What are the secrets to happiness and meaning? Why do some people find a deep sense of purpose while they are here and die with few regrets while others end their lives bitter and disappointed?About two years ago I set out to answer that question by asking several thousand people to identify the one person they knew who had lived a long life and found true happiness. It seemed to me that each of us knows at least one person who achieved true success. After receiving over 1,000 nominations, I … [Read more...]
Charting the Heavens in June
The Sun, traveling through Gemini this month, opens our minds up more fully to the realities of others...until it enters Cancer on 6/20, marking the Summer Solstice. Gemini energy expands us to build bridges to our fellow man. The new moon on 6/2, also in Gemini, awakens our innocence as we view others with an openness and an air of adaptability. It is not always easy to be vulnerable, yet it is in the openness that vulnerability brings, that we can be fully alive in union with others. The full … [Read more...]
Massage…through Faith
A true pioneer of therapeutic massage, Sister Rosalind Gefre has created a network of schools and clinics of massage in the Upper Midwest that is to be respected: five schools located in West St. Paul, Rochester, Mankato, Saulk Rapids and Fargo; clinics in those five cities, as well as in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul and Burnsville; and sites that offer deep tissue massage, chiropractic services, acupuncture, chair massage, reflexology, sports massage CranioSacral Therapy, … [Read more...]
The Remarkable Road to Power: A Shaman’s Journey
I was climbing through steep mountain terrain in the Himalayas with my teachers, Agnes Whistling Elk, Ruby Plenty Chiefs and Ani, a Nepalese hill woman. Below us, a fast-moving river plunged down a steep gorge.Suddenly, Ani signaled for us to stop. Coming toward us were three Red Chinese soldiers. I bent over and held my pashamina shawl across my face, trying to look like a boy from the Nar Valley.The soldiers spoke loudly in Chinese, pointing their rifles at us. Ani spoke to their heavy-set … [Read more...]
The Gathering: Our Grand Opportunity is to Unite Humanity
Our collective dream, if I may be so bold, is to experience the unity of the human race - a time in which all people not only accept the fact, but know deep in their soul, that essentially we are one people who share a common desire for an end of conflict and an era of peace. It would require cooperation. Complete acceptance of each other's spiritual beliefs, without judgment. The end of greed. The celebration of the inherent gifts within each of us. And an end of the Reign of Fear on Planet … [Read more...]
Living the Mysteries
I have just returned from Greece, where we had a marvelous time touring the country and visiting many sacred and ancient sites. We were blessed to have a knowledgeable guide (Lily) who also was sympathetic to our interests. Once she learned that our group had metaphysical and spiritual leanings, she emphasized the ancient stories and rites, as well as discussing history and architecture.At one point she shared with me how freeing it was to be able to talk about such things openly to a group. … [Read more...]
Oh, God: Say it with Laughter
Many years ago (1976), my first job in the film industry was as the assistant to a legendary film producer named Ray Stark. Ray produced such classics as Funny Girl, The Way We Were, and The Goodbye Girl. Even though I went out on my own in 1980 to produce Somewhere In Time, Ray and I stayed in touch and, from time to time, he would invite me to his home to watch films with him in his projection room. One night, in 1984, he invited me over to see a new film called Splash. Ray was particularly … [Read more...]
Healing the Heart through Massage
It was just a couple of years ago that I attended a "Body Worlds" exhibit. I went there with the intention of reigniting in myself the ability to spew off the name and location of every muscle, bone, ligament and attachment site. Why? Because I wanted to be better at what I do.As a licensed massage therapist, this information was all memorized while in school, and yet six years into my profession I had lost that sharp recall that labeled each and every part of our being. This inability … [Read more...]
What’s New: A glance at new things to experience
NEW FILMSONE: THE MOVIE, by Ward M. Powers, available from The Spiritual Cinema Circle in July, www.spiritualcinemacircle.com What is the meaning of life? A rare documentary, created by non-filmmakers, succeeds in shining light on the inherent oneness of humanity by gatheringtogether a diverse group of people, some well known and some not known at all outside of their family and friends. What this group of people has in common is the shared journey of the human experience. One: The Movie, joins … [Read more...]
Sustainability and the Pressing Need to Raise Our Collective Consciousness
We have all asked questions like: Who am I? How did I get here? What is my purpose in life? How did this body come together with this mind, perception and awareness? Most of us allow these heavy, seemingly unanswerable questions to glide by while we stay busy living our lives. But for some seekers, the pursuit of greater knowledge becomes a lifelong quest. It has been a decade since The Way of the Explorer was first published, and the rush of civilization toward a tipping point has not … [Read more...]
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