality New Year’s resolutions should be viewed as prime-time training for the goal setting—and keeping—that we should be doing throughout the year and throughout our lives. It should also be a time for thinking about how our personal...
It’s that time of year again. During the first month of the year, the spotlight is on setting goals for the coming year. They’re called New Year’s resolutions and often these resolutions are done tongue-in-cheek with a just-under-the-radar consciousness that “no one keeps these things anyway.” But in reality, making quality New Year’s resolutions should be viewed as prime-time training for the goal setting—and keeping—that we should be doing throughout the year and throughout our lives. It should also be a time for thinking about how our personal...